Jackson State was in desperate need of a spark.
The Tigers were trailing 10-3 to underdog Southern late in the first half, then apparent disaster struck.
After quarterback Jacobian Morgan completed a pass to Jameel Gardner Jr. for a 21-yard gain, he writhed in pain on the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium turf. After being looked at by Jackson State training staff, he walked off the field under his own power.
Backup Cam’Ron McCoy immediately warmed up to go in. But head coach T.C. Taylor instead inserted third-string QB Zy McDonald.
The redshirt junior — in only his sixth appearance of the season — accounted for 59 yards on what was a six-play, 84-yard TD drive that tied the score at 10 apiece with 39 seconds left in the half.
From that point, Jackson State scored the next 24 points of the game en route to a 41-13 win over Southern. The victory earned JSU the SWAC championship and a trip to the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta on Dec. 14 to play MEAC champion South Carolina State.
“My mindset was just go out there and play my game,” said McDonald, who was named the game’s offensive MVP. Trust my coaches. Trust the plan. Trust my teammates. Have the boys rally around me and lead them down the field.”
ROB WITH THE PICK!#GoTigers #GuardTheeYard pic.twitter.com/5Mue60O1wV
— Jackson State Football (@gojsutigersfb) December 7, 2024
In relief, McDonald, a dual-threat quarterback from Ridgeland, Mississippi, went 6 of 11 for 80 yards and 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He also gained 94 yards on 13.4 yards per carry and a 23-yard TD run.
SWAC Offensive Player of the Year Irv Mulligan rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown on 23 attempts.
For Southern, Czavian Teasett — starting in place of Jalen Woods, who was ruled out due to a concussion — went 11 of 20 for 127 yards and 1 interception to go along with a rushing score.
Aside from its 10-point second-quarter surge, Southern couldn’t consistently get its offense going against the SWAC’s second-ranked defense.
The Jaguars were held to 276 yards of total offense and to three points in the second half. Teasett was benched for veteran Noah Bodden, but he didn’t fare any better against Jackson State either, going 1 of 7 for 20 yards and one interception.
“When you call the defense, offense and kicking game, guys have got to execute,” said Southern coach Terrence Graves. “We knew what he was going to do and how they were going to do it. It was them executing more.”
