Skip to main content

Jackson State Crashed the 'Texas Southern Sellout' Party

Jackson State football team's dominance was too much for Texas Southern in front of a sellout crowd.
  • Author:
  • Updated:
    Original:

HOUSTON, TX — Jackson State (9-0, 6-0 SWAC) overpowered a mistake-prone Texas Southern (4-5, 3-3 SWAC) team with a 41-14 victory in front of a sellout crowd at PNC Stadium in Houston, TX.

The Clash of the Tigers was gritty, chippy, and baffling at times as JSU extended its unblemished record to 9-0. Saturday night's win may have secured Jackson State the SWAC East title with a final division meeting against Alabama A&M next weekend at home.

Instead of giving a game recap, I am providing my perspective of the game as I saw it from the PNC Stadium pregame field and press box. Also, I'll discuss the postgame press conferences with Texas Southern head coach Clarence McKinney and Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders.

Pregame Photos - JSU at TSU

Credit: Kyle A. Mosley, HBCU Legends; Nov. 5, 2022 at PNC Stadium
Miller 2
16
Gallery
16 Images

Pregame

  • The HBCU Legends crew were the first media professionals inside the press box at 3:30 PM.
  • About 20 Texas Southern players dressed in the TSU great Michael Strahan donated gray suits and maroon ties, toured the playing field, and even tossed a few passes. Andrew Body was one of the players surveying their battleground.
  • An hour later, fans began to file into the stadium, hip-hop music was blaring, and Jackson State's defensive leader Aubrey Miller Jr. walked passed me with a focused and determined look in his eyes. He began to stretch and took off his cleats to allow his feet to feel the turf.
  • More TSU and JSU coaches and players went through warmups without any chatter between the two squads. Respectful.
  • The energy and tension were building. Coach Prime made his way out of the tunnel and greeted several on-site recruits.
  • The bands enter the stadium, the cheerleaders are ready, and the fans are buzzing. The seats are more than half filled 10 minutes before kickoff.
  • Jackson State wins the coin toss and defers until the second half.

Jackson State at Texas Southern

Credit: Kyle A. Mosley, HBCU Legends; Nov. 5, 2022 at PNC Stadium
190A0266
7
Gallery
7 Images

The Game

  • Shedeur Sanders was Shedeur Sanders. Efficient, effective, and elite.  The Tigers quarterback threw 23-of-30 completions for 252 yards and three touchdowns.
  • Jackson State's defense wouldn't allow Andrew Body and the TSU offense to get into a rhythm.  Body was 9-of 23 for 132 yards, and a touchdown.
  • Deion Sanders found himself a running back.  The emergence of Sy'veon Wilkerson underscores the heart of this Jackson State offense.  He pounded Texas Southern for 214 yards on 26 carries for an astounding 8.2 yards per rush average.
  • In 15 plays and 116 yards of offense, JSU took an early 14-0 lead.
  • DJ Stevens is another Tigers offensive threat emerging for JSU. He's a big-bodied tight end and can move. Note the 38-yard touchdown reception.
  • TSU QB Andrew Body must be unleashed on the ground for Texas Southern to have a chance in the home stretch. He rushed nine times for 35 yards. Mostly from RPO plays that went nowhere against that wall called the JSU front seven.
  • TSU has a burgeoning star with freshman Randy Masters. Old TSU head coach Johnnie Cole said, "the way he used his body to shield the defender was above what freshmen do on the field."
  • The only tense moment for Jackson State was after Willie Gaines muffed a punt and gave TSU excellent field position to score a touchdown and creep closer 21-14.
  • The game's turning point for Texas Southern was the controversial Tarik Cooper sack on Shedeur Sanders. Coach Sanders referred to it as a "helmet-to-helmet" hit. Coach McKinney was disturbed by the officiating but wouldn't respond to questioning to avoid being fined by the conference. The 21,000-plus attendees viewed the collision on the scoreboard. From the angle in the press box, it appeared as a fair sack. Others told me from ESPN footage that it was a penalty. What's odd is that if it was targeting, why wasn't Cooper ejected for targeting? Nevertheless, it may not have changed the final score, but as Keith Jackson would say, "Ol Mo" swung back to Jackson State.
  • Shane Hooks is a GROWN MAN! Why wasn't Hamilton guarding Hooks because of his size?
  • TSU's offensive game plan seemed disjointed at times. But, facing that, a tough Jackson State defense did the same to the other eight opponents.
  • Coach Marsh should find a way of getting Chaunzavia Lewis in on offense to utilize his speed and vision.  He's a fantastic kick and punt returner.  Lewis almost brought back one to the house, but a penalty negated the return.
  • Domination. JSU had minor trouble with penalties and unfocused mistakes.

The Press Conferences

Texas Southern head coach Clarence McKinney

TSU TAKEAWAYS

  • Coach McKinney entered the press conference with Andrew Body and Tarik Cooper. 
  • "I think the story of the game lies within the third downs. Offensively, we didn't stay on the field on third downs, we didn't win on third downs on defense, we didn't get off the field on third downs. And so when you don't win on third downs, you make it hard for yourself to have a chance to win the game,"  Coach McKinney told media.
  • McKinney said, "I'm not commenting on the officiating," and noted that he wanted to avoid a fine from the SWAC.
  • Andrew Body on missing passing plays downfield:  "I'll say we did have some, but you're going to have some hits and you're going to have some misses. So you can't really just get too caught up in that you just got to flush it and get on to the next play."
Deion Sanders

JSU TAKEAWAYS

  • Deion Sanders arrived to the press conference without players.
  • "My hat's off to Texas Southern. They played a wonderful game, well-coached," Sanders opened the presser.
  • He alluded to an halftime adjustment, saying the team "reestablished ourselves" en route to winning.
  • The offensive line "blocked their butts off" for Wilkerson and Shedeur Sanders.
  • He mentioned to me again how Miller, Wilkerson, and also Silmon-Craig have been "consistent" performers this season.
  • On Shane Hooks:  " Shane wants that ball, wants that noise, wants that life, he wants the smoke.  So all right. Well, we're going to put it in your hands. We're going to see what you do with it. And he showed up, he showed out.  I'm proud of him."
  • He told me they must clean up the penalties.  13 were too many for a team of this caliber.
TSU Fans

By The Numbers

  • 21,092 attended the JSU vs. TSU game.
  • 3:34 - Time of game.
  • 20 unanswered points in the second-half by Jackson State
  • 254 yds vs. 154 yds - Jackson State outgained TSU by 100 rushing yards.
  • Jackson State had 13 penalties for 113 yards.  Texas Southern had 8 penalties for 65 yards.
  • 4th Qtr. Time of Possession: 11:13 (JSU) vs. 3:47 (TSU)
  • 3rd Down Conversions: 7 of 11 (JSU) vs. 3 of 16 (TSU)

Week 11: Jackson State hosts Alabama A&M in Jackson, MS.  Grambling travels to Houston for a SWAC West battle with Texas Southern. 

© 2024 ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. - All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators’ opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Gambling content intended for 21+. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.