Homecoming for the Grambling State Tigers is fun for everyone except the visiting football team, which means another tough task faces the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
"Grambling just has a storied history of excellence," UAPB interim Coach Don Treadwell said. "You talk about a brand, a national brand, not just a [Southwestern Athletic Conference] brand. You go way back to the days of Eddie Robinson and the legacy he left there, they just have that going for them."
Kickoff at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium in Grambling, La., is scheduled for 2 p.m. Central today.
UAPB (2-6, 0-5 SWAC) has lost six consecutive games, including a 27-6 loss at Florida A&M on Oct. 29 in Treadwell's first game as interim coach. Former UAPB head coach Doc Gamble was fired on Oct. 20.
Grambling (2-6, 1-4) broke a five-game losing streak with a 35-6 home-field victory over Alcorn State on Oct. 29.
"We just have to continue to improve," Grambling Coach Hue Jackson said. "That's what we're looking to do week in and week out as we go down the stretch. Every week, we just want to get one percent better at doing something better, and that's what we're doing, and that's what I think our players will do."
Jackson, an NFL head coach with the Oakland Raiders in 2011 and the Cleveland Browns from 2016-18, is in his first season at Grambling.
Before its victory over Alcorn, Grambling lost its previous two games by a total of 10 points, beginning with 37-31 overtime loss at Alabama A&M on Oct. 8. Grambling lost to Florida A&M, 2-16, at home on Oct. 15.
Injuries, particularly for its linebackers and starting quarterback, limited UAPB through the first six weeks of the season. Senior quarterback Skyler Perry returned last week to start at Florida A&M but should start against Grambling after a full week of practice.
"Last week, we did not know he was going to have the green light to go until midweek," Treadwell said. "If you looked at his first-half to second-half performance against Florida A&M, there was dramatic improvement in the second half. "It is a huge advantage to have had him all week."
Treadwell said his team is challenged more by the cumulative wear of the season than specific injuries.
"Relatively speaking, most guys have weathered the storm," he said. "There are always going to be nagging things that are just not going to totally heal up until the end of the season and you get two or three weeks of total rest. Most of the guys have battled back to get back on the field."
Sophomore wide receiver Daemon Dawkins was among the leaders of UAPB's effort at Florida A&M when he caught eight passes for 95 yards. Dawkins had caught a total of six passes for 45 yards in UAPB's previous seven games. Treadwell said Dawkins' breakout was not a specific byproduct of the game plan.
"Our receiver crew is just a really good group of team players," he said. "We don't necessarily orchestrate things primarily just to say, 'Hey, let's see what we can do for that guy,' because the quarterback has to make a read. There is a higher percentage maybe that so-and-so might get the ball, but you're always going to have the quarterback looking through his progressions. It just happens. In that game, [Dawkins], with a little more repetitive calls, caused him to be that primary spot to catch more balls."
Treadwell said Grambling will present problems for UAPB.
"It's their homecoming, so not only do you have a quality team in itself, but then you throw in all that tradition," Treadwell said. "That makes a difference on game day."