Jackson State Sacks MVSU for Homecoming Win

JACKSON, Mississippi -- A stout defense and well-balanced offensive attack propelled Jackson State past Mississippi Valley State 23-7 in front of a raucous Homecoming crowd at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. It is JSU’s first Homecoming win since 2015.

The Tigers jumped out to a quick 14-0 first-quarter lead. Senior Jarrad Hayes capped a 10-play, 50-yard drive with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Romello Shumake. On JSU’s next drive, Hayes led a nine-play, 84-yard drive which ended with a quarterback keeper from one-yard out as time expired at the end of the quarter. Both touchdown drives took a combined 9:28 off the clock.

From there, senior placekicker Christian Jacquemin added three field goals from 47, 34, and 28 yards out.

The JSU defense had a stellar outing and won at the line of scrimmage as MVSU posted –23 yards rushing on 17 attempts. Junior Alex Tonea also came through with an interception in the fourth quarter to stifle a late Delta Devil drive.

Junior Jordan Johnson was efficient as the lead back. The Terry, Mississippi native gashed MVSU for 141 yards on 22 attempts, including a long of 37 yards. Johnson also averaged 6.1 yards per carry.

As a team, JSU totaled 335 yards, with 206 yards coming on the ground.

Hayes was efficient running Derrick McCall’s spread-option offense. The 6-foot, 190-pound dual-threat went 16-for-22 and passed for 129 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

JSU won the time of possession and held the ball for 35:08, while MVSU only had the ball for 24:52.

The Tigers improve to 3-2 and 2-1 in the SWAC. JSU takes a break from conference play next week and hosts North Alabama for a 2 p.m. start.