• Texas Southern kicks off SWAC play Sunday morning live on national television as they'll travel to Prairie View AM for an 11 a.m. kickoff.
• Saturday's contest will feature live audio on KTSU 90.9 FM and will be shown live on ESPN2.
• This marks the 41st edition of the Labor Day Classic. The Panthers have won 16 of the past 20 Labor Day Classic contests since 2004. Overall, PVAMU has won 18 of the past 22 contests since 2004.Â
• The Labor Day Classic has rotated between both schools since it became a home-and-home affair in 2011. Since 1985, the game has been played at Delmar Stadium, Robertson Stadium, the Astrodome, Reliant Stadium, Rice Stadium, Panther Stadium and Shell Energy Stadium.
• Familiarity won't be an issue as PVAMU head coach Tremaine Jackson is a former student-athlete (2002-03) and coach at TSU (2008-11). The PVAMU coaching staff features two former TSU student-athletes in Trent Earley and Darrell Colbert and former TSU coaches in Darren Garrigan and Colbert.
• A trio of TSU offensive starters earned 2026 Preseason All-SWAC Second Team honors in junior tight end Kordell Rodgers, sophomore offensive lineman Jayden Daniels and redshirt junior wideout Roriyon Richardson.
• Despite coming off a winning season for the first time since 2000, TSU was picked to finish fourth in the SWAC West by head coaches and sports information directors in the annual preseason poll. TSU returns six offensive starters and three on defense.
• TSU opened the 2026 season with a bang after a comeback win over North Carlina Central. TSU is looking to start 2-0 for the first time since a 4-0 stars in 2015.
• Running back Athean Renfro is the reigning SWAC Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 163 yards on 18 attempts.
• The winner of the TSU-Prairie View A&M contest receives the traveling Nicks-Durley Trophy. Named after legendary head coaches at both schools, the trophy finally returned to Houston in 2024 after a nine-year stay on the PVAMU campus but returned to PVAMU in the finals seconds of 2025. TSU holds a 21-19 margin in the classic series (dating back to 1985).
• The Tigers open the season with a new defensive coordinator in Scott Vestal.
• This marks the second consecutive year TSU will have six home contests as they'll also play on Week 0 for the first time since 2017. Unlike last year, the caveat to this year's schedule is that TSU will play in multiple locations in the Houston area due to scheduling conflicts with its primary stadium in Shell Energy. TSU will play five games inside Aldine ISD's Thorne Stadium (19 miles from campus) and one at Reliant Stadium (7 miles).
• Cris Dishman is the 19th head coach in the history of Texas Southern Football. Faced with a tough task due to the program's historical nature (29 winning seasons in 79 years of existence), Dishman has set out to reverse the trend after posting a winning record following his second season.
