Mississippi football roundup: JSU and Alcorn take SWAC openers; Delta State wins in OT
Published 12:04 am Sunday, September 25, 2022
- Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) throws a pass Saturday against Mississippi Valley State. Sanders passed for 438 yards and four touchdowns as the Tigers won 49-7. (Charles A. Smith/Jackson State University Communications)
JACKSON — Shedeur Sanders had the latest in a string of career days to lead Jackson State to an easy victory over Mississippi Valley State on Satursday.
Sanders, Jackson State’s sophomore quarterback, completed 40 of 51 passes for 438 yards, with four touchdowns and one interception. His completion, attempt and yardage totals were all career highs. Sanders has passed for more than 300 yards and at least four touchdowns in three of the Tigers’ (4-0, 2-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) games this season.
Sanders was intercepted on his final pass attempt of the game, ending a career-long streak of 179 passes thrown without an interception.
Sanders completed passes to 12 receivers, although his favorite target was wide receiver Dallas Daniels. Daniels caught 10 passes for 142 yards. Shane Hooks had seven receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown.
Santee Marshall led the JSU ground attack with 118 yards on only six carries, including a career-long 91-yard run.
The Jackson State offense gained 638 yards, including 200 on the ground, and scored 49 unanswered points after Valley scored on the game’s opening possession.
Former Port Gibson star Jacory Rankin caught a 25-yard TD pass from Jamari Jones for the Delta Devils’ lone touchdown. Valley (0-4, 0-1) had 217 total yards, with 75 of those coming on the opening drive.
Alcorn State 38, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 21
Jarveon Howard set an Alcorn State single-game rushing record with 295 yards, and his three touchdowns in the second half rallied the Braves (2-2, 1-0 SWAC) past Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-2, 0-1).
Howard carried the ball 24 times and scored four touchdowns in all. He had a 45-yard TD in the first quarter, went 11 and 24 yards for touchdowns in the third, and finished his big night with a 78-yard touchdown with 4:47 left in the game.
Howard’s 295 rushing yards broke the record of 274 set by Lenorris Footman in 2015.
Alcorn trailed 21-10 midway through the third quarter, then scored touchdowns on four of its last six drives while shutting out UAPB for the last 24 minutes. UAPB gained 89 yards on its last five possessions.
Delta State 45, West Florida 42, 2OT
Nick Herber kicked a game-winning 23-yard field goal in the second overtime to give Delta State (4-0, 1-0 Gulf South Conference) a huge win over West Florida (2-1, 0-1).
West Florida’s Peewee Jarrett threw two touchdown passes to Caden Lockett in the last 7 1/2 minutes, including a 16-yarder with 1:38 to go that tied the score at 35. Jarrett was 21-of-40 passing for 276 yards and four touchdowns in the game.
After the teams exchanged touchdowns in the first overtime, West Florida fumbled on its first play of the second overtime. Delta State moved the ball to the 9-yard line before Herber’s field goal won it.
Delta State quarterback Patrick Shegog was 19-of-36 passing for 294 yards and three touchdowns. He also led the Statesmen in rushing, with 82 yards and one TD on 14 carries.
Dohnte Meyers caught six passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns for DSU.
McNeese State 32, Mississippi College 17
D’Angelo Durham rushed for 159 yards and one touchdown, Deonta McMahon added 138 rushing yards and a TD, and McNeese State (1-3) beat Mississippi College (1-3).
McNeese ran for 350 yards while throwing for just 51. Nearly half of those passing yards came on a 21-yard touchdown from Knox Kadum to Mason Pierce with 49 seconds left in the third quarter to put the Cowboys ahead 25-14. McMahon scored on a 24-yard run early in the fourth to put them firmly in control.
Marcus Williams ran for 100 yards and DeAnte Smith-Moore had 63 for Mississippi College, which gained 248 yards on the ground.
Huntingdon 34, Belhaven 21
Landon Cotney passed for 266 yards and two touchdowns, and Kahari McReynolds had 90 rushing yards and a TD as Huntingdon College (3-1, 1-0 USA South) handed Belhaven (2-1, 0-1) its first loss of the season.
McReynolds scored on a 5-yard run with 22 seconds left in the third quarter to put Huntingdon ahead 27-21, and Cotney threw a 9-yard TD pass to Troy Garner with 6:40 left in the fourth to ice it.
Kolbe Blunt ran for 103 yards and a touchdown for Belhaven. The Blazers totaled 229 yards on the ground but only gained three first downs on four fourth-quarter possessions.