The Jackson State FAMU game looked headed for a homecoming letdown until the fourth quarter, when the Tigers scored 15 unanswered points to beat the Rattlers 27-17. A crowd of 44,173 packed Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on Saturday, according to HBCU Gameday. Five turnovers did most of the damage, and Jackson State avoided a second straight loss.
Jackson State FAMU: How the Tigers Flipped the Game
FAMU led 17-12 entering the final period. Then Jared Lockhart hit Jabari Jones for a 25-yard touchdown with 12:21 left. Lockhart added the two-point conversion on a run, and the Tigers led 20-17.
The defense handed over the next chance. Jackson State recovered a FAMU fumble at the Rattlers’ 29-yard line, and four plays later Nate Blount IV scored from 2 yards out at 9:49. Andrew Ivaniciuc’s extra point made it 27-17. FAMU never scored again. It’s the second time in three games the Tigers leaned on a big fourth quarter, since CBS Sports’ headline on the Oct. 3 win over Alabama A&M says they scored 21 in the fourth.
Hailey’s 81-Yarder Nearly Spoiled It
For three quarters, Florida A&M played like the spoiler. Jamal Hailey broke loose for an 81-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, which gave the Rattlers a 17-12 edge. He finished with 111 yards on 12 carries. That one run accounted for nearly half of FAMU’s 164 rushing yards.
Quarterback Armond Parker scored on a 5-yard run earlier, but he struggled through the air. He completed 11 of 27 passes for 163 yards with no touchdowns, and the Tigers sacked him three times. FAMU’s offense went quiet when it mattered most.
Five Turnovers Tell the Story
Jackson State took the ball away five times, including three interceptions. B.J. Washington had two of them, starting on the game’s first drive when he picked Parker off near midfield. A penalty cost the return 15 yards, but the Tigers still started at the FAMU 23 and scored five plays later on Caron Tyler’s 8-yard run, per the Clarion Ledger.
The last takeaway came with 1:34 left. Freshman Mikey Johnson, the son of men’s basketball coach Trey Johnson, intercepted Parker in the end zone. Head coach T.C. Taylor, in his fourth season, said he told defensive coordinator Torenzo Quinn on Wednesday to get Johnson in the game because he’d get an interception. Taylor admitted he didn’t even know Johnson was on the field until the catch.
“Five turnovers are great,” Taylor said. He had stressed taking the football away all week, and the defense delivered. Blount, who scored the final touchdown, said the offense and defense lean on each other.
The Ground Game and the Numbers
The offense wasn’t pretty, but it was steady. The quarterback picture mattered too. Tyler threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jency Riley Jr. at Grambling State last week, according to ESPN’s play log, in a game Lockhart left before halftime. This week, both players found the end zone in different ways, with Tyler running and Lockhart passing. Jackson State rushed for 228 yards, led by Li’Darious Pryor’s 80, Blount’s 63 on 11 carries, and Lockhart’s 53. The Tigers also racked up 105 penalty yards, which made the margin look closer than it felt. They still won the total-yardage battle 368-327 and held the ball for 36:07.
At halftime, Jackson State led 12-10. Ivaniciuc’s 31-yard field goal and a safety supplied the late first-half points, and the Tigers’ defense forced that safety at the end of the second quarter, according to SuperTalk Mississippi. J’Cori Hargon led the defense with six tackles and two quarterback hurries.
What It Means for Both Teams
The win lifts Jackson State to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in SWAC play. It also answers last week’s stumble. The Tigers lost 45-38 at Grambling State on Oct. 10, their first defeat of the season, and Lockhart left that game with an injury just before halftime. Seven days later, he led the go-ahead drive. Jackson State still piled up 388 yards in the loss, but Grambling’s Jacobe Robinson came off the bench and threw four touchdown passes, according to the AP. It was Grambling’s third straight win over the Tigers.
FAMU falls to 2-5 overall and 1-2 in the SWAC. The season began with a 31-13 loss to South Carolina State in the Orange Blossom Classic. Hailey’s big run showed what the offense can do when it hits a seam. FAMU got nearly half its rushing yards from that one play, so the ground game still has to find consistency. Turnovers and a quiet passing game kept that from becoming a win.
The Jackson State FAMU result also shows how fast things can swing in the SWAC this fall. Jackson State outgained FAMU by 41 yards and won by 10, but the Tigers needed five takeaways and a late surge to do it. Grambling State’s 45-38 win a week earlier was a reminder of how much a quarterback injury can swing a game. Both teams have homecoming-week energy ahead. Jackson State visits Bethune-Cookman next Saturday. FAMU returns home to face Arkansas-Pine Bluff for its own homecoming, hoping to bounce back after letting a road upset slip away.
