To Jackson State football coach T.C. Taylor, it didn’t matter that his team had 17 points and a 10-point lead at halftime.
To him, the Tigers were sleepwalking in the first half after scoring on three of their seven first-half drives.
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“Like I’ve been having to tell them all year, ‘Quit letting teams hang around,'” Taylor said of his message at halftime. “When we make our mind up to play, I don’t think it’s a team out there … that can stay with us.”
This spurred JSU (7-2, 4-2 SWAC) to a 21-point second half in its 38-7 win over Mississippi Valley State (3-7, 2-4) at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on Nov. 7. The Tigers’ 418 yards of total offense were their most since their loss to Grambling State on Oct. 10.
The big change offensively was more involvement by Taylor in play-calling, which is normally handled by co-offensive coordinator Rip Kirk. Taylor said this was his first time calling plays in nearly two years, having not done so in 2025. JSU put up a scoring performance that ranks tied for first for the Tigers in SWAC play.
“It’s something that I’ve always done in the past,” Taylor said. “And anytime you’ve got this type of talent … it makes my job easy. But I’ve just got to shake off the rust and just, again, get these guys in position to make plays. … I like having fun. When we’re having success, that’s fun each and every time we’re out there.”
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Taylor did also mention third-down conversions as the lone negative takeaway, adding that JSU has “got to be better in that aspect of the game” after going 3-for-11.
The JSU offense woke up on the second drive of the third quarter. Tight end Jency Riley Jr. caught a pass on a hitch route and turned it into an 81-yard touchdown on the lone play of the drive.
“Like Coach T.C. said, coming out of halftime, he was like, ‘Don’t sleepwalk,'” Riley said. “So, we had the play call, I caught it, seen grass, and therefore it was a foot race, and I don’t think nobody can catch me in a straight line.”
Riley’s long touchdown was one of eight explosive plays the Tigers had that went for at least 15 yards, which Taylor was “proud of.”
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Riley finished as the team’s leading receiver with 95 yards on four receptions with the one touchdown. He was one of three Tigers to catch a touchdown pass.
Quarterback Jared Lockhart threw for 299 yards, the most he’s had in a SWAC game, on 22-for-33 completions with three passing touchdowns, an interception and a rushing touchdown.
Receiver Joanes Fortilien, who also caught a touchdown, finished with 81 yards on five receptions. Despite the offense’s recent struggles, he didn’t feel like the altered play-calling was something that was needed to unlock the Tigers’ offense due to its personnel.
“I feel like our offense is powerful in every aspect,” Fortilien said. “Everybody can do it. Shoot, you’ve just got to put the ball in the air, and we’re going to come down with it.”
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Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: How TC Taylor’s play-calling improved Jackson State offense vs Mississippi Valley State
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