Elite run games clash as Jax State meets Ohio in Cure Bowl

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Jacksonville State won its first Conference USA championship in only its second year playing FBS football. Now the leader and architect of the program's transition from the FCS level is off to West Virginia.

The Gamecocks will move forward without Rich Rodriguez and face Ohio in a battle of conference champions at the Cure Bowl on Friday afternoon in Orlando.

Offensive coordinator Rod Smith was named the interim coach for the bowl game for Jacksonville State (9-4). Rodriguez was scooped up by a West Virginia program that he led from 2001-07.

Mid-American Conference champion Ohio (10-3) is in a similar position, as coach Tim Albin left for the same job at Charlotte. The Bobcats promoted offensive coordinator Brian Smith to head coach on Wednesday.

Even though Rodriguez has left, the Gamecocks have accomplished plenty worth celebrating. Rodriguez took over the program in 2022 as it prepared to move up to the FBS level. The Gamecocks captured the Atlantic Sun title that year, finishing 9-2, then went 9-4 in their inaugural FBS season in 2023 and won the New Orleans Bowl.

This season, an eight-game winning streak propelled them to the top of the CUSA standings. Jacksonville State lost 19-17 to Western Kentucky in the regular-season finale but got a major dose of revenge when the two teams met six days later in the conference championship game.

Tre Stewart rushed for 201 yards and three touchdowns while quarterback Tyler Huff added 176 passing yards, 167 rushing yards and three total TDs in Jacksonville State's 52-12 victory.

"Stay the course, always believing where you came from or where you're at," senior defensive end J-Rock Swain said postgame. "We had a lot of guys getting in the portal, a lot of guys coming from the portal, but we still got to stay the course. And everybody believed."

The Gamecocks have the No. 2 rushing offense in FBS at 267.3 yards per game. Stewart racked up 1,604 yards and 23 touchdowns and Huff contributed 1,343 yards and 14 TDs on the ground in addition to 2,179 yards and 13 touchdowns passing. He was named Conference USA MVP and Newcomer of the Year.

The Bobcats ranked No. 12 nationally in rushing offense and No. 1 in the MAC at 211.5 yards per game. Anthony Tyus III has run for 1,111 yards and nine touchdowns, while quarterback Parker Navarro has added 943 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground.

By beating Miami (Ohio) 38-3 in the conference title game, Ohio reached 10 wins for the third season in a row. Winning the Cure Bowl would give Ohio the first 11-win season in program history.

With regards to the transfer portal, Brian Smith said last week he expected full participation from his roster in the bowl game, but "with that scenario, you never know."

"The most unfortunate thing was the staff, players, you didn't really get a chance to celebrate the (MAC title game) win quite the way you wanted to, with the (coaching) change as soon as it happened," he said. "So that was the only thing that was unfortunate. The thing with our kids is they're amazing and they're resilient, so they've bounced back extremely well."

--Field Level Media