CUSA final: Kennesaw State tops Jacksonville State on late TD

Field Level Media|published: Fri 5th December, 22:57 2025

Jax State Head Coach Charles Kelly goes through pre-game activities during college school football action at AmFirst Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama November 15, 2025. (Dave Hyatt / Hyatt Media LLC)

Quarterback Amari Odom led a last-minute touchdown drive to lift Kennesaw State to a 19-15 win over Jacksonville State in the Conference USA Championship game on Friday in Jacksonville, Ala.

Jacksonville State (8-5) had scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to erase a 12-0 deficit, with quarterback Caden Creel scoring on a 9-yard run to put the Gamecocks ahead with 4:04 remaining.

Kennesaw State (10-3) scored the winning touchdown one play after Odom picked up a first down on fourth-and-14 and drew a flag for being hit out of bounds. On the next play, Odom fired the winning 11-yard pass to Navelle Dean with 51 seconds left.

Jacksonville State turned it over on downs and Kennesaw State ran out the clock to secure the conference title in its second year of FBS.

Odom completed 26 of 32 passes for 246 yards and one touchdown, but was sacked five times. Coleman Bennett rushed 17 times for 82 yards and one touchdown.

Creel threw for 96 yards and one touchdown and rushed 18 times for 112 yards and one touchdown. Cam Cook, the leading rusher in FBS, carried 19 times for 78 yards to end a streak of seven straight 100-yard games.

The game was a rematch of the Nov. 15 game that host Jacksonville State won 35-26.

--Field Level Media