Jackson State Won't Get "Complacent" After Winning MEAC/SWAC Challenge
ATLANTA — There were a lot of questions about what Jackson State would look like with so many new faces on the roster. Many were answered as the Tigers blew out South Carolina State 37-7 in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge.
Quarterback Jason Brown was the night's highlight, setting game records for completion percentage (86%) and passing yards (356) while adding three touchdowns.
Junior wide receiver Duke Miller was Brown's favorite target, catching nine passes (a game-high) for 56 yards, but it was a full-team effort as eight players recorded at least one reception Saturday night. Miller, Isaiah Spencer, and Rico Powers caught the most passes, but Jency Riley, Andre Hunt, and DJ Stevens, who each only caught one pass, were responsible for Brown's touchdowns.
"I have a lot of playmakers around me," Brown said after the game. "I got Duke, Rico, Fabian McCray. You saw Andre take off with one. DJ, Jency, and I have Irv Mulligan and J.D. Martin out of the backfield. In our offense, you know, there's a lot of different ways to get a bunch of different people involved.
"If I just go through the correct read and get them the ball, they're gonna make plays, and you guys saw that tonight."
Jackson State showed its strength on both sides of the ball, a great showing of the work that first-year head coach T.C. Taylor and his staff put in to prepare his team. But Taylor's praise for his team's performance was short-lived, as his attention was on the marathon ahead.
"We still got a long way to go," Taylor said. "This is just the beginning for this football team. I'm very excited about where this football team is headed. The thing is, right now. I'm not going to allow us to get complacent.
"This is one of many, but the sky's the limit."
Taylor also touched on the expectations of this year's Tiger program, from how the team would look to the expectations of his first season as a head coach. Everyone around him was asking him, "Are you ready?" But the former Jackson State wide receiver responded in a way only a football lifer could.
"I was like, 'put the ball down and let me show you,'" Taylor said in response to the questions. "It was a lot of people that didn't think we were going be what we were tonight, and that's what I'm most excited about.
"But like I told Jason walking over, he asked, 'Where's the championship trophy?' I mean, we're going to put that on the shelf. You know, start getting ready for the next one."
After a dominating performance in front of a national audience, Taylor was also sure of one thing: they are not surprising anyone anymore. Teams now have an idea of what the Tigers can do, and everyone, especially their next opponent in Florida A&M, will begin preparations.
"They're watching that film tomorrow, and they'll start getting ready for Jackson State. So we understand it, we get it. You know, that's what I say that media day: they don't know. And that's what I said tonight. Now they do know. And we're not going to stop."