Every year for the Bayou Classic, the experience alone can be electric, and the matchup this year for the 52nd Annual Bayou Classic between the Southern University Jaguars and the Grambling State Tigers proved to be just that. Both teams were competing for the upper hand for the lead of the Bayou Classic, with the record being tied up 33 to 33 making this game a tiebreaker. Both teams were being explosive, and the Jaguar defense were being aggressive to start things off, but that would take a turn once they got caught sleeping on a pass play, which would lead Grambling scoring later in the first quarter.
The second quarter rolled around, and the Jaguars were pushing to find their way on the scoreboard after Grambling missed a field goal. However, they would end up shooting themselves in the foot, throwing a pop-up pick to the Tigers’ defense; a crazy way to change up momentum early in the second half and leading them to the endzone after airing the ball out again for a touchdown. It was only a matter of time until the Jaguars fought back, quickly scoring to get on the board with sophomore running back Trey Holly shaving the score 7-14.
The second half starts with Southern keeping the pace going with sophomore running back Barry Remo taking it back for a 51-yard touchdown and some fuel to the Jaguars’ fire, making the score 14-17. The Tigers did not take it lightly getting back in the endzone, keeping their distance with Southern extending their lead 24-14.
In the last stretch of the game, with Grambling in the lead, they would look to put the Jaguars away here. But the resilience in the fourth quarter is what made this game. With junior Cam McCoy making a quick pass to sophomore Cam Jefferson for 51 yards to start the drive that would find them in the end zone, with sophomore running back Trey Holly giving him his second touchdown of the night, closing the gap with the score being 21-24.
Grambling wasted no time answering back to Southern, driving down for a crucial 52-yard field goal to put what seemed like a dagger on the Jaguars, extending their lead 27-21. A crucial drive for the Jaguars came up, and anything less than a touchdown now would’ve been detrimental to them. Sophomore Barry Remo broke loose for a 35-yard run to start the drive, leaving McCoy to clutch up and put the Jaguars in the lead, which would happen as he finds Khalil Harris for a 34-yard touchdown, giving Southern the lead 28-27. Grambling had a chance to get back on top, and they would push down the field for another field goal to try to get back in the lead. Unfortunately for Grambling, they miss it wide left. But it is just their luck that Southern had to punt the ball, giving Grambling one more chance to win this game. In the heat of the attempt, Grambling tries for a run for a first down. This is completely disrupted by senior defensive end Demetrios Walker II, forcing a fumble. Then came Senior Quarterback Ckelby Givens on the recovery, giving Southern the ultimate storybook ending to wrap up the season.
Head Coach Fred McNair spoke at the post-game press conference, and when ask about how deserving the team was after experiencing tribulations throughout the season, he says, “Man it’s very deserving, I can’t speak no higher about the coaching staff that we have and these guys hanging in there each week with ups and downs and battles and bruises of the football program that was wounded and kept getting up fighting, and these young men showed a lot of character and came out and played with a lot of effort.”
Sophomore running back Barry Remo was asked to break down his 51-yard touchdown and he said, “ When I seen the hole I was like, just explode, this your time to score, this is your time to show everybody that you are an explosive running back, you’re not just break tackles, get down to the one yard line, its time for you to take over really show why.” Remo won offensive MVP and recorded 7 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Senior all-SWAC defensive player of the year Ckelby Givens was asked about how the moment was when he recovered the fumble to seal the Jaguar victory. He says, “Words can’t really describe this, but my friend texted me and said this, you couldn’t end a story or write a better story, and that’s what this feeling is.”
