McCray leads Southern past Grambling 34-17 in Bayou Classic

Updated Nov. 26, 2022 6:24 p.m. ET

Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Besean McCray scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 22-yard run and Southern pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Grambling 34-17 in the Bayou Classic on Saturday at the Superdome.

It was a back-and-forth affair until McCray capped a 12-play, 60-yard drive for Southern (7-4, 5-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference) with his scoring run. The Jaguars took the first two-score lead of the game when Kriston Davis picked off a Julian Calvez pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown and a 28-17 advantage.

Calvez, a freshman, staked Grambling to a 7-0 lead with 43 seconds left in the first quarter on a 4-yard touchdown pass to Lyndon Rash.

Freshman Karl Ligon pulled Southern even on a 2-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter. Grambling (3-8, 2-6) went ahead 10-7 on Garrett Urban's 44-yard field goal with 3:17 remaining, but the Jaguars answered with freshman Kendric Rhymes' 5-yard touchdown run with 25 seconds left to take a 14-10 lead into halftime.

Calvez had the only score of the third quarter, capping a nine-play, 94-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run and the Tigers grabbed a 17-14 lead.

McCray completed 7 of 17 passes for 75 yards and led the Jaguars with 93 yards on 17 rushes.

Calvez completed 13 of 27 throws for 152 yards for the Tigers. Floyd Chalk IV ran for 120 yards on eight carries.

Grambling out-gained Southern in total yards 345-234.

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