Grambling State Athletic Media Relations
GRAMBLING, La. -- Tigers Head Football Coach Doug Williams was a gambling Grambling man Saturday night.
And fortunately for Grambling State's homecoming crowd, it was like father, like son.
Doug Williams and his coaching staff called a late audible Saturday, inserting his son D.J. Williams in at quarterback for an overtime period after a solid performance from starter Frank Rivers.
D.J. Williams called an overtime audible of his own, opting out of a second down run play and hit senior receiver Mario Louis for a seven-yard touchdown to give the Tigers a 30-24 overtime win over Mississippi Valley State before a homecoming crowd of 11,137 at Robinson Stadium.
After MVSU missed a field goal in overtime, GSU took over with Dawrence Roberts rushing for 10 yards on first down and gaining extra yard on a personal foul penalty against the Delta Devils. Doug Williams said he wanted to stay conservative and go for the field goal, but his son had another option in mind when he came to the line of scrimmage.
"I saw the best receiver in the (Southwestern Athletic Conference) with one-on-one coverage and called the audible to him," D.J. Williams.
Louis, who also plays basketball for the Tigers, went high for the seven-yard scoring reception - his third of the game - going up over a MVSU defender to pull down the ball as the Tigers stormed the field in celebration.
"This one was for the alumni," D.J. Williams said. "Coach had talked about it all week -- we have to bring our fans back and that meant putting on a good show and getting a homecoming win. When I saw Mario with the one-on-one coverage, I knew right then we had it. All I had to do was the put the ball up there and he'd go get it."
The win put the Tigers back into the SWAC Western Division race at 2-3 while the Tigers moved to 3-4 overall. MVSU fell to 0-8 and 0-7.
Grambling's come-from-behind stunner overshadowed a furious effort by Mississippi Valley to push the game into overtime. MVSU tied things up with no time remaining as quarterback Garrick Jones ran right, lofting himself high into the air and reaching the ball over the pylon in the right corner of the end zone for the score. Valley kicker Carlos Sanchez's PAT kick was a knuckleball but barely cleared the crossbar to push the game into OT.
Rivers played a solid game, hitting on 14-of-23 passes for 211 yards with scoring passes of seven- and 57-yards to Louis. But when overtime rolled around, Doug Williams and Co. decided to roll the dice.
"It was a hunch," Doug Williams said. "After the first down play moved us down deep, we were going to go for the field goal. D.J. changed the play at the line of scrimmage. He made a good read and put the pass where it needed to be."
Louis finished the game with 99 yards and the three scores on five receptions while tight end/fullback Oshae Hamilton added five catches for 74 yards.
"I knew I couldn't let down my quarterbacks," Louis said. "I knew I couldn't let down the homecoming crowd. This was a big game and we needed it. The whole team played a good game and we did what it takes to get the win in a close game."
Roberts also turned in a strong showing , gaining 136 yards on 18 carries.
"It's two wins in a row and more importantly, we won for our homecoming crowd," Doug Williams said. "We stressed all week that we needed this win because we're working to bring the Grambling nation back to Robinson Stadium. I think we gave them a pretty good game tonight."
Senior lineback Cliff Exama led the Tigers with 11 tackles along with Naquan Smith, but saved his biggest play for overtime. On third-and-goal, Jones hit receiver Kennth Dabny for a five-yard gain, with Exama making the stop at the GSU 20 and forcing Valley's 37-yard missed field goal attempt.
"The coaches keep telling me I'm an All-American but haven't been playing like one," Exama said. "I knew I had to make that play and stop them from finding the end zone again. We were frustrated for letting them score on the final play of regulation, and we weren't going to let them do it again.
GSU's Zolton Riazzo opened scoring with a 41-yard field goal while Kenneth Batiste added a five-yard scoring scamper for the G-Men, who will play at Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 1 p.m. next Saturday.
