Tigers’ tales

Broderick Fobbs was an assistant on the McNeese State coaching staff when Grambling State last started 0-3 in the SWAC. Now in his sixth season as head coach of the Tigers, he’s trying to keep Grambling State from repeating history.

“Our kids are focused on digging themselves out of a hole that we basically created for ourselves,” he said. “We’ve got to continue to grow and develop. The coaches and players in this league do an extremely great job, and the parity is always there.

“If you’re not prepared and you don’t prepare your team mentally, physically and emotionally, you’re not going to be ready for the type of pressure that all these teams put on you.”

The Tigers lost their first six conferences games total and finished 1-10 overall in 2013, which was also the last time they failed to win at least five SWAC games in a season. With the meat of its schedule ahead, Grambling State is in a precarious spot because it can ill-afford to lose another league contest if it hopes to bring home a 27th conference crown. Fobbs said he likes where his team is from a performance standpoint, yet feels they’ll have to step up their level of execution if they’re going to finish the year out strong, starting with UAPB.

“They do a really good job, that’s the first thing that comes to mind when you’re looking at them,” he said of the Golden Lions. “The kids run to the football, they’re hustling and playing with great effort. They’re really good on offense, have really good running backs, good quarterbacks and receivers.

“At the end of the day, a play here or a play there, and they could’ve been in a different situation in their first conference game [against Southern]. We’ve got to be ready because they’ve got a good ballclub.”