Deion Sanders suffers a heartbreaking loss in his final game as Jackson State coach

Deion Sanders was sentimental ahead of his final game at Jackson State, and those emotions grew after he came up short at the Celebration Bowl for the second straight year.

Quarterback Davius ​​Richard ran for 97 yards and two touchdowns, including a 1-yard slump in overtime, and North Carolina Central beat Jackson State 41-34 Saturday at the Celebration Bowl to end Sanders’ bid for an undefeated season in his to prevent farewell.

It was the second straight season that Sanders’ Tigers were favored before losing in what is considered the championship of historically black college and university teams.

Deion Sanders is screaming for safety – and his son Shilo Sanders during the Jackson State defeat

Coach Prime stands alongside his other son and quarterback Shedeur Sanders after the game

“I feel like we won, but we didn’t win this game,” said Sanders, who will now fully devote himself to his new role as Colorado manager. He was tearful in a pregame speech to his players.

“I already miss these guys. I love her,” Sanders said after the game.

The Eagles defense made a goal-line stand on Jackson State’s first overtime possession to retain the win. Tight end Hayden Hagler’s drop to third from the 1 resulted in an incompletion by Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders to end the game.

Sanders’ 19-yard touchdown pass to Travis Hunter when time was up usually set up Alejandro Matas’ equalizer point to send the game to OT. For Sanders, who was also chasing goals, it was the fourth shot on goal of the game.

North Carolina linebacker Isaiah Lawson (left) and defensive back Malcolm Reed celebrate

Defensive MVP Khalil Baker celebrates after NC Central beat Jackson State in overtime

Jackson State (12-1) was denied its bid for the first undefeated season in school history. Deion Sanders wanted to finish the season with his Tigers first before taking over in Colorado. Shedeur Sanders will accompany his father to Boulder.

NC Central’s 10-2 win gave the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference a 6-1 advantage over Southwestern Athletic Conference teams in the Celebration Bowl.

Eagles coach Trei Oliver said he hopes the win brings more respect to MEAC and North Carolina Central after all the pregame attention was focused on “Coach Prime” and Jackson State.

“They had a chip on their shoulder,” Oliver said of his players. ‘The disrespect has been real since we got down here.’

Latrell Collier’s 7-yard scoring run with 4:31 remaining gave NCCU the lead. The Tigers responded with a 15-play drive that included Sanders’ 10-yard fourth-down pass to TJ Martin.

North Carolina went into the game 9-2 but managed to break Jackson State’s unbeaten record

Davius ​​Richards jumps over Jackson State safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig in the first half

Richard rushed for 177 yards on a touchdown and rushed for 97 yards and two points. Richard showed his versatility with a three-yard drive for the game’s first touchdown. He had a 21-yard run, a 30-yard catch on a trick play, and a 5-yard scoring run that gave the Eagles a 10-0 lead.

Sanders quickly showed he had dual threat skills as well as Jackson State outplayed North Carolina Central 21-7 the rest of the half. Sanders completed 13 of 14 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns and had four carries for 34 yards with another count in the half, giving the Tigers a 21-17 lead.

A fake punt early in the second half helped the Eagles retake the lead. Tight end Kyle Morgan took the snap on the fake punt and ran 43 yards to the Jackson State 24. Richard’s 12-yard scoring pass to Quentin Mcall gave North Carolina Central a 23-21 lead after Adrian Olivo missed an extra point .

Olivo’s 21-yard field goal late in the third quarter pushed the lead to five points.