With the regular-season schedule finished, Jackson State football is now tasked with preparing for its biggest game of the season to this point.
The Tigers (9-2, 7-1 SWAC) will take on Prairie View A&M (9-3, 7-1) in the SWAC Championship game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on Dec. 6 at 1 p.m. CT.
With an extra week to prepare before the game, No. 12 JSU is focused on its attention to detail rather than any large improvements in a specific area of play.
"At this point of the season, if you're in this position playing for a SWAC title, you done kind of crossed all the T's and dotted all the I's," Taylor said on his SWAC media call on Nov. 24. "You've just got to make sure you're harping on the little things … that can affect the wins and losses in the championship game."
Preparing for the game includes planning a practice schedule around Thanksgiving, which falls on Nov. 27. Taylor said he plans to give the players that day off before getting back to work over the weekend. It's the same routine JSU followed in preparation for last season's SWAC Championship , which the Tigers won 41-13 over Southern.
"We'll get back at it (Tuesday) and Wednesday, and I'm going to give them the next couple days to go see some family … no different than we did last year," Taylor said. "… That's why these next three (practices) are so valuable to the program. We really want to get something out of these practices."
Taylor's approach differs from that of first-year PVAMU coach Tremaine Jackson. Because Jackson came to PVAMU from Division II Valdosta State, where playoffs begin in late November, he's accustomed to a different routine for postseason preparation. He's brought that same schedule to the Panthers .
"Championship programs, in my opinion, practice on Thanksgiving. That's what we do," Jackson said. "We're certainly not going to change the way that we do things and the way that we go about preparing. … If you break people's routine, then you're opening yourself up for a lot of foolery, and we're not going to do that within our program."
Despite the difference in approach, neither team is overlooking the other. Jackson State as the reigning SWAC and Cricket Celebration Bowl champion has stood out as a talented and well-coached team that will challenge the Panthers, according to Jackson.
Likewise, PVAMU has proven how good it can be throughout the season, with Taylor referring to it as "a championship program." Still, he trusts the work JSU has done all season to get to the conference title game.
"We've played a lot of tough football games," Taylor said. "We had a lot of great opponents on our schedule, and they brought it all year, but we were able to persevere and get ourselves to this point. We're looking forward to it. These guys understand what's at stake."
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65 .
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: SWAC football championship, how Jackson State, Prairie View differ
