Both teams enter 1-1. Both are coming off blowout losses to Power Four competition. And both know that whatever happened is irrelevant the moment the ball is kicked off in the 901. The 37th annual Southern Heritage Classic between Alcorn State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff opens SWAC West play for two programs that are calling this one exactly what it is: a playoff game in September.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Saturday, September 12, at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis.

By the Numbers

Two Teams Looking to Get Right

Alcorn State opened its season with a 56–7 win over Miles College before traveling to Hattiesburg and getting run out of the building by Southern Miss, 49–3. Quarterback Jaylon Tolbert threw four interceptions in that loss, part of a five-turnover night for the Braves that head coach Cedric Thomas has spent the week trying to correct.

“One of the first games I’ve been a part of with five turnovers, and all of them came from one position, which was the quarterback position,” Thomas said. “We know Jalen, we got to get that fixed, and that offensive staff and defensively got to be better against the run.”

Thomas quickly pointed out that the tape wasn’t as bad as the scoreboard suggested. Alcorn reached the red zone twice in the first half alone before the turnovers piled up and let Southern Miss control the clock in the second half.

“You cut the turnovers out, and you don’t give them the extra possessions; you look at the yardage inside that first half where we moved it,” Thomas said. “That score is not indicative of how they played and what the outcome should have been. We just got to maximize the moment.”

UAPB has a similar story. The Golden Lions opened with a 35–15 win over Morehouse behind a breakout performance from receiver Demetric Whitlock, who caught 5 passes for 160 yards and 3 touchdowns and was named SWAC Newcomer of the Week. A trip to No. 25 Missouri went far worse, a 54–14 loss in which head coach Alonzo Hampton said mental errors from a young roster let the game get away early.

“We got them to a couple third downs and just made mental mistakes, guys not doing their assignments,” Hampton said. “But we came back in the third quarter, outscored them seven-nothing, and in the second half we ended up being even. Our kids called hard.”

A Rivalry That Comes With a Trophy

This is the second straight year Alcorn and UAPB have met in the Southern Heritage Classic, and the Golden Lions arrive as the defending champions after last year’s 24–20 win in Memphis. Neither coach has forgotten that history.

“It’s a trophy game,” Hampton said. “It’s two good programs. It’s a lot at stake. I think our fans were talking about this game last week. We hadn’t even gone to Missouri yet; they started putting out flyers about it. It’s classic, but it’s exciting. We do have the trophy, and it’s our goal to retain that trophy, so our guys will be motivated.”

Hampton also made a point to credit his counterpart on the other sideline.

“I got a lot of respect for Coach Thomas, just through the years, even when I was here as an assistant coach,” Hampton said. “He’s real, he’s authentic, and he is what he says he is. I’m excited to compete against him. We’ll be smiling at the luncheon and all that, but when that ball’s kicked off, he’ll be trying to whoop me, and I’ll be trying to whoop him and his team.”

For Thomas, the game carries a personal weight that goes beyond the standings. He played and later coached at UAPB before taking over at Alcorn, and he did not shy away from what the Golden Lions program means to him.

“That place saved my life,” Thomas said. “Twenty-one, twenty-two years old, not having a format for living, and having really good coaches, having a great community to put their arms around me from a religious standpoint. They gave me a format for living and tunnel vision on my journey going forward. I got some really good friends there, and up until kickoff we will be friends. Then we won’t be friends. But I can’t say enough of what that place has done for me in my growth and development, as a football coach, as a person, and as a father.”

The Matchups That Will Decide It

Containing the Quarterbacks

Both coaches pointed to the same problem facing their offense: containing a mobile, accurate quarterback while taking away the run.

Hampton’s defense has to deal with Tolbert, who threw for 119 yards on 15 of 22 passes against Southern Miss, even amid the turnovers, and who can also extend plays with his legs.

“He has the ability to see the defense; he knows where the ball needs to go; he can scramble,” Hampton said. “They’ve done a good job of building the roster this year. It’s got to be sound in what we’re doing defensively, and got to make it one-dimensional.”

Thomas, meanwhile, has to prepare for a UAPB backfield led by preseason All-SWAC running back Jaylen Jennings, along with an offensive line that recently held Missouri in check on the ground.

“We just got to get as many hats to the football,” Thomas said. “They got a transfer on the edge that can win some one-on-ones on the perimeter, so we got to be mindful of picking our spots, taking away the run, but also taking away the pass.”

Slowing Down Whitlock

That pass game runs through Whitlock, whose 160-yard, 3-touchdown day against Morehouse has Thomas’s defense on alert.

“Vertical, horizontal, you can’t go to sleep at night when you see him win one-on-ones,” Thomas said. “Good route runner; he can do it all; he’s got long speed. We got to do a good job of rolling some coverage, keep one or two guys over there to make sure he’s got help. We definitely won’t leave him by himself.”

Alcorn’s Run Game Search

Alcorn’s own run game has been a work in progress, averaging 99 yards per game and 2.8 yards per carry through two contests as opponents load the box against Tolbert and the passing attack. Thomas said his offensive line will need to manufacture movement against a UAPB front that has been stout against the run.

“That D line up front for UAPB, man, they sting you,” Thomas said. “You watch them stuff Missouri on some outside zone runs. Running the football for us will be a challenge, and we just got to make sure we create a new line of scrimmage to try to get some movement on those guys.”

UAPB’s Quarterback Rotation

On the other side of the ball, Hampton is still rotating two quarterbacks, redshirt freshman Garrison Davis and Fullerton College transfer Jack Schierholz, and said the plan is to lean on whichever one gives the Golden Lions the best chance in the moment.

“They both do great things, and this offense we have, it’ll be a time for both of them,” Hampton said. “Whichever guy we trot out there on the field, we feel good about. It doesn’t matter who’s playing. It’s whoever out there that can lead the team.”

What’s at Stake

Beyond the trophy, both coaches framed this as the true start of their season, the first of seven conference games that will decide the SWAC West.

“It’s the playoffs, that’s kind of how we spelled it to the kids,” Thomas said. “It’s the first round, and we want to make sure we can control our own destiny going forward. We just got a one-play mentality, next-play mentality, but we also understand what’s at stake in just being one and zero in the conference.”

Hampton put it just as plainly.

“It’s the first conference game. It’s the Southern Heritage Classic. This is a Super Bowl, let’s just call it what it is,” he said. “Everybody’s excited. Our kids are excited about the opportunity to lace it up against them.”