JACKSON, Miss. | Jackson State opens defense of its Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship on the road against Southern on Saturday night at A.W. Mumford Stadium.

Kick-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN+.

GAME INFORMATION
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Jackson State Game Notes (.pdf)

OPENING KICK

• Jackson State and Southern have met 71 times since 1958 with Southern leading the series 36-35 overall, however, Jackson State has won the last six meetings including both match-ups last season. The Tigers claimed their third conference title with a 41-13 victory over Southern last December to advance to the Cricket Celebration Bowl.
• Jackson State is 4-1 in its last five Southwestern Athletic Conference openers, with its only loss coming to Florida A&M on the road at the Orange Blossom Classic in 2023.
• Ahmad Miller turned in the second-best rushing performance of the season against Hampton in the season opener with 180 yards against Hampton. He was even with Joshua Dye of Southern Utah, while Eastern Illinois quarterback Cole LaCrue rushed for nation's best 193 yards.
• Jackson State has scored 10 touchdowns this season, nine on the ground. Ahmad Miller has three of those rushing touchdowns, Emari Matthews two, Jared Lockhart two, Parker Stofa one, and Donerio Davenport one through the first three games of the season.
• 350 days... that was the span between losses for Jackson State following the game at Southern Miss on Saturday [Sept. 6]. Prior to that game, Jackson State last loss on Sept. 21, 2024 on the road before reeling off 10 consecutive victories to close out 2024 and extended the streak to 11 after the 2025 season opener. Although the winning streak may be over for consecutive wins, they maintain the 11-game streak against FCS opponents.
• The Tigers will see a familiar face on the sideline when Cam'ron McCoy dons the Southern uniform after transferring to the Jaguars during the spring. Last season, he passed for 310 yards on 18-for-38 passing with four touchdowns and an interception, while also rushing for 163 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
• Jackson State has won the last six contests against Southern dating back to the year the two teams played a spring and a fall schedule (2021), with the last Southern win coming in April 2021. The two teams met twice last season with the Tigers winning both including the SWAC Championship Game.
• Jackson State sat quite a few players against Tuskegee giving them an extra week for the conference opener including JaCobian Morgan, Jeremiah Williams, Joanes Fortilien, Ashton Taylor, D'Andre Townes-Blue, and Emari Matthews. Several others were held to limited snaps including Shamar Hawkins and Shemar Savage against Tuskegee.

LOCKHART NAMED SWAC NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
Jared Lockhart was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference [SWAC] Newcomer of the Week after his performance against Tuskegee. The freshman completed 15-of-21 passes for 254 yards, and added a 21-yard touchdown pass to Jameel Gardner Jr. in the second quarter. He also added 44 yards on the ground on 12 carries and a pair of touchdowns in his first collegiate start and first collegiate game in a 30-0 victory over Tuskegee.

ANOTHER 200-YARD DAY ON THE GROUND IN LAST PERFORMANCE
Jackson State turned in another 200-yard day on the ground with 266 yards against Tuskegee, rushing for three touchdowns. The Tigers used nine different ball carriers in the win over Tuskegee. Jackson State currently ranks fourth in the nation in rushing offense at 249.3 yards per game. They trail Delaware State [280.0], Tennessee Tech [271.7], and UTRGV [263.7] through the first three weeks of the season.

DEFENSE DOESN'T ALLOW MUCH AGAINST TUSKEGEE
Jackson State pitched its first shutout under head coach T.C. Taylor in a 30-0 victory over Tuskegee at the W.C. Gorden Classic, and it was also the first shutout since 2022 against Southern [Oct. 29]. The Tigers held Tuskegee to just seven first downs in the win and 24 yards rushing on 20 carries. The Golden Tigers barely made it over 100 yards of total offense, finishing with 109 yards on 40 plays. The most glaring stat of the day is that Tuskegee made it past the 50-yards line just two times, with one of those coming courtesy of a personal foul.

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