COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Jacksonville State 52, Western Kentucky 12
ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Tre Stewart ran for 201 yards and three touchdowns and Tyler Huff threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third as Jacksonville State rolled to its first Conference USA championship, dominating Western Kentucky 52-12 on Friday night.
Jacksonville State (9-4) wins the conference title in just its second season as an FBS member and avenged a 19-17 loss to the Hilltoppers (8-5) in the regular-season finale.
Lucas Carneiro opened the game with a 54-yard field goal on the game’s opening drive, but Jacksonville State answered with a six-play, 75-yard drive for the go-ahead touchdown. Huff broke free for a 48-yard gain to give the Gamecocks a first-and-goal at the 8-yard line and Huff hit Sean Brown for the final six yards to take a lead they never surrendered.
Jacksonville State stopped Caden Veltkamp on fourth-and-one at the Western Kentucky 42, then needed just six plays to reach the end zone to take a 14-3 lead. Tyler Huff hit Stewart for seven yards on fourth down and 5 at the WKU 37 to keep the drive alive, then threw a 26-yard fade to a wide-open Cam Vaughn for the touchdown.
Stewart scored on a pair of short runs in the second quarter before Carneiro kicked a 44-yard field goal as time expired in the half for a a 28-6 lead. Huff added a 3-yard run to the end zone in the third quarter and Stewart added a 29-yard run for his third touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Huff completed 11 of 15 passes for 176 yards and carried 23 times for 167 yards. Stewart carried 27 times and caught three passes for 54 yards. Vaughn caught four passes for 91 yards.
Veltkamp was 18-of-30 passing for 141 yards and a touchdown for the Hilltoppers. Elijah Young carried 19 times for 108 yards.
Jacksonville State athletics press release
December 6, 2024