Jackson State football clinches SWAC East with strong win over Alabama A&M
Jackson State football and coach Deion Sanders clinched a second straight trip to the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game with a 27-13 win over Alabama A&M on Saturday in Mobile, Ala.
Travis Hunter, the No.1 recruit in the nation in 2022, scored the first touchdown of his JSU career and also intercepted his first pass in his most dynamic performance of an injury-plagued freshman season.
Here are five takeaways after Jackson State (10-0, 7-0 SWAC) took down Alabama A&M (3-7, 3-4):
Travis Hunter's big day
Hunter has battled through injury since the season-opening against Florida A&M on Sept. 4, and missed four games as a result. Sanders foreshadowed the type of impact Hunter would have as a two-way player when healthy, and Saturday was the best representation of his talent.
Jackson State went to Hunter from the outset with Alabama A&M focused on limiting running back Sy'veon Wilkerson, coming off a 216-yard performance against Texas Southern. Sophomore quarterback Shedeur Sanders targeted Hunter on the first three plays of the game, including a jet-sweep-style pitch-pass that Hunter turned into a catch-and-run 20-yard TD.
Later in the second quarter, A&M quarterback Quincy Casey challenged Hunter as his receiver was running down the sidelines, but Hunter intercepted the ball in stride.
More history for JSU
Deion Sanders' message this season has been to dominate in everything the Tigers do, and that has proven to hold true through 10 games.
JSU is 10-0 for the first time in program history, and winning the SWAC East guarantees the Tigers will get a chance to repeat as SWAC champion when the game commences Dec. 3.
Jackson State has not forgotten the thrashing it took against South Carolina State in the Celebration Bowl last season. This season coach Sanders'motto for the team has been to dominate. In every game regardless of the score, both the offensive and defensive lines have been physical and dominated the line of scrimmage. With the 27-13 win JSU continues to make history and is undefeated at 10-0. The win secures JSU's second SWAC East title. If the Tigers were to lose to Alcorn State next week, it would hold the tiebreaker over Florida A&M by their 59-3 victory over them in the first game of the season at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL, on Sept 4.
HISTORIC DAY IN JACKSON Inside Jackson State football's 'historic moment' on College GameDay's national stage
Shedeur Sanders leaves with injury
Shedeur Sanders took a hard hit in the third quarter and did not return. Backup quarterback J. P. Andrade, a transfer from Ohio State, had completed 7 of 12 passes for 85 yards and two TDs entering the game. The offense looked out of sync with Sanders absent.
Sanders' value is his ability not just his passing game, but his ability to extend plays by running and checking out of bad play calls at the line of scrimmage based on defensive alignments.
Turnovers bite Jackson State
Jackson State was sloppy on special teams, a typically reliable group for the Tigers.
JSU turned the ball over twice and looked disorganized.
On a punt return in the fourth quarter, two Jackson State players ran into each other, causing a fumble. Jackson State defensive back Isiah Boldin recovered a fumble on the next play to get the ball back for the Tigers.
Tigers face Quincy Casey
Casey came to Jackson State in 2019 by way of former coach John Hendricks, who preceded Deion Sanders.
Casey played in three games in the 2019 season before being redshirted and entering the transfer portal after Sanders took over the program.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Deion Sanders and Jackson State stays undefeated by beating Alabama A&M
