Jackson State set to host Mississippi Valley State in home finale

Jackson State was scheduled to host Mississippi Valley State on Saturday in its final regular-season home game, with kickoff listed for 2:05 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The game was set to air on HBCUGO.

The Tigers entered the matchup 6-2 overall and 3-2 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play. They were tied with Bethune-Cookman for second in the East Division, one game behind Alabama A&M. Jackson State held the tiebreaker over Alabama A&M, while Bethune-Cookman held the tiebreaker over Jackson State.

Jackson State needed to win its remaining regular-season games and have Alabama A&M and Bethune-Cookman each lose over the following four weeks to claim a third straight East Division title, according to the team’s preview. The Tigers had three regular-season games left, including road games against Alabama State and Alcorn State.

Jackson State led the series with Mississippi Valley State 57-5-1 since 1977, including a 34-5 record at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Tigers also had a 22-0 record in Itta Bena and won last season’s meeting 42-3. Mississippi Valley State’s most recent series victory came in 2014.

The preview noted that Jackson State had gone nearly 27 quarters before losing its first fumble of the season, on its final possession of the third quarter in its previous game. Jared Lockhart also threw his first interception of the season in the fourth quarter of that game, ending a stretch of nearly 28 quarters without one.

Coach T.C. Taylor was 5-2 against teams from Mississippi, with losses to Alcorn State in the 2023 season finale and Southern Miss in 2025. Jackson State was 26-1 in games following a loss under Taylor, according to the preview.

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