By T. SCOTT BOATRIGHT, Lincoln Parish Journal

GRAMBLING — For a second straight week, the Grambling State University football team played a barnburner that went down to the very end.

And for a second straight week, the Tigers won.

On Saturday, one week after scoring in the final minute to force overtime, the Tigers again found themselves trailing with under two minutes remaining,

And for a second straight week, GSU’s defense sealed the deal, lifting the Tigers to a 31-28 home win over Southland Conference member East Texas A&M.

Last week it was an overtime scoop-and-score that made the Tigers winners.

This time it was a defensive stop that forced the Lions into a 49-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide left with 20 seconds remaining.

“I want to take my hat off to my coaches and players for fighting,” Grambling coach Mickey Joseph said after his team rose to 3-1. “We say don’t look at the scoreboard, just keep fighting until the scoreboard says zeroes.

The Lions (1-3) controlled much of the first half, building a 14-0 lead before Marquel Linzer picked off a pass at the Lions’ 18-yard line with 1:25 left on the second quarter clock.

Three plays later GSU quarterback C’zavian Teasett fired an 11-yard scoring strike to tight end Codavis Knighten with 59 seconds left in the half and cut East Texas A&M’s halftime advantage to seven.

Grambling tied it early in the third quarter thanks to a ball snapped over the head of the punter, who kicked it out of the back of the end zone. After a referees’ conference, East Texas was flagged for an illegal kick, marking the ball half the distance from the original spot, which was the 2, giving the Tigers a first-and-goal at the 1-yard line.

It took four downs, but Teasett got across from the 1 to tie the game at 14 at the 11:10 mark of the third quarter.

The teams then traded touchdowns on their ensuing offensive drives — the Lions scoring on a 26-yard pass before Eaton burst up the middle and raced 54 yards to tie the game at 21 with 5:10 left in the third.

The Lions moved back on top via a 6-yard touchdown run with 13:24 left in the contest. GSU kicker Theodore Caballero booted a 41-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 28-24 with 10:54 remaining.

With the clock winding down, Teasett directed a 77-yard drive culminating with a 1-yard TD dash to the right side that put the Tigers on top 31-28 with 1:56 remaining.

The visitors drove as deep as the 35-yard line before Grambling’s defense stymied the Lions and forced them into a 49-yard field goal try on a fourth-and-10 with 22 seconds remaining. It floated wide left and the Tigers were winners again.

“We’re on the right side (of the scoreboard) again,” Joseph said. “I know there’s a lot of people out there that don’t like how we’re winning. But we don’t care. Either you’re 100 percent with us, or you’re not with us at all. All that fake support, we don’t need it. Stay away from us. That’s bad energy. We’re teaching our kids and coaches to fight ’til the end.”

Teasett finished 14-of-26 passing for 179 yards and a score while adding 13 yards and another touchdown on the ground.

Eaton led the Tigers with 69 rushing yards on six carries while George Tyson led GSU in receptions with three for 59 yards.

Defensively, Grambling was led by Jamal Jordan with eight tackles while Bryce Cage added seven.

Next up for the Tigers will be a 6 p.m. Southwestern Athletic Conference game next Saturday against Prairie View A&M at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

Contact Scott at tscottboatright@gmail.com