By T. Scott Boatright
Year 2 of the Mickey Joseph era for Grambling State Football begins at 7 p.m. Saturday against the University of Langston in the Stade of Independence of Shreveport.
Grambling has just released a 5-7 campaign in the first year of Joseph as a G-Men chief coach after spending 1-4 in the last five games of the season.
Langston went 6-4 in 2024 under the trainer Quinton Morgan, who was coach of the defensive backs when Joseph was assistant head coach for Lions from 2008 to 10 and chief coach of 2011-12
And the two grew up in the suburbs of New Orleans New Orleans. Joseph continued to play the quarter-Arrière for Nebraska while Morgan played in the defensive back, the wide receiver and the ball carrier, first to Jackson State (2003) before transferring to Langston for the 2004-05 season.
Joseph said the ties between the two will make emotional Saturday competition for the two coaches.
“Grambling may not be so familiar with (Langston), but I am because I was once the head coach there,” said Joseph. “And their coach now (Quinton Morgan) is like a family for me. It will be a very emotional game for me against Langston.
“Langston Gave Me My First Shot As A Head Coach. So, It’s Going to Be Some ups and some Downs With Emotions On Both Sides I.’m Still Close With Some People at Langston and I Have Family On Both Sides. I Still have Two Daughters at the University of Oklahoma that Connected to Langston.
Joseph said he was ready to start the 2025 season.
“I am very excited by this football team.” Joseph said of his tigers. “I think it’s a very mature football team, I think it’s a talented football team and I also think that it is a very close football team that is to do its duties.”
Perhaps the biggest question that GSU has the front in the opening of the East season which will take the first snap for the tigers in the quarter.
During a press conference earlier this week, Joseph avoided appointing a starter, saying that he had to meet the quarter of the quarter Shyrone Carey.
It is a race of two men between the second student in Redshirt C’Zavian Teasett and the Junior Redsirt Ashton Frye.
Frye played in four games for GSU last year, finishing four of his seven attempts at nine yards without affected or interceptions.
Teasett played 10 games in 2024 as a quarter of the Southern University, finishing 71 out of 129 attempts for 941 yards and six affected with two interceptions.
On Thursday, Joseph had not appointed a starter and admitted that he might not make this announcement before Gameday.
“I’m going to meet coach Carey one day,” said Joseph. “I know what I want to do. I want to see what he thinks. I know in a way what he wants to do. I have known the Carey coach since he was 13 years old, so we are on the same wavelength. I just want to hear him get out of his mouth.
“It was a great battle of Quarterrière between Frye and Teasett. We will make it known that the right time is coming.
And while Joseph said that he will not replace a quarter of a hot hand, Joseph said that there was a precise possibility that Frye and Teasett will play against Langston.
“It could easily be 60 to 40 years (percentage of games between two quarters),” said Joseph. “In a way, we did this at Nebraska (where Joseph played collegially and was then an offensive coordinator and acting head coach). I know that people say: “You continue to return to your Nebraska roots”, but I have won a lot of matches in Nebraska as a player, and I could see what the coach Osos did to Nebraska playing a two -thread system and how to do it.
“You make it a game plan, but (opposing defense) must prepare for two quarters. So I understand exactly what we have to do, but it should be 60 to 40 years (%).”
Joseph said he didn’t know how long a two -quarter back system would continue if it was how he decided to go.
“It could be finished after the first half if someone does not play well,” said Joseph. “They will be a short leash as anyone.” We will treat this position completely different from that of last year. I’m not going to hang there forever with you by making mistakes.
“So the quarter-back will be treated like anyone else. If you don’t play in the center, you go out.”
Joseph hopes that his Runnal Back Corps eliminates part of the pressure from his quarter-rear and that he hopes to use the racing game to set up GSU’s pass attack.
“I think that any quarter-Arrière that is very successful, the racing game is a large part because it can turn around and put it back and get more or more (garden gain),” said Joseph. “Now, as a coach and playing game, we can’t get bored with that. We cannot get bored with three meters by pop and now it’s fourth and one. But I prefer to be fourth and a third and 10, where it is not a third manageable.
“So we will try to run the ball first and second down and throw the ball when we want. The third and six years could be a move because we are likely to do it in fourth position. People say:” You give your secrets. “But there are no more secrets in football.
Joseph said he was determined not to let his tigers neglect the lions.
“When they leave the bus, they will look like us,” said Joseph. “They will be a very confident team. Their recruitment strategy is the same, from Oklahoma City to Dallas to Houston, then jump to Louisiana.
“And coach Morgan won more than 70% of his matches in Langston. I know that some people may not think that it is a great thing, but it is the case. It is difficult to win in this profession. They are digging in secondary school (players) of Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana, and that is where a lot of good football players come from.”
