Grambling State coach Mickey Joseph praised his team for not allowing game officials to determine the outcome of its thrilling overtime win over Kentucky State.
Even if the Tigers’ 37-31 win needed a replay review to decide it.
On the third play of OT, Kentucky State quarterback Torrance Bardell completed a pass over the middle, but Grambling defensive back Tyrell Raby stripped Jon McCall and ran 83 yards for the winning TD.
Game officials went to a replay review to investigate whether McCall’s forward progress had been stopped before he lost the football in a scrum of bodies.
This is how Grambling State beat Kentucky State in a wild OT finish that was not official until the refs reviewed the final play to determine whether forward progress had been stopped. Ya’ll be the judge. pic.twitter.com/JFKnpvtutO
— HBCU Sports (@HBCUSports) September 14, 2025
Joseph explained Monday during the SWAC football coaches media call that his players are coached to keep competing until officials officially stop the play.
Game officials did not blow the play dead, and the action continued until Raby scored.
“I haven’t heard a whistle in a college game in the last seven years about stopping plays,” Joseph said. “So we teach our kids to play until they say stop.”
He emphasized that offensive players often prolong drives by pushing forward after the initial contact, so defenders must stay alert and continue fighting for the ball.
Joseph singled out Raby for his hustle, saying, “It was a great job by him just to keep playing. We played to the echo of the whistle. We didn’t hear a whistle, so you know it had to be a fumble.”
The Grambling coach also noted the fine line officials face when deciding when to blow the whistle, balancing player safety with allowing honest competition. “If you’re going to protect the kids, you’ve got to blow a whistle and stop it, but you also have to stop when linemen come in and blow into the pile to try to push somebody forward,” Joseph said.
Ultimately, the call stood, and the turnover proved to be a key moment that helped Grambling State seize control of the contest. Joseph made clear that his team will continue embracing an impactful but straightforward rule: compete hard until the whistle sounds.
HBCU Sports reached out to Kentucky State head coach Felton Huggins for his perspective on the play, but a school representative indicated he would not comment on the play.