We who were there won’t forget the first meeting of the two teams on October 31, 1987, almost 31 years ago. Brett Favre was just 18 years old and was the USM quarterback. W.C. Gorden was the most successful coach of Jackson State football. Jim Carmody was the Big Nasty to USM supporters and was in Hattiesburg for what would be his last season. Ronald Reagan was the president. Bill Allain was Mississippi’s governor. However, three days later the citizens of Mississippi would vote for Ray Mabus. Michael Jackson’s “Bad”, was No. The song “Bad” was No. 1 on the music charts. Mississippi’s college football landscape was very different. JSU was a powerhouse in the Southwestern Conference and eager to face one of the Big Three. USM was the dominant state team back then. It had won nine of its 11 games against State, and four of its five with Ole Miss. After the 1984 game, Ole Miss had removed USM from its calendar. Three years later, USM would be dropped from the series. Many of us from the Mississippi media have been asking for USM’s participation in Jackson State since years. It was just logical. It also made money. USM played only one game per year against smaller Division I schools, often leaving about half the seats at The Rock empty. We said, “Play Jackson State.” Fill the stadium. Spend some money. It should be kept in the state. They did it. It was necessary for economic reasons. It was something Carmody didn’t fear, and that is a credit to him forever. Many coaches would have agreed. As we will see, Jackson State was not just a handful. There are so many memories from that day. * Pre-game traffic jammed Highway 49 between Hattiesburg and Jackson. It was normally a 90-minute journey, but it took three hours. You could have spent hundreds of dollars on your gas if you had a dollar for each blue and white pom pom you saw along the way. * A packed stadium, mainly blue and white on the East and black and golden on the West. In the 33,500-seat arena, the crowd was 33.687. * A beautiful, clear, fall afternoon that was gloriously sunny. Pre-game coin flip where one of the Jackson State linemen (6 feet 9 inches tall and 330 lbs) cast a shadow on his USM counterparts. * A scoreless first half, with both defenses dominating. Favre was attacked everywhere he went. The JSU defense was led by Darion Conner, and guided by James “Big Daddy”, Carson, the defensive coordinator, was outstanding. Conner must have completed 20 tackles. Carson must have smoked 20 cigars. * A halftime show featuring two different styles of band. Who is the winner? The winner? Jackson State’s Sonic Boom had USM supporters dancing in the aisles. * A remarkable Jackson State running back, Lewis Tillman, of Hazlehurst. He out-gained all USM players and would go on to play seven NFL seasons. USM had Favre but Tillman that day was the most efficient offensive player. * A speedy USM kick returning player named James Henry from Poplarville broke the scoreless tie by a 72-yard punt return during the third quarter. Truth be told, JSU won the game offensively and defensively. However, USM won the game with superior special teams. * Shelton Gandy was USM’s reliable running back. He scored a touchdown to make it 14-0 at the end of the fourth quarter. USM added a field-goal to make it 17-1 before Tillman scored late to make it 17-7. This is a very deceiving score. * Carmody and Gorden hugging at midfield. They were aware that they had been part in something unique, something special. Carmody stated to the media, “One thing should be clear.” “Jackson State is just as good, if not better than many Division I teams that we play. They made very few mistakes. They are fundamentally sound. They are motivated and well-coach. And when they tackle, you stay tackled.” Gorden stated, simply, “I believe we showed that we belonged.”