Jackson State football's Deion Sanders on the emotions of playing Southern last season

There were questions on whether Deion Sanders would travel with Jackson State football to Baton Rouge to face Southern last November. The Tigers had been without their coach on the sidelines for three consecutive games.

Sanders had been hospitalized following complications from left foot surgery in September 2021. He had three femoral arterial blood clots that doctors believed were life-threatening and ultimately led to two of his toes being amputated.

He can still picture himself in the hospital bed and relying on his faith to persevere. There was no time that Sanders lost hope that he would return to the sidelines with the Tigers.

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“I always believed,” Sanders said Tuesday. “I was praising Him all through the hospital. Ask any nurses in my room. I was consistently praising the Lord. Thanking him even when I was on my back because when I was on my back I was still looking up.”

JSU went 3-0 under interim coach Gary Harrell, but the matchup against Southern presented new challenges. An opportunity to clinch the SWAC East title was on the line, along with a chance to beat the Jaguars for the first time since 2014.

A visit from his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, was enough to drive Deion Sanders out of the hospital. He was released earlier that week and made the trip for Jackson State’s matchup against Southern on Nov. 13.

“I can recall Shedeur coming to the hospital saying ‘Dad I need you’ so I was going to do whatever I needed to do to get back to that game,' ” Deion Sanders said. “That's what I did. I was weak, probably was down 35-40 pounds and in the chair. I hate to be seen like that but we had to do what we had to do because my baby wanted me.”

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Shedeur Sanders delivered with his father on the sidelines draped in a Jackson State letterman jacket, red beanie hat and sunglasses while forced to use a motorized wheelchair to move around.

The freshman had a game-winning 50-yard touchdown pass to Malachi Wideman with 1:31 remaining to give the Tigers a 21-17 lead. Shedeur Sanders went 24-of-31 passing for 260 yards, two TDs and two interceptions in the gutsy victory.

Following his late-game heroics, Shedeur Sanders went straight to his father on the sidelines. Their embrace helped end week’s of uncertainty surrounding the future of the program.

Shilo Sanders sealed the victory with an interception with 19 seconds remaining to complete the Sanders family coming out party for the future SWAC champions.

“That was a big game for us,” Deion Sanders said. “Emotional game for me and my kids.

“(Shedeur) came through. Shilo came through. The team came through. That was a big win for us.”

Jackson State (7-0, 4-0 SWAC) sits on top of the conference standings once again with the Jaguars (5-2, 3-1) visiting on Saturday (1 p.m., ESPN3). However, this year Deion Sanders isn’t just on the sideline with a headset on.

Deion Sanders is walking and the nation will be watching ahead of kickoff at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. ESPN’s “College GameDay” will be in Jackson for the first time in program history.

The Tigers are chasing an undefeated season, back-to-back SWAC championships and another shot at winning the Celebration Bowl. There’s more eyes on the program and the target on Jackson State’s back is bigger than ever.

Deion Sanders doesn’t mind. He doesn’t even feel it. It pales in comparison to the uncertainty of his life ahead of last year.

“Football ain’t pressure,” Deion Sanders said “Football is what we do and what we have a gift to do.”

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders on beating Southern last season