Burgess–Snow Field at AmFirst Stadium. September 26th, 2025. Photo Credit: Thomson200/WikiMedia Graphic Created by Tye Brown
Sentinel sports writer Lance Warren spoke with AL.com’s Thomas Ashworth to preview football’s upcoming matchup with Jacksonville State
Lance Warren: Jacksonville State is 5-0 in conference play. How have they been able to get where they have so far this season?
Thomas Ashworth: Yeah, first year head coach Charles Kelly came in this offseason replacing Rich Rodriguez, but I still think that Jax State had really high expectations despite a ton of turnover. I mean, they had like one scholarship quarterback and one scholarship cornerback on the roster when Kelly got there, so they had a lot of turnover and a lot to make up for from last season’s Conference USA Championship team. But, like you said, 5-0 in conference play doesn’t happen by mistake. They started out the season kind of rough with the UCF loss, the Georgia Southern loss and Southern Miss loss, all those in non-conference play, but I think they’ve had some encouraging wins as well such as Liberty to open the season. The Liberty win looks a little bit worse with how Liberty’s going this season, but, I think that they’ve kind of shown that they can play all 60 minutes, and especially last week against UTEP came down to some clutch plays. Same thing against Middle Tennessee. Their real best game of the season, as far as the most complete, was against Delaware, a 38-25 win at home. This team is a little bit different at home. I think they have more of an edge, so I think that will, hopefully, for Jax State at least, provide a little bit of a spark when they’re playing Kennesaw State this week. But it’s no accident that they’re 5-0 in conference play. They’ve come in clutch and it’s coaching cliche but they do play a complete 60 minutes of football, and the effort is certainly there under Coach Kelly.
LW: Who are some of the key players that Kennesaw State fans should be watching out for on Jax state?
TA: You have to start with Cam Cook. He’s the nation’s leading rusher, and arguably one of the best running backs in college football. He sits at well over 1,000 yards, he’s number one in the nation in rushing with 12 touchdowns, I think, as of right now and just having a ridiculous year. He’s also one of Jax State’s best receivers, in my opinion. He’s made some nice catches and he’s one of the best players in college football this season. On the defensive side Trevor Woods is a safety who I don’t think gets enough appreciation. He’s done a phenomenal job for Jax State this season, been one of the best overall Group of Five safeties so far and does a really good job both in coverage and tackling. He’s everywhere on the field almost at times, so he’s done a really good job. He transferred from Colorado and played under Coach Kelly at Colorado on defense. The defensive line as a whole, I think, is a strength of the team, they’re a really veteran group that had a lot of playing time, even before the season, and that’s kind of the one unit that really stuck together well through the coaching transition. Emmanuel Oyebadejo is a guy who looks like he could play at the next level. Darrell Prater is a pass rusher and Jawaun Campbell, Gharin Stansbury, guys like that, that are coming back from last year, have really made the difference on defense. I think that’s one of the strengths as far as a whole unit that Jax state has.
LW: When it comes to play style, what is Jax State trying to do on both sides of the ball?
TA: Obviously they’re going to run the ball on offense with Cam Cook being the force that he is, but Caden Creel, the quarterback, is a guy who does an excellent job when he can get outside the pocket. He’s a shifty and athletic quarterback. Last week against UTEP he ran for 134 yards to lead all players in that game on 13 attempts. So, they’re going to run the ball behind what I think has been a very good offensive line as well. They’ve done a really good job blocking in front of Creel and Cam Cook as well as running backs Khristian Lando and Andrew Paul. On defense, they’re really physical. The defensive line is a strength of the team, and the secondary has also made some really good plays in coverage as well. Tre ‘Quon Fegans and Tyrin Taylor at cornerback have done a pretty solid job for Jax State this season, and they play really aggressive, physical football. That’s the brand that Coach Kelly and defensive coordinator Brian Williams bring to the table. There’s a lot to like on defense and I think the offense is almost, I don’t want to say it’s exactly like last year, just because Rich Rodriguez is such a run-heavy mind, but it’s definitely similar and they’re going to run the ball and they’re going to likely do it effectively, just because they’ve been doing that all season.
LW: What matchup advantages and disadvantages do you think each team pose for each other?
TA: For Kennesaw State, I think something that can be exploited is the passing game. Jax State is still kind of figuring it out a little bit. They were able to make some plays against UTEP, but I don’t think they’ve found their true identity in the passing game quite yet. They’re some veteran receivers in the room like Brock Rechsteiner, Caleb Coombs, Michael Pettway and Gabe Glover who’s a true freshman had some plays last week against UTEP, but I think that they’re still trying to find that true identity in the passing game. That’s something that has to be a factor for Jax State if they want to keep it competitive. As for Kennesaw, the defense is exceptional. They’ve done a really good job, and I think that the defensive line will provide a challenge for Cam Cook. I don’t know if he’s seen a defensive line other than UCF, like Kennesaw has, at least on paper, so that’ll provide a challenge for both Cook and Creel. But again, I think that when you’re facing one of the best players in the country, Kennesaw State’s going to have to take advantage of those third and long situations and get some tackles for loss, which they’ve done this season, but with any other running back what might be a tackle for loss is a 20-yard gain for Cam Cook. It’s just the nature of how he plays, and how talented he is, so I think it starts with Cam Cook when you’re talking about what Kennesaw State needs to watch for. I also think the Jax State secondary is a factor and they’ve played pretty well as of recent. That’s going to be a factor for a Kennesaw State team that can pass the ball effectively, so I do think that there’s pretty interesting matchups on both sides.
LW: Lastly, how do you see the game unfolding, and could I get a final score prediction?
TA: This is probably the most interesting game that will happen in Conference USA this season as far as the stakes and quality of the teams. If you look on paper, Jax State has had some close calls against some really bad teams such as Sam Houston, Middle Tennessee and UTEP, but for Kennesaw State, again, you’re getting Jax State at home, and I think that’s a big thing. They’re just a different team at home, and I think they’re excited to be at home, but this is a really good Kennesaw State team they’re facing, and I think they’ve done an excellent job over there. But I do like Jax State in this one personally, I ought to probably put it at like 21-17. I think it’ll be a really physical game that’ll just come down to those 3rd and long situations and whoever can make more plays.
