The Jackson State Tigers (7-1) defeated the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils 28-19 in SWAC football action this weekend.
The Tigers faced some real adversity as they trailed the (2-6) Delta Devils 12-7 early in the third quarter before rallying to outscore their opponent (21-7) the rest of the way.
It was also the second straight week head coach Deion Sanders wasn’t on the sidelines as he continues to recover from foot surgery. Reports claim Sanders was hospitalized for another unspecified illness.
Deion Sanders Hospitalized, Per Report. Last month, Deion Sanders had foot surgery and was advised to remain off the sidelines in Jackson State's win against Bethune-Cookman. Sanders' condition is serious, but no details have been released specifying his health issues.😬🙏 pic.twitter.com/FPPcJJgMUJ
— Sumner (@renmusb1) October 31, 2021
Jackson State’s sports information department is not commenting on the specifics of Sanders’ illness, but he did reference his health and his absence from the sideline in a Twitter post this past weekend.
”As you know, recovering from my recent surgeries has taken longer than expected. (Mostly because I could not sit my butt down somewhere.),” Sanders said in part in a tweet from Saturday evening. “Thank GOD I have a wonderful team of Doctors and Nurses and I am still under their care.”
On a brighter note, JSU has been on a roll, winning four games in a row and elevating to No. 16 in the AFCA Top 25.
The health of Coach Prime is defintely something to follow as we move closer to the SWAC tournament, but with every win, it becomes clear that Sanders has established a winning culture and put the pieces and personel in place for him to basically put the car on cruise control and kick his feet up.
Assistant Harrell Takes The Lead For Second Straight Week:
Assistant coach Gary “The Flea” Harrell has been left in charge by Coach Prime to run the ship, and he’s handling the sudden change rather smoothly. Earlier in the week on the SWAC coaches video conference, Harrell discussed the absence of Sanders.
“With the sudden change for us, luckily the foundation has been laid by Coach Prime,” Flea said. “You mentioned the word consistency, we’ve kind of handled that also with the foundation and being consistent on our schedule and our core values. Trying to be smart, fast and tough disciplined…We hang our hats on them words.”
Shedeur Sanders Leads The Way
Deion’s son, QB Shedeur Sanders used his arm to loosen up the Delta Devils’ inspired defense. While he did toss two interceptions — giving him just three total on the season—- he also went 18-31 for 257 yards and three touchdowns. He may have suffered a bit from his Dad not being on the sidelines, but he gutted it out and eventually developed a chemistry with Harrell.
Shedeur left a rising Florida Atlantic program to help lead the new HBCU legacy his father is trying to build, using Jackson State as the central headquarters and birthplace of the movement. He has 20 touchdowns tosses, giving him an impressive 6:1 touchdown to interception ratio. The talented signal caller is the first Jackson State player to be named to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List, given annually to the top freshman in college football’s Division I subdivision.
Shedeur Sanders named to Jerry Rice Award watch list; awarded to top freshman at the FCS level 🏈
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/wueGnBBD4F#IBelieve
— Jackson State Athletics (@GoJSUTigers) October 27, 2021
Coach Prime Congratulates His Guys Via Twitter
“We have truly been tested these past couple weeks regarding our strength, mentally and physically, as individuals, and as a team. I AM SO DARN PROUD of each and every one of these young men and women that are a part of and connected to this team.”
THANK U, THANK U, THANK U. 🙏🏿🙏🏿 @Traceyeedmonds @GoJSUTigersFB @GoJSUTigers @SMAC @barstoolsports @21standprime pic.twitter.com/zIhCs3mVOA
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) October 30, 2021
What we do know is that Sanders has admitted to having multiple surgeries. We just don’t know what other surgeries he’s had past his foot procedure. The Tigers control their own destiny to reach the SWAC championship game. They face Texas Southern, and it remains to be seen if Coach Prime will be cleared to return to the sidelines.