The biggest HBCU Performance on offense in the big showdown games in Week 6 had to be by Jackson State freshman quarterback Shedeur Sanders and the Tigers.
Sanders has completed a league-best 71.5% (118 of 165) of his passes for 1,342 yards and 11 TDs with just one interception.
‘Don’t talk about Pops!’
He apparently took words about his father earlier in the week by A&M head coach Connell Maynor personally. In post-game comments, Sanders said of the drubbing given to the 2021 spring champions and fall favorites, “When you disrespect Pops, what you think is gone happen.” The younger Sanders did the “Prime Time” Deion shuffle after his third-quarter touchdown run.
The Tigers had it going through the air and on the ground, where they had been struggling. JSU rushed for 247 yards to go with the 249 passing yards. The blowout came before 21,835 fans at Alabama A&M’s homecoming. Ouch!
“You don’t schedule Jackson State, Thee I Love, for homecoming,” said Coach Prime after the game.
More young blood QBs
Also coming up big this week were two other freshmen quarterbacks.
Alabama State freshman Myles Crawley threw for a Saturday-high four touchdowns (18, 51, 43 and 23 yards) as the Hornets added to Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s misery with a 35-15 homecoming win over the Golden Lions. Crawley, in his first start in place of Ryan Nettles, had been 1-for-6 as a back-up prior to Saturday’s start. He completed 20 of 28 for 292 yards in the impressive debut.
UAPB, the 2021 spring champion, falls to 1-4, overall, 0-3 in SWAC play.
Top HBCU Performances – Rushing
The most impressive rushing effort this week was turned in by Kentucky State. The Thorobreds ran for 472 yards on 47 carries (10.0 yards per carry) and scored all seven of their touchdowns on the ground in a 49-14 win over Lane. Senior Brett Sylve ran for 104 yards including a 30-yard TD scamper. Junior Kendon Walker had just five carries for 94 yards (18.8 ypc.) with three going for TD runs of 58, 11 and 17 yards. KSU passed just five times completing four.
Junior Santee Marshall was the catalyst for the Jackson State rushing attack. He finished with 122 yards on 12 carries (10.0 ypc.) including second-half TD runs of 53 and 4 yards.
Top HBCU Performances – Receiving
Others with big days include CIAA leader Charles Hall who had five receptions for 112 yards and two TDs (28 and 34 yards) in a win over Lincoln (Pa.). Fort Valley State’s Tajee Steel had two catches for 100 yards (25 ypc.) and two TDs (6 and 65 yards) in a shutout win vs. Central State. Lincoln Mo. wide receiver Charles Johnson had two catches for 101 yards (50.5 ypc.) including a 65-yard TD catch.
Top HBCU Performances – Defense
It turns out “Coach Prime” of Jackson State may have had the team with the best defensive performance as well. The Tigers sacked Alabama A&M star quarterback Aqeel Glass eight times and his back-up another two times in their big win. Linebackers Aubrey Miller Jr. and DL Justin Ragin had two sacks each.
Individually, however, no one matched Florida A&M 6-4, 215-pound linebacker Isaiah Land. The redshirt junior dropped SC State QB Corey Fields Jr. five times for -28 yards in the Rattlers’ 30-7 win. Land set a school record with the effort which was the highest single-game total in the FCS this season.
The showdowns in the CIAA — Bowie State vs. undefeated Chowan in the North Division and Fayetteville State vs. Shaw in the South — turned out to be defensive struggles as play was slowed by steady rainfalls.
Bowie State defensive lineman extraordinaire Joshua Pryor forced a Chowan fumble in the first quarter that freshman Nigel Johnson picked up and rambled 33 yards for a score. That would be all the points the Bulldogs needed as they held Chowan to just a field goal in a 14-3 win. Chowan came in averaging over 450 yards of offense per game and over 51.4 points per game but was held to just 167 total yards. Pryor finished with seven tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.
Fayetteville State held Shaw to 136 total yards, nine first downs and just 2 of 14 third-down conversions but still needed a field goal in the final minute to pull out a 15-12 road win. FSU had 10 tackles for losses, led by three for -15 yards from Cameron Merrell.
