ESPN is preparing a 9 a.m. Monday announcement on the season-opening MEAC-SWAC Challenge, where Grambling will be confirmed as the 2009 representative from the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
South Carolina State will represent the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for Buddy Pough, beginning his eighth season as Bulldog head coach.
Pough is replacing 18 seniors, 11 of them starters, from last year’s MEAC champion 10-3 squad. But he still has his most important weapon, All-America running back Will Ford — who rushed for 1,499 yards and 13 touchdowns on the way to offensive player of the year honors from the MEAC, The State newspaper, the Orangeburg Touchdown Club and the Black Athlete Sports Network. Ford also was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, presented to the top offensive player in FCS.
Details on the kickoff, presumably on Sunday, Sept. 6 at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., are to follow, an ESPN official told me today by e-mail.
This will be the first meeting between the two programs since coaching legends Eddie Robinson and Willie Jeffries squared off in the 1994 Heritage Bowl. Jeffries’ Bulldogs won 31-27. The Tigers lead the all-time series with South Carolina State 9-5.
Both programs had to make schedule adjustments to participate, something that slowed this announcement.
Grambling, after earning the mythical Sheridan Broadcasting Network black college national championship with an 11-2 mark last season, was scheduled to open the 2009 slate against Alcorn at Lorman, Miss. (For more on the rest of GSU’s still-unannounced slate, go here.) The Bulldogs were supposed to open ’09 on Sept. 5 at Benedict College.
In the final SBN Black College Poll of 2008, Grambling finished with 23 first-place votes and 267 points. South Carolina State was second with 233 points and seven first-place votes.
Both have made a previous appearance in the MEAC-SWAC Challenge, originally played at Birmingham, Ala.’s Legion Field, and moved to Orlando, Fla., last year. The Bulldogs won 2005′s inaugural event, defeating Alabama State 27-14. Grambling was invited the following year, but lost 27-26 in overtime to Hampton.
Last year’s Challenge — again won by Hampton, 17-13 over Jackson State — aired the Sunday before Labor Day on ESPN2.
Yes!!!!!
I'll be there! Making plans now…
Very proud of the GSU Tigers. This should be a great game for Tiger Fans and ESPN. Thanks to ESPN for making this happen. Please let me know what ths does to our Alcorn Game.