After facing off against Tennesse State for over two decades, Jackson State’s decision to pull out of the Southern Heritage Classic clouded the game’s future.
The Southern Heritage announced Wednesday afternoon that Arkansas-Pine Bluff will be opposite Tennessee State for at least the next two years.
The answers you’ve all been waiting for. Welcome to the Southern Heritage Classic University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff! @UAPBLionsRoar @uapbinfo #classicmemphis #SHC #UAPB pic.twitter.com/8sNCY9Gtuh
— Southern Heritage Classic (@ClassicMemphis) December 7, 2022
This Southern Heritage Classic has been around since 1990, with Tennessee State appearing in all 31 games at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, except for 2018 and 2020, when both games were canceled by weather and COVID-19, respectively.
The announcement comes months after Jackson State proclaimed it would no longer participate in the Southern Heritage Classic football game beyond the 2022 season.
The schools had met 28 times since 1990, with Tennessee State leading the all-time series 17-12. Jackson State won the most recent meeting in September 16-3 over TSU.
Although the 34th Classic will be UAPB’s introduction to the game, the Tigers and Golden Lions are no strangers to each other. The two teams last recently played in 2019, a game in which UAPB defeated Tennessee State 37-3.
