2021 Jackson State Tigers football team

American college football season

2021 Jackson State Tigers football

SWAC champion SWAC East Division champion
SWAC Championship Game, W 27–10 vs. Prairie View A&M
Celebration Bowl, L 10–31 vs. South Carolina State
Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
Division	East Division
Ranking
STATS	No. 22
FCS Coaches	No. 19
Record	11–2 (8–0 SWAC)
Head coach	Deion Sanders (2nd season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Michael Pollock (2nd season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Jason Phillips (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Run and shoot
Defensive coordinator	Dennis Thurman (2nd season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Seasons← 2020 2022 →

2021 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 22 Jackson State x$	8	–	0	11	–	2
No. 25 Florida A&M ^	7	–	1	9	–	3
Alabama A&M	5	–	3	7	–	3
Mississippi Valley State	3	–	5	4	–	7
Alabama State	3	–	5	5	–	6
Bethune–Cookman	2	–	6	2	–	9
West Division
Prairie View A&M x	6	–	2	7	–	5
Alcorn State	5	–	3	6	–	5
Grambling State	3	–	5	4	–	7
Southern	3	–	5	4	–	7
Texas Southern	2	–	6	2	–	8
Arkansas–Pine Bluff	1	–	7	2	–	9
Championship: Jackson State 27, Prairie View A&M 10
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2021 Jackson State Tigers football team represented Jackson State University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Tigers played their home games at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Mississippi, and competed in the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). They were led by second-year head coach Deion Sanders.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	2:00 p.m.	vs. Florida A&M		Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, FL (Orange Blossom Classic)	ESPN2	W 7–6	36,000
September 11	6:00 p.m.	vs. Tennessee State*		Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Southern Heritage Classic)	ESPN3/ESPNU	W 38–16	46,171
September 18	7:00 p.m.	at Louisiana–Monroe*		Malone Stadium Monroe, LA	ESPN3	L 7–12	21,720
September 25	2:00 p.m.	Delta State*		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	Jackson State Sports Network	W 24–17	33,652
October 9	2:00 p.m.	at Alabama A&M		Louis Crews Stadium Huntsville, AL	ESPN+	W 61–15	21,835
October 16	2:00 p.m.	Alabama State		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	ESPN+	W 28–7	53,578
October 23	3:00 p.m.	Bethune–Cookman	No. 24	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	ESPN+	W 42–12	26,428
October 30	3:00 p.m.	at Mississippi Valley State	No. 20	Rice–Totten Stadium Itta Bena, MS	YouTube	W 28–19	10,000
November 6	1:00 p.m.	Texas Southern	No. 19	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	Jackson State Sports Network	W 41–21	31,078
November 13	1:00 p.m.	at Southern	No. 18	A. W. Mumford Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (The Boombox Classic)	ESPN3	W 21–17	25,379
November 20	1:00 p.m.	Alcorn State	No. 19	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (Soul Bowl)	ESPN+	W 24–10	58,892
December 4	3:00 p.m.	Prairie View A&M	No. 15	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (SWAC Championship Game)	ESPN2	W 27–10	50,128
December 18	12:00 p.m.	vs. South Carolina State*	No. 15	Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA (Celebration Bowl)	ABC	L 10–31	48,653
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Staff

Staff
Name	Position	Consecutive season at Jackson State in current position
Deion Sanders	Head Coach	2nd
Otis Riddley	Director of player personnel	2nd
Michael Pollock	Co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks	2nd
Jason Phillips	Co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach	2nd
Dennis Thurman	Defensive Coordinator	2nd
Alan Ricard	Special teams coordinator	2nd
T.C. Taylor	Tight ends coach	3rd
Mike Markuson	Offensive line coach	2nd
Gary Harrell	Running Backs Coach	2nd
Jeff Weeks	Defensive line coach	2nd
Andre' Hart	Linebackers Coach	2nd
Kevin Mathis	Defensive backs coach	2nd

Game summaries

Vs. Florida A&M

Florida A&M vs. Jackson State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rattlers	3	3	0	0	6
• Tigers	0	7	0	0	7

Date: September 5, 2021
Location: Hard Rock Stadium
Miami Gardens, FL
Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 35 minutes
Game attendance: 36,000
Game weather: 92 °F (33 °C) • Weather: Rainy • Wind: 6mph
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN2):

Scoring summary

1	8:32	FAMU	Jose Romo-Martinez 21-yard field goal	FAMU 3–0

2	11:47	JSU	Shedeur Sanders 1-yard run (Glenn Misiak kick)	JSU 7–3
2	6:02	FAMU	Jose Romo-Martinez 39-yard field goal	JSU 7–6

Pregame line	Over/under
FAMU –7.5	61

Statistics	Florida A&M	Jackson State
First downs	17	15
Total yards	234	292
Rushing yards	109	71
Passing yards	125	221
Turnovers	2	3
Time of possession	32:18	27:42

