BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Football will face Jax State on Friday, Dec. 6, in the Conference USA Championship Game at AmFirst Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be televised nationally on CBSSN.
GAME INFO
- WKU (8-4 overall, 6-2 CUSA) vs. Jax State (8-4 overall, 7-1 CUSA)
- Friday, Dec. 6 | 6 p.m. CT | AmFirst Stadium | Jacksonville, Ala.
- Watch: CBSSN (PxP: Rich Waltz | Analyst: Robert Turbin | Reporter: Amanda Guerra)
- Listen: SAM 100.7 FM/Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee | Analyst: Terry Obee | Reporter: Jared Holland)
- Social: @WKUFootball | @WKUSports
- Live Stats: jsu.statbroadcast.com
- Game Notes: WKU | Jax State | CUSA
ABOUT THE TOPS
- WKU Football made it to the Conference USA Championship Game after Lucas Carneiro made a 50-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining to give the Hilltoppers a 19-17 win over Jax State in the regular-season finale on Saturday, Nov. 30 at Houchens-Smith Stadium. Carneiro kicked four field goals in the win, including two 50-yarders, and WKU outgained Jax State 426-328. Caden Veltkamp threw for 301 yards and a touchdown on 28-47-0 passing, and Elijah Young tallied 169 all-purpose yards – 91 rushing on 19 attempts and 78 receiving on seven catches. The win snapped Jax State's eight-game winning streak and WKU's two-game losing streak.
- The Hilltoppers will be playing in the Conference USA Championship Game for the fourth time since joining the league. WKU's four CUSA Championship Game appearances are tied for the most in the conference's history. The last time the Hilltoppers played for the CUSA title was in 2021, when they fell to UTSA 49-41 in San Antonio, Texas. WKU claimed back-to-back CUSA titles in 2015 and 2016 in games played at Houchens-Smith Stadium.
- WKU kicker Lucas Carneiro has posted one of the best seasons by a kicker in WKU and CUSA history. The redshirt sophomore was named CUSA's Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday after kicking four field goals in the win over Jax State, including the 50-yard game winner. It was his league-leading third CUSA weekly award of the season. He was also named CUSA's Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year prior to the start of the season, and in November was named a Lou Groza Award semifinalist. Carneiro is 15-for-16 on field goals this season, with a program-record 15 consecutive makes, and is 39-for-39 on PATs. Carneiro has gone 5-for-5 on field goals of 50-plus yards, including two 50-yard makes against Jax State in the regular season and a career-best 54-yard make against UTEP. Since 1996, Carneiro is the only CUSA kicker to go 100% on kicks of 50 or more yards on five or more attempts. No other kicker in CUSA has gone perfect from 50 yards out on more than three attempts in a season since 1996. Four others in CUSA have gone 3-for-3 from 50-plus yards since 1996 – Matt Hogan at Houston in 2012, Kevin Fitzpatrick at Tulsa in 2011, Stephen Gostkowski at Memphis in 2005 and Seth Marler at Tulane in 2001. Current WKU Head Coach Tyson Helton coached tight ends/special teams at Memphis during that 2005 season.
- Dalvin Smith has 20 touchdown receptions in his WKU career after catching a 9-yard scoring pass against Liberty. The 20 touchdown receptions are seventh most in program history. Only Willie McNeal (21), Porter Williams (21), Eddie Preston (22), Nicholas Norris (26), Malachi Corley (29) and Taywan Taylor (41) have more touchdown receptions in their WKU career than Smith.
- WKU became bowl eligible for the sixth time in six seasons under Tyson Helton with its 31-14 win over Kennesaw State. The win marked the first time WKU has become bowl eligible before November under Helton and the first time the program has become bowl eligible before November since 2016. WKU became bowl eligible in October three times before – in 2012, 2015 and 2016. WKU is one of only 16 programs that played in a bowl game each of the five seasons from 2019-23, and one of only seven programs to win a bowl game each year from 2021-23.
QUOTABLE
- "Very excited to go to the Conference USA Championship and play an excellent football team in Jacksonville State. It's been a long road to get there. I'm very proud of our football team and what they've been able to accomplish to get to this part. Now we need to go win it. It will be a great challenge for us, but we're excited and ready for that opportunity." – WKU Football Head Coach Tyson Helton, on facing Jax State in the Conference USA Championship Game.
SERIES INFORMATION
- Saturday's game will be the eighth all-time between WKU and Jax State. The Hilltoppers lead the series 5-2 after defeating the Gamecocks 19-17 last week in the regular-season finale to advance to the CUSA Championship Game. Last year's meeting – the first as CUSA foes – marked the first time the two programs had played since 2003. The Gamecocks won that meeting last season 20-17 in Jacksonville, Alabama.
SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
- Jax State is in its second season as an FBS program and a member of CUSA. In Jax State's first season as an FBS program, it went 9-4 and beat Louisiana in the New Orleans Bowl.
- The Gamecocks are 8-4 overall and 7-1 in CUSA play this season, after falling to WKU last weekend in the regular-season finale. The other three losses came in their first three games against Coastal Carolina, at then-No. 22 Louisville and at Eastern Michigan. Since then, they've reeled off eight consecutive wins.
- Rich Rodriguez is in his third season as Jax State's head coach. He has gone 26-10 with the Gamecocks and 188-129-2 during his 27-year head coaching career.
- Jax State has the top scoring offense in CUSA at 35.4 points per game. The 35.4 points per game rank 18th nationally. The Gamecocks rank sixth in CUSA defensively with 27 points allowed per game this season.
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