NEW ORLEANS (AP) Dray Joseph and Lee Dross connected for three touchdowns and Southern defeated Grambling 40-17 on Saturday.
The result left the Tigers (1-11, 0-8 Southwestern Athletic Conference) with the program's worst-ever overall record to close a season which will be remembered more for a mid-season player walkout than anything on the field.
Southern (8-4, 7-2) had already won the SWAC's Western Division and will head to the league championship game against Jackson State in Houston on Dec. 7.
But the Jaguars had no interest in letting up on their struggling rivals, racing to a 27-3 halftime lead on a short scoring run by Lenard Tillery and TD catches of 17 and 30 yards by Lee Doss.
Grambling pulled to 27-17 on Johnathan Williams' touchdown passes of 11 yards to Robert Bailey and 8 yards to Anthony McGhee, but Southern forced Williams into an interception and lost fumble to thwart the comeback.