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida A&M	Passing	Rasean McKay	18/29, 78 yards, 0 TD
	Rushing	Bishop Bonnett	15 carries, 76 yards
	Receiving	Chad Hunter	7 receptions, 49 yards
Jackson State	Passing	Shedeur Sanders	18/24, 221 yards, 0 TD
	Rushing	Peytton Pickett	15 carries, 62 yards
	Receiving	Trevonte Rucker	3 receptions, 83 yards

Vs. Tennessee State

Tennessee State vs. Jackson State

	1	2	3	4	Total
TSU Tigers	0	7	0	9	16
• JSU Tigers	7	3	14	14	38

Date: September 11, 2021
Location: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Memphis, TN
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3:22
Game attendance: 46,171
Game weather: • Weather: – • Wind: –
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN3/ESPNU):

Scoring summary

Q1	0:19	JSU	Joshua Lanier 14-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders (Glenn Misiak kick)	0–7

Q2	9:36	TSU	Deveon Bryant 2-yard run (Antonio Zita kick)	7–7

Q2	0:32	JSU	Glenn Misiak 28-yard field goal	7–10

Q3	11:30	JSU	Keith Corbin 67-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders (Glenn Misiak kick)	7–17

Q3	2:22	JSU	Shane Hooks 10-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders (Glenn Misiak kick)	7–24

Q4	13:17	TSU	Chayil Garnett 37-yard field goal	10–24

Q4	7:29	JSU	Warren Newman 81-yard punt return (Glenn Misiak kick)	10–31

Q4	2:55	JSU	Peytton Pickett 4-yard run (Glenn Misiak kick)	10–38

Q4	0:06	TSU	Rodell Rahmaan 47-yard pass from Geremy Hickbottom (2-point fail)	16–38

Pregame line	Over/under
TSU -2.5	50

Statistics	Tennessee State	Jackson State
First downs	19	19
Total yards	264	404
Rushing yards	70	42
Passing yards	194	362
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	31:52	28:08

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee State	Passing	Geremy Hickbottom	9/15, 138 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Devon Starling	11 carries, 35 yards
	Receiving	Rodell Rahmaan	4 receptions, 94 yards, 1 TD
Jackson State	Passing	Shedeur Sanders	30/40, 362 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Peytton Pickett	11 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Trevonte Rucker	5 receptions, 72 yards

At Louisiana–Monroe

Jackson State at Louisiana–Monroe

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	0	7	0	0	7
• Warhawks	3	0	3	6	12

Date: September 18, 2021
Location: Malone Stadium
Monroe, LA
Game start: 7:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 28 minutes
Game attendance: 21,720
Game weather: 86 °F (30 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: E 7 MPH
Referee: William Bonet
TV announcers (ESPN3): Mike Hammett (play–by–play) and Josh Pederson (analyst)

Scoring summary

Q1	9:17	ULM	Calum Sutherland 29 Yd Field Goal	0-3

Q2	6:03	JS	Joshua Lanier 24 Yd pass from Shedeur Sanders (Glenn Misiak Kick)	7-3

Q3	3:12	ULM	Calum Sutherland 45 Yd Field Goal	7-6

Q4	11:37	ULM	Calum Sutherland 42 Yd Field Goal	7-9

Q4	2:24	ULM	Calum Sutherland 49 YD Field Goal	7-12

Pregame line	Over/under
ULM -4.5	52.0

Statistics	Jackson State	Louisiana–Monroe
First downs	16	17
Total yards	285	250
Rushing yards	26	94
Passing yards	259	156
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	26:27	33:40

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jackson State	Passing	Shedeur Sanders	28/41, 259 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Peytton Pickett	5 carries, 10 yards
	Receiving	Joshua Lanier	7 receptions, 72 Yards, 1 TD
Louisiana–Monroe	Passing	Rhett Rodriguez	16/29, 150 yards
	Rushing	Andrew Henry	9 carries, 52 yards
	Receiving	Boogie Knight	6 receptions, 78 yards

Delta State

Delta State at Jackson State

	1	2	Total
Statesmen			0
Tigers			0

Date: September 25, 2021
Location: Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Jackson, MS
Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers ( ):

Scoring summary

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Delta State	Jackson State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Delta State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Jackson State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Alabama A&M

Jackson State at Alabama A&M

	1	2	Total
Bulldogs			0
Tigers			0

Date: October 9, 2021
Location: Louis Crews Stadium
Huntsville, AL
Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN3):

Scoring summary

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Jackson State	Alabama A&M
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jackson State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Alabama A&M	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Alabama State

Alabama State at Jackson State

	1	2	Total
Hornets			0
Tigers			0

Date: October 16, 2021
Location: Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Jackson, MS
Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN3):

Scoring summary

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alabama State	Jackson State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Jackson State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Bethune–Cookman

Bethune–Cookman at Jackson State

	1	2	Total
Wildcats			0
No. 24 Tigers			0

Date: October 23, 2021
Location: Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Jackson, MS
Game start: 1:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN3):

Scoring summary

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Bethune–Cookman	Jackson State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Bethune–Cookman	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Jackson State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Mississippi Valley State

