Baton Rouge, LA- The Jackson State Tigers traveled to Baton Rouge and beat their rival Southern Jaguars, clinching the SWAC East , as Coach Deion Sanders returned to the sidelines.
It was his first game back after missing the past three games as he was hospitalized due to complications from foot surgery. He wore a headset during the game, but it is unclear whether he was officially coaching or not.
Shedeur Sanders, finished with 260 yards passing , which included two touchdowns and two interceptions. Sanders put together a series of passes to Peytton Pickett, Malachi Wideman and Keith Corbin on the Tigers ensuing drive. Those receptions set up a 13-yard touchdown to Wideman and a momentum shift in the game.
Southern freshman running back Kobe Dillon only carried the ball twice. The SWAC’s top rushing offense played well but didn’t get much help. Jerrodd Sims rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown. The Jaguars nearly added another rushing touchdown, but Jackson State got a huge stop on fourth-and-goal from the 1, by Auburn transfer Coynis Miller, that kept JSU in the game.
The Tigers finally broke their losing streak against Southern with an 21-17 win on the road.
Brawl Between the Teams
After the victory, the Tigers attempted to plant their flag on the Jaguars turf, were a brawl broke out between the teams. The SWAC is now investigating the matter . Coach Sanders took to his Instagram addressing the situation, apologizing for the incident.
This win pushes JSU’s winning streak to seven games and clinches the SWAC East. No matter what happens against Alcorn State next week, the Tigers (9-1, 7-0 SWAC) have a spot in the SWAC title game Dec. 4.
What’s Next?
Jackson State will conclude regular-season play at home next week against Alcorn State. The game, which kicks off at 1 p.m. at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, will stream on ESPN+.