By Cord Rankin
OHIO GAME NOTES
https://ohiobobcats.com/documents/2024/12/15/12.20.24_vs_Jacksonville_State.pdf
JACKSONVILLE STATE GAME NOTES
https://www.curebowl.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Game14-Ohio.pdf
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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio football team (10-3, 7-1 MAC) is set to take on the Jacksonville State Gamecocks (9-4, 7-1 CUSA) in the 10th StaffDNA Cure Bowl on Friday, December 20. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET at Camping World Stadium and can be seen on ESPN with Brian Custer, Rod Gilmore and Lauren Sisler on the call.
The Bobcats’ matchup will be covered on two radio broadcasts. Fans can tune in on Ohio Sports Network from Learfield, presented by Holzer Health System, as they have been all season. Veteran Ohio radio personality Marty Bannister is stepping into the 2024 play-by-play role and will be joined by Rob Cornelius, who has been a part of the broadcasts for two decades.
Additionally, Bowl Season’s radio crew will be on-site, with Jamie Seh, Rene Ingoglia and Despina Barton on the call.
SERIES HISTORY VS. JACKSONVILLE STATE
The StaffDNA Cure Bowl marks the first meeting between the Bobcats and Gamecocks. Both teams are coming off conference championship victories, defeating opponents they fell to earlier in the season by 35 and 40-point margins, respectively.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE
The Gamecocks are currently 9-4 overall and 7-1 against Conference USA opponents, coming off a dominant 52-12 victory over Western Kentucky to claim their first CUSA championship title. Senior quarterback Tyler Huff set a CUSA Championship Game record with 167 yards on the ground, earning him Championship Game MVP accolades.
As a team, Jacksonville State averages 36.69 points per game on 267.3 rushing yards and 177.08 passing yards. Their opponents average 25.85 points per game, 170.2 rushing yards and 215.46 passing yards.
Huff leads the Gamecocks’ offense, going 157-for-259 with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions on 2,179 yards in 13 games. The quarterback is an established threat on the ground as well and is second on the team in carries (215), rushing yards (1,343) and rushing touchdowns (14). Additionally, he recorded the team’s third-longest rush on the season (51 yds). Fellow senior quarterback Logan Smothers has made appearances in seven games this season and is currently 11-for-19 in the air.
Senior running back Tre Stewart leads Jacksonville State on the ground, with 264 touches and 23 touchdowns on 1,604 rushing yards. Stewart also claims the longest rush of the season (75 yds), while Smothers owns the second-longest rush (72 yds). On seven attempts, he’s accumulated 175 yards.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Cam Vaughn leads the way with four touchdowns on 620 yards. Redshirt junior wide receiver Michael Pettway and redshirt senior tight end Sean Brown both contributed three touchdowns apiece, with Pettway claiming the team’s longest reception of the year (92 yds).
On the defensive side of the ball, graduate student safety Antonio Carter II has 103 tackles— including 53 solo stops and 4.5 tackles for loss—one sack and one interception. Junior safety Fred Perry trails with 97 total tackles and is third in tackles for loss (9). Senior defensive lineman J-Rock Swain leads the team with 10 tackles for loss while redshirt junior linebacker Reginald Hughes has a team-best 4.5 sacks and sits just behind Swain with 9.5 tackles for loss. Redshirt freshman safety Zechariah Poyser has three picks, eight pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
Redshirt freshman kicker Garrison Rippa is 14-for-19 on field goals, with his longest clocking in at 51 yards. Additionally, he’s accumulated 5,129 yards on 86 kickoffs, averaging 59.6 yards per kick. Senior punter Jack Dawson has 48 punts on the season, currently sitting at 2,020 total yards.
To read this week’s complete notes, click here.
#OUohyeah
COURTESY OHIO ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
COURTESY JACKSONVILLE STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
