2011 SWAC FOOTBALL • WEEK 3 • GAME NOTES Games of Saturday, September 17 Honor the Heritage • Founded 1920 12 Pro Football Hall of Famers 15 College Football Hall of Famers Southwestern Athletic Conference Week Three Schedule SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 Mississippi Valley at Alcorn State Alcorn State, Miss. (0-2, 0-1 SWAC) (0-2, 0-2 SWAC) Jack Spinks Stadium 4:00 pm SERIES: ALCN leads 38-15-1 Tuskegee at Alabama A&M Huntsville, Ala. Louis Crews Classic (0-1, 0-0 SIAC) (0-2, 0-1 SWAC) Louis Crews Stadium 6:00 pm SERIES: AAMU leads 24-19-4 Jackson State at Southern Baton Rouge, La. (2-0, 0-0 SWAC) (1-1, 1-0 SWAC) Ace Mumford Stadium 6:00 pm SERIES: SUBR leads 28-27 Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Prairie View A&M Prairie View, Texas (1-1, 1-0 SWAC) (1-1, 1-0 SWAC) Blackshear Stadium 6:00 pm SERIES: PVAM leads 43-20-4 Texas College at Texas Southern Houston, Texas (0-3, 0-0 CSFL) (0-1, 0-1 SWAC) Butler Stadium 6:00 pm SERIES: TXSO leads 11-3-2 Grambling at Alabama State Montgomery, Ala. (1-1, 1-0 SWAC) (1-1, 1-0 SWAC) Cramton Bowl 7:00 pm SERIES: GRAM leads 23-8 2011 Standings EASTERN DIVISION Conference Overall Team W L Pct. PF PA W L Pct. PF PA Streak Alabama State 1 0 1.000 41 9 1 1 .500 48 23 Lost 1 Jackson State 0 0 .000 0 0 2 0 1.000 77 31 Won 4 Alabama A&M 0 1 .000 6 21 0 2 .000 26 42 Lost 3 Mississippi Valley State 0 1 .000 9 41 0 2 .000 9 80 Lost 13 Alcorn State 0 2 .000 34 48 0 2 .000 34 48 Lost 4 WESTERN DIVISION Conference Overall Team W L Pct. PF PA W L Pct. PF PA Streak Arkansas-Pine Bluff 1 0 1.000 27 20 1 1 .500 39 39 Won 1 Grambling State 1 0 1.000 21 14 1 1 .500 28 49 Lost 1 Prairie View A&M 1 0 1.000 37 34 1 1 .500 51 97 Won 1 Southern 1 0 1.000 21 6 1 1 .500 28 39 Won 1 Texas Southern 0 1 .000 34 37 0 1 .000 34 37 Lost 1 www.swac.org • 1 2011 SWAC FOOTBALL • WEEK 3 • GAME NOTES Games of Saturday, September 17 Honor the Heritage • Founded 1920 12 Pro Football Hall of Famers 15 College Football Hall of Famers Southwestern Athletic Conference Players of the Week SWAC Feature WEEK TWO Williams legacy grows at Grambling Offensive Player of the Week Freshman QB Williams wins job, named starter by father Courtesy of Tim Turner, NCAA.com • Dray Joseph (QB, Southern) Joseph led the Jaguars to a 21-6 victory over Alabama A&M Forget the traditional quarterback rating or any newer version. Grambling head snapping Southern’s seven-game losing streak. He threw coach Doug Williams had his own standard for evaluating if freshman quarterback for 306 yards and 3 touchdowns, while completing 18 of 27 D.J. Williams would be ready to play in the season opener against Alcorn State after winning a three-man competition for the Tigers’ QB job. passes. “The most important thing there was to check his socks, and make sure they’re not wet before the game starts,” Doug Williams said. “If they’re not wet, we might have a chance.” Grambling State Athletics“It was raining, so my socks were pretty wet already,” D.J. Defensive Player of the Week Williams said. “Other than that, nothing else but rain running down my socks. After • Chris Townsend (LB, Prairie View A&M) my first drive, I got very comfortable. It was just fun from there.” Townsend compiled 14 total tackles (9 solo), including D.J. rewarded the faith the Tigers’ coaching staff had in him with a strong 4.0 tackles-for-loss (26 yards) and 1.0 sacks (16 yards). performance against the Braves. He was 16 of 24 passing for 161 yards and two The Panthers defeated Texas Southern 37-34 in their touchdowns in a 21-14 victory in the Port City Classic. conference opener. That the younger Williams is starting came about as a couple of things worked in his favor. First, he was the only quarterback of the three competing for the starting job who participated in spring drills. Secondly, he came to Grambling before his father, the greatest quarterback in Grambling history, after having been recruited there by Rod Broadway before he left for North Carolina A&T. Newcomer of the Week “The coaching staff, we all feel he earned it,” Doug Williams said. “That’s the good • Joseph LeBeau (DE, Jackson State) part about it. He earned the job. Now all of us coaches like veterans. We’d love to have a junior ... But he’ll be fine, I think.” LeBeau totaled 9 tackles (6 solo) and 2.5 tackle-for-loss (11 yards) in the Tigers’ 35-29 win in the Southern Heritage Does he have any choice? He is from Grambling royalty, and with that comes a Classic over Tennessee State. He also tallied 1.0 sacks for healthy portion of skepticism laced with criticism. Because it happened as it has, 9 yards. D.J. is comfortable in his skin and confident in his abilities. “It was really exciting,” D.J. Williams said. “He told me the night before he accepted the job he was coming. I was really excited for him and myself. “It definitely has some pressure to it but everybody deals with pressure every day. It’s just that I have to deal with a little bit more of it here because my dad won the Specialist of the Week Super Bowl back in the day. I just go out there every day and try to be D.J. Williams • Chris Barrick (PK, Praire View A&M) and try to be the best D.J. Williams I can be.” Barrick kicked a 36-yard field goal with :04 remaining to That has been more than Grambling’s coaches were hoping for. He played well and provide the winning points in the Panters’ 37-34 victory handled all the pressures that come from this situation. His coach didn’t think this over Texas Southern. He also notched 2 touchbacks on the would be a problem and it hasn’t been because he is very clear on boundaries and kickoff team and connected on 4 of 5 PATs. understands this type of dynamic. “Hopefully he’s been around me long enough to look at pressure like his dad handled pressure,” Doug Williams said. “That is the way to look at pressure is something an individual puts on himself -- not man. If he handles it any way his daddy handled it, he’ll be fine. WEEK 1 • Nick Andrews (WR-ALST) [Offense]; Cliff Exama (LB-GRAM) [Def.]; Greg “I don’t think there will be any issues. John Elway’s daddy coached him in high Jenkins (QB-ALST) [Newcomer]; Chance Wilson (P/K-AAMU) [Specialist] school. And Eddie Robinson coached his son here at Grambling. You don’t get that opportunity that often. If you do, you look at it and cherish it that it is your son. But your son has to understand two things -- and I think D.J. Has done it well -- that when he stops by the house, I’m his daddy. When it’s in the office, it’s coach. I have never heard him say anything else but coach, or ‘Yes sir.’ “ “When he stops by the house, I’m his daddy. When it’s in the office, it’s coach. I have never heard him say anything else but coach, or ‘Yes sir.’ ” -- Grambling State coach Doug WilliamsAlso, D.J. was being prepared for his time in the spotlight. Doug told him about the distractions that could sink him. But Doug readied his son in advance. “He just pretty much told me it was going to be hard being coached by your dad. But if anyone can do it, I think you can do it,” D.J. Williams said. “I told him I was prepared for it. He’s a competitive guy. He’s a hard worker and wants the best out of his players. It’s no different for me. “I’m used to the competition. Last year at Hargraves [Academy] we had the No. 23-ranked quarterback in the country there, and we [other quarterbacks] had to compete for a starting job. I love competing. I’ve been competing all my life. I’ve had to compete for everything I’ve ever got. Competition is what keeps guys going.” D.J. Williams could not be in a better spot. He knows teams are going to give the Tigers their best shot each week, so being prepared is key. To make sure Grambling’s quarterbacks are prepared -- more specifically D.J. -- Doug Williams is letting his quarterback know that he expects the best and exudes confidence. “I think he might be a little bit harder on me because he raised me to have a tough skin,” D.J. Williams said. “My skin’s a little bit tougher than most, so he can say some things to me that he can’t say to some other people. I think that’s one reason why he’s harder on me. He expects the best out of his starting quarterback, so that’s another reason why he’s harder on me.