Venue & Game Information
Kickoff Time: 8:00 PM ET (7:00 PM CT local)
Location: Elliott T. Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas
Broadcast: CBS Sports Network
Weather Forecast (Huntsville, TX)
Temperature: ~79°F at kickoff, dropping to mid-70s by the 4th quarter
Conditions: Partly cloudy, 15% chance of light showers
Wind: 7–10 mph, cross-field breeze
Impact: Slight effect on long field goals, otherwise favorable football weather
Injury Report
Jacksonville State:
QB Gavin Wimsatt (healthy, expected starter)
RB Cam Cook (minor ankle tweak last week, probable)
No major defensive injuries reported
Sam Houston:
QB Keegan Shoemaker (healthy, expected starter)
WR depth thin due to nagging hamstring injuries, but starters available
Defensive front rotation intact
Key Player Matchups
Quarterbacks:
Gavin Wimsatt (JSU) – 576 passing yards, 2 TD, 2 INT; also 237 rushing yards and 4 rushing TD. Dual-threat ability is central to JSU’s offense.
Keegan Shoemaker (SHSU) – 802 passing yards, 3 TD, 5 INT; struggling with turnovers but capable of big plays.
Running Backs:
Cam Cook (JSU) – 614 rushing yards, 5 TD; averaging 5.5 YPC, the workhorse of the Gamecocks’ offense.
Zach Hrbacek (SHSU) – 285 rushing yards, 2 TD; needs to establish ground game to relieve pressure on Shoemaker.
Defensive Playmakers:
JSU LB Quae Drake – 38 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT.
SHSU DB Kameryn Alexander – 2 INT, but secondary has been overworked due to poor third-down defense.
Recent Team Form
Jacksonville State (2-3):
Last game: Lost to Southern Miss 42–25.
Strength: Top-10 rushing offense nationally (261.4 YPG).
Weakness: Pass defense (226.6 YPG allowed).
ATS: 2-3 this season.
Sam Houston (0-5):
Last game: Lost to New Mexico State 37–10.
Strength: Defense has shown flashes, but ranks near bottom in red-zone stops (96% allowed).
Weakness: Offense averaging just 15.0 PPG (132nd nationally).
ATS: 0-5 this season.
Series History
All-time series: Tied 1–1 in last two meetings.
Recent trend: Each team has covered once in the last two matchups.
Scoring: Neither of the last two meetings hit the over.
Point differential: Sam Houston has outscored JSU by 25 points across those two games.
Betting Trends
Jacksonville State:
2-3 ATS this season.
0-1 ATS as a favorite of 8.5+ points.
3 of last 5 games have gone Over.
Sam Houston:
0-5 ATS this season.
0-4 ATS as an underdog of 8.5+ points.
2 of last 3 games have gone Over.
Historical Betting Results
Jacksonville State:
8-6 ATS in 2024 season, profitable overall.
Stronger at home ATS than on the road.
Sam Houston:
Struggled ATS since moving to FBS.
Winless SU and ATS in 2025 so far.
Projected Score: Jacksonville State 33, Sam Houston 24
Game Odds
Jacksonville State Gamecocks – 7.5
Sam Houston Bearkats 55.5
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odd Direct as of Wednesday, October 8, 2025
