Who’s Playing
Jacksonville State Gamecocks @ Sam Houston Bearkats
Current Records: Jacksonville State 3-1, Sam Houston 0-3
How To Watch
- When: Thursday, September 28, 2023 at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Elliot T. Bowers Stadium — Huntsville, Texas
- TV: ESPN University
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
What to Know
The Jacksonville State Gamecocks and the Sam Houston Bearkats will dust off their jerseys to challenge one another at 8:00 p.m. ET on September 28th at Elliot T. Bowers Stadium. Despite being away, Jacksonville State are looking at a 6.5-point advantage in the spread.
Last Saturday, Jacksonville State got themselves on the board against Eastern Michigan, but Eastern Michigan never followed suit. Jacksonville State blew past Eastern Michigan 21-0.
Logan Smothers continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, throwing for 93 yards and a touchdown, and also rushing for 118 yards and a touchdown. Malik Jackson was another key contributor, rushing for 127 yards.
Meanwhile, Sam Houston’s recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their fifth straight loss. They were dealt a punishing 38-7 defeat at the hands of Houston. Sam Houston was down at the end of the third quarter and they stayed that way after failing to score in the fourth.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, the Bearkats weren’t very productive in the air and finished the game with only 126 passing yards. They were dismantled by their opponents in that department as Houston threw for 352.
What a start it’s been for Jacksonville State: they’ve won three of their first four matches so far this season, giving them a steller 3-1 record. To be fair, it’s not like the team was facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 2-2 Eastern Michigan (Jacksonville State’s opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 37.5% over those games). Sam Houston’s loss on Saturday dropped their record down to 0-3.
Sam Houston will be fighting an uphill battle on Thursday as the experts have pegged them as the 6.5-point underdog. This contest will be their third straight as the underdogs (a stretch that saw them go 2-1 against the spread).
Odds
Jacksonville State is a solid 6.5-point favorite against Sam Houston, according to the latest college football odds.
The oddsmakers are predicting a defensive showdown and set the over/under low at 36.5 points.
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Series History
Sam Houston and Jacksonville State both have 1 win in their last 2 games.
- Oct 23, 2021 – Sam Houston 42 vs. Jacksonville State 7
- Dec 19, 2015 – Jacksonville State 62 vs. Sam Houston 10
