Jackson State football faces FCS test against No. 1 recruiting class at Campbell

As Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders stated in his Aflac commercial with Alabama football coach Nick Saban: “It is about to go down.”

Sanders knows the Jackson State (6-0) game against the Campbell Fighting Camels (4-2) on Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN+) is a litmus test for his team on homecoming. The Tigers put their perfect record on the line in a game FCS football purists wanted to see. For Sanders, it is a chance to evaluate his team before starting a stretch run for another SWAC championship and possible Celebration Bowl title.

The Fighting Camels are close in talent to the Tigers, with the FCS No.1 recruiting class and five NFL prospects on the team. This game is a measuring stick for where the offensive and defensive lines stand. In the Celebration Bowl last season, quarterback Shedeur Sanders did not have time to throw. Both coaches know this game is going to be won in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

“Campbell's defensive line can play the game,” Sanders said on his weekly SWAC coaches call. “They are very disciplined, very strategic and I like what they are doing offensively and defensively. They are stout and have some guys that can get after the passer. This game will come down to what team is in shape and their depth.”

Sanders went on to say, "They mirror their head coach (NFL veteran Mike Minter), who was tough and tenacious: Their defensive line is tough and tenacious. They play gaps well and can get after the quarterback and their secondary is sound. It is a great matchup and we feel like we have answers, it is going to be a great matchup. This team is not going to lay down."

During the offseason, Sanders went about remaking his offensive line with only one starter remaining. The Tigers have scored 264 points through six games, Sanders is 187-of-256 for 1,998 passing yards and 22 touchdowns. He is averaging 333 yards per game and scoring 44 points per game. He is on pace to surpass the 3,231 yards and 30 TDs he threw as a freshman last year.

“I think Shedeur Sanders is the real deal,” Minter told HBCU GameDay. “I think he should win the Heisman. The guy can make it happen. When you have a quarterback like that, you put the ball in his hands and let him do what he do. You have to be able to stop him and I think he is the heart and soul of the offense and he makes everything go for them.”

Many teams believe(d) the way to beat Jackson State is to wear it down and be physical from the beginning of the game until the final whistle. In Week 2, Tennessee State was physical and held the Tigers without a touchdown until the last two minutes of the game before losing 16-3.

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On defense, Campbell will be based out a 4-3 look, with 6-foot-4 defensive end Brevin Allen coming off the edge. He’s been invited to the Hula Bowl, the East-West Shrine game, and all 32 NFL teams have sent scouts to the Buies Creek campus to look at him. Joining him on the line is tackles DJ Jackson, 6-foot and 330 pounds, and Ethan Rennels, 6-3, 330. They also have a four-star recruit in defensive back Myles Rowser, who was recruited to Arkansas.

Campbell comes in with the biggest offensive line in college football. It starts with offensive tackle Mike Edwards, who is 6-7 and 355 pounds and is on the preseason Senior Bowl list. The line averages over 330 pounds.

Minter said that JSU’s defensive line is the ’85 Bears, as far as the way they attack people. Minter said on HBCU GameDay, the Tigers bring everybody on the line and they are coming. They (Jackson State) say, beat our DBs one-on-one if your quarterback is still standing up.

At the skill positions, quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams is special, according to coach Minter. He can run the ball and is athletic and fast. The Warriors run an uptempo offense out of the spread and want to pound the ball between the tackles with senior running back Bryan Barr and freshman Naquari Rogers, who has the speed to take it the distance.

If teams try to load the box, they will throw the ball to a pair of 6-5, speedy receivers and tight end Julian Hill. Hill's 6-4 and weighs 250 pounds, and is the team’s leading receiver. He is a good blocker and has been invited to play in the Hula Bowl and the East-West Shrine game.

“I really have a lot of respect for coach Minter and what he has accomplished there,” Sanders said. “We are playing against an opponent that can come in here and win. It is not an opponent that is going to come in here and lay down, they are not built that way or taught that way. This should be a great contest and I look forward to it.”

No matter who wins this game, for the Tigers, the real season begins when they host Southern at home on Oct. 29.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson State football faces FCS test vs top recruiting class Campbell