JACKSON (Interstat) — Jackson State used a balanced offense and a late fourth-quarter push to defeat Florida A&M 27-17 in an NCAA Football Championship Division game on Saturday at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Tigers improved to 6-1, while the Rattlers fell to 2-5. A crowd of 44,173 watched the home team score the game’s final 15 points after Florida A&M had taken a 17-12 lead into the fourth quarter. Jackson State finished with 27 points, and Florida A&M had 17.

Caron Tyler opened the scoring for Jackson State with an 8-yard touchdown run at 11:50 of the first quarter, and Andrew Ivaniciuc kicked the extra point. Florida A&M answered at 7:06 of the opening quarter when Armond Parker scored on a 5-yard run and Gabriel Caison added the extra point. The Rattlers moved ahead in the second quarter on Caison’s 23-yard field goal with 4:21 remaining before halftime. Jackson State tied the game on Ivaniciuc’s 31-yard field goal with 39 seconds left in the half, then took a 12-10 halftime lead on a safety with 33 seconds remaining. The safety came on the ensuing kickoff return.

Florida A&M regained the lead at 12:46 of the third quarter when J. Hailey raced 81 yards for a touchdown, and Caison’s extra point made it 17-12. Jackson State responded in the fourth quarter. Jared Lockhart hit Jabari Jones for a 25-yard touchdown with 12:21 remaining, and Lockhart converted the two-point attempt to put the Tigers ahead 20-17. Nate Blount IV then capped the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run at 9:49, and Ivaniciuc kicked the extra point. The Tigers held Florida A&M scoreless over the final 12 minutes and forced three interceptions in the game.

The game was tied at 7 after the first quarter, and Jackson State took a 12-10 lead into halftime. Florida A&M led 17-12 after three quarters. The Rattlers did not score again after Hailey’s 81-yard run. Tyler’s 8-yard touchdown came on a middle run. Parker’s 5-yard scoring run also went up the middle. Hailey’s 81-yard touchdown came on a right-side run. Lockhart’s touchdown pass to Jones was a deep right throw, and Jones caught the ball at the Florida A&M 1 before scoring. Blount’s touchdown was a middle run from 2 yards out.

Parker completed 11 of 27 passes for 163 yards and ran 10 times for 21 yards and a touchdown for Florida A&M. Denzel Johnson led the Rattlers with 11 tackles. Justin Bostic had eight tackles, Andre Powell Jr. added seven tackles and a sack, Caleb McKenzie made five stops, and Omari Kinsler had four. Anthony Baxter recorded four tackles and an interception, Dion Villiers made three tackles, and Guiseann Mirtil had a 6-yard punt return for a loss and one tackle. Hailey’s 81-yard touchdown run was the longest play of the day for Florida A&M.

Jared Lockhart completed 13 of 24 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown and ran eight times for 53 yards for Jackson State. Caron Tyler completed 7 of 12 passes for 42 yards and ran six times for 21 yards and a touchdown. Nate Blount IV ran 11 times for 63 yards and a touchdown and caught one pass for a 1-yard loss, while Li’Darius Pryor carried 20 times for 80 yards and caught two passes for 16 yards. Jabari Jones caught three passes for 36 yards and a touchdown, returned two kickoffs for 67 yards and had a 3-yard punt return. Joanes Fortilien caught four passes for 33 yards, Kobe Paul had two catches for 16 yards, Nate Rembert ran once for 13 yards and caught three passes for 14 yards, Jaden Lockhart caught two passes for 10 yards, Jency Riley Jr. had two catches for 7 yards, and Sebastien Saint-Louis caught one pass for 9 yards. Kye Collins punted nine times for 309 yards, and Jartavious Smart returned two kickoffs for 42 yards.

Justin Foster had two tackles, one sack and two quarterback hurries for Jackson State, while Carmello Jones recorded three tackles and a sack. Jalen Foster made four tackles and a quarterback hurry, J’Cori Hargon had six tackles and two quarterback hurries, and B.J. Washington made one tackle and intercepted two passes. Mikey Johnson added one tackle and an interception, Kam Evans had one tackle and a half-sack, Micah Gay had one tackle and a half-sack, and DJ Hill-Smith finished with three tackles. Swipe Marshall, Kazarius Bowie, Tymon Wells, Kam Sallis, Keith Bass Jr. and Duke Clayton each recorded two tackles, while Amarion Brown, Mike Smith III, Will Ray Jr., Michael Johnson Jr., Trevon Kemmerlin, Wayne Patterson, KJ Chisholm Jr., Reid Pulliam, Stanley Cooks II and Wildrekus Johnson each had one tackle.

Florida A&M’s season has included a 20-7 win over Albany State, a 31-13 loss to South Carolina State, a 77-7 loss at Miami, a 29-26 loss to Tennessee State, a 40-21 loss to Alabama A&M and a 28-27 win at Alabama State. Jackson State’s previous wins included victories over Southern, Tuskegee, Edward Waters and Tennessee State. Florida A&M will return home to face Arkansas-Pine Bluff, then play Southern, Alcorn State, Mississippi Valley State and Bethune-Cookman in upcoming games. Jackson State is scheduled to visit Bethune-Cookman, then host Mississippi Valley State before games at Alabama State and Alcorn State. The Tigers’ win came in their seventh game of the season and kept their overall record at 6-1.

Jackson State’s 27-point total came on three touchdowns, a field goal, a safety and a two-point conversion. Florida A&M’s 17 points came on two touchdowns and a field goal. Caison made both extra points and a field goal for Florida A&M. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Jackson State 67, Florida A&M 23. Its ELO system had given Jackson State a 95.6 percent probability to win.