By David Stinchcomb
Intern EA News
College football is right around the corner, and in a couple of weeks, two Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) powerhouses will meet down the street in Montgomery to kick off the season. The Jacksonville State Gamecocks will take on the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks in the FCS Kickoff Classic and will be nationally televised on ESPN.
The Lumberjacks are looking to improve on their 2021 campaign, which yielded an 8-4 overall record and a 6-2 record in conference play. They are led by head coach Colby Carthel, who enters his fourth year at the helm and has an overall head coaching record of 65-31 (17-17 at Stephen F. Austin). The team was recently picked as the preseason favorites to win the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), and they will return an experienced roster for the 2022 season.
For the Gamecocks, they are coming off of a 2021 campaign where they finished with a 5-6 overall record and a 3-3 record in conference play. Jacksonville State did have a major highlight though, as they were able to go into Tallahassee, Florida and upset the Florida State Seminoles 20-17.
At the end of the season, head coach John Grass stepped down after eight seasons with a record of 72-26. The school has since hired Rich Rodriguez, who has previously coached at West Virginia, Michigan, and Arizona.
The two teams met last year in Jacksonville, Alabama with Jacksonville State pulling out the victory 28-24. The game will kick off on August 27th at 2:30 P.M. CST and will be played in the Cramton Bowl.
Notable Players:
Laletia Hale (Sophomore), Carver-Montgomery High School (Jacksonville State)
Cam Hill (Senior), Lee High School (Jacksonville State)
PJ Mixon (Senior), Jeff Davis High School (Jacksonville State)
