Deion Sanders’ son scores TD as Jackson St. beats FAMU 7-6 in Orange Blossom Classic
Rain dumped on Hard Rock Stadium at kickoff Sunday afternoon, and “dark clouds gathered on the horizon”, in the words of the Florida A&M chant, but the spirited crowd of 30,210 at the Orange Blossom Classic still managed to have fun as Jackson State edged FAMU 7-6.
Tigers and Rattlers fans showed up early to tailgate before the nationally televised game, which featured the college debut of freshman JSU quarterback Shedeur Sanders, son of Tigers coach and sports legend Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders.
The younger Sanders, wearing the No. 2 that made his father famous at Florida State University, played with poise most of the day and showed glimpses of why he was recruited by many of the nation’s top programs, including top-ranked Alabama.
He completed 18 of his first 24 passes for 221 yards with no interceptions and scored the game’s only touchdown on a one-yard run. But he had a few freshman moments – fumbling the ball twice in the first half, both recovered by the Rattlers.
“Shedeur was alright,” said the elder Sanders. “I was on his butt. I’m his Dad, so I know what he’s capable of. He tried to do too much early on, made a couple bad decisions and fumbled. At halftime, he told me “I’m done being Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens quarterback who had a history of fumbling).’ I said, `Thank you sir, because you’re killing us.’ He made a couple freshman mistakes, but overall, 18 of 24, 221, no picks. I like that.”
Shedeur enjoyed his debut but felt he could have done more.
“It’s my job as a QB to lead this team to the endzone, we only put up one TD, and that’s not acceptable,” he said. “But I was really excited to be out there because the last time I played was in front of 200 people in high school. Leading up to this game I knew it was going to be stuff I wasn’t used to, so being able to play in this atmosphere was really exciting.”
Both teams struggled offensively -- combined they were 8-of-31 on third-down conversions -- and they had 21 penalties between them.
FAMU’s points came on a pair of first-half field goals by Jose Romo-Martinez – one 21 yards and the other 39 yards. The Rattlers were playing their first game in two years, as they did not play last season due to the pandemic. JSU played an abbreviated spring 2021 season to get Sanders familiar with his new team.
“When you hold a team to seven points, you expect to win, but offensively we were never in sync,” said FAMU coach Willie Simmons. “Obviously, we didn’t have outcome we wanted. I accept full responsibility. (FAMU players) played with grit and passion and energy. I can’t say enough of the heart..not to play in almost 700 days to give effort they did is admirable. We’ll get better.”
The game between the tradition rich HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) was revived after a 43-year hiatus and had the feel of a homecoming, as thousands of alumni made their way to the stadium and fraternities and sororities hosted pregame parties.
Halftime featured performances by the marching bands of the two schools. FAMU’s “Marching 100” demonstrated why it has been invited to play at multiple Super Bowls and two presidential inaugurations. The FAMU musicians got a big ovation when they did a formation simulating dunking a basketball and finished in the shape of “305.”
It was an appropriate symbol, as the game featured nearly 50 players with South Florida ties – 32 on the FAMU roster and 15 from Jackson State. Rattlers starting quarterback Resean McKay is a Miami native who moved to Tallahassee for high school. He went 18-of-29 for 78 yards over three quarters and was replaced by Junior Muratovic, a freshman from Orlando.
Simmons said he made the quarterback change because McKay “wasn’t as sharp as he needed to be” and the team needed a spark. They will continue to compete for the starting job.
The pre-game festivities included music by the Florida Memorial University Gospel Chorale and the national anthem by June’s Diary, an all-female singing group formed by choreographer/producer Kelly Rowland.
Among the fans enjoying the game was former JSU kicker Christian Jacquemin, a Miami native who had fond memories of the last time the Tigers played the Rattlers, in 2018. Jacquemin, a graduate of Coral Reef High, made four field goals in that game (three of 40-plus yards) to lead Jackson State to an 18-16 win.
“It’s so exciting to be able to see Jackson State playing in a big stadium on ESPN2, and to see guys getting real looks by the NFL because of the exposure Coach Prime brings to the program,” Jacquemin said. “I’m excited to see Shedeur. I think he will be the quarterback JSU has needed for many years. I keep in touch with some guys still on the team and everyone is excited about where the program is going.”
This story was originally published September 5, 2021 at 8:27 PM.