*Jackson State University and Edward Waters University put their unbeaten starts on the line Saturday night (09-95-26) when the Tigers meet in the HOPE Labor Day Classic, Jackson State’s 2026 home opener at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Jackson State enters the Sept. 5 matchup at 1-0 after rallying past Tennessee State 26-24 in the John Merritt Classic. Andrew Ivaniciuc kicked the go-ahead 21-yard field goal with 2:31 remaining, while Nate Blount IV rushed for a career-high 101 yards.
Edward Waters also arrives at 1-0 after opening its season with a 42-28 victory over Florida Memorial.
The matchup gives Jackson State its first home appearance since completing a 9-3 season in 2025 and winning its second consecutive SWAC East Division title.
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Jackson State has been especially difficult to beat at home under head coach T.C. Taylor. The Tigers are 13-3 at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium during his tenure and have not lost a nonconference home game under Taylor.
Saturday marks only the second meeting between the programs. Jackson State defeated Edward Waters 53-0 in their previous matchup during the spring 2021 season.
HBCU GO will broadcast the SWAC-SIAC matchup nationally at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT. James Hadnot will handle play-by-play, with Tolly Carr as analyst and Nia Symone reporting from the sideline.
The game will be available through HBCU GO’s syndicated television coverage in major U.S. markets and streamed through the HBCU GO FAST Channel, Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Local Now, the HBCU GO app and other digital platforms.
For Jackson State, the Labor Day weekend showcase is a chance to turn a dramatic opening-week victory into a 2-0 start. Edward Waters comes to Jackson with exactly the same opportunity.
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