Football is supposed to be played in the fall, right?
 
The No. 17/19 Jackson State football team's first game in the month of November is versus SWAC foe Texas Southern. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. from historic Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.
 
Tickets remain on sale on Ticketmaster and visit the JSU Ticket Office or call 601-979-2420/601-354-6021.
 
Black Out The Vet
 
It's Military Appreciation Day and fans are asked to wear black to the game.
 
Jackson State Sports Network
 
The Jackson State Sports Network is live streaming the Jackson State vs. Texas Southern football game on PPV.
 
Tigers Ranked in the Top 20 in Both FCS Polls
 
Jackson State continues to rise in the FCS Polls. The Tigers checked in at No. 17 in the FCS Coaches Poll and No. 19 in the STATS FCS Top 25 Poll. JSU is the lone SWAC program ranked in either poll. JSU is also ranked No. 1 in the BOXTOROW Top 10 HBCU Poll.
 
Defense Continues to Dominate
 
The Jackson State defense has caused opponents problems throughout the season. The Tigers find themselves in the opposing backfield on a consistent basis and lead NCAA Division I (FBS & FCS) with 38 sacks for a whopping – 245 yards.
 
James Houston leads the team with 9.5 sacks, Aubrey Miller Jr. checks in with 5 sacks, Antwan Owens, Devonta Davis, and Justin Ragin each have 3 sacks. Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig has 2.5 sacks and Keonte Hampton has added a pair of sacks.
 
When the Tigers aren't sacking the quarterback, they are tackling the opposing player behind the line of scrimmage. Houston leads the SWAC with 14.5 tackles for loss, Owens checks in with 11.5 TFL, Hampton has 9 TFL, Miller Jr. has added 8.5 TFL and Davis has added 8 TFL.
 
The Tigers are allowing 13 points per game and 239 yards per game, which is best in the SWAC and top five nationally.
 
Turnovers
 
It took seven games, but the Tigers defense is finally in the interception column – and the interceptions came in bunches. JSU came through with three interceptions vs. Bethune-Cookman (Al Young, Shilo Sanders, and Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig) and added four interceptions vs. MVSU (Nyles Gaddy, CJ Holmes, Al Young, Randall Haynie). The Tigers have forced seven fumbles and rank in the top five in the SWAC in forced turnovers.
 
Shedeur Sanders Continues to Shine
 
Jackson State freshman quarterback Shedeur Sanders was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Week for his performance at Mississippi Valley State.
 
It's the third time this season Sanders has earned this accolade.
 
Sanders passed for 257 yards to go along with three touchdowns to lead JSU past MVSU this past weekend by a score of 28-19. He went 18-for-31 during the game and currently leads the SWAC with a 68.4 completion percentage. Sanders has thrown 20 touchdown passes and needs one touchdown to enter the top 10 in JSU history for most touchdown passes in a season. Grailyn Pratt tossed 21 touchdown passes in 1995 and is in 10th place. Robert Kent (2001, 2002) and Casey Therriault (2010) are tied for first with 31 touchdown passes in a season.
 
Sanders Named to Jerry Rice Award Watch List
 
Sanders was named to the watch list for the 2021 Stats Perform FCS Jerry Rice Award, which is presented to the national freshman of the year in college football's Division I subdivision. The Rice Award, now in its 11th season, is named for the legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver. Past recipients include Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (Eastern Washington), Arizona Cardinals running back Chase Edmonds (Fordham) and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance (North Dakota State).