Jacksonville State Gamecocks at New Mexico State Aggies

Jacksonville State is chasing another CUSA title. New Mexico State is just chasing four wins. This midweek clash could get lopsided fast.

Bush’s Picks

JXSTNMSU

JXSTNMSU

OverUnder

Best BetJacksonville State

Jacksonville State brings back its quarterback, its defensive identity, and a coach who just took the program to a conference title game. New Mexico State is trusting a new starting quarterback to fix an offense that couldn't score last year. Until the Aggies prove otherwise, the Gamecocks are the safer side to back outright.

Jacksonville State

• +9-4 record, reached CUSA title game last year
• +Creel returns with 2,500+ total yards last season
• +Defense forced a turnover in every game last year
• −Lost 1,700-yard rusher Cam Cook to West Virginia
• −Replacing 3 all-conference defensive linemen
• −Sophomore Lando unproven as feature back

New Mexico State

• +TK King led CUSA at 73.5 receiving yards/game
• +Linebackers Gethers and Aupiu both return
• +Transfer QB Hedden threw for 4,734 FCS yards
• −2nd-worst scoring offense in CUSA last year (21.6 PPG)
• −Led the conference in turnovers committed
• −Sanchez has never had a winning season in 7 years

Charles Kelly's second year in Jacksonville has been about proving 2025 wasn't a fluke. The Gamecocks reached the CUSA Championship Game and won 9 games despite replacing almost the entire starting lineup, and quarterback Caleb Creel returns after accounting for over 2,500 total yards and 16 touchdowns. The catch: bell-cow back Cam Cook and his 1,700 yards are gone to West Virginia, leaving sophomore Khristian Lando to try to replicate a run game that powered 7 wins in 9 games when it hit 250 yards on the ground.

New Mexico State's plan hinges on a new arm. Furman transfer Trey Hedden takes over after throwing for 4,734 yards and 30 touchdowns at the FCS level, and he'll lean on TK King, whose 73.5 receiving yards per game led all of Conference USA a year ago. Tony Sanchez is still hunting his first winning season in Las Cruces, and an offense that managed just 21.6 points per game last year, second-worst in the league, needs Hedden to be an instant fix.

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JXST Jacksonville State

NMSU New Mexico State

This one lands on a Wednesday night slate, the kind of midweek CUSA game that rarely moves the national needle but matters plenty inside the conference race. Jacksonville State's path back to the title game likely runs through games exactly like this one — the ones it's supposed to win comfortably.

Jacksonville State Gamecocks

Oct 13?vs Florida International—

Oct 7?@ Kennesaw State—

Sep 26?vs Middle Tennessee—

Sep 19?vs Georgia Southern—

Sep 12?@ Ohio—

Sep 5?vs Eastern Kentucky—

Aug 29?@ North Dakota State—

New Mexico State Aggies

Oct 21?@ Sam Houston—

Oct 7?@ Florida International—

Oct 1?vs Western Kentucky—

Sep 26?vs New Mexico—

Sep 12?@ Hawai'i—

Sep 5?vs Mercyhurst—

Aug 29?@ Florida State—

The turnover battle is where this could get ugly for New Mexico State. Jacksonville State's defense forced a takeaway in all 14 games last season, anchored by linebacker Mac Sanders and his 85 tackles. The Aggies, meanwhile, coughed the ball up more than anyone else in the conference. That's not a matchup that favors the team still breaking in a transfer quarterback.

Jacksonville State Gamecocks

(0)

Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report

New Mexico State Aggies

(0)

Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report

None of this guarantees a laugher. Jacksonville State lost three all-conference pieces off its defensive line and is still figuring out its interior run game without Cook. But on paper, this looks like a program with real continuity against one still searching for its first winning season under Sanchez.