Weekday USA action continues Thursday night as the Jacksonville State Gamecocks travel to Houston to face the winless Sam Houston Bearkats in a pivotal matchup that could define both programs’ seasons.
Our Jacksonville State vs. Sam Houston prediction analysis examines the key matchups, features exclusive PFSN team and player grades, and explores the historical series between these Conference USA rivals as both programs look to establish momentum heading into the heart of their respective campaigns.
Jacksonville State vs. Sam Houston Game Details
- Date: Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025
- Game time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Shell Energy Stadium | Houston, TX
- Predicted Weather at Kick: 80 degrees, clear, 5 mph winds
- How To Watch: CBS Sports Network
Jacksonville State vs. Sam Houston Head-to-Head Record
Thursday night’s clash marks another chapter in an extensive rivalry between two recent FBS arrivals who have battled across multiple competition levels for decades. These programs have faced each other twice since both joined CUSA, with each team claiming one victory, establishing a balanced foundation for their renewed FBS competition.
The evenly split CUSA series reflects the broader Jacksonville State vs. Sam Houston historical narrative perfectly. Entering Week 7, the Gamecocks maintain a narrow 7-6 series advantage, though this competitive rivalry has consistently shifted momentum between both programs throughout their shared history.
Thursday’s outcome could tip the scales once again, with Jacksonville State claiming victory in their most recent encounter but struggling to win in Houston since their 1997 triumph on Bearkat home turf.
Jacksonville State vs. Sam Houston Grades
- Jacksonville State: 77.8 (C-)
- Sam Houston: 63.7 (D)
- Jacksonville State: 70.0 (C-)
- Sam Houston: 63.9 (D)
- Jacksonville State: 74.0 (C)
- Sam Houston: 68.0 (D+)
- Gavin Wimsatt, Jacksonville State: 70.4 (C-)
- Mabrey Mettauer, Sam Houston: 57.3 (F)
- Cam Cook, Jacksonville State: 83.5 (B)
- Elijah Brown, Sam Houston: N/A
- Caleb Coombs, Jacksonville State: 71.3 (C-)
- Malik Phillips, Sam Houston: N/A
- Pearson Baldwin, Jacksonville State: 70.5 (C-)
- Rayfield Lotten, Sam Houston: N/A
PFSN College EDGEi
- Emmanuel Oyebadejo, Jacksonville State: 68.9 (D+)
- JaMair Diaz, Sam Houston: 83.7 (B)
PFSN College DTi
- Jawaun Campbell, Jacksonville State: 72.6 (C-)
- Christopher Eaton Jr., Sam Houston: 81.0 (B-)
PFSN College LBi
- Thaxton Gallagher, Jacksonville State: 67.9 (D+)
- Antavious Fish, Sam Houston: 63.7 (D)
PFSN College CBi
- Tre’Quon Fegans, Jacksonville State: 75.4 (C)
- Cecil Powell, Sam Houston: 79.1 (C+)
PFSN College SAFi
- Trevor Woods, Jacksonville State: 74.9 (C)
- CJ Brown, Sam Houston: 80.6 (B-)
Jacksonville State vs. Sam Houston Prediction
The last time these two teams met, they did so with a place in the CUSA Championship Game on the line. This season, they’re both looking to kick-start a campaign that is heading in the wrong direction. The reigning champions have at least a leg up in conference play after beating the Liberty Flames in Week 2, but they’re 2-3 and need to right the ship to win consistently.
However, their season so far looks like a cakewalk compared to Sam Houston. After a 10-win campaign a year ago, head coach KC Keeler left town for the Temple Owls, and in his place, Phil Longo has led the Bearkats to the precipice of abject failure. Just three teams in the country have yet to win a game, and we’ll give you three guesses as to which program is one of them.
The fault doesn’t entirely lie at the door of the head coach, who saw a competitive roster decimated by transfer portal departures. Yet, there’s an element of blame to be attached. A well-renowned offensive guru, this Sam Houston unit has been suboptimal, verging on putrid, through five games, with quarterback Hunter Watson a shadow of his dual-threat self.
Between the inability to maximize the strengths of the talent on the roster and some questionable play calling, Longo has led this offense to just 1.05 points per drive, 4.5 yards per play, and, unthinkably for anyone who watched the Bearkats’ ground game last fall, they have just a 34.3% offensive rush success rate through their first five games of the season.
Offense wasn’t always the strong suit under Keeler, either, but you could always rely on a dominant defensive showing from the Bearkats. That’s also been lacking this fall. Sam Houston has allowed 6.6 yards per play and 3.34 points per drive in 2025. Granted, one of those games was against Texas, but they’ve not held any team under 37 points in a disappointing campaign.
There has been some drop-off for Jacksonville State on that side of the ball, too, but it’s been minimal relative to what the Bearkats are experiencing. The Gamecocks also have an ace up their sleeve in the form of Cam Cook. The former TCU back is a top-10 by PFSN College RBi, and leads CUSA with 614 yards and five scores. He has “difference-maker” written all over him.
Prediction: Jacksonville State 35, Sam Houston 14