Jacksonville State Travels to New Mexico State for High-Stakes Conference USA Clash

Jacksonville State travels to Las Cruces on Tuesday, Oct. 28, to face New Mexico State in a Conference USA matchup that carries heavy implications for the league standings. The game begins at 8 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN2. Local forecasts predict a low near 56 degrees with light, variable winds. Jacksonville State holds a 3-0 record in conference play, tied for first with Liberty. New Mexico State sits at 2-1. The Gamecocks are listed as 2-1 favorites at minus 200 to reach the CUSA Championship Game for a third consecutive year. The Aggies are plus 500 to reach the title game for the second time in program history. Liberty plays New Mexico State on Nov. 7 but does not face Jacksonville State in the regular season, leaving the loser of this contest in a precarious position.

Jacksonville State arrives on a four-game winning streak, though three of those victories were decided by four points or fewer. The team secured a 27-24 home win over Florida International on Oct. 13. Quarterback Caden Creel completed a 34-yard third-down pass to Ronnel Johnson that reached Florida International's 8-yard line during the sixth game-winning drive of his career. Garrison Rippa kicked a 26-yard field goal with 44 seconds remaining. Florida International missed a 49-yard attempt as time expired. Rippa has made 47 career field goals, two shy of the school record. His six game-winning kicks in the final minute of regulation or overtime set a CUSA record. Since moving to the FBS in 2023, Jacksonville State has won eight games with a score in the final minute of regulation or overtime.

The Gamecocks extended the nation's longest streak of consecutive games with a rushing touchdown to 65 on a four-yard run by Justus Savage. The next-longest active streak belongs to FCS Montana State at 40. Creel threw two touchdown passes against Florida International and has produced at least two total touchdowns in six straight games. He is the only FBS quarterback averaging at least 225 passing yards and 70 rushing yards per game. Jacksonville State is 13-1 in weekday CUSA games, the league's best mark over the past four years. The team's only loss in that span came against Liberty in 2023. The defense has allowed a touchdown in the final 1 minute and 41 seconds of the first half in all six games against FBS opponents.

New Mexico State holds a 5-1 all-time record at home in weekday CUSA games. The Aggies won 30-24 at Sam Houston last week for their first road victory of the season. They had lost their first three away games by double digits. Tailback James Jones rushed for 178 yards and a touchdown in that win. That is the highest total by an Aggies back since November 2019. Jones has surpassed 2,000 career rushing yards across FBS and FCS play. He leads CUSA with 111.0 rushing yards per game, ranking 10th nationally.

The Aggies average 151.4 rushing yards per game, second in the league. That is a sharp increase from 77.3 per game in 2025, when they finished last in the country. New Mexico State has topped 200 rushing yards three times this season and won each of those games. Jacksonville State allows 156.4 rushing yards per game. The Aggies' run defense allows 109.1 rushing yards per game, tops in CUSA and 30th nationally. In conference games alone, they give up 51.3 rushing yards per game, the best figure among FBS teams in league play. That is 16.7 fewer than Miami of Ohio's 68.0. It is the first season since at least 1994 that New Mexico State has held four opponents under 75 rushing yards.

Each of Jacksonville State's last seven road CUSA games has been decided by seven points or fewer. The SportsLine model projects a 27-24 win for the Gamecocks. Jacksonville State is a 3.5-point favorite. The series is tied 1-1, and the teams last met in 2024.