The Jacksonville State Gamecocks and the Sam Houston Bearkats will face off in a Conference USA clash at 8:00 p.m. ET on September 28th at Elliot T. Bowers Stadium. Jacksonville State should still be feeling good after a big victory, while Sam Houston will be looking to get back into the win column.
Last Saturday, Jacksonville State got themselves on the board against Eastern Michigan, but Eastern Michigan never followed suit. Jacksonville State was the clear victor by a 21-0 margin over Eastern Michigan.
Logan Smothers continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, throwing for 93 yards and a touchdown, and also rushing for 118 yards and a touchdown. Malik Jackson also helped out as he racked up 127 rushing yards.
Meanwhile, Sam Houston has been struggling to pick up a win, as their match against Houston made it five losses in a row. Sam Houston was completely outmatched by Houston on the road and fell 38-7. Sam Houston was down at the end of the third quarter and they stayed that way after failing to score in the fourth.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, the Bearkats weren't very productive in the air and finished the game with only 126 passing yards. They were smoked by their opponents in that department as Houston passed for 352.
What a start it's been for Jacksonville State: they've won three of their first four games so far this season, giving them a steller 3-1 record. To be fair, it's not like the team was facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 2-2 Eastern Michigan (Jacksonville State's opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 37.5% over those games). Meanwhile, Sam Houston's loss on Saturday dropped their record down to 0-3.
Looking ahead to Thursday, Jacksonville State is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 6.5 points. This will be their first time playing as the favorites on the road this season.
