JACKSONVILLE – Kennesaw State overcame a furious fourth-quarter Jax State rally to upend the Gamecocks 19-15 in the 21st annual Air National Guard Conference USA Championship Game at Burgess-Snow Field at AmFirst Stadium Friday night.
 
The Owls ended the third-longest FBS home winning streak after Jax State had mounted a furious comeback to erase a 12-point deficit with just over 10 minutes left on the clock behind touchdown runs from Conference USA Most Valuable Player Cam Cook and quarterback Caden Creel.
 
CUSA Championship Game MVP Amari Odom calmly directed Kennesaw State 75 yards in 11 plays, scrambling for a key first down on a fourth-and-14 play and finishing off the game-winning drive with an 11-yard TD pass to Navelle Dean with 52 seconds remaining.
 
Jax State will carry an 8-5 record into its bowl game, which will be announced on Sunday.
 
"We're disappointed in the results tonight but I'm not disappointed in the way these guys competed and the way they've competed all year," said Jax State head coach Charles Kelly. "I'm very proud of them. We had opportunities and we didn't take advantage of those opportunities."
 
Cook was limited to 78 yards on 19 carries, snapping a streak of seven straight games with 103 yards or more.
 
In contrast to their first meeting on November 15, both offenses struggled to gain a foothold early as they combined for just 44 total yards and each punted twice.
 
Jax State put together its best drive of the opening quarter on its third series but came away without points despite driving from the 30 to Kennesaw State's 9.
 
Creel found Deondre Johnson with a key 24-yard completion into Owls territory and the Gamecocks later converted a fourth-and-one at the KSU 21 on a five-yard Cook run, but the 10-play drive stalled when Creel's pass intended for tight end Pearson Baldwin was picked off in the end zone.
 
Kennesaw State (10-3) struck paydirt first following the Gamecocks' turnover. The Owls went 80 yards in 11 plays with Coleman Bennett plunging in for a three-yard TD and Britton Williams adding the extra point for a 7-0 at the 13:03 mark in the second quarter.
 
Jax State came away without points on the ensuing possession after getting to Kennesaw State's 9. The Gamecocks tried to keep the drive on a fourth-and-1, but Cook was swarmed by multiple Owls for a four-yard loss to turn it over.
 
A short punt and subsequent targeting penalty against the Gamecocks put Kennesaw State in scoring position as time wound down in the second half, but the threat ended on an intentional grounding penalty. Jax State went to the locker room trailing 7-0.
 
The Gamecocks did outgain Kennesaw State 143-131 through the first 30 minutes, with Creel accounting for 128 scrimmage yards (65 passing, 63 on the ground).
 
Williams capped a five‑minute scoring drive to start the third quarter with a 38‑yard field goal, extending the visitors' lead to 10‑0. Odom completed all five of his passes on the 11-play drive.
 
A third trip to the Kennesaw State red zone midway through the third quarter failed to produce points. The Gamecocks moved from their 25 to the Owls 18 in 11-plays, but Garrison Rippa's 35-yard field goal try went wide right, leaving the deficit at 10 points entering the fourth quarter.
 
Odom was stopped on fourth down just shy of the goal line with 12:40 remaining to keep the Gamecocks' hopes alive. But Cook was dropped for a safety in the end zone on first down to give Kennesaw State a 12-0 lead with 12½ minutes to go.
 
Rippa, who kicked off following the safety, knocked the ball loose from the returner and Jayke Jones came up with the fumble just inside Owls territory. Jax State inserted Gavin Wimsatt into the lineup alongside Creel at quarterback and his presence provided a spark to the offense.
 
"It was a big play," Kelly said of his kicker's forced fumble. "We had not gotten any turnovers at that point and it gave us field position. We took advantage of the field position and it was a momentum boost."
 
Cook's 16^th touchdown of the season capped a quick seven-play, 48-yard drive after the fumble recovery. Cook's one-yard run and Rippa's extra point drew the Gamecocks to within 12-7 with 10:20 remaining.
 
Creel's 19-yard scramble to the end zone and two-point conversion pass to Johnson gave the Gamecocks their first lead, 15-12, with 4:04 to go in regulation.
 
Walker O'Steen and Mac Sanders each had a game-high 11 tackles to lead Jax State's defense.

The Gamecocks will learn their bowl destination and opponent on Sunday, following the College Football Playoff Selection Show on ESPN.
 
Seven CUSA teams, including first-year FBS members Missouri State and Delaware, are eligible for bids.
 
Jax State Postgame Notes – vs. Kennesaw State, CUSA Championship Game
December 5, 2025 • Burgess-Snow Field at AmFirst Stadium • Jacksonville, Ala.

• Jax State Captains: Sophomore guard Bubba Grayson, redshirt senior receiver Brock Rechsteiner, senior tight end Harrison Hamsley, junior safety Travis Franklin Jr.
• The CUSA Championship Game marks the sixth time Jax State has played on a Friday night since the 2014 season opener, including the 40-point rout of Western Kentucky in last year's title game. The Gamecocks are now 4-2 when playing on Friday.
• Cam Cook has 53 rushes of 10 yards or more this season, most among all FBS players. The Gamecocks as a team have 108 carries of at least 10 yards, also most among all FBS teams.
• Cook moved past Tre Stewart (1,638 yards in 2024) into second place on Jax State's career rushing list with 1,659. He needs 130 yards in the Gamecocks' bowl game to surpass Troymaine Pope as the school's all-time leading rusher in a season.
• Cook, with six carries in a bowl game, can surpass Boyce Callahan's record of 300 rushing attempts in 1970.
• Friday was only the third time in program history that the Gamecocks played on December 5, with both previous games at AmFirst Stadium. Jax State beat New Haven 46-35 in the NCAA Division II semifinals on Dec. 5, 1992, and knocked off No. 7 Chattanooga 41-35 in OT on Dec. 5, 2015.
• Only three teams have won back-to-back CUSA titles: East Carolina (2008-09), Western Kentucky (2015-16) and UTSA (2021-22).
• Jax State has an 8-5 record for the first time in program history.
• Teams making their second appearance in the Conference USA Championship Game have a 6-5 record. In four previous matchups (2007, 2009, 2016, 2019), both participants were appearing in the Championship Game for a second time.
• Four of the last five CUSA Championship Games have now been won by programs making their first appearance, including Jax State's win over Western Kentucky in 2024.
• Jax State had won 11 straight games at AmFirst Stadium and 16 of its last 18 dating back to the start of the 2023 season prior to Friday's loss.
• The Gamecocks are 21-5 against CUSA opponents since joining the conference in 2023. Jax State has never lost back-to-back games vs. conference foes.
• Jacksonville State entered the night as the only FBS team leading its conference in points scored, fewest turnovers and fewest times sacked (excluding the Pac-12). The only CUSA teams to finish a season leading all three categories were FIU in 2018 and Tulane in 1997.
• Running back Justus Savage appeared in his fifth game of the season in the fourth quarter, running for three yards and then throwing an incomplete pass.
• The Owls became the first CUSA team to ever shut out Jax State in a half.
• The temperature at kickoff was 43 degrees – 11 degrees warmer than the 2024 CUSA Championship Game at AmFirst Stadium.