Saturday, August 29
Fargo, N.D.
4:30 p.m.
Jax State
at
North Dakota State
Photo by: Emily Kish / Jax State
Gamecocks Open 2026 Season with 2015 Title Rematch
8/29/2026 8:00:00 AM | Football
FARGO, N.D.—Jax State takes on North Dakota State in front of a national audience on the first Saturday of the 2026 college football season.
The Gamecocks are participating in one of just eight FBS games taking place today.
A year ago, Jax State was 9-5 and hosted the Conference USA Championship for the second time in as many years and defeated Troy in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl in Montgomery for its second bowl win in three years.
Fifty players who contributed to that team return in 2026, highlighted by seven returning starters on defense and five on offense. According to Phil Steele, Jax State returns 59.6% of its defensive big plays from a year ago which is 13th-most in the nation. Cornerback Tre'Quon Fegans and safety Caleb Nix both appeared on the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award watch list. Fegans is also on the Bronko Nagurski Award list and Nix is on the Chuck Bednarik list.
On offense, quarterback Caden Creel returns after making nine starts a year ago and winning seven of them. He's the league's leading returning rusher with 1,076 yards on the ground last year and became the only CUSA quarterback in the last decade with multiple rushes of 70+ yards in a season according to Stats Perform.
The last time Jax State started the season 1-0 was when they were in the position their opponent is in today—making their FBS debut at home.
North Dakota State has won 18 national championships in the history of their program and announced a move to the FBS and Mountain West conference just over six months ago. The Bison have racked up an impressive 101-22-5 record in their home openers and have won 27 in a row.
Coach Tim Polasek returns the services of DJ Scott who averaged 5.3 yards per carry and scored six touchdowns last season. Donovan Woolen is the top returning defender who posted 86 total tackles, five for loss, three interceptions, and recovered a fumble for a group that was No. 1 in the FCS in scoring defense.
Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. Central on CBS Sports Network and the Gamecock Sports Network.
The Gamecocks are participating in one of just eight FBS games taking place today.
A year ago, Jax State was 9-5 and hosted the Conference USA Championship for the second time in as many years and defeated Troy in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl in Montgomery for its second bowl win in three years.
Fifty players who contributed to that team return in 2026, highlighted by seven returning starters on defense and five on offense. According to Phil Steele, Jax State returns 59.6% of its defensive big plays from a year ago which is 13th-most in the nation. Cornerback Tre'Quon Fegans and safety Caleb Nix both appeared on the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award watch list. Fegans is also on the Bronko Nagurski Award list and Nix is on the Chuck Bednarik list.
On offense, quarterback Caden Creel returns after making nine starts a year ago and winning seven of them. He's the league's leading returning rusher with 1,076 yards on the ground last year and became the only CUSA quarterback in the last decade with multiple rushes of 70+ yards in a season according to Stats Perform.
The last time Jax State started the season 1-0 was when they were in the position their opponent is in today—making their FBS debut at home.
North Dakota State has won 18 national championships in the history of their program and announced a move to the FBS and Mountain West conference just over six months ago. The Bison have racked up an impressive 101-22-5 record in their home openers and have won 27 in a row.
Coach Tim Polasek returns the services of DJ Scott who averaged 5.3 yards per carry and scored six touchdowns last season. Donovan Woolen is the top returning defender who posted 86 total tackles, five for loss, three interceptions, and recovered a fumble for a group that was No. 1 in the FCS in scoring defense.
Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. Central on CBS Sports Network and the Gamecock Sports Network.
Players Mentioned
Tuesday, August 25
Friday, August 14
Friday, August 14
Thursday, August 13
