JACKSON, MISS. — A member on the personnel staff for Jackson State football walked down the Tigers' sideline swinging a blue flag—one that featured the program's iconic J-S-U block—high in the sky.
Water began to fly everywhere. JSU defensive backs' Isaiah Bolden, De'Jahn "Nugget" Warren and Randall Haynie began posing for multiple pictures. The crowd was roaring and JSU was less than 28 seconds away from its first SWAC title in 13 years.
As the Tigers' offense took its final snaps in the game in front of 50,128 people—the largest crowd ever in a SWAC title game—defensive lineman James Houston was letting the moment sit in.