Air Canada Grounded for Liftoff in Alcorn State Opener

Full story from the Shreveport Times: As a first-time starting quarterback, Grambling freshman D.J. Williams refused to make Saturday’s Port City Classic matchup with Alcorn State all about him. Instead, he put the onus on the Tigers’ defense. “I’ve been telling those guys, ‘We’re putting it on y’all,'” Williams said. “They’re the best defense in the SWAC and they showed it (Saturday) night.” The Tigers defense definitely did its job against Alcorn, leading the way in Grambling’s 21-14 victory. A year after watching Alcorn quarterback Brandon Bridge torch them for 408 passing yards, the Tigers were ready for the sophomore known as Air Canada. “Last year was the first time we saw him and we really didn’t know what to expect,” GSU defensive end Jomarcus Savage said. “He was only a freshman last year, so we knew he could only be better. We definitely had the game plan for his feet and his arm.” That game plan included a lot of pressure from Savage and the rest of the Tigers front four. They kept Bridge on the run for the majority of the first half and, with the exception of his 53-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Lewis, never allowed him to make a big play. The confidence built by slowing Bridge manifested itself in the Grambling offense. With the defense stifling Alcorn, Williams played an efficient, turnover-free game, throwing two touchdowns and setting up the third. Between Bridge’s performance last season and Williams’ proclamation about the defense’s positioning in the SWAC, the Tigers had plenty of pressure lumped on them by freshmen quarterbacks. They took that pressure — and the relief of being able to hit someone other than their teammates — and rolled with it. “It was a little bit on us,” said senior linebacker Cliff Exama, who led GSU with 10 tackles, including three for a loss. As with all good defenses, this one started up front. Savage and fellow defensive end Antonio Leonard kept the pressure on Bridge while tackles Antoine Rogers and Jhhron Spencer plugged the middle. A couple of nicks and nagging injuries here and there threatened to thin out the Tigers’ upfront depth, but defensive coordinator Clifford Yoshida pieced it together long enough to come up with one last big play. After Bridge returned from a momentary benching, he found his groove and had Alcorn in position to force overtime. Bridge, who finished with 175 passing yards, 45 yards and two touchdowns, had the Braves at the GSU 30 with 3:21 remaining. He overthrew Lewis on a quick out pattern to set up Alcorn’s lone fourth-down attempt of the night. Alcorn coach Melvin Spears decided against spreading it out and went to a traditional set. The move backfired when Exama and Joshua Gentry knifed throw the left side of the Alcorn offensive line and stuffed Reuben Duckworth for a 3-yard loss. That hit sealed the game, but the defense’s performance throughout was praiseworthy. “I said all along, the most important thing is to ground Air Canada,” GSU coach Doug Williams said. “I think the defense did a tremendous job. The only time he got a big play off was when he got outside the pocket and the end went inside. The defense did a tremendous job containing Air Canada.”]]]]> ]]>