Jackson State football pulls away from Alcorn State 24-10 in first sellout of Deion Sanders era

Deion Sanders, dressed in a navy Jackson State jacket, sweatpants, a red beanie hat, and sunglasses, made his return to Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in a motorized wheelchair Saturday. He also was wearing a headset. 

The Sonic Boom of the South, Jackson State's famed marching band, spelled out "Prime" on the field in his honor. Then it played the Tomahawk Chop song, which Sanders' alma mater Florida State is known for. There was even a video on Sanders' Twitter page of him bobbing his head to the song "My Hitta" by rapper YG, which he calls his theme music. 

It was the second-year coach's first home game back after being hospitalized for several weeks after toe surgery complications, and it ended in a 24-10 victory over rival Alcorn State to cap one of best regular seasons in JSU history. 

The Tigers (10-1, 8-0 SWAC) broke a 10-10 tie against Alcorn State (6-4, 5-2) with touchdown passes from freshman quarterback Shedeur Sanders late in the third and fourth quarters, sending the first sellout crowd of the Deion Sanders era into a frenzy. The announced crowd of 58,892 fell short of the JSU home attendance record of 62,512 that was set when Jackson State faced Alcorn in 1996. The stadium record was set of 63.808 was set by Alcorn and Mississippi Valley State in 1984.

The win gave JSU home-field advantage for the SWAC championship game Dec. 4 against Prairie View A&M. The game will be televised on ESPNU from Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium at a time to be determined. JSU hasn't won a SWAC title since 2007. 

Here's what we learned from Saturday's game: 

REPORT CARD:How we graded Jackson State football's rivalry win over Alcorn State

FIRST GAME BACK AT THE VET:Deion Sanders returns to Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium for first home game since hospitalization

HEALTH STATUS:What we know about Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders' health and injuries

Shedeur Sanders is 4 TDs away from single season record

Shedeur Sanders continues to carve out a place for himself in the Jackson State record books. He was 28-for-39 passing Saturday for 297 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. With 27 TDs, he enters the SWAC championship third all-time on the program's single-season passing list. 

The record is 31, which is held by Robert Kent and Casey Theriault.

The winner of the SWAC championship game will play MEAC champion South Carolina State in the Cricket Celebration Bowl on Dec. 18 in Atlanta. 

Malachi Wideman did not play

Sanders' success came without Malachi Wideman, who has developed into one of Sanders' favorite targets during the season. It is unclear why Wideman, a transfer from Tennessee, did not play. 

Wideman leads Jackson State in touchdown receptions with 11, more than twice as many as any other JSU receiver. Nine of those touchdowns have come in the last four games. Saturday was the first game without a catch for Wideman since the Tigers' loss to Louisiana-Monroe in September. 

Keith Corbin III stepped up and added production for the Tigers' absence. He had nine catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Shane Hooks had the other touchdown catch for JSU on Saturday.

Aubrey Miller closing in on 100 tackles

Missouri transfer Aubrey Miller came into the game with 83 tackles. He added eight more on Saturday, boosting his total to 91.

Miller's play helped the Tigers hold Alcorn to 10 points, which is the least the Tigers have given up since homecoming.

It's another dominant performance for the 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior, who leads the Tigers in tackles and is among the team leaders in sacks.