UTEP excited to face nation’s leading rusher Cam Cook
UTEP excited to face nation’s leading rusher Cam Cook
The Sun Bowl battle between the 2-6 UTEP football team and the 5-3 Jacksonville State Gamecocks doesn’t rate highly on the national scene, but there is one notable matchup: The nation’s leading rusher, JSU’s Cam Cook, against the nation’s third-leading tackler, UTEP linebacker Micah Davey.
That is part of a larger showdown between Jax State’s elite rushing offense against a UTEP defense that has been solid against the run much of the year.
While the Gamecocks come in with a 4-0 record in Conference USA, their average margin of victory in those games stands at 7 points and their wins against windless-in-conference Sam Houston State and Middle Tennessee came by a combined five points.
Perhaps because of that, UTEP is only a 1 1/2-point home underdog against Jacksonville State, which is making its longest road trip of the year.
UTEP Miners
Where: El Paso
2025 Record: 2-6 (1-3 in CUSA)
Streak: Lost 1
Coach: Scotty Walden, second season (5-15 at UTEP, 39-35 career)
Total offense: 325.4 yards per game (112th)
Total defense: 350.9 yards per game (54th)
Miners offense
UTEP’s offense was hit or miss in its last loss to Kennesaw State, which is an improvement over the mostly misses from the first seven games.
The Miner run game was sparked by quarterback Skyler Locklear’s rushing, as he was credited with 23 carries, though that total includes sacks and scrambles; plenty of those were designed runs.
UTEP continues to get big pass plays to Kenny Odom and others (Josh Schutts’ last game) and throws a lot underneath, but has yet to establish a mid-range passing game. That will be a key to look for in this game.
More: CUSA football standings
Miners defense
UTEP has become a good tackling team, especially from its linebackers, and has been strong against the run all year. It has shown vulnerability to the deep ball, despite having an elite cornerback in Neil Campbell.
The matchup with the nation’s leading rusher, Cam Cook, isn’t a bad one for UTEP, as they’d rather face a great running game (which Jacksonville State has) than a great passing game.
The one thing this defense has lacked is takeaways, as it has just three interceptions this year.
UTEP players to watch
Quarterback Skyler Locklear. He has opened up UTEP’s run game, and he will need to do so again in this game. His completion percentage of 60%, which includes a number of short passes in the flat, needs to improve, particularly on downfield balls.
Linebacker Micah Davey. The one-and-done transfer from McNeese State has been dominant this year and comes into this game third in the nation in tackles with 11.8 per game. He will need to be at his best against Jax State running back Cam Cook.
Linebacker Jayden Wilson. Injury concerns were allayed last week when he had nine tackles against Kennesaw — typically for him, second on the team — as he continues to be a revelation after starting the year as a backup. The Austin High alum should get an all-conference mention this year.
Key stats
24.6%. Opponents’ third-down percentage, which ranks UTEP third in the FBS. The top four nationally in this stat, in order, are No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 2 Indiana, UTEP and No. 1 Ohio State.
94. Tackles for Micah Davey. He ranks third nationally.
2005. The UTEP team will be honored during Saturday’s game. The team from 20 years ago went 8-4 and played in the GMAC Bowl. UTEP has been to three bowl games since.
Where: Jacksonville, Ala.
2025 Record: 5-3 (4-0 in CUSA)
Streak: Won 3
Coach: Charles Kelly, first season (5-3 at Jax State, 5-3 career)
Total offense: 409.0 yards per game (54th)
Total defense: 379.6 yards per game (81st)
Gamecocks offense
Running back Cam Cook leads the nation in rushing (131.5 yards per game) for the No. 5 rushing team in the FBS (three of the four teams in front of them are the Academies, the other is Utah). Cook accounts for almost exactly 50% of their rushing yards, so quarterback Gavin Wimsatt is a rushing threat.
That means the Gamecocks don’t throw it much, and they are 127th in the nation in passing. Wimsatt completes 56% of his passes and has three touchdowns against two interceptions.
One of his main targets is 6-foot-8 receiver Deondre Johnson.
More: CUSA football standings
Gamecocks defense
The Gamecocks run a 