JACKSON STATE 43, SOUTHERN 24

JACKSON, Miss. — Shedeur Sanders threw for four touchdowns, including two on three first-quarter turnovers, staking Jackson State to a big early lead on the way to routing Southern in the Southwest Athletic Conference championship that was Deion Sanders’ final game as the Tigers coach.

Colorado Athletic Director Rick George announced Sanders had accepted an offer to become the school’s new head coach following the Tigers’ victory.

Jackson State (12-0) quashed any questions about Sanders’ future being a distraction by completing the first unbeaten regular season in school history and claiming its second consecutive SWAC championship. The Tigers’ topranked defense set the tone by quickly pouncing on the Jaguars for three turnovers in eight plays in the first quarter.

Shedeur Sanders, the Hall of Fame coach’s son, and the Tigers easily converted the takeaways into a 26-0 lead after 15 minutes, a run boosted by Sy’veon Wilkerson’s 1-yard TD run two plays after Herman Smith III’s 37yard interception return. Two fumbles created chances for Sanders to hit Shane Hooks for TD passes of 14 and 40 yards and two-point conversions to Kevin Coleman Jr.

Sanders’ 14-yard TD pass to Coleman made it 33-7 at halftime, but Southern (7-5) got within 36-24 late in the in third quarter on Glendon McDaniel’s 42-yard TD run.

Sanders, the SWAC’s offensive player of the year, completed 31 of 44 passes for 305 yards. Hooks caught five passes for 98 yards and Wilkerson rushed 15 times for 61 yards.

McDaniel was 15 of 34 passing for 220 yards and a TD for Southern.