Damien Jones tied the Southern Heritage Classic at 38-38 with 3:50 left in the fourth quarter, pulling Alcorn State back into a game that had already swung hard toward Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The late score came after Alcorn State had spent much of the final period chasing, and after it had already left eight points on the field through three missed PATs, one failed 2-point conversion and one missed field goal.
The 37th annual Southern Heritage Classic opened Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. CT at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium and was streamed on HBCU Go, making the closing minutes the focus for anyone following the game in Memphis. The matchup mattered beyond the trophy game itself because both teams had finished 4-4 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in 2025, turning a long-running HBCU showcase into a conference game with immediate weight.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff had built the lead in bursts. Jaylon Tolbert found Tyree Kelly downfield for a 68-yard touchdown, Za'Marion Webster broke loose for a 54-yard touchdown run and Michael Henderson intercepted Tolbert and returned it the full length of the field for a defensive touchdown. By the end of the third quarter, Arkansas-Pine Bluff led 24-18, then pushed the margin to 31-18 after Henderson's score at 13:45 in the fourth. Alcorn State answered with Fredrick Robinson's 4-yard touchdown at 12:14, but still trailed 31-24 before the next two Arkansas-Pine Bluff scores made the game look nearly out of reach.
Then the fourth quarter turned on its head. Alcorn State was held scoreless until Jones tied it, and the comeback came even after the earlier special-teams mistakes had already created a larger hole than the scoreboard showed. That is what made the tie feel bigger than a single play: Alcorn State had done enough to stay alive, but only just. The source does not give the final result after the 38-38 tie, so the unanswered question is whether Jones' late score became the start of a finish or only the moment the game was reset.
The Classic was one event in a week of Memphis activities that also included the battle of the bands showdown at Whitehaven High School and the Classic Parade along Park Avenue. It also marked the second year in a row that Alcorn State football and Arkansas-Pine Bluff met in the Southern Heritage Classic, extending a rivalry that has become as much a part of the city's late-summer calendar as the game itself.
