- Location: Jackson, Mississippi
- Founded: 1877
- Conference: SWAC, East Division
- Competition level: NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)
- Home field: Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Edward Waters Tigers
- Location: Jacksonville, Florida
- Founded: 1866
- Conference: SIAC
- Competition level: NAIA background, with the school working through the NCAA Division II membership process
- Widely described as Florida's oldest historically Black university
It is worth understanding up front that this is not a traditional annual rivalry. Meetings between the two have been occasional, scheduled non-conference games rather than a yearly fixture, which means details like kickoff time, venue, and broadcast availability change from game to game.
The 2021 meeting: Deion Sanders' debut
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the 2020 football season for many HBCU programs into the spring of 2021, and Jackson State opened that delayed schedule at home against Edward Waters on February 21, 2021. The game marked the first time Deion Sanders, hired by the university in September 2020, stood on a sideline as a college head coach.
Jackson State made the occasion lopsided. The Tigers won 53–0 at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, with freshman quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the coach's son, helping direct an offense that controlled the game from the opening quarter. The final score said as much about the gap in division level as anything else, and it set the tone for what became the most publicized era in modern HBCU football.
Over the following two seasons, Sanders' teams won back-to-back SWAC championships in 2021 and 2022, capped by a Celebration Bowl victory in December 2022. Stars such as Shedeur Sanders and two-way player Travis Hunter became national names during that run before the coach departed for the University of Colorado. T.C. Taylor, a former Jackson State quarterback and longtime assistant on the staff, took over the program in 2023 and carried the momentum forward.
For Edward Waters, the trip to Jackson served a different purpose: a high-profile test against a marquee opponent, and a guarantee payment that helps fund athletic budgets at smaller schools. Games like this are a familiar part of the economics of lower-division college football.
Two programs, two different levels
Jackson State's football résumé runs deep. The university counts Pro Football Hall of Famers Walter Payton and Robert Brazile among its alumni, has claimed multiple SWAC titles across its history, and plays its home games in one of the largest football venues in Mississippi. As an FCS program, Jackson State can offer the maximum number of football scholarships allowed at that level, which translates into a substantial depth advantage over lower-division opponents.
Edward Waters carries a different kind of history. Founded in 1866 and rooted in Jacksonville, the school is widely recognized as Florida's oldest historically Black university. Its teams joined the SIAC, a conference with deep HBCU roots, in 2021 after years in the NAIA, and the institution has been pursuing a return to NCAA Division II membership. Football roster size, recruiting reach, and program resources all operate on a smaller scale than at Jackson State.
That difference in classification is the single biggest factor whenever these teams share a field. One-off games between FCS programs and lower-division opponents usually favor the higher level, and the 53–0 result in 2021 reflected exactly that dynamic.
Why these schools meet
Non-conference scheduling between HBCU programs is common and serves several purposes at once:
- Geography. Both schools sit in the Southeast, keeping travel manageable for a mid-season or season-opening contest.
- Economics. Smaller programs typically receive a game guarantee for visiting a larger school, money that supports scholarships, travel, and facilities.
- Shared culture. The SIAC and SWAC are both historically Black conferences with overlapping fan bases, band traditions, and media followings, which makes cross-conference games an easy sell.
- Exposure. Facing a nationally recognized brand like Jackson State gives a program like Edward Waters a stage it rarely gets otherwise.
A battle of the Tigers
One quirk of this matchup is that both teams are nicknamed the Tigers, which gives scoreboards and headlines an unusual symmetry. The similarities extend beyond the mascot. Both schools treat football Saturdays as full cultural events where the marching band matters as much as the final score.
Jackson State's Sonic Boom of the South, along with the Prancing J-Settes dance line, is among the most famous band programs in the country, and halftime at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium routinely draws as much attention as the game itself. Edward Waters brings its own band, cheer program, and Jacksonville community support, giving the visiting side a genuine game-day identity rather than serving as a silent opponent.
How to watch or attend
Details shift from season to season, so a few practical steps will get you the information you need:
- Check the official athletics websites of both schools for kickoff times, streaming designations, and ticket links. These are updated first and are the most reliable source.
- Jackson State home games are played at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, with tickets sold through the JSU athletics ticket office.
- Broadcast options for Jackson State typically run through ESPN platforms and SWAC digital outlets, while Edward Waters games are generally available via SIAC digital channels and the school's own streams.
- For a final score of any specific meeting, conference and NCAA stats pages update in real time on game day.
Quick answers
Who won the Edward Waters vs Jackson State game?
The most prominent documented meeting, played February 21, 2021, ended with Jackson State winning 53–0 in Deion Sanders' head coaching debut.
Where is the game played?
When Jackson State hosts, the game takes place at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Mississippi. A game hosted by Edward Waters would be played in Jacksonville, Florida.
Are both teams called the Tigers?
Yes. Both programs use the Tigers nickname, one of the distinctive features of this matchup.
Is this a rivalry?
Not in the traditional sense. The teams are not annual opponents, and games between them are scheduled non-conference contests rather than a protected rivalry series.
What to expect when they play
If a future Edward Waters–Jackson State game lands on the schedule, expect a contest shaped by the talent and depth gap between an FCS roster and a lower-division one. Jackson State's lines and two-deep rotations usually wear down smaller opponents as the game goes on, which is why so many of these cross-level matchups get out of hand early. For Edward Waters, the goals are narrower but real: stay competitive early, avoid the turnover margin flipping the game, and leave with the experience and the guarantee check.
For fans, the draw is broader than the scoreboard. It is a chance to see HBCU game-day culture in full, from the bands to the tailgating, inside a stadium atmosphere that big-time college football rarely replicates. And for followers of both programs, the game offers a measuring stick — one school measuring its place among HBCU elites, the other measuring how far its program has climbed.