The road to a perfect season was thwarted by North Carolina Central.
The last football game that Deion Sanders coached at Jackson State University ended in a defeat, the team’s only one this season.
According to Sports Illustrated, the undefeated Tigers had their perfect season snatched from them when, in overtime, they lost to the Eagles by the score of 41-34.
In an exciting and close game, which saw both teams trade leads throughout the game, after two incomplete passes at the end of the contest, the Jackson State University Tigers weren’t able to send Sanders off in style.
In the very first Celebration Bowl to go into overtime, two of Jackson State’s brightest stars kept them in the game. Sanders’ son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, connected with top-recruited freshman player, Travis Hunter, on a 19-yard gem in the end zone to tie the game and send the teams into an extra quarter of play.
The overtime session definitely did not disappoint, as the game went down to the wire. In overtime, Sanders had an opportunity to tie the game once again. With just minutes left on the clock, on third down the Tigers were positioned at the 1-yard line. Sanders threw a pass to Hayden Hagler in the end zone but he couldn’t hold on to the ball, which would have placed them in position to kick a game-tying extra point. They had one last chance to score, but another incomplete pass sealed the defeat for Coach Prime’s final game with Jackson State University.From here, Sanders is on his way to a coaching job at the University of Colorado.
But, the loss left Hagler dejected and facing a barrage of criticism. “Coach Prime” took time to console Hagler in a video clip that emerged and went viral.
“We go through adversity in everything. OK? That ain’t on you, that’s on us,” Sanders told the young man. “We, we lost together, do you understand that? Alright, man, come one, come on. I need you to fight through it. Adversity is gonna prepare you for life, alright? Let’s fight through it … you’ve got to believe that. That moment is gonna make you who you want to be for the rest of your life. You feel me? Let’s do it. Come on, baby. Love you, man.”