JACKSON, Miss. | Jackson State hits the road for a neutral site game today, facing Alabama A&M in the Gulf Coast Challenge in Mobile (Ala.) in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) action.
The game kicks off at 4 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The two teams have met 28 times since 1971 with Jackson State holding a 16-12 lead in the series including wins in the last three games. Jackson State (3-2, 1-0 SWAC) ended a three-game losing streak to Alabama A&M (2-2) with its 45-30 victory last season, and this weekend’s game will be the third consecutive game between the two in the Port City.
Jackson State enters the game off a 43-14 victory over Texas Southern to open conference play, while Alabama A&M was off last weekend due to the Hurricane that affected portions of the southeast. The Tigers are averaging 33.6 points per game and are near 400 yards of total offense per game (399.6) through the first five games of the season. Jacobian Morgan enters the week with 855 yards passing on 62-of-94 with a pair of interceptions and seven touchdowns. He and fellow quarterback Cam’Ron McCoy have completed passes to 14 different receivers including Joanes Fortilien with 14 receptions and Isaiah Spencer with 13, with Fortilien accounting for four touchdowns.
Irv Mulligan leads the rushing attack that has featured 16 different players with 166 yards on 31 carries and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, defensively, Jackson State is led by Reid Pulliam with 32 tackles, while Joshua Nobles has recorded 26 and Ashton Taylor 21. Nobles leads the team with 7.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks through the first five games of the season, while Esaias Guthrie leads a defense that has recorded five interceptions on the season with two of his own.
Game Info – Alabama A&M vs. Jackson State
Saturday, Oct. 5 | 4 p.m. | Ladd-Peebles Stadium
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Jackson State Notes
- Jackson State is on the verge of averaging 400 yards per game of total offense, averaging 399.6 yards of offense per game through the first five contests. They are averaging 171.8 yards per game running the football and another 227.8 yards through the air.
- Jackson State allowed two fourth-quarter touchdowns on Saturday against Texas Southern, however, they still held the Tigers to just 223 yards of offense including 108 yards on 38 carries. They also allowed just 115 yards passing in the win.
- The Tigers ended a streak of four games this season of not scoring in the fourth quarter when they scored 16 points in the final stanza against Texas Southern. They used a 72-yard touchdown run, a blocked punt for a safety, and a kickoff return for a touchdown in the win.
- Morgan and Travis Terrell Jr. each earned Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) weekly awards for their performances against Texas Southern this weekend. Morgan, who was named the SWAC co-Offensive Player of the Week, accounted for 281 yards of offense on Saturday in a 43-14 conference victory over Texas Southern and was responsible for four touchdowns including two on the ground. Terrell, who was named the SWAC Newcomer of the Week, did a little bit of everything including scoring a touchdown on special teams. The freshman scored on a 79-yard kickoff return late in the fourth quarter to top of the scoring, the first kick return for a touchdown in his career and the first this season for Jackson State.
- Jackson State punter Matt Noll was one of a record number of 203 semifinalists named for the 2024 William V. Campbell Trophy®, announced by the National Football Foundation. Noll was one of two student-athletes from an HBCU and the lone student-athlete from the SWAC, joining Terrance Hollon from Howard. The new highwater mark eclipses the 201 nominees in 2023. The impressive list of candidates, from all NCAA divisions and the NAIA, boasts an impressive 3.63 average GPA, with more than half of the semifinalists having already earned their bachelor’s degrees.
Series History (since 1956)
Jackson State leads Alabama A&M, 16-12
First Meeting: Dec. 4, 1971 – Jackson State def. Alabama A&M, 40-21
Last Meeting: Oct. 7, 2023 – Jackson State def. Alabama A&M, 45-30
Normal: 6-5 | Jackson: 7-6 | Neutral: 3-1 | Streak: Jackson State, W3
Source: Jackson State Athletics