Jackson State at Mississippi Valley State

	1	2	Total
No. 20 Tigers			0
Delta Devils			0

Date: October 30, 2021
Location: Rice–Totten Stadium
Itta Bena, MS
Game start: 3:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers ( ):

Scoring summary

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Jackson State	Mississippi Valley State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jackson State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mississippi Valley State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Texas Southern

Texas Southern at Jackson State

	1	2	Total
TXSO Tigers			0
No. 19 JSU Tigers			0

Date: November 6, 2021
Location: Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Jackson, MS
Game start: 1:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers ( ):

Scoring summary

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Texas Southern	Jackson State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Texas Southern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Jackson State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Southern

Jackson State at Southern

	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 18 Tigers	0	7	0	14	21
Jaguars	7	7	3	0	17

Date: November 13, 2021
Location: A. W. Mumford Stadium
Baton Rouge, LA
Game start: 6:00 p.m. CST
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 7 minutes
Game attendance: 25,379
Game weather: • Weather: Sunny • Wind: TBD
Referee: Bobby Wright
TV announcers (ESPN3):

Scoring summary

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Jackson State	Southern
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jackson State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Alcorn State

Alcorn State at Jackson State

	1	2	Total
Braves			0
No. 19 Tigers			0

Date: November 20, 2021
Location: Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Jackson, MS
Game start: 1:00 p.m. CST
Elapsed time:
Game attendance:
Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBD
Referee:
TV announcers (ESPN3):

Scoring summary

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Pregame line	Over/under

Statistics	Alcorn State	Jackson State
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alcorn State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Jackson State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

Skerritt, Andrew. "Orange Blossom Classic Makes Triumphant Return". Florida A&M University. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
"2021 Jackson State Football Schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
"Football Coaches". Jackson State University. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.

v t e Jackson State Tigers football
Venues	Alumni Field (1922–1968) Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium (1967–present)
Bowls & rivalries	2021 Celebration Bowl 2024 Celebration Bowl Alcorn State: Soul Bowl Southern Tennessee State: Southern Heritage Classic
Culture & lore	Sonic Boom of the South Coach Prime
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1911 1912 1913 1914–1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

Southwestern Athletic Conference football champions

Wiley (1921)
Paul Quinn (1922)
Wiley (1923)
Paul Quinn (1924)
Bishop (1925)
Samuel Huston (1926)
Wiley (1927)
Wiley (1928)
Wiley (1929)
Wiley (1930)
Prairie View (1931)
Wiley (1932)
Langston & Prairie View (1933)
Texas College (1934)
Texas College (1935)
Texas College & Langston (1936)
Texas College (1937)
Southern & Langston (1938)
Langston (1939)
Southern & Langston (1940)
No champion (1941)
Texas College (1942)
No champion (1943)
Wiley, Texas College, & Langston (1944)
Wiley (1945)
Southern (1946)
Southern (1947)
Southern (1948)
Southern & Langston (1949)
Southern (1950)
Prairie View (1951)
Prairie View (1952)
Prairie View (1953)
Prairie View (1954)
Southern (1955)
Texas Southern & Wiley (1956)
Wiley (1957)
Prairie View (1958)
Southern (1959)
Southern, Prairie View, & Grambling (1960)
Jackson State (1961)
Jackson State (1962)
Prairie View (1963)
Prairie View (1964)
Grambling (1965)
Grambling, Southern, & Texas Southern (1966)
Grambling (1967)
Alcorn A&M, Grambling, & Texas Southern (1968)
Alcorn A&M (1969)
Alcorn A&M (1970)
Grambling (1971)
Grambling & Jackson State (1972)
Grambling & Jackson State (1973)
Grambling State & Alcorn State (1974)
Grambling State, Jackson State, & Southern (1975)
Alcorn State (1976)
Grambling State (1977)
Grambling State (1978)
Grambling State & Alcorn State (1979)
Grambling State & Jackson State (1980)
Jackson State (1981)
Jackson State (1982)
Grambling State (1983)
Alcorn State (1984)
Jackson State & Grambling State (1985)
Jackson State (1986)
Jackson State (1987)
Jackson State (1988)
Grambling State (1989)
Jackson State (1990)
Alabama State (1991)
Alcorn State (1992)
Southern (1993)
Alcorn State & Grambling State (1994)
Jackson State (1995)
Jackson State (1996)
Southern (1997)
Southern (1998)
Southern (1999)
Grambling State (2000)
Grambling State (2001)
Grambling State (2002)
Southern (2003)
Alabama State (2004)
Grambling State (2005)
Alabama A&M (2006)
Jackson State (2007)
Grambling State (2008)
Prairie View (2009)
Texas Southern (2010) vacated
Grambling State (2011)
Arkansas–Pine Bluff (2012)
Southern (2013)
Alcorn State (2014)
Alcorn State (2015)
Grambling State (2016)
Grambling State (2017)
Alcorn State (2018)
Alcorn State (2019)
Alabama A&M (2020)
Jackson State (2021)
Jackson State (2022)
Florida A&M (2023)
Jackson State (2024)

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