As Jackson State football’s offense huddled on the sideline before taking the field in the first quarter against Florida A&M, everyone watched intently to see who would play quarterback.
Regular starter Jared Lockhart warmed up with the team after suffering a back injury last week against Grambling State. He and Caron Tyler took warmup reps with the starters Oct. 17.
Ultimately, it was Tyler who got the start for JSU (6-1, 3-1 SWAC) in its 27-17 win over Florida A&M at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. But Lockhart entered in the second quarter and finished the game. According to coach T.C. Taylor, that was always the plan.
“Both were ready to go, but we had to take our time with Jared with his situation all week,” Taylor said. “… We told both before the game that both will play.”
Tyler led JSU to a touchdown on its first drive that started at Florida A&M’s 23-yard line. However, the offense went stagnant afterward, punting on four straight drives before Lockhart entered the game.
Tyler finished 7-for-12 for 42 passing yards and rushed six times for 21 yards in addition to the touchdown.
“Caron took the bulk of the reps, so we just wanted to make sure we were honest with him and did the right things,” Taylor said. “He came in and did what he had to do for us.”
Lockhart replaced Tyler with 8:37 to go in the second quarter, but his first drive didn’t fare much better, ending in a punt after three straight rushing plays.
In the second half, Lockhart led three scoring drives, including back-to-back touchdowns, but was also responsible for an interception and a lost fumble.
In total, he threw for 98 yards and a touchdown on 13-for-24 passing and rushed for 53 yards on eight carries. The highlight of his day was a 25-yard passing touchdown to Jabari Jones for JSU to take the lead with 12:21 to play.
“It was another week,” Lockhart said of his preparation for the game. “We had a few hiccups, changeups throughout the week with Caron starting, but that didn’t change how the game went. Just came in just to help my team get the victory."
Taylor called Lockhart a “warrior” for finishing the game, noting that he was holding his breath when Lockhart got hit in the backfield or on scrambles.
“He’s been doing that all year. He done took some real shots, took some shots last weekend, and just all year, he’s been getting up, and that’s what we preach,” Taylor said. “All our players know we don’t lay on the ground. We’re going to go out there, we get knocked down, we get back up, show a team no weakness. And that’s what he did.”
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Why Jackson State football played QB Jared Lockhart vs FAMU but didn't start him