2021 Jackson State Tigers football team

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.

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	Conf.							Overall
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

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[1]
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

^[2]

Staff

Staff^[3]

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 6:02 FAMU Jose Romo-Martinez 39-yard field goal JSU 7–6

See also: 2021 Florida A&M Rattlers football team and Orange Blossom Classic

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

See also: 2021 Tennessee State Tigers football team and Southern Heritage Classic

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

See also: 2021 Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football team

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

See also: Delta State Statesmen football

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

See also: 2021 Alabama A&M Bulldogs football team

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

See also: 2021 Alabama State Hornets football team

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

See also: 2021 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team

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

See also: 2021 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team

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

See also: 2021 Texas Southern Tigers football team

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

See also: 2021 Southern Jaguars football team

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

See also: 2021 Alcorn State Braves football team

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