Deion Sanders's Sons Game-Winning Plays Were the Perfect Heroics to Tigers Division Title

BATON ROUGE — As players from Southern and Jackson State stretched during pregame warmups, the BoomBox Classic stage was set—two blue blood Southwestern Athletic Conference programs with a history of tradition in a battle for bragging rights beyond the gridiron.

From the weeklong trash talk and pregame shenanigans, there lies the epic battle of the bands—SU's "Human JukeBox" and JSU's "Sonic Boom of the South"—that intensifies an already raucous environment inside A.W. Mumford Stadium. 

But for Jackson State, this game—with SWAC title dreams attached to it—was an emotionally-charged one before any of the players entered the field. Tigers head coach Deion Sanders, who had been dealing with complications from a foot surgery coupled with reports of him being a favorite in the TCU's search for its next head coach, was released from the hospital after missing the last three games away from his players.

As 25,379 fans filed into the stadium after sitting in standstill traffic that starts nearly a mile away before the stadium can be seen, Sanders weaved through his players warmup drills on his wheelchair, bringing a sense of rejuvenated energy. However, after the blue and yellow fireworks went off and the smoke cleared the field, that energy seemed to fade.

JSU, needing one victory to secure the SWAC East to punch its ticket to the conference title game, found itself trailing 14–7 with 129 yards of offense, one of three on third-down conversions, a lost fumble and outplayed in time of possession by more than seven minutes. It was the start that Tigers acting head coach Gary Harrell hoped to avoid in the game.

While still managing to secure victories in Sanders' absence, JSU had been plagued by slow starts. On Saturday night, that trend continued and the Tigers perfect season in conference play was in jeopardy.

After two stalled drives by both teams to start the second half, JSU quarterback Shedeur Sanders—who was looking to connect with Keith Corbin—found Jaguars' Jakobi Jones instead for his second interception of the game. Sanders miscue led to a SU field goal (17–14), the only points scored in the third quarter.

"We played several defensive coverages, we tried to eliminate the explosive plays by the receivers and making him [Shedeur] find his targets pre-snap, not post snap," SU head coach Jason Rollins said in the postgame conference after the loss.

Southern (4–6) led the game for nearly 58 and a half of the 60 minutes. Tigers' CJ Holmes came up with the second biggest defensive play of the game on third and 19, limiting SU's Devon Benn to 11 yards and eight shy of the first down.

Shedeur—who finished with 260 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions—put together a series of passes to Peytton Pickett, Malachi Wideman and Corbin on the Tigers ensuing drive. Those receptions set up a 13-yard touchdown reception to Wideman and a momentum shift in the game.

Another failed Jaguars' possession on offense paved the way for Shedeur—even with the offense committing two big penalties late on the next drive—to find Wideman on a 50-yard touchdown reception in the right corner of the end zone, giving JSU the 21–17 advantage and the game-sealing score.

In what Rollins described as four-quarter, blow-for-blow boxing match, he hoped for a different outcome in the game. But, the interim head coach did not shy away from the fact that it required his team to make plays offensively down the stretch to win the game.

"At the end of the day, you have to make plays and when your one-on-ones," Rollins said. "We couldn't get a score when we needed and get a stop at the end. Disappointed for our guys and fans, we couldn't get over the hump, this one is on me."

With one more chance on fourth down from JSU's 42, SU quarterback Bubba McDaniel heaved a long ball toward the left sideline and was picked off by Shilo Sanders with 19 seconds remaining. The JSU crowd roared and players let out emotions of excitement.

As time ran off the clock, Sanders shared words with Rollins and others while maneuvering through the sideline.

"He just said congratulations, great game, be safe and good luck," Rollins said.

As for JSU players, it was a celebration for the Tigers despite a brief scuffle between the two teams that broke out immediately after the conclusion of the game. The Tigers clinched their first division title and SWAC championship game appearance since 2013 and the program's eighth division title in school history.

JSU had not won a game versus SU since '13, which that victory also took place on the Jaguars home field. From the rugged spring '21 season of battling with COVID-19 protocols, to Sanders' surgery and all the memories of losing seasons over the last eight years —excluding the 2018 and the spring '21 campaigns—JSU football is back in familiar territory.

It's a place that alums have waited for a long time, a moment that Tigers athletic director Ashley Robinson remembers from his childhood and one that Sanders promised the fanbase when he became the 21st head coach of the program.

"Let's go man, this is what we do, we built for this man," Corbin said during the team's celebration after the game. "I Believe."

The Tigers now await their in-state rival Alcorn State (6–4) in the regular season finale next Saturday. With the Braves keeping their championship hopes alive after beating SWAC West leader Prairie View (7–2) 31–29 on Saturday, there is a possibility of a potential rematch of JSU-Alcorn in the conference championship game if the Braves defeat JSU and the Panthers lose to Mississippi Valley in their season finale.

Until then, let the madness of November football continue another week.

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