Saturday, September 5
JACKSONVILLE
6 p.m.
Jax State
vs
Eastern Kentucky
Photo by: Emily Kish / Jax State
Gamecocks Welcome EKU Back to AmFirst Stadium
9/4/2026 8:46:00 PM | Football
JACKSONVILLE—For the 20th time, Jax State takes on Eastern Kentucky in football.
The teams have met 10 times previously in Jacksonville with the Gamecocks winning six of those matchups and 11 total in the series history.
This will be the first meeting since the Gamecocks made the move to Conference USA and the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Jax State will be looking to win its second consecutive home opener and are in search of their 86th win at AmFirst Stadium over their last 105 games.
They'll be trying to put the season opener at North Dakota State in the rear view mirror. The Colonels also suffered a Week 0 loss at Western Carolina.
"As you watch the film, it was a lot like our game," said EKU coach Walt Wells. "The first half was closer than you think and you get in the second half and some things kind of imploded, but you can tell they're talented."
EKU was led by quarterback Tyler Travers who passed for 305 yards and three touchdowns in his first collegiate start last week.
"The main thing was we never got in any rhythm and there were a lot of reasons for that," said Jax State coach Charles Kelly, who went on to point at negative plays and penalties in key situations as the main culprit.
Punter Conor Donaghy was named the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 46.4 yards per punt and landed three inside the NDSU 15-yard line with two stopping inside the 10.
Kickoff at AmFirst Stadium is at 6 p.m. with tickets still available at JaxStateSports.com/tickets.
The teams have met 10 times previously in Jacksonville with the Gamecocks winning six of those matchups and 11 total in the series history.
This will be the first meeting since the Gamecocks made the move to Conference USA and the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Jax State will be looking to win its second consecutive home opener and are in search of their 86th win at AmFirst Stadium over their last 105 games.
They'll be trying to put the season opener at North Dakota State in the rear view mirror. The Colonels also suffered a Week 0 loss at Western Carolina.
"As you watch the film, it was a lot like our game," said EKU coach Walt Wells. "The first half was closer than you think and you get in the second half and some things kind of imploded, but you can tell they're talented."
EKU was led by quarterback Tyler Travers who passed for 305 yards and three touchdowns in his first collegiate start last week.
"The main thing was we never got in any rhythm and there were a lot of reasons for that," said Jax State coach Charles Kelly, who went on to point at negative plays and penalties in key situations as the main culprit.
Punter Conor Donaghy was named the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 46.4 yards per punt and landed three inside the NDSU 15-yard line with two stopping inside the 10.
Kickoff at AmFirst Stadium is at 6 p.m. with tickets still available at JaxStateSports.com/tickets.
Players Mentioned
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