Jackson State football
Jackson State won the Orange Blossom Classic over Florida A & M because of Deion Sanders’ defense.
Jackson State supporters waited 148 days to see what first-year head coach Deion Sanders and his staff would do in Year 2 after an extraordinary spring season.
The Rattlers, on the other hand, faced Jackson State in the Orange Blossom Classic at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, for the first time in 652 days on Sunday—a game that hadn’t played in 43 years.
The Orange Blossom Classic, which featured FAMU and another HBCU from 1933 through 1978, considered the unofficial Black national championship game. The game was supposed to take place in the autumn of 2020, but it was pushed back because of the COVID-19 epidemic.
With the coaching battle of Willie Simmons vs. Sanders, Shedeur Sanders’s collegiate debut, the highest-rated recruiting class in FCS and HBCU history, and the possibility of explosive offensive performances, the FAMU—Jackson State game was widely anticipated.
Instead, both teams combined for 12 punts, 20 penalties, five turnovers (three by Jackson State), 8-of-31 third-down conversions, and 13 points.
But, in any sport, it’s not about who averages the most yards; it’s about who makes the crucial plays when it counts. And it was Jackson State that came out on top on Sunday afternoon, beating FAMU 7-6 in a game that came down to the closing seconds in front of fans and former NFL wide receivers Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson.
Sanders and JSU athletic director Ashley Robinson hugged on the field after the Tigers’ triumph. Robinson visibly moved.
“Yes,” Robinson said
But, before Robinson and Sanders’ touching hug, it had been a difficult 60 minutes, with the game displaying both glimpses of skill and potential for development.
Shedeur Sanders fumbled the game’s opening snap deep in Tigers territory, but he overcame his early nerves and three first-half fumbles to finish 18-for-24, passing for 221 yards and running for the game’s lone score. And it wasn’t until early in the second quarter that the Tigers got that touchdown.
FAMU was penalized for roughing the passer on Sheduer after he threw a 32-yard pass to Trevonte Rucker (a freshman wide receiver who ended up with three receptions for 83 yards) down to the Rattlers’ six-yard line, setting up first and goal for Jackson State. Shedeur called his own number and punched it in the end zone a few plays later, giving the Tigers a 7-3 lead and the game’s lone score.
Sanders told the Clarion-Ledger, “Shedeur was right.” “I was in his face, but you have to realize that I am also his father, and I know what he is capable of. Early on, he was attempting to accomplish too much. “
The Rattlers, who scored three points on their first possession thanks to a 21-yard field goal by Jose Romo-Martinez, were unable to establish a consistent offensive rhythm due to the play of JSU’s defense, particularly the play of several transfer players who Sanders brought in during the spring season but did not play.
Nyles Gaddy (Tennessee transfer) completed with two tackles after being untouched on multiple occasions during the Rattlers’ second drive of the game. Antwan Owens (Georgia Tech) and Shedeur’s elder brother, Shilo, combined for 10 tackles and caused havoc for a Rattlers’ offense that swapped quarterbacks in the fourth quarter, from Rase McKay (18-for-29, 78 yards) to Junior Muratovic (5-for-12, 47 yds).
Even on seemingly promising drives for FAMU, the Tigers’ defense came up with stops that forced the Rattlers to punt.FAMU’s attack,
which limited to just 234 yards of total offense, is still working out problems at the quarterback position and establishing consistency.
In 2019, the Rattlers’ offense averaged almost 292 passing yards per game, led by receivers David Manigo (3 receptions, 43 yards in Sunday’s game),
Cha Hunter (7 catches, 49 yards), and Xavier Smith (6 catches, 16 yards), and scored 32.7 points per game.
However, Simmons, who is regarded as an offensive genius,will have to go back to the drawing board to choose
which quarterback will lead the offense and fill the void left by former FAMU quarterback Ryan Stanley.
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Despite the victory and the ability to move the ball down the field,
Jackson State still has work to do on special teams and third-down conversions (3-of-14 in the game), and small-yard situations. The Tigers gained 4:47 in the fourth quarter after an 11-play,
73-yard drive that began at their own 8 and ended at the Rattlers’ 20
when Shedeur’s throw to wide receiver Josh Lanier (Alabama transfer) went incomplete on third down, and running back.
Peytton Pickett was stopped on fourth down.
Sanders’ defense, on the other hand, answered the bell when its number called, which was the game’s overall lesson.
With 2:59 left in the game.
the Rattlers faced fourth down and needed six yards to tie the game at 7-6. Muratovic delivered the throw to Hunter
but Randall Haynie of the Tigers intercepted him a yard short of the first down.
Cam’Ron Silmon of the Tigers, who ended with seven tackles,
came up with the game-winning sack in the closing seconds of the game to seal the victory.
When Sanders took over as coach at Jackson State in September 2020,
he said that his squad would play smart, tough, quick, and disciplined no matter what the conditions were. Sanders has a wealth of offensive skills and a tough defense that will try to maintain dominance throughout the season.
However, before Sanders takes on Eddie George and Tennessee State in the Southern Heritage Classic on Sept. 11, those changes—eliminating five defensive penalties for 58 yards, better punting, and converting field goals—must be made.
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Deion Sanders’s Defense Seals Victory for Jackson State in Orange Blossom Classic vs. Florida A&M
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