Game notes
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Time and date: Friday, December 5 at 7:00 p.m. ET
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Network: CBS Sports Network
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Location: AmFirst Stadium — Jacksonville, AL
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Spread: Kennesaw State (-2.5)
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All-time series: Series tied, 3-3
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Last meeting: Jacksonville State 35, Kennesaw State 26 — November 15, 2025
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Current streak: Jacksonville State, 3 (2022-25)
Setting the scene
Jacksonville State joined the FBS in 2023. This is the program’s second year eligible for a conference championship. In their first season of eligibility in 2024, the Gamecocks sat on the throne of Conference USA, throttling WKU 52-12 behind the backdrop of AmFirst Stadium in Jacksonville. However, Jax State lost head coach Rich Rodriguez and the majority of last year’s roster, completely revamping the personnel during the offseason. But the one thing head coach Charles Kelly didn’t change is the team’s winning ways, and it’s back in another title game — boasting a 16-2 record on its homefield since joining the FBS.
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Kennesaw State joined the FBS in 2024. This is the program’s first year eligible for a conference championship. The Owls saw one of the most impressive turnarounds in all of college football in 2025, jumping from 2-10 to 9-3 under first-year head coach Jerry Mack. Owning the CUSA’s best overall record, the Owls are one win away from sweetening an already-memorable season with a championship — in just their second year as an FBS program.
It’s the Gamecocks vs. Owls on Friday night. May the best bird win.
Kennesaw State Owls outlook
Kennesaw State (9-3, 7-1 CUSA) was the ultimate surprise team this year. The Owls looked vastly improved when they took Wake Forest down to the wire in a 10-9 Week 1 defeat — falling just short due to a missed extra point. The next week, Kennesaw State lost 56-9 to Indiana, seeing a similar result as nearly every other Indiana opponent this year.
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Once those difficult matchups were thrown on the backburner, Kennesaw State shifted into a new gear. The Owls made their statement as contenders when throttling Louisiana Tech 35-7 on a Thursday night in October and took things from there. They handled several 7-win CUSA squads like FIU and Missouri State, but not everything went perfect in conference play. On Nov. 15, the Owls lost a road game 35-26 to Jacksonville State, ultimately locating this matchup in Alabama instead of Georgia. Now, Jerry Mack and his squad seek revenge from that game three weeks later.
Kennesaw State shuffled between quarterbacks throughout the year, and Amari Odom emerged as the top option. The redshirt sophomore fired for 2,139 yards, 17 touchdowns, and six interceptions, while also providing a necessary mobility element with 379 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Odom kept things generally efficient and exploded for video game numbers on several occasions — posting 300 passing and 100 rushing yards on Arkansas State, and producing 387 passing yards and five touchdowns two weeks ago vs. Missouri State.
Odom’s primary targets are Gabriel Benyard and Christian Moss, who handle the bulk of the duties in the nation’s 52nd-ranked aerial offense. Benyard reigns supreme in the CUSA with 877 yards and nine touchdowns, while Moss excels as a secondary option — and both average roughly 16 yards per catch in this big-play offense.
The run game isn’t too shabby, ranking around the median of the FBS. Odom provides some contributions, but the running back tandem of Coleman Bennett and Chase Belcher does most of the work. Both registered one 100-yard game this season, and Bennett gets the bulk of carries, but Coach Mack — with extensive background coaching running backs — isn’t afraid to ride the hot hand on a given gameday.
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Kennesaw State started the year with a stronger defensive identity, but that shifted as time progressed. The Owls held five of their first six opponents to 21 or below, but each of the final six foes dropped at least 20 on Kennesaw State which has surrendered 34+ in three-straight contests. Overall, the defense ranks 109th in yards allowed, not showing particular strength against the run or pass. The Owls don’t force frequent turnovers either, collecting exactly one per game.
But the defense has its strengths. Kennesaw State thrives on manufacturing negative plays, ranking 18th in the FBS in tackles for loss and 31st in sacks. Three players — defensive end Elijah Hill, defensive tackle Tylon Dunlap, and outside linebacker Donovan Westmoreland — all have at least four sacks, with Hill’s seven ranking atop the CUSA.
Another key defender is inside linebacker Baron Hopson, who checks in at ninth in the FBS with 120 tackles. Hopson produced double-digit tackles in eight games this year, in addition to thriving in coverage with five pass breakups. Cornerbacks Caleb Offord and JeRico Washington have also batted plenty of balls down, combining for 20 deflections in a secondary that can fly around. However, no Owl has more than one interception this year, and due to a lack of defensive contribution to the turnover battle, the team is at a -2 this year — the primary factor which caused Kennesaw State to lose the first meeting in November.
