CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
WESTERN KENTUCKY HILLTOPPERS vs JACKSONVILLE STATE GAMECOCVKS
SERIES HISTORY
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.
WESTERN KENTUCKY HILLTOPPERS NOTES
LAST TIME OUT
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.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
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.
SPECIAL TEAMS, SPECIAL PLAYER
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.
BOWL ELIGIBILITY
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.
JACKSONVILLE STATE GAMECOCVKS NOTES
Quick Hits
• The 2024 season marks the second year as a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Conference USA for Jax State. The Gamecocks posted a 6-2 record last season in Conference USA play which was their first season as members of the league and have followed it up with a 7-1 mark this season. • Jax State is bowl-eligible in each of its first two FBS seasons, becoming the first team to reach bowl games in each of its first two seasons at the FBS level since Marshall in 1997 and 1998. • The Gamecocks clinched a spot in the Conference USA championship game in their first year eligible to do so with a win over Sam Houston. Jax State is the 13th different school to host the Conference USA title game in 20 years. • Jax State is in search of its 26th conference championship in program history. • Each of the last five games Jax State has played was decided by 10 points or less. • This game marks a program-record 10th nationally televised game this season. • This is the first time the Gamecocks have played consecutive games against an opponent since ending the 2004 season in the NCAA I-AA Playoffs at Furman and opening the 2005 season against them. The last time the Gamecocks played a team in back-to-back games in the same season was in 1920 (Anniston). After winning 6-0 on October 31, Jax State tied Anniston 0-0 Nov. 25.
Gamecocks Running For 100
The Gamecocks have run for over 100 yards in 35 of the 36 games in the Rich Rodriguez Era, including 18 games of over 200 yards, six with over 300 rushing yards and one with over 500. Jax State has now rushed for 100 yards in 122 of its 134 games since 2013 and has ran for at least 100 yards in 39 of its last 40 games.
Second-Half Magic
Jax State has scored 28 second half touchdowns in their 12 games this season. Twice this season, the Gamecocks have overcome a second half deficit to force overtime. Jax State trailed by 11 to start the fourth quarter at Eastern Michigan and connected on a 51-yard field goal with 34 seconds left to tie the game. At LA Tech, Cam Vaughn hauled in a 49-yard pass from Tyler Huff in the end zone on the final play of regulation to tie the contest. Against FIU, the Gamecocks trailed by four to start the fourth quarter and got a pair of 56-yard touchdowns to come away with the win. In the second half this season, Jax State is 26th in scoring at 16.3 points per game.
