12/05/25 10:23:00
Printable Page
12/05 22:18 CST Amari Odom rallies Kennesaw State past Jacksonville State 19-15
to win Conference USA championship
Amari Odom rallies Kennesaw State past Jacksonville State 19-15 to win
Conference USA championship
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. (AP) --- Amari Odom threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to
Navelle Dean in the final minute after Kennesaw State let a 12-point
fourth-quarter lead slip away, and the Owls rallied to beat regular-season
champion Jacksonville State 19-15 in the Conference USA championship game
Friday night.
Kennesaw State first-year coach Jerry Mack led his team to the title after the
Owls finished 2-10 last season.
Odom and the Owls (10-3) took over at their own 25-yard line after
fourth-quarter touchdown runs by Caden Creel and Cam Cook had given the
Gamecocks a 15-12 lead with 4:04 left to play.
Odom hit Christian Moss for a 26-yard gain on third-and-27 before Coleman
Bennett picked up the first down with a 3-yard run with two minutes left. Odom
ran 14 yards on a fourth-and-14 keeper, and a late-hit penalty gave Kennesaw
State the ball at the Gamecocks' 11 with 63 seconds left.
Dean, a sophomore, caught the go-ahead pass from Odom on the next play for his
first collegiate touchdown. Dean finished with two catches for 19 yards after
entering with two receptions on the season.
Kennesaw State used Bennett's 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and
Britton Williams' 38-yard field goal in the third to take a 10-0 lead.
Momentum swung Jacksonville State's way after Davis Bryson fumbled on a free
kick following a safety with 12:39 remaining. Cook, the leading rusher in the
FBS with 1,581 yards entering play, turned the turnover into a 1-yard scoring
run to cut it to 12-7.
Creel's 19-yard touchdown run and his conversion pass to Deondre Johnson gave
the Gamecocks a brief lead.
Odum completed 26 of 32 passes for 246 yards. Bennett carried 17 times for 82
yards.
Creel totaled 96 yards on 12-for-21 passing with an interception. He rushed for
112 yards on 18 carries. Cook totaled 78 yards on 19 rushes.
The Owls avenged a 35-26 road loss to the Gamecocks on Nov. 15.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up
here. AP college football:
https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and
https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
|
