Copyright Jackson Clarion-Ledger
Jackson State football coach T.C. Taylor acknowledged that his team might have to run the ball more if injured quarterback JaCobian Morgan was unavailable for the Tigers’ Week 10 matchup against Florida A&M. Jackson State (6-2, 4-1 SWAC) ran the ball 56 times - 12 times more than average - in its 41-16 win over FAMU (3-5, 2-2). The Tigers' 392 rushing yards were the most they’ve had in a single game during Taylor’s three years at Jackson State coach. Four different JSU players scored rushing touchdowns. The Tigers’ performance on the ground indeed took pressure off JSU’s freshman quarterback Jared Lockhart, who only threw the ball 10 times. He also contributed 37 yards to the team’s rushing attack. “Anytime you can run the football like that, you can protect the freshman quarterback,” Taylor said. “… It’s huge. It takes a lot of pressure off any quarterback whether it’s JaCobian or whoever, Parker (Stofa), Jared, no matter what.” It wasn’t until late in the second quarter that JSU began to gain effective yardage on the ground. Ahmad Miller started JSU’s last drive of the quarter with a blistering 64-yard rush, and he later ended the drive with a 1-yard touchdown. Miller makes up one-third of what Taylor called a “three-headed monster” in Jackson State’s backfield. The others include Donerio Davenport and Travis Terrell Jr. All three players finished with one rushing touchdown against Florida A&M. Miller finished with 165 on 19 carries and Davenport had 112 yards on 16 carries. “Those three guys … they do a great job of working together out there as a unit,” Taylor said. “We got a good luxury there.” One thing that defines the trio’s chemistry is their support for each other. Miller said that when asked if he wanted to go back in the game after reaching 100 yards, he said “no” and instead asked how many yards Davenport had. “I want everybody to get 100,” Miller said. “That’s pretty cool to see all of us do our thing out there. … It’s great seeing your brothers going out there. These are the guys I’m with every day. … Just to see us go out there and execute how we did tonight, it was amazing.” Both Terrell and Daveport scored their touchdowns in the second half, along with wide receiver Nate Rembert, who added a 40-yard rushing score. This is the third time this season that Jackson State has run for over 300 yards in a game. What TC Taylor said about JaCobian Morgan injury The Tigers’ ability to run the football will likely continue to be key as Morgan deals with a left foot injury. Taylor was at the game on crutches with his foot in a boot. Taylor said Morgan won't need surgery and could even potentially return "in the next couple weeks." However, based on the success Jackson State found in 2024 while being a run-first team, whether Morgan returns or not, Taylor has no problem consistently putting the ball in the hands of Terrell, Miller and Davenport. “You got to run the ball to win championships,” Taylor said. “When we talk about winning the East division championship, that’s the first thing in our mindset. That’s what you’re going to have to do to be successful in this league. We did it last year.” Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@gannett.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
