The first one, a 53-0 drubbing of Edward Waters College of the NAIA, was a gimme. A glorified scrimmage. For this second one, though, no asterisk applies.
The Deion Sanders era of Jackson State football is off to a 2-0 start following the Tigers' 33-28 win at Grambling State. In the first like v. like game under Coach Prime, Jackson State went on the road and earned the program's first win over Grambling since 2012, and handed Grambling its first home loss of any kind since 2015.
Jackson State's victory represents a four-touchdown turnaround from their most recent meeting with Grambling, a 44-21 GSU win in Jackson on Oct. 5, 2019.
Trailing 14-7 after the first quarter, Jackson State took control of the game in the second frame, running off 20 unanswered points to take a 27-14 lead to the break. Sophomore Jalon Jones completed 12-of-18 balls for 180 yards and rushed for 42 more, while Tyson Alexander rushed for 186 yards and a score.
Grambling see-sawed back in front 28-27 just over a minute into the fourth quarter, but Jackson State answered a minute and a half later with what would prove to be the game's final points. Jackson State could've put the game away with around five minutes to play, but running back Kymani Clark fumbled at the Grambling goal line.
The Grambling offense then drove the length of the field over the ensuing four minutes until Jackson State's defense returned the favor, popping free a Keilon Elder carry and recovering at the 2 with 1:04 to play.
At 1-0 and, for the moment, alone in first place in the SWAC East, the Tigers return to Jackson for their conference home opener against Mississippi Valley State next Sunday.
As always, stay tuned to
Coach @DeionSanders has me ready to run through a dozen brick walls pic.twitter.com/c2HICMtwK8
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 6, 2021
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