2008 SWAC Football Championship Game Set
SWAC.org
Nov. 29, 2008
The 2008 SWAC Championship Game is set as Jackson State will face Grambling State on Dec. 13 in Birmingham. GSU won its second straight division title Saturday, defeating Southern 29-14 in the 35th Bayou Classic in New Orleans. The win by the Tigers sets up a rematch of the 2007 SWAC Championship Game, won by Jackson State 42-31. The 2008 title game is a matchup of the hottest two teams in the SWAC: Jackson State has won six in a row, while Grambling State has won nine straight games.
The two teams met earlier this year in Grambling, with GSU winning 14-5 on Sept. 20, the first of their nine consecutive wins.
Grambling State 29, Southern 14
NEW ORLEANS - Southern scored first with a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter. Bryant Lee threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Juamorris Stewart, completing an 11-play, 80-yard drive to give the Jaguars a 7-0 lead with 3:58 to play in the first quarter.
Southern added its second TD on the next possession, moving 55 yards in just five plays, ending with a one-yard touchdown run by Alvin Fosselman to extend to a 14-0 lead with less than a minute to play in the first quarter.
From there, Grambling got rolling offensively as its defense stiffened. Greg Dillon got GSU on the board on a 14-yard run to cut the deficit to 14-6 with 9:39 to play until halftime. The Tigers added another touchdown just before halftime as Dillon tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Nick Lews, but Grambling State trailed 14-12 heading into the second half.
GSU took the lead on the first possession of the second half on a 25-yard field goal by Luis Leal to go up 15-14 less than three minutes into the third quarter. The Tigers added two fourth-quarter touchdowns to seal the win. Cornelius Walker scored on touchdown runs of 4 and 31 yards, the last with 1:13 remaining to clinch their second straight division title.
Dillon combined for 287 total yards (26-136-1 rushing, 9-13, 151 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions passing) for the Tigers, who rushed for 217 of their 368 total yards.
Lee played only the first half before leaving due to injury. He completed 12 of 17 passes for 184 yards with one touchdown and rushed six times for 24 yards. Warren Matthews played the second half at quarterback, completed eight of 15 passes for 96 yards but three interceptions. Stewart led all players with 9 receptions for 184 yards and one touchdown.
Univ. Arkansas-Pine Bluff 28, Texas Southern 7
Arkansas-Pine Bluff finished off the 2008 season with a 28-7 win over Texas Southern in the Dallas LoneStar Classic.
Played at Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the Golden Lions got two rushing touchdowns from Martell Mallett (2 & 4 yards) along with two scores from Jonathan Moore (13-yard run and a 32-yard pass to De'Vonte Whitmoer).
Texas Southern's lone score came on a Marcus Wright one-yard run in the third quarter.
William Osbourne accounted for 171 all-purpose yards (12 rushing, 84 receiving, 75 return yards) for Texas Southern while Cornelius Harmon passed for 167 yards on 18-of-41 attempts with two interceptions.
For UAPB, Mallett finished with 141 rushing yards on 25 carries while Moore completed 8-of-18 pass attempts for 115 yards, a touchdown and an interception.