A deeply disrespectful social media post circulated online ahead of the Jackson State vs. Southern Miss college football game. The post, which originated in the Southern Miss fan group “Eagle Post,” detailed offensive “rules” for JSU fans attending the game.

The post was created by an account called “Rye Stanford”, who deleted it after receiving backlash from both Jackson State and Southern Miss fans. The account appears to be newly created, with only a few public picture posts. Although the account joined the “Eagle Post” group on September 16, 2023, its profile provides no information about the user's workplace, education, or relationships.

As of this writing, neither Jackson State nor Southern Miss has issued an official response to the post.

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While not a frequent rivalry, these two Mississippi institutions have a shared history. Jackson State has played the University of Southern Mississippi three times in total, in 1987, 2002, and 2018. The Tigers lost all three matchups.

Despite the losses, Jackson State consistently draws a large crowd for these games. According to Southern Miss archives, the 1987 game had an attendance of 33,687, the 2002 game had 35,169 attendees, and the most recent matchup in 2018 drew 29,176 fans. The latest iteration of the game is expected to draw a large crowd, as Jackson State leads the FCS in attendance. The game being held in the state and the team's recent success are also likely to boost attendance.

Notably, Southern Miss hired Charles Huff as head coach in December. Huff is an alumnus of Hampton University and played HBCU football in the MEAC during his tenure with the institution. He also boasts significant HBCU coaching experience at Hampton before moving on to coaching stints at FBS institutions.

Jackson State and Southern Miss are set to face off on Saturday at 5 PM EST with the game being broadcast on ESPN+.