BATON ROUGE, La. (Interstat) — In a stunning upset that defied both the oddsmakers and statistical projections, the Southern Jaguars edged the Grambling Tigers 28 to 27 in a dramatic Bayou Classic on Saturday, November 29, 2025, at a rain-soaked Tiger Stadium.

The Jaguars, who entered the game with a 1-10 record and were projected by advanced metrics to have less than a 15 percent chance of victory, mounted a furious fourth-quarter comeback to snap a five-game losing streak and finish their season at 2-10. The Tigers, who had been installed as 13.5-point underdogs despite their superior 7-4 record, saw their season end at 7-5.

The game was a tale of two halves, defined by explosive plays, critical mistakes, and a final quarter that saw three lead changes. Grambling controlled the early momentum, capitalizing on Southern’s offensive struggles in the first quarter. The Tigers struck first when quarterback Hayden Benoit, a Loreauville, Louisiana, native, connected with Barron Miles on a 9-yard touchdown pass to cap a drive that was ignited by a spectacular 70-yard catch-and-run by Andrew Frazier.

Southern’s offense, led by quarterback Cam’Ron McCoy of Saint Louis, Missouri, sputtered for much of the first half. The Jaguars’ defense, however, kept them in the game. A key interception by Southern cornerback Tyrell Raby of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, late in the second quarter set up a Benoit touchdown pass to Keith Jones Jr., a 6-foot-4 receiver from New Orleans, cutting Grambling’s lead to 17-14.

The Tigers responded with a methodical drive just before halftime, culminating in a 39-yard field goal from Josh McCormick of Austin, Texas, to take a 20-14 lead into the break.

Grambling appeared to seize control early in the third quarter. On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, running back Barry Remo of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, broke free for a 51-yard touchdown run, extending the Tigers’ lead to 27-14 and seemingly putting the game out of reach.

Southern, however, refused to capitulate. The Jaguars’ special teams provided a spark with a 64-yard kickoff return by Jordan Bride of Atlanta, Georgia, setting up a short field. The drive was capped by a 1-yard touchdown plunge from running back Andre Crews of Chicago, Illinois, pulling Southern within a score at 27-21 as the game moved into the final period.

The fourth quarter became a back-and-forth thriller. Grambling’s offense, which had moved the ball effectively at times, was stymied by the Southern defense and a series of costly penalties. The Tigers managed only a 52-yard field goal from McCormick with just over nine minutes remaining to push their lead to 30-28.

The ensuing kickoff set the stage for the game’s decisive sequence. Southern’s offense, which had struggled to find consistency, suddenly clicked. McCoy engineered a rapid drive, culminating in a perfectly thrown 34-yard touchdown pass to Khalil Harris of Valley Stream, New York, with 7:16 left on the clock. The score gave Southern a 35-33 lead, its first of the game.

Grambling had multiple opportunities to reclaim the lead in the final minutes. The Tigers drove deep into Southern territory twice, but both possessions ended in missed field goals. McCormick’s first attempt, from 54 yards, sailed wide left. After a defensive stop gave Grambling one final chance, his 43-yard attempt with 2:18 remaining also missed the mark.

Southern’s offense was unable to run out the clock, giving Benoit and the Tigers one last, desperate drive with under a minute to play. Benoit moved Grambling to the Southern 35-yard line, but on a crucial play, Crews fumbled after a loss of 3 yards, and the ball was recovered by Southern’s Ckelby Givens of Shreveport, Louisiana, to seal the improbable Jaguar victory.

Statistically, the game was a battle of attrition. Benoit finished 16 of 32 for 221 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for Southern. McCoy was less efficient through the air for Grambling, completing 6 of 18 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown, but his late-game heroics proved decisive. The ground game was a key factor for both sides; Remo was a workhorse for Grambling, rushing for 100 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries, while Trey Holly of Farmerville, Louisiana, added 61 yards and two scores for the Tigers. For Southern, Crews managed 47 tough yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

The victory provided a bright spot for Southern in an otherwise difficult season, while Grambling was left to ponder a loss in a game they were heavily favored to win, a result that ran counter to both the pregame spread and the projection from Interstat’s ELO system, which had given the Tigers an 85.7 percent probability of victory. The total score of 55 points also went under the betting over/under line of 49.5.