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Ole Miss schedules its first football game against an HBCU and current SWAC opponent, will host Alcorn State in 2028

Keith Carter is on a roll.

By Grayson Weir
Ole Miss Athletics

Ole Miss football and athletic director Keith Carter has announced it will add Alcorn State to its future schedule, marking a historic milestone for the program. This 2028 matchup will be the first meeting between the two teams, but also will be the first-ever historically black college and university (HBCU) and current SWAC opponent that the Rebels have faced on the gridiron.

Alcorn State athletic director Derek Horne, who played basketball at Ole Miss from 1983-1986 and was a team captain in both years as an upperclassmen, joined the Rebel administration in 1995 as an assistant athletic director and was promoted to senior associate AD during his tenure. His tie to the university was integral to securing the unique and monumental in-state matchup.

“This is a matchup that we’ve been working on for quite some time, and I want to thank Alcorn State A.D. Derek Horne, a good friend and great Rebel, for helping make this happen,” Carter. “To play an HBCU from our state is something we’ve been wanting to do for quite some time, and hopefully this will open the door for other meetings with HBCU institutions in the future. We look forward to this contest and know it will be exciting for our fans at Ole Miss as well as the fans at Alcorn State.”

The Braves have been a Southwestern Athletic Conference powerhouse over the last few years and have reached the title game in four of the last six years, winning the last two. When the 2020 season kicks off, the Lorman, Miss. school will try to win 9 or more games for the third straight season— something Ole Miss has not done of late.

Beyond the four quarters of action, perhaps the most exciting component of this matchup comes before the game and at halftime. With Alcorn State comes the high-stepping, brass-blaring Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite Marching Band and the Golden Girls.

If Carter is smart (he is), he will allot time for a full performance from one of the nation’s top bands in the pregame and halftime shows. Sit back, watch and listen.