1 Flames were dominated by Jacksonville State a season ago.
Jacksonville State jumped out to a 27-3 halftime lead, and never looked back as they coasted to a 48-19 win in Lynchburg last year. Liberty entered the game looking to make a statement against the #3 FCS team and reigning national runner-up, but the Flames got boat-raced. It was the Flames’ most lopsided home loss since the Ken Karcher era (2005). The Gamecocks had 563 yards of total offense compared to Liberty’s 181. Buckshot Calvert, who entered the game in relief of Stephon Masha midway through the first quarter, struggled to a 9-of-24 passing evening for 125 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception as he was sacked 6 times. Quarterback Eli Jenkins and wide receiver Josh Barge combined for 275 yards of all-purpose yards while running back Roc Thomas led the team with 180 all-purpose yards.

“They played 2 pretty good football teams in their first 2 ball games,” Coach Gill said of JSU this season. “Statistically, you may look at some certain numbers, but they can play. We’re going to have to play our best football game, there’s no question about that.”

On multiple occasions throughout Gill’s press conference Tuesday, he made a point to say this year’s Jacksonville State team is no different than they were last year.

2 The Gamecocks are coming off a bye week and are 1-1 on the season.
Jacksonville State opened the year with a win over Chattanooga, 27-13, followed by a 37-10 loss to Georgia Tech in week 2. The Gamecocks are coming off a bye week, and will be fully rested for their home opener against Liberty this weekend. Roc Thomas has led the way on offense (more on him below), and the defense has held its opponents to just 308 yards of offense in its first two games. That statistic will certainly be tested this week as JSU faces a Liberty offense averaging 536 yards of offense this season.

The Gamecocks had been led by quarterback Eli Jenkins and a potent offense. Jenkins and the previously mentioned Barge have both graduated after leading JSU to an impressive 4 year run that included a trip to the FCS National Championship in 2015.

Converted linebacker Bryant Horn has taken over at quarterback for Jenkins. The redshirt-junior is 22-of-34 passing for 255 yards, 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions in his first two starts. He’s also rushed for 58 yards on 25 carries. Prior to the 2016 season, Horn was moved from linebacker to quarterback where he spent last year as Jenkins’ backup. Horn rushed for 114 yards and 1 touchdown on 16 carries in 2016 while also throwing for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns on 6-of-7 passing.

3 Fourth year head coach John Grass has been nearly unbeatable in the regular season.
John Grass, the 4th year head coach of the Gamecocks, is 31-4 in the regular season during his career at Jacksonville State. Those 4 losses came against Michigan State, Auburn, LSU, and Georgia Tech. He’s 29-0 against FCS teams in the regular season, and the Gamecocks have won 30 straight regular season games against FCS opponents with their last loss coming in 2013 against #2 Eastern Illinois.

The Gamecocks are also 16-0 at home in the regular season under Grass, and they have won 18 straight at home in the regular season dating back before Grass’ took over as the head coach. Their last regular season home loss was October 12, 2013 against Tennessee State.

4 Name to watch: Roc Thomas
The Gamecocks’ offense has been led by Roc Thomas who is the team’s leading rusher and receiver through the first 2 games of the season. Thomas has accounted for 295 of the team’s 555 yards of offense (53%). He’s rushed for 208 yards and 1 touchdown on 37 carries and has 4 receptions for 87 yards. Against the Flames last year, Thomas had 180 all-purpose yards including 111 on the ground. He also added 2 touchdowns.

“Roc Thomas is big time,” Gill said. “Big time guy. He’s a physical guy, good vision, good speed. He can do it all. He can make you miss. He’s a powerful runner, but he can do a lot of great things.”

5 Jacksonville State’s defense is one of the best in FCS
The Gamecocks are holding opponents to 24 points per game while allowing just over 300 yards of total offense per game. Led by 2016 OVC Defensive Player of the Year Darius Jackson, Jacksonville State has 12 tackles for loss to go along with 7 quarterback hurries and 10 pass break ups. Jackson, who is already the school’s career sacks leader with 20.5 and tackles for loss with 40, has been limited to 2 tackles for loss so far this season. Liberty’s offensive coordinator Joe Dailey says there’s a lot more to the Gamecocks defense than just Jackson.

“You don’t want to run away from him,” Dailey said of Jackson. “I don’t think that’s something you do. You don’t want to try to get more people to account for him because there’s 10 other guys just as talented as he is. You’re going to have to win the one-on-one matchup. When there is a double team, the double team is going to have to take care of him or move him just because there’s another guy that’s one step away that’s probably faster than most of the guys we’ve played against this season.”

“They have 8, 9 guys back, alot of talent” Gill said of JSU’s defense. “Defensive line is probably the strong point of the defense. Linebackers can run and fly around good. They got their secondary back there too. They’re one of the top defensive units in the country.”