The fans came in droves to see their Jackson State Tigers clinch home field in the SWAC Championship Game.
And they didn’t disappoint, holding off a game Alcorn State Braves team 24-10.
It was a party atmosphere before kickoff, and with the first sellout crowd of the Deion Sanders coaching era, it only got better.
The Braves didn’t stand a chance with 58,962 screaming Tigers fans packing Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, thoroughly engaged and borderline raucous.
It looks like the in-state rivalry between the two legendary HBCU programs could be returning.
The now 10-1 overall and 8-0 SWAC Tigers will host the West Division champion Prairie View A&M in two weeks as they look to win their first conference title since 2007.
Shedeur Sanders Continues To Shine
In football, teams with a competent and steady guy under center are usually more successful than those who don’t have one. The Tigers are blessed to have the highest recruit in school history at the helm, Shedeur Sanders, and he again was great.
Sanders went 28-for-39 for 297 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. His touchdown tosses on back-to-back drives after a 10-10 tie put it away. His poise, accuracy, and cerebral play have been on display all season. He’s a true FRESHMAN, playing for his dad, not exactly an easy feat.
The Walter Payton and Jerry Rice Award nominee has passed for 2,655 yards, 25 touchdowns, and five interceptions for the season. A 5:1 TD-to-INT ratio is good at any level, and that is phenomenally coupled with a near 70 percent completion percentage.
Coach Prime Is Back And Having Fun
After a few weeks of health scares for Deion Sanders, he returned last week, as his son Shedeur asked him to. He was still not at full strength on the sidelines as the Tigers clinched the SWAC East title. Saturday, he was closer to the Coach Prime we’ve come to know over the years, smiling ear to ear.
I appreciate you Coach McNair! Both teams played their butts off and this is a tremendous rivalry. Thank you to all the fans that showed up and showed what HBCU’s are all about! @GoJSUTigersFB 10-1 pic.twitter.com/a79XxztIRi
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) November 21, 2021
“Lord I thank you, I see you hear me say that and you don’t know where that comes from. It’s a wheelchair right here and I’m in the chair, nevertheless I say I thank you. I can’t walk on my own and people have to get me in and out of everything, but I say Lord I thank you. It’s hard to even make it to the bathroom by myself without the assistance of others, but Lord I thank you.”
MY HITTA! Play me my theme music! Our fans showed up and are showing out! @GoJSUTigersFB pic.twitter.com/TkbVZMLfOK
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) November 20, 2021
Sanders was so excited he even led the crowd in the team’s anthem: “MY HITTA”
