Jackson State, in front of a near-capacity crowd, completed a perfect SWAC season under head coach Deion Sanders.
JSU used three touchdown passes by freshman sensation Shedeur Sanders and solid defense to beat rival Alcorn State 24-10. An official total of 58, 892 fans packed into Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium to witness the game.
Alcorn State got on the board late in the second quarter with a 32 yard field goal by Noah Kiani to take a 3-0 lead. JSU responded with a three-yard passing touchdown to Keith Corbin with eight seconds remaining in the second quarter to take a 7-3 lead into halftime. It would add to that lead with a 41 yard field goal by Bailey Raborn with 8:19 left in the third quarter.
Alcorn State quickly responded with a 50 yard touchdown pass from Felix Harper to cap a three-play, 75 yard drive that took less than a minute.
Shedeur Sanders and JSU would answer with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Shane Hooks to break the tie and give JSU a 17-10 lead. Sanders would connect with Corbin for his second touchdown of the day, a two-yarder, to put the game out of reach with 3:23 remaining.
Jackson State improved to 46-29-1 all-time against its in-state rival with the win. Alcorn State’s loss means that Prairie View A&M will represent the SWAC West in the championship game against Jackson State. Alcorn State had an outside chance at making the title game, but it needed to win Saturday.
Deion Sanders and Jackson State will have a week off before taking on Prairie View at the SWAC Football Championship Game on Dec. 4. The game will be played at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.