Following a deflating loss to North Dakota State, Eddie George and the Tennessee State University football team are preparing for the Southern Heritage Classic, which features the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions. Tennessee State's previous opponent in the famed classic was the Jackson State Tigers. However, Jackson State withdrew from the game in 2022. George, however, wants the matchup between the two programs back on the schedule.

During this week's Big South-OVC Coaches Call  George spoke about the Southern Heritage Classic and Jackson State.

“We used to play Jackson State; that’s the natural rival for this matchup,” he said.”Hopefully, somewhere down the line, we will look at reigniting that rivalry game against Jackson State, whether it’s in the Southern Heritage Classic or some other type of classic. That’s a game we need to play.”

The classic has existed for 35 years and was implemented as a way to be more accessible to both teams' fan bases. Memphis was the halfway point between Jackson, MS, and Nashville, TN. The last Southern Heritage Classic with JSU and TSU had a record attendance of 51,351, which has not been seen in over a decade.

Jackson State, then under the leadership of head coach Deion Sanders, withdrew from the classic in 2022 with two more years remaining on the deal. Jackson State and Summitt Management Corporation, who puts on the Southern Heritage Classic, entered a five-year deal for the game in 2019. JSU's withdrawal from the Classic ultimately led to a lawsuit that resulted in the university paying $800,000 to Summitt.

It is unclear if Jackson State and Tennessee State will ever meet in the Southern Heritage Classic again. According to The Tennessean, a request was sent Wednesday seeking comment from Jackson State athletic director Ashley Robinson and football coach TC Taylor about interest in the Southern Heritage Classic. An athletic department spokesman said Jackson State is focused on Saturday's game vs Southern and Hurricane Francine.

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Now JSU has been replaced by Arkansas Pine-Bluff. The matchup is the second year that the classic has featured the Golden Lions. Last year their debut ended in defeat with a final of 24-14.

Tennessee State and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff will face off in the Southern Heritage Classic on September 14th. The game will be broadcast on HBCU GO.