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Bethune-Cookman vs. Jackson State: Deion Sanders makes his return to Jacksonville

garry smits, florida times-union
·2 min read
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Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders watches his team warm up before their game on Oct. 8 against Alabama State.
Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders watches his team warm up before their game on Oct. 8 against Alabama State.

When: 4 p.m. Saturday.

Where: TIAA Bank Field.

Records: Bethune-Cookman 1-4, 1-1 in the SWAC; Jackson State 5-0, 3-0 in SWAC.

Last meeting: Jackson State won 42-12 last season in Jackson, Miss.

Tickets: At stadium box offices beginning two hours before the game or by visiting ticketmasters.com.

TV/radio: ESPN+; Sirius XM 387; Sirius.com 977.

Players to watch

Bethune-Cookman — QB Jalon Jones, 1,006 yards passing, four TD passes, 277 yards rushing, two TDs; RB Que'Shaun Byrd, 327 yards, three TDs; WR Dylan Lee, 16-202; TE Kemari Averett, 15-186; LB Amarie Jones, 27 tackles, one sack; CB Omari Hill-Robinson, two interceptions, three passes defensed.

Jackson State — QB Shedeur Sanders, 1,713 yards, 17 TD passes, two interceptions, .732; RB Sy'veon Wilkerson, 406 yards, three TDs; WR Dallas Daniels, 29-358, four TDs; WR Shane Hooks, 28-281, three TDs; WR Willie Gaines, 11-272, 24.7 per catch, four TDs; LN Nyles Gaddy, four sacks; S Cam'Ron Simon-Craig, 15 tackles, one sack.

B-CU on the road: Bethune-Cookman still away from home after Hurricane Ian as Wildcats prepare for Jackson State

Notable

Deion Sanders is in his third season as the Tigers coach and their 5-0 start (their best since 1996 and their sixth time in school history to begin the season with five victories or more in a row) gives him a 20-5 record so far. … Jackson State won the SWAC last year and has won 12 conference games in a row. … Sanders played for Florida State in the 1985 Gator Bowl, intercepting a pass and knocking down five others in a 34-23 victory over Oklahoma State. He played against the Jaguars in Jacksonville twice while in the NFL, in 2000 with Washington and 2005 with Baltimore. … Bethune was chased from its campus in Daytona Beach because of Hurricane Ian and has been practicing in Tallahassee this week. The Wildcats only victory was 36-19 at home over Grambling. …  Coach Terry Sims is 37-34 in seven seasons. … Jones is a transfer from Jackson State. … Byrd played at Flagler Palm Coast.

Contact Garry Smits at gsmits@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @GSmitter

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Bethune-Cookman vs. Jackson State: What to expect from HBCU game