Alabama State will be center stage Saturday in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, but the spotlight will likely be on the opposite sideline at ASU Stadium.

The Hornets (1-1) host coach Deion “Prime Time” Sanders and Jackson State at 3 p.m. Saturday in Montgomery in a game that can be seen on ESPN2. Game time was moved to accommodate national television.

Donald Hill-Eley and his Alabama State Hornets face coach Deion Sanders and the No. 21 Jackson State Tigers in a spring SWAC showdown at ASU Stadium. (Alabama State Athletics)

The Tigers entered the Football Championship Subdivision Coaches Poll ranked No. 21 in the country this week. It’s the first time the program has entered the FCS Coaches Poll since the final 2011 rankings, when the Tigers finished 24th.

Jackson State (3-0 overall and 2-0 in the SWAC) is averaging 43 points a game in the spring. Junior wide receiver Daylen Baldwin was named the SWAC Player of the Week and SWAC Newcomer of the Week for his performance last Sunday against Mississippi Valley State.

Baldwin grabbed six catches for a career-high 136 yards and three touchdowns, which were also a career-high. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound wideout is the leading receiver in the conference with 301 yards and five touchdowns on 16 receptions.

Alabama State is 1-1, losing 24-21 to Southern and getting a forfeit win when Alcorn State opted out this season.

The host Hornets feature the rushing tandem of Ezra Gray and Jacory Merritt.

Another set of ESPN cameras will be on the Alabama State campus as the Hornets softball team hosts Texas Southern at the Barbara Williams Softball Complex at 3 p.m. That contest will be carried on ESPNU and will be the only regular-season SWAC game to this point on ESPN.

Southeast Missouri State at Jacksonville State: The Gamecocks (6-1, 3-0 Ohio Valley Conference) moved up from No. 12 to No. 8 in the national STATS FCS rankings. Coming off their 37-20 win at UT-Martin, coach John Grass’ team welcomes the Redhawks at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Malachi Harvey makes a catch for the Huntingdon Hawks. The Hawks must win this weekend to stay in the hunt for a USA South Athletic Conference West Division title. (Huntingdon Athletics)

This weekend’s contest will be the 400^th at Burgess-Snow Field.

“I think we have the best fans in FCS football and they are passionate about JSU and going to school here,” Grass said. “It is special that it will be the 400^th game here and there has been a lot of football played in this stadium.”

Maryville (Tenn.) at Huntingdon: The Hawks look to stay in contention for the West Division title in the USA South Athletic Conference at 1 p.m. Saturday. With a win, Huntingdon will be 2-1 in the division and must wait for Brevard’s game on March 27 against the same Scots squad. A Brevard win then would make it 2-1 also, bringing the division title down to tiebreakers.

VMI at Samford: No one can say Chris Hatcher’s team hasn’t faced challenging foes in the spring. After falling 44-37 to No. 17 Furman, the Bulldogs topped then-No. 20 Wofford 37-31. At noon Saturday, Samford (2-2) hosts No. 19 VMI. To date, the team on Lakeshore Drive in Homewood has alternated wins and losses. 

Alabama A&M at Prairie View A&M (postponed): A battle of SWAC undefeated programs will have to wait as Alabama A&M‘s (2-0, 2-0 SWAC) game at Prairie View A&M (2-0, 2-0 SWAC), scheduled for Saturday, March 20, has been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the Panthers’ program.

That game was slated for a noon kickoff in Prairie View, Texas. It will now be made up Saturday, April 3 with a 2 p.m. kickoff. With the postponement, A&M will return to the field Saturday, March 27, welcoming Grambling to Louis Crews Stadium in the Bulldogs’ lone home game of the spring.

The Bulldogs have taken the field only once – a 31-7 victory over South Carolina State. Their other victory came on an Alcorn State forfeit.