Grambling State Tigers
Overall Rank: #27
#1 SWAC
Grambling State Team Page
2010 Record: (9-2, 8-1)
2010 Postseason: none
Coach: Doug Williams (53-17 at Grambling State, 53-17 overall)
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Rodale Pippen, RB, 71 yards
Passing: Rodale Pippen, RB, 11 yards
Receiving: Mario Louis, WR, 284 yards
Tackles: Cliff Exama, LB, 106
Sacks: Antonio Leonard, DE, 5.0
Interceptions: Cliff Exama, LB, 3; Bruna’ Foster, S, 3
Coach Doug Williams is back after leading Grambling State from 1998 to 2003. He had the task of replacing legendary coach Eddie Robinson and did a pretty good job of it. There is some rebuilding to do, but this is a group that has more than enough talent to win the SWAC West.
Strengths:
The Tigers defense did a lot of bending, but rarely broke last year. Despite ranking 45th in the nation in total defense, the team only gave up 19.27 points per game. That was good enough to rank 20th in the FCS. Creating turnovers was one way that Grambling State turned into such a stingy defense. Much of the credit for those turnovers goes to the front seven. Antonio Leonard is a menace to any opposing quarterback. He tallied 12.0 tackles-for-loss and 5.0 sacks last year. With Antoine Rogers and Jomarcus Savage also returning, the front line should be in great shape. Cliff Exama missed some games, but he still managed to total 106 tackles, 5.5 tackles-for-loss and three interceptions. He is the heart and soul of this team and could end his collegiate career by taking home the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. With Jacarde Carter manning the middle, the linebackers will once again be the strength of this defense. On the other side of the ball, the offensive line is the strength. Center Julian Wyndon is a smart player who can control the line and Sanford Banks and Bennie Peoples were both first team All-SWAC performers last season. With a new offense coming in, the line will lead the way.
Weaknesses:
The offensive line is good, but Frank Warren also made them look good. The running back rushed for 1,537 yards and 18 touchdowns during his senior season and Grambling State heads into the fall with a lot of questions in the backfield. Rodale Pippen is the most experienced back, but Dawrence Roberts is the more explosive option. Either way, GSU will likely work with a few different running backs this year and hope something good happens. The main issue on defense is the secondary. The unit gave up 230.36 passing yards per game last season, ranking 94th in the nation. Even with the solid pass rush, the secondary struggled and now they have a couple starters to replace. Rover Jabari Powell is back and is more of a pass rushing threat on stunt blitzes than a pass defender. Strong safety Bruna’ Foster tallied 48 tackles last season and picked off three passes. He will have to be the leader of the unit. The good news is that corners David Stuckman and Dominic Bell are pretty experienced and could be an improvement over last year’s unit if all goes well.
The Bottom Line:
Quarterback Anthony Carrothers has opted to transfer after his freshman season. The starting job may not have remained his however, with the addition of coach’s son D.J. Williams. The younger Williams will compete with Frank Rivers this fall for the starting job. Either way, there should not be too much of a drop off in production, if any, at the quarterback position. The absence of receiver Kiare Thompson is the bigger problem, but Mario Lewis and Bakari Maxwell will help renew the once proud Grambling State air attack.
Projected Postseason: none
2010 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 207.91 (15th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Passing Offense: 167.36 (87, 7)
Total Offense: 375.27 (39, 4)
Scoring Offense: 30.00 (28, 2)
Rushing Defense: 113.82 (18, 2)
Pass Defense: 230.36 (94, 8)
Total Defense: 344.18 (45, 5)
Scoring Defense: 19.27 (20, 3)
Turnover Margin: .36 (30, 5)
Sacks: 2.09 (40, 5)
Sacks Allowed: 1.91 (59, 2)
Madness 2011 FCS Football Recruit Rankings:
#105 Antonio Marsh
