The Jacksonville State Gamecocks rolled into their CUSA opener against Liberty as slight 2-point underdogs, but you wouldn’t have guessed that by halftime—unless you’re really good at guessing 38-point quarters.
Liberty came out hot with a 67-yard touchdown run on the first play of the game that had Coach Znicol reaching for the panic button. Then, after a pick-six made it 14-7 Flames, things looked grim. But Tre Stewart, Tyler Huff, and the ghost of the 2019 LSU offense showed up to absolutely torch Liberty’s defense for six unanswered touchdowns. Huff tossed bombs, Pettway broke ankles, and the Liberty secondary started charging fans rent to stand that close to the action.
By the end of the second quarter, Jacksonville State had turned a 14-7 deficit into a 45-21 demolition. Huff went full video game, finishing 30-for-38 with 475 yards and six touchdowns, and Stewart bulldozed his way to 210 on the ground. Meanwhile, the defense decided takeaways were just free plays—Tee Denson had three picks, Laletia Hale added two more, and Liberty QB Kaidon Salter probably asked to speak to the manager. The 73-40 final looked more like a basketball score than a football game, but who's counting? Certainly not Liberty’s defense.
In the end, Jacksonville State racked up nearly 700 yards of offense and somehow made five interceptions look casual. Pettway had 184 yards and three touchdowns, casually moonwalking into the end zone like it was choreographed. The Gamecocks also converted every third and fourth down like it was scripted—and maybe it was, because Liberty’s defense sure didn’t read it. With two straight wins and a conference W in their back pocket, Jax State is suddenly hotter than the PlayStation fan trying to process all these stats.
Next up for the Gamecocks is Middle Tennessee State on Tuesday night. The early line had MTSU favored by 6.5 with an over/under of 61, but after this beatdown of Liberty, you can expect those numbers to move—fast.
HOME
Discord