The Jacksonville State Gamecocks will aim to stay undefeated in Conference USA games this Saturday when they travel to take on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Jacksonville State is currently on a six-game winning streak, with two of those wins coming on the road. The Gamecocks road victories include a 24-0 win over New Mexico State and a 27-26 win over Kennesaw State. Before the winning streak, the team’s two losses came away from their home stadium. They lost in four overtimes at Ohio and 33-7 at North Dakota State, giving the team a 2-2 record away from home. Western Kentucky comes into this game on a two-game losing streak. They lost 51-42 to Middle Tennessee last weekend.
Jacksonville State finds themselves in first place in the conference in large part due to their running game. The Gamecocks average 174.7 rushing yards per game, ranking them 45th nationally. Quarterback Caden Creel has played a big part in this role. The dual-threat quarterback has put up 131 rushing yards per game in his last three games, including a game in which he ran for 211 yards against New Mexico State. For this season, Creel has thrown for 1,987 yards and 15 touchdowns and could be in line for another big game on the ground against a Western Kentucky team that allows opposing teams to rush for an average of 197 yards per game.
The Hilltoppers have struggled defensively overall, allowing teams to average 403.6 yards and 33.3 points per game against them. Creel’s ability to create with both his arm and legs could create problems for Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers’ quarterback Brock Glenn will try to keep pace with Jacksonville State. Glenn has steadily improved throughout the season. He has only thrown for 1,039 yards this year, but he is coming off a game in which he threw for 224 yards and a touchdown against Delaware. Glenn could be due to regress against a Jacksonville State defense that ranks 12th nationally against the pass (171 yards per game) and 23rd in scoring defense (19.2 points per game). If Western Kentucky cannot generate enough points, Jacksonville State will be in a position to lean on their running game for a comfortable win.
Jacksonville State vs Western Kentucky prediction: Jacksonville State Gamecocks -7.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at -9.5 (+125).
