Jackson State football crushes Southern, lives up to 'College GameDay' hype

Jackson State and coach Deion Sanders were the face of the college football Saturday with the arrival of ESPN's "College GameDay" to Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Tigers didn't disappoint in their Southwestern Athletic Conference collision with Southern following their time in front of a national audience, cruising to a 35-0 victory in a game delayed twice by lightning in the first quarter.

Indeed, inclement weather didn't dampen Jackson State (8-0, 5-0 SWAC) in its pursuit of its second straight SWAC Championship.

Here's three takeaways from Saturday's blowout victory over the Jaguars (5-3, 3-2):

Disaster avoided early

Sanders made it a point to be aggressive early against the Jaguars. Maybe it was the energy of having ESPN on campus or bravado that comes with Stephen A. Smith serving as a celebrity guest picker and predicting the Tigers to win. However, Sanders' decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 on his own 27-yard line could have led to disaster against a conference rival.

Sy'veon Wilkerson was stuffed and Southern was in prime position to take an early lead. That's when Jackson State relied on its defense – allowing a conference-best 10. 1 points per game – to force a 43-yard field goal. Luke Jackson's attempt was blocked.

The Tigers settled for three field goals in the red zone in a 22-14 victory over Campbell on Oct. 22. Sanders didn't allow that to happen again.

JSU used Wilkerson again on fourth-and-1 from the Southern 23 for a 3-yard loss. Once again, Jackson State refused to allow the Jaguars to score. Jackson State forced a 42-yard field goal from Jackson and was fortunate the junior narrowly missed.

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Shedeur Sanders shines in first half

Sophomore quarterback Shedeur Sanders needed to have a breakout moment to have any chance of reviving his Heisman Trophy candidacy. Winning is no longer enough for Sanders to catapult his name among Power 5 quarterbacks Hendon Hooker and C.J. Stroud. Sanders had to win and put up gaudy numbers, and the second-year starter delivered in the first half.

Jackson State's offense settled down following the disappointment of the opening two drives. The Tigers scored TDs on three of their final five drives in the first half, and Sanders played a large role in each. First, he connected with with Wilkerson for a 3-yard TD pass, followed by two breakout plays escaping the pocket.

Sanders entered the matchup with 178 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He nearly matched those season stats in the second quarter. Sanders had a 42- and 12-yard TD runs. His final TD of the first half came with 3.6 seconds remaining to give Jackson State a 22-0 lead.

Sanders went 18-of-33 passing for 194 yards, along with 52 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He has 29 total touchdowns through eight games.

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JSU's defense remains stellar

Campbell coach Mike Minter compared Jackson State's defense to the 1985 Chicago Bears following an eight-point loss last week. The former Carolina Panthers safety knows more than most about NFL defenses.

The Tigers backed up his lofty praise by holding the Jaguars to 221 yards. Jerodd Sims had a bulk of those yards with a 52-yard run early in the first quarter. Jackson State's defense isn't just good among SWAC or FCS foes. It's one of the best defensive units in the country, especially against the run.

Southern quarterback Besean McCray never looked comfortable and finished 9-of-26 for 85 yards passing. Along with McCray, Sims was held in check after the first quarter.

Southern never reached the red zone and finished the first half with three punts and a fumble to finish, following Jackson's second field goal miss. The Jaguars opened the third quarter with a turnover-on-downs and two punts and never found their footing.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Deion Sanders' Jackson State football crushes Southern to cap epic day