Jacksonville State Gamecocks outlook
Jacksonville State (8-4, 7-1 CUSA) completed a highly-impressive regular season. Bringing in a head coach in Charles Kelly and revamping the roster didn’t faze the Gamecocks, which simply sustained their winning ways en route to their second-straight CUSA Championship Game as hosts.
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Similar to last season, non-conference play wasn’t kind to Jax State. The Gamecocks opened with a heartbreaking last-minute loss to UCF, before falling to a pair of Sun Belt opponents in Georgia Southern and Southern Miss. But this team overcame three non-conference defeats a year ago as well, and an extremely similar season was witnessed this year — following the non-conference struggles with an identical 7-1 CUSA record. And once again, the lone loss transpired in November, as FIU snapped Jax State’s 5-game win streak on the penultimate week of the regular season.
Given the immense personnel changes at Jax State, the offense remains quite similar to the system that brought the team a CUSA title in 2024. It’s a run-heavy scheme that significantly relies on zone reads, requiring the quarterback making winning decisions at warp speed. The Gamecocks started the season with former Rutgers quarterback Gavin Wimsatt as the engineer to the offense, but in late September, the team shifted to freshman Caden Creel, and he’s evolved as a player since.
Creel immediately took the league by storm with 293 combined rushing yards in his first two substantial data points. Now the quarterback rides a 4-game streak of 100-yard games, ranking fifth in the FBS at his position with 973 on the year. Creel will likely surpass 1,000 yards in the championship game, yet he’s only the second-leading rusher in the nation’s third best ground attack (262 yards per game).
The focal point is Cam Cook, who is the FBS standalone leader in rushing yards. Cook, who transferred in from TCU last offseason, has 1,581 yards and 15 touchdowns, and he’s been remarkably consistent on a weekly basis. Cook rattled off 75+ yards in all 12 games and attained the century mark in 10. An underrated portion of his game is receiving, and he is quietly third on the team with 26 receptions.
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The other frequented receivers in this offense are wideout Deondre Johnson and tight end Brock Rechsteiner — the latter whom missed the season finale due to injury and is progressing to play Friday. Jax State uses the threat of the run game to get Johnson home run plays, and his 28.2 yards per reception rank first in the FBS among all players with 20 catches. Meanwhile, Rechsteiner is situated at second on the team in receptions (33), receiving yards (356), and touchdowns (4). Even if he isn’t 100 percent, Pearson Baldwin also enjoys substantial utilization in this offense.
From the second Jax State joined the FBS, it created a brand for itself on defense as a takeaway machine. This year’s Gamecocks rank 15th nationally with 21 turnovers forced — marking a third-straight year in the top 20. Safeties Caleb Nix and Walker O’Steen combine for seven of the unit’s 12 picks, and both got involved when the Gamecocks intercepted Kennesaw State four times in mid-November.
However, the aerial defense could use improvement as Jacksonville State is 107th in the FBS in passing yards allowed. Kennesaw State threw for 362 in the first meeting and attained 579 total yards, as turnovers masked a lot of things for this defense. Key players looking to prevent that offensive explosion include outside linebacker Mac Sanders (66 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss) and cornerback Tre’Quon Fegans (29 tackles, 9 pass breakups).
Another player essential to Jax State’s success, especially when the clock approaches zero, is kicker Garrison Rippa. He sunk three game-winners this year — a 52-yarder vs. Sam Houston, a 44-yarder vs. UTEP, and a 28-yarder vs. WKU to seal a spot in the title game.
Prediction
Kennesaw State lost the previous matchup 35-26 in Jacksonville, and that involved a 4-0 deficit in the turnover battle. All four of those turnovers were interceptions the Gamecocks caught within 10 yards of the end zone — depriving the Owls on the doorstep a multitude of times. That’s Kennesaw State’s only loss since opening against 8-4 Wake Forest and 12-0 Indiana, and the Owls’ offense can inflict serious damage, as evidenced by three 40+ point outbursts in CUSA play.
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Jacksonville State will get its own in the Cam Cook and Caden Creel run game, as it always does, but the Gamecocks’ 107th-ranked pass defense could see some struggles if it can’t rely on takeaways. It will remain close throughout, but the Owls emerge in track meet fashion on a late touchdown, pulling off the road win for their first-ever CUSA title.
Prediction: Kennesaw State 34, Jacksonville State 31
