Rich Rodriguez is in his 2nd year with Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks were very good before Rich Rod got there but give him credit he has kept the team at a very high level. JSU is 4-1 under this year because they love to run the football and they have a solid run defense. Middle Tennessee State is 3-2 under this year, they are 1 1/2 games out of first place.

Jacksonville State escaped with a win last week against the Bearkats. Now, the Gamecocks take on a Middle Tennessee State defense allowing 35.3 points per game. The Gamecocks are a run heavy team, averaging 224.4 yards on the ground. The Blue Raiders struggle in the secondary, allowing 253.3 passing yards, and Logan Smothers is capable of catching teams off guard through the air, like they did at the end of the Sam Houston State game. Middle Tennessee State might not be capable to keep with the up-tempo Gamecocks.