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The Jacksonville State Gamecocks (8-3 6-1 CUSA) will travel to Las Cruces, NM to face the New Mexico State Aggies (9-3 6-1 CUSA). Jacksonville State -2.5 O/U 50.5
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
- 4:00 PM Eastern Time Kickoff on ESPN+
- Adam Young and Danny Knee will be on the call for ESPN+ and Tatiana Favela will be on the sideline.
- On the Jacksonville State side the radio broadcast will be on FM 91.9. On the New Mexico State side, the radio broadcast will be on FM 99.5.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
If the NCAA would do away with their ancient and absolutely unnecessary rule, this game would determine who will face Liberty in the Conference USA Championship Game. But, since the waiver applied for by JSU was denied by the NCAA, New Mexico State will face Liberty on Friday, December 1st for the conference crown. Both the Gamecocks and Aggies are 6-1 in Conference USA play. The Gamecocks have stumbled a bit in the past few weeks, losing two of their last five games, while the NMSU Aggies are riding a seven-game winning streak.
KEY PLAYERS
Jacksonville State
QB Zion Webb 48.8% passes completed, 1,033 yards, 5 TD, 4 INT; 2nd on the team with 647 rushing yards and 7 TD
RB Malik Jackson 817 rushing yards, 6 TD
NMSU Aggies
QB Diego Pavia 60.7% passes completed, 2,458 yards, 22 TD, 6 INT, leading rusher with 738 yards and 5 TD
LB Keyshaun Elliott 83 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery
KEY MATCHUPS
Jacksonville State’s rushing attack against the New Mexico State front seven. If the NCAA counted the Gamecocks among the statistical leaders JSU would be 3rd in the country with an average of 245.6 rushing yards per game. NMSU’s defense gives up 129.8 rushing yards per game, 29th nationally. JSU head coach Rich Rodriguez never hides his love of running the ball, this should be a good matchup!
Now let’s swap the teams out for the matchup on the NMSU side. The Aggies rush for an average of 206.2 yards per game, good for 10th in the country. The JSU defense only gives up 106.5 rushing yards per game, which would land them 18th in the country if the NCAA recognized the Gamecocks for statistics.
PREDICTION
With both teams loving to run the football, this should be one of the quickest games of the day. New Mexico State is coming off a monumental win at Auburn where the Aggies rushed for 213 yards and Pavia threw for three touchdowns. Jacksonville State is coming off a 56-17 win at home against Louisiana Tech. I’m not sure the Aggies can ride the wave of beating Auburn last week to take this game and see a letdown against the Gamecocks. Jacksonville State wins, 24-20. Take the points and the under.
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