Jacksonville State will open Conference USA play against rival Kennesaw State

It’s a new season for Rich Rodriguez.

After playing its entire non-conference team and snapping a three-game losing streak through the first four weeks of the season, Jacksonville State will play eight consecutive Conference USA games starting this Friday.

“Conference games always mean a little more, and I told the team that,” Rodriguez said. “Every game is important, but the conference games add a little more meaning to it, and we have to expect the intensity and our ability to execute to increase as well.”

The Gamecocks will play at Kennesaw State on Friday, with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. at Fifth Third Stadium in Kennesaw.

While the Owls are 0-4 after a 24-13 loss to FCS UT Martin, Rodriguez said he still believes Kennesaw State played well at times despite some “tough losses.”

“I have a lot of respect for their staff, for their players; They play really, really hard, very athletic,” Rodriguez said. “I think the last game the weather was bad, the field and the ball were wet. Due to the weather conditions it was not possible for anyone to do much in the second half.”

The Gamecocks earned their first win of the season against Southern Miss on September 21, defeating the Golden Eagles 44-7.

After the offense scored its season-high in points and Jax State’s defense forced six turnovers, Rodriguez said he was encouraged that the team was able to bounce back after a rough stretch.

Jax State’s other three opponents – Coastal Carolina, Louisville and Eastern Michigan – are a combined 10-3.

Quarterback Tyler Huff leads all Conference USA players in total offense (1,143 yards), with Jacksonville State now averaging the second-most yards per game (394.8) and third-most points per game (29.8) in the conference USA achieved.

J-Rock Swain ranks first in the conference in tackles for loss (six) and second in sacks (2.5), while Antonio Carter ranks third in total tackles (39).

“I think we definitely made progress in the last game and the game before that,” Rodriguez said. “As a coach there are certain things you wish you could do, to play a little bit better or to be more confident in everything we do, but I do think we’ve gotten better and I thought we took a big step recently. ” Game.”

Rodriguez said running back Andrew Paul, who transferred from Georgia this offseason, should practice and he expects him to “hopefully be in full shape” against Kennesaw State.

“Other than that, the ones that are out are still out due to injury, but I think the rest of the guys are relatively healthy,” Rodriguez said.

Kennesaw State’s offense is led by quarterback Bryson Davis, who has thrown for 540 yards and ran for 150 this season; Rodriguez said Davis was “very athletic.”

“He can also try to beat you on the run,” Rodriguez said. “It’s always a different dynamic, when you have a quarterback, you can run. I was impressed with their receivers, they run great routes; They have some guys who can run.”

Preston Daniels, listed as a tight end on the team’s online roster, scored the only two rushing touchdowns for Kennesaw State; The 5-foot-10, 220-pound redshirt senior is one of four players who rush for over 50 yards.

“They’re similar to us in a lot of ways,” Rodriguez said. “We may not be the biggest team in the world, but they are very athletic and I thought about their defense too. They have guys who can lead the guys in front defense, they do a lot of movement, a lot of lifting, a lot of hitting and angles and take advantage of their athleticism.”

Despite the questions surrounding Friday’s game, Rodriguez and his team are excited to have a “natural rival” back on the schedule with the Owls’ move to Conference USA.

“Even when I got here, I remember the kids saying, ‘Kennesaw is a big game, it’s a good team, etc., and they won a lot of games,'” Rodriguez said. “I think that was a natural rival for us and might at least be the most natural rival for us in Conference USA.”