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 coordinators	Michael Pollock (2nd season) 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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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