Familiar rivals Jackson State and Southern meet in SWAC championship for second time in 3 years

Southern (8-4, 7-1 SWAC) at Jackson State (10-2, 8-0), Saturday, 2 p.m. EST (ESPN2)

BetMGM College Sports Odds: No line.

Series record: Southern leads 37-34.

What’s at stake?

The schools are meeting for the second time in three years and the second time this season. The host Tigers have won eight in a row to claim the East Division and look to sweep the West-champ Jaguars, who have won four straight. The winner goes to Atlanta for next week’s Celebration Bowl, the national championship for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). JSU won a non-conference meeting 33-15 at home on Sept. 14, its fifth straight in the series.

Key matchup

Jackson State’s rushing offense vs. Southern’s rushing defense. The Tigers' SWAC-leading offense averages nearly 37 points and is second with 406 yards per outing, fueled by a No. 1 ground attack gaining 213.8 yards per contest. The Jaguars are third defensively overall (293.3) and against the run (137.4). JSU outrushed Southern 201-29 in the previous meeting.

Players to watch

Southern DL Ckelby Givens. The first-team All-SWAC selection and co-defensive player of the year was the only Jaguar honored after anchoring a unit that held Grambling State to just 49 yards rushing and 148 total last week. His 67 tackles (40 solo) tied for 17th in the SWAC and included 11 sacks, which ranked second in the league and tied for eighth in FCS, with 26.5 stops for loss.

Jackson State RB Irv Mulligan. The graduate returned from missing offseason workouts, fall camp and the Tigers’ first two games with leg and foot injuries to lead the SWAC with 1,058 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns on 157 carries. The conference's only 1,000-yard rusher is tied for 23rd in FCS and seventh with 6.74 yards per carry. He was named SWAC offensive player of the year on Tuesday and is a finalist for several national awards.

Facts & figures

Southern beat archrival Grambling State 24-14 in last week’s Bayou Classic. … Jaguars WR Chandler Whitfield caught five passes for a season-high 146 yards and a TD to earn MVP honors. … RBs Kobe Dillon and Kendric Rhymes rank sixth and 10th in SWAC rushing with 760 and 614 yards respectively. Rhymes’ seven TDs are tied for fourth. … Southern and Jackson State tied for second in the conference with 31 sacks each. … The Tigers claimed their third SWAC East title in four seasons and first since former coach Deion Sanders left for Colorado after going 12-2 in 2022.

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The Associated Press