Kennesaw State stuns Jacksonville State with last-minute touchdown to win CUSA title
J.T. Pennington #65 of the Kennesaw State Owls signals for what he thinks is a first down during the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks at AmFirst Stadium on December 5, 2025 in Jacksonville, Alabama. (Photo by Jason Clark/Getty
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Kennesaw State dramatically scored in the final minute Friday night to stun Jacksonville State 19-15 and capture the Conference USA championship, completing a dramatic turnaround under first-year coach Jerry Mack.
What we know:
Quarterback Amari Odom delivered the winning play, firing an 11-yard touchdown pass to Navelle Dean with 63 seconds left. The score came after the Owls briefly lost a 12-point fourth-quarter lead and suddenly trailed 15-12.
Dean, a sophomore who entered the game with just two catches this season, hauled in the go-ahead throw for his first collegiate touchdown. He finished with two receptions for 19 yards.
The Owls took over at their own 25 after Jacksonville State surged ahead on touchdown runs by Caden Creel and Cam Cook with 4:04 remaining. Odom then led a gritty, must-score drive, keeping it alive with a 26-yard completion to Christian Moss on third and 27 and a 14-yard run on fourth and 14. A late-hit penalty placed the ball at the Gamecocks' 11-yard line before the decisive pass to Dean.
Kennesaw State built a 10-0 lead earlier in the game behind Coleman Bennett’s 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and a 38-yard field goal by Britton Williams in the third.
Momentum swung sharply in the fourth after Davis Bryson fumbled on a free kick following a safety with 12:39 to go. Cook, the FBS rushing leader entering the night with 1,581 yards, turned the mistake into a 1-yard touchdown that cut the deficit to 12-7. Creel followed with a 19-yard scoring run and a conversion pass to Deondre Johnson to give Jacksonville State a brief lead.
Odom completed 26 of 32 passes for 246 yards. Bennett rushed 17 times for 82 yards. Creel threw for 96 yards on 12-of-21 passing with one interception and added 112 rushing yards on 18 carries. Cook ran 19 times for 78 yards.
What we don't know:
No word on how KSU plans to celebrate their victory.
Dig deeper:
The victory avenged Kennesaw State’s 35-26 loss to Jacksonville State on Nov. 15 and capped a 10-3 season one year after the Owls finished 2-10.
The Source: This article comes from the proceedings of the game. FOX Sports and The Associated Press contributed to this report.