A rivalry will be renewed Saturday as Tennessee State’s football team hosts Jackson State in the John A. Merritt Classic at Vanderbilt’s FirstBank Stadium. The longtime HBCU rivals used to meet annually in the Southern Heritage Classic at Liberty Stadium in Memphis. But TSU and JSU haven’t played since the 2022 season (a 16-3 Jackson State win during the program’s final season under firebrand head coach Deion Sanders). The event is named after John Merritt, who led TSU to seven Black College Football National Championships during his 21 seasons in Nashville. Merritt also earned a BCF title during his 11-season run with JSU, so the College Football Hall of Famer has a deep history with both schools. The game will be a perfect kickoff to football season in Music City.
7:30 p.m. at FirstBank Stadium
2601 Jess Neely Drive
