BATON ROUGE, LA — Southern University will look to bounce back from a season-opening loss when the Jaguars return to The Bluff to face Kentucky State on Saturday in the Pete Richardson Classic.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at A.W. Mumford Stadium and Pete Richardson Field. The match-up will serve as Southern's 2026 home opener and the first game in Baton Rouge under head coach Marshall Faulk. Southern has designated the game as a White Out.
The Jaguars enter the match-up 0-1 after falling 30-17 to Alabama State in the inaugural Birmingham Football Classic on Aug. 29 at Legion Field.
Southern led 17-13 at halftime but was held scoreless over the final two quarters as Alabama State scored 17 unanswered points to pull away. The Jaguars finished with 335 yards of offense, including 174 passing and 161 rushing.
Quarterback Christian Johnson accounted for much of Southern's production, passing for 174 yards and rushing for a team-high 81 yards. Mike Franklin provided one of the Jaguars' biggest plays with a 29-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, while Johnson added a 1-yard touchdown run in the second.
Southern now turns its attention to a Kentucky State team carrying momentum into Baton Rouge.
The Thorobreds opened their season with a 41-14 victory over rival Central State. Kentucky State trailed 14-3 before scoring 38 unanswered points and shutting out Central State in the second half. The Thorobreds generated 472 yards of total offense, with 282 through the air and 190 on the ground.
Kentucky State also controlled the football for more than 39 minutes and converted all six of its trips inside the red zone into points.
The Thorobreds are coming off one of the strongest seasons in program history. Kentucky State finished 9-3 in 2025, went 7-1 in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play and earned the program's first NCAA Division II playoff berth.
One player Southern's defense will have to account for is wide receiver Darius Cyprian. The junior entered the season as a BOXTOROW HBCU preseason All-American after catching 42 passes for 903 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Cyprian opened 2026 with six catches for 98 yards against Central State.
The match-up also gives Southern its first opportunity to establish a home-field identity under Faulk, who is in his first season as a college head coach. The Pro Football Hall of Fame running back took over the Jaguars after spending the 2025 season on the coaching staff at Colorado.
Saturday's game carries additional significance as the Pete Richardson Classic, which honors the former Southern coach who led one of the most successful eras in Jaguars football history.
For Southern, the objective will be to turn a promising first half against Alabama State into a complete performance.
The Jaguars showed flashes in Birmingham, building a 14-3 advantage and carrying a four-point lead into halftime. But after the break, Southern struggled to sustain drives and was unable to answer Alabama State's second-half surge.
Kentucky State arrives in Baton Rouge facing a different challenge. The Division II Thorobreds will step up to face a Division I Football Championship Subdivision opponent after an impressive opening-week performance.
It creates an early-season test for both programs — Southern looking for its first victory of the Faulk era and Kentucky State seeking to build on the momentum of its season-opening win.
For the Jaguars, there is also the significance of finally returning home.
After beginning the season in Birmingham, Southern will run onto Pete Richardson Field in front of Jaguar Nation for the first time in 2026, with an opportunity to give Faulk his first victory as Southern's head coach.
Kentucky State (1-0) at Southern (0-1)
When: Saturday, Sept. 5, 6 p.m.
Where: A.W. Mumford Stadium and Pete Richardson Field, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Event: Pete Richardson Classic
Promotion: White Out