Top HBCU Performances
PASSING ATT-COMP-INT YDS TDS (YDS)
Andrew Body, TEXSOU 28-35-0 338 0
Quinton Williams, HOW 19-32-1 337 2 (97, 9)
Davius Richard, NCCU 32-48-0 313 2 (48, 9)
Aqeel Glass, AA&M 26-40-0 293 2 (10, 3)
Myles Crawley, ALST 20-28-1 292 4 (18, 51, 43, 23)
Dionte Bonneau, ALB 14-23-1 283 3 (66, 53, 13)
David Wright, ALLEN 21-38-0 280 1 (12)
Tyrell Jackson, FVSU 13-22-2 277 3 (56, 6, 65)
Zamar Brake, LINCM 19-30-1 251 3 (12, 65, 19)
Shedeur Sanders, JSU 17-24-0 249 4 (6, 37, 12, 20)
Jalen Fowler, NCAT 14-20-1 243 3 (29, 28, 60)’
Cameron Lewis, WSSU 13-24-1 238 2 (30, 19)
Elijah Odom, CAU 18-31-1 207 2 (42, 31)
Glendon McDaniel, SOU 20-29-1 207 0
Donovan Riddick, WVSU 12-20-0 188 3 (28, 43, 27)
Jordan Davis, VSU 11-15-0 179 2 (16, 39)
Kevin Caldwell, ECSU 19-34-0 174 1 (5)
RUSHING CAR YDS TDs (YDS)
Emmanuel Wilson, FVSU 27 164 1 (9)
Devon Benn, SOU 22 153 1 (4)
Niko Duffey, ALC 20 138 0
Hosea Franklin, LINCM 23 138 1 (6)
Malik Newton, WVSU 16 131 0
D’Vonn Gibbons, SAVST 12 127 1 (65)
Santee Marshall, JSU 12 122 2 (53, 4)
Darius Hagans, VSU 14 119 2 (58, 1)
Bishop Bonnett, FAMU 12 118 1 (13)
Kingston Davis, MILES 15 110 0
Earnest Davis, MHS 30 106 2 (3, 2)
Brett Sylve, KSU 10 104 1 (30)
Michael Chris-Ike, DELST 20 102 2 (3, 8)
Sy’veon Wilkerson, DELST 14 101 2 (7, 8)
Beau Harrington, ALLEN 18 97 0
Kobe Dillon, SOU 18 96 1 (2)
Sidney Gibbs, SHAW 16 95 0
Kendon Walker, KSU 5 94 3 (54, 11, 17)
Zavien Foster, BEN 15 90 1 (6)
Andrew Body, TEXSOU 16 85 0
Darnell Walker, FSU 12 78 0
Demarcus McEachern, FMU 16 76 1 (1)
Jah-Maine Martin, NCAT 13 75 0
George Young, FMU 18 75 1 (1)
Calil Wilkins, BSU 22 73 0
RECEIVING REC YDS TDs
Antoine Murray, HOW 4 171 1 (97)
Jamal Jones, ALLEN 8 134 0
Joe Shorter, ALB 2 119 2 (66, 53)
Antjuan Collins, WSSU 7 126 1 (30)
Odieu Hilaire, AA&M 10 117 1 (3)
Jeremiah Hixon, ALST 6 112 2 (18, 51)
Charles Hall, VUU 5 112 2 (28, 34)
Dalyn Hill, ARKPB 3 109 1 (70)
Reggie Bryant, JCSU 10 108 0
Drakar Jerry, CAU 7 103 1 (42)
Charles Johnson, LINCM 2 101 1 (65)
Tajee Steel, FVSU 4 100 2 (6, 65)
Ke’Lenn Davis, TEXSOU 6 98 0
Marquis McClain, SOU 6 96 0
Tyrone Lyte, WVSU 4 96 2 (43, 1)
David Manigo, FAMU 7 82 0
Ryan McDaniel, NCCU 10 81 0
Warren Newman, JSU 5 80 1 (12)
Erron Price, FVSU 2 74 1 (56)
Deandre Williams, FMU 2 71 0
LeCharles Pringle, ALC 4 67 2 (45, 13)
Greg White, ARKPB 4 67 1 (20)
TACKLES
16 Woody Appolon, TUSK
15 TeAndre Skinner, LINCM;
14 Elliot Albert, LINCM;
13 Stephan Pierre, ALBST; Justice Thompson, CSU;
DeAndre Faulk, HAMP;
12 Jacob Robers, NCAT:
11 Fernando Basilio, CHOW; Rodney Lewis, CAU;
William Horne, VUL; Mason King, HAMP;
Payton Lunsford, WVSU;
10 Andrew Powers, EWU; Andrew Gaylor, MILES;
Zion Nwckocha, CAU; Gerald Simpson, FSU; D. Wallace, SHAW;
Demetrius Stittmon, HAMP; Decobie Durant, SCSU;
Ta’Shaun Taylor, WSSU; Carl Matthews, Daniel Norman, TUSK;
SACKS
5.0 Isaiah Land, FAMU;
2.5 Javon Frazier, VSU;
2.0 Aubrey Miller, Jr., JSU; Rodney Lewis, CAU;
Jawan Granger, DELST; Adonis Braxton, VSU
Xzavier Hines, James Jackson, VUU;
1.5 Montre Moore, Rafiq Abdul-Wahid, CHOW;
INTERCEPTIONS
2 Deiontae Jones, WSSU;
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