G5 Football Daily

Cure Bowl - Ohio Bobcats vs. Jacksonville State Gamecocks: How To Watch, Preview, Time/Date, Storylines

In a battle of the interim head coaches, who will come out on top

Kevin Barral

Jacksonville State's Tre Stewart tries to evade the tackle of Western Kentucky's Terreance Ellis during the C-USA Championship at AmFirst Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama , Alabama December 6, 2024. (Dave Hyatt / Hyatt Media LLC)
Jacksonville State's Tre Stewart tries to evade the tackle of Western Kentucky's Terreance Ellis during the C-USA Championship at AmFirst Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama , Alabama December 6, 2024. (Dave Hyatt / Hyatt Media LLC) / Dave Hyatt / Special to the Gadsden Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
In this story:

Two teams that won their respective conference championships are set to take each other on in Orlando. Both Ohio and Jacksonville State enter periods of transition following the departures of their respective head coaches. Who picks up the win and gets a little extra momentum heading into the offseason?

Jacksonville State Gamecocks (9-4, 7-1 Conference USA) @ Ohio Bobcats (10-3, 7-1 MAC)

Date: Friday, December 20

Time: 12:00 PM ET // 11:00 AM CT

Location: Camping World Stadium - Orlando, FL

TV: ESPN

Betting Line: Ohio -3.5 on FanDuel

Storylines

Interim Head Coaches Set To Face Off

Within the last week, Tim Ablin, longtime Bobcats head coach took the job at Charlotte and Rich Rodriguez went back to his old stomping grounds in West Virginia.

Taking over for the Bobcats will be offensive coordinator Brian Smith. For the Gamecocks, it'll be offensive line coach Rod Smith.

Two Offenses With A Lot In Common

For the Bobcats, their offense averages 29.2 points per game, second most in the Mid-American Conference. They are the top rushing offense in that league and #12 in the country, averaging 212.2 yards per game.

Meanwhile, Jax State has the top rushing offense in Conference USA and is #2 in the country in that category, averaging 267.3 yards on the ground. Unlike the Bobcats, the Gamecocks average 36.7 points per game. Their 52-12 win over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers marked their third game in 2024 where they scored over 50 points.

The main difference between these two teams is how they win games. The Gamecocks run up the scoreboard while the Bobcats will likely need to win it through their defense, which ranks second in the MAC, but will need help from their run game.

1,000-Yard rushers On Both Teams

This matchup will feature four 1,000-yard rushers: Running back Tre Stewart and quarterback Tyler Huff for Jax State, and Anthony Tyus III and Parker Navarro for Ohio.

Stewart, a senior transfer out of Limestone University, a Division II school is in his first season with the Gamecocks. He became their first 1,000-yard rusher since 2017 when running back Roc Thomas ran for 1,097 yards. Stewart finished the season with 1,604 rushing yards, at the top of Conference USA and third-most in the country behind North Carolina's Omarion Hampton and Heisman finalist Ashton Jeanty.

Huff, a senior transfer from Furman is also in his first season with the Gamecocks. He was named Conference USA MVP and Newcomer of the Year for this efforts this year. He became the first Jax State quarterback since Eli Jenkins in 2016 to rush for over 1,000 yards. Huff also finished the season with 1,343 yards and 14 touchdowns. The QB had the second most rushing yards in the conference, just behind his teammate Tre Stewart. Through the air, Huff completed 157 passes for 2,179 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.

After a three-year stint at Northwestern, Anthony Tyus III decided to transfer to Ohio and had a career season, rushing for 1,111 yards and nine touchdowns. Tyus led the MAC in rushing yards and attempts. He became the school's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2022.

Graduate student Parker Navarro had to wait for his turn to become the Bobcats starter. After transferring over from UCF in 2022, he only appeared in two games. When current Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke went down in 2023, he had to take over, appearing in six games and making one start. This season, Navarro started in 12 games and threw for 2,169 yards, 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. It was what he did on the ground that especially stood out, running for 1,041 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Where Ohio Has The Advantage

These are two teams who ran the ball more than anyone in their respective conferences, but making sure you stop the run is another key factor for Friday's game. For Ohio, that could be their biggest advantage as they have the top rush defense in the MAC and fourth-best in the country, allowing 95.8 rushing yards per game.

For the Gamecocks, they have had their struggles stopping the run this season, but still rank fourth amongst Conference USA, surrendering 170.2 rushing yards per game.

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Kevin Barral
KEVIN BARRAL

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