Ahead of Saturday afternoon's matchup between Jackson State and Southern Miss, presidents of both institutions released a joint statement. This comes after a racist social media post from a Southern Miss account towards Jackson State fans.
The statement read as follows:
We are excited about the football game today between Jackson State and Southern Miss on the USM campus in Hattiesburg. Our institutions are proud of the many academic and research partnerships we have forged through the years.
We encourage all fans to represent our universities with pride and respect and to support the spirit of healthy competition. Both institutions are committed to ensuring a safe, enthusiastic and welcoming environment for every student, alumnus and fan.
Together, we expect a great gameday experience.
A highly disrespectful social media post surfaced online ahead of Friday afternoon's Jackson State vs. Southern Miss college football game. The post, shared in the Southern Miss fan group “Eagle Post,” outlined offensive “rules” directed at JSU fans attending the game.
The post came from an account named “Rye Stanford,” which was deleted following backlash from both Jackson State and Southern Miss fans. The account seemed newly created, with only a few public photos. Although it joined the “Eagle Post” group on September 16, 2023, the profile offered no details about the user's workplace, education, or relationships.
This is actually crazy. This is what yall gotta put up with, JSU? pic.twitter.com/FaNYGzam9o
— Erica Rochelle (@erlee0217) September 5, 2025
Although not a frequent rivalry, Jackson State and the University of Southern Mississippi share some history. The two teams have faced each other three times—in 1987, 2002, and 2018—with Jackson State falling short in all three games.
Despite past losses, Jackson State continues to attract large crowds for these matchups. Records from Southern Miss show an attendance of 33,687 in 1987, 35,169 in 2002, and 29,176 in their most recent game in 2018. With Jackson State currently leading the FCS in attendance, the upcoming game is expected to draw another impressive crowd. Hosting the game in-state and the team's recent success are also likely to contribute to strong attendance numbers.
