In the aftermath of the Southern Heritage Classic, Deion Sanders left not only as a victorious coach, but also a proud father.

That’s because the Pro Football Hall of Famer’s son Shedeur had a lights-out performance to lead Jackson State over Tennessee State, 38-16, on Saturday at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

Calkins: Memphis and Fred Jones get the ‘Prime Time’ event they deserve

From the outset, it was clear that JSU believed it could exploit TSU’s secondary, and it wasn’t difficult to see why.

Sanders sat back in the pocket and had plenty of time to find his speedy receivers against TSU’s zone scheme.

The result was a 362-yard, three-touchdown performance, completing 30 of his 40 attempts.

Sanders’ 67-yard touchdown to Keith Corbin early in the third quarter helped break open the game for Jackson State, which moves to 2-0.

JSU’s mental mistakes kept TSU in it early

Coach Eddie Georgie’s TSU team was down only 10-7 at the half despite being relatively outplayed. TSU (0-2) capitalized on a number of early Jackson State mistakes to hang around.

On JSU’s second drive of the game, it had two opportunities to score or keep the drive alive, but receivers Josh Lanier and Trevonte Rucker failed to come up with either catch.

TSU’s score would come a little bit later thanks to another mishap. JSU stopped Thomas Boone well short on third-and-18, but a 15-yard face mask penalty gifted TSU a first down. Eight plays later, Deveon Bryant would punch it in from 2 yards to tie the game at 7 midway through the second quarter.

However, once JSU settled down, yards became tougher and tougher for TSU to obtain. TSU had a mere 106 total yards at the half and finished with 264.

Coach Prime sees the potential in Tennessee State though.

“That team fought hard, they were tough, they were disciplined. They gave us a ran for our money,” Sanders said.

Jackson State’s defense is legit

After surrendering just six points last week against Florida A&M, JSU’s defense followed it up with another impressive performance against its rival. Sanders’ other son, Shilo, came up with the first big play of the night, forcing a fumble in the first quarter.

That set up his brother’s first touchdown pass to Lanier at the end of the first quarter. After giving up the touchdown in the second quarter, JSU was outright dominant as the defense flew to the ball and repeatedly forced TSU’s quarterbacks on the run. 

Jackson State held Tennessee State to just 3.1 yards per play and allowed just 1.7 yards per rush. Sanders hit the transfer portal hard to bolster his defense, and the moves seem to be paying off.

Florida transfer James Houston had 4.5 sacks and former Whitehaven linebacker Aubrey Miller had 10 tackles and two sacks.

“I feel as though he has NFL potential, he has developed a whole persona. This guy could be and should be a high NFL draft prospect,” Sanders said of Houston.

JSU receivers are electric

You don’t throw for more than 300 yards without some help from your receivers, and JSU’s showcased impressive ability.

Eight players caught passes from Sanders, including five catches and 72 yards from Rucker. Lanier was also one of Sanders’ favorite targets. The 6-foot senior finished with 46 yards, but could’ve had more if not for a few drops.

Memphis Tigers fan may recognize Corbin from the battles against Houston. The Cougars transfer had the second-most yards for JSU on just two catches.

JSU didn’t attempt too many passes over the top and instead relied on underneath routes like slants, swings and drags to consistently pick up yards after the catch.

Even reserves like Warren Newman made their mark with a dazzling 81-yard punt return that put a stamp on the game. He also added seven receptions for 26 yards.

After a rocky outing by the offense against FAMU, Saturday should be a confidence bolster for Sanders’ offense.

“We throw to the guy that’s open, that’s it,” Sanders said. “(Shedeur) does not play favoritism and they’ll tell you that. He’s going to get into your butt if you don’t run the right route... he does not play.

“These guys understand we don’t have a main receiver. You open, you’re getting the ball and you better go to work with it because if you drop it you’re coming out.”

TSU lacks an offensive identity

TSU is averaging just 11 points per game through two weeks, which is an indictment of both the quarterback play and the offensive line for Tennessee State.

Once again, George was forced to try his hands with two quarterbacks, with Geremy Hickbottom and Bryant getting their turns behind center. The returns weren’t much better than last week against Grambling State.

Hickbottom and Bryant had positive moments in the run game with Hickbottom rushing for 42 yards and Bryant adding 29. Hickbottom had a nice 47-yard touchdown at the end of the game to Rodell Rahmaan, but it was far too little too late. 

Memphis transfer Devon Starling managed just 41 yards on the ground, which also didn’t help. Whether it’s changing the offensive system or trying yet another quarterback, George has to find answers for TSU’s offensive struggles quickly.

“We’re still learning who we are at this process. The coaching staff and players, a lot of the offensive install is still new to them,” George said. “I can’t knock them for not having the effort. The effort was there and we kept fighting.”