Tennessee State DC Cedric Thornton says beating Jackson State is 'nonnegotiable'
· Yahoo Sports
Jackson State football is one month away from opening its season against Tennessee State, and the rivalry is already heating up.
JSU plays TSU in Nashville on Aug. 29 (7:30 p.m. CT, ESPN+). TSU defensive coordinator Cedric Thornton went on the Uproar Radio Show on July 23 and spoke about the importance of this matchup for his team.
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"It is nonnegotiable that we’re going to lose this game," Thornton said. "We are not losing this game. ... I don’t know how it’s going to play out yet. … I don’t know nothing, but we will not lose this game. So, I told the whole team that."
Thornton went on to discuss his keys to stopping Jackson State's offense, the first of which was limiting their production on the ground.
Last season, Jackson State was the No. 3 rushing team in FCS and had three backs eclipse 600 yards, including lead rusher Ahmad Miller, who rushed for 1,054 yards. However with Miller now at Syracuse, No. 2 back Donerio Davenport graduated and No. 3 rusher Travis Terrell Jr. at Purdue, Thornton has a different perspective on JSU's rushing attack.
"If they have any backs that’s anywhere close, because them three dudes they had last year was special," Thornton said. "They had three backs last year and yeah they ran the football. I don’t think they got them dudes this year."
Thornton also talked about quarterback Jared Lockhart and what his impressions of him have been while preparing for the season opener.
"He likes throwing the deep ball," Thornton said. "He ain’t as accurate. He’s not very accurate all the time, but he’s got a big arm, and he don’t like to slide. He don’t like to get down."
The game is a revival of a decades-long rivalry between JSU and TSU. The two sides played each other every season from 1975-2022, except for 2018 and 2020. TSU leads the all-time series 27-23-2, but JSU has won the last three meetings.
Thornton, a native of Jackson, Mississippi, grew up near JSU's campus and is very familiar with the passion JSU fans have for this rivalry and their team in general.
"I go home for the Fourth (of July) … So we there, and I’m sitting around, and they’re like, ‘Coach, we're bringing 25,000 there,’" Thornton said. "TSU, please do not let them people have more folks in there than us … because I promise, they’re coming 20, 25 (thousand) deep. They done made it known.”
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Tennessee State DC Cedric Thornton says beating Jackson State is 'nonnegotiable'