by Don Mooney
Memphis, Tennessee—The 34th Southern Heritage Classic without their historic rival Jackson State University (JSU) for the first time since 1990 did not dampen the hype, hysteria and pageantry associated with this HBCU gridiron contest. For the last two season the addition of head coach Deion Sanders to JSU created instant buzz. His premature departure left a bad taste in many fans. Enter replacement Arkansas-Pine Bluff didn’t move football richter scale. TSU won a not-too entertaining contest 24-14 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. The win improved Tennessee State’s record to 1-1 on the season while the Golden Lions fell to 0-2.
One consistent facts of this years Southern Heritage Classic was the Grammy-Award winning Aristocrats of Bands of Tennessee State made one forget any lack of buzz or such thing. The halftime was definitely the high point as the bands last bit offered an omage to the recent culture phenomenon that happened on the shores of the Alabama River complete with folding chair.
Jalen Rouse led all Tigers rushers with 91 yards in the contest, picking up 5.4 yards per carry. Deveon Bryant also added 80 yards on the ground, averaging 8 yards per carry.
Dayron Johnson pulled in four catches for 64 yards. Trenton Gillison made his presence felt in the passing game, recording five receptions for 57 yards.
Tennessee State converted on 54.5 percent of third-down attempts on the day. Tennessee State’s defense held up fairly well against the run, limiting UAPB to 170 yards on the ground. Tennessee State out-rushed UAPB by 14 yards.How It Happened
Tennessee State scored first with 7:10 left in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead. The Tigers then followed with another score to grow the lead to 14-0. Tennessee State then added a field goal with :53 left in the third quarter to make it a 17-0 lead. Tennessee State didn’t score again in the game and UAPB added 14 more points to finish off the scoring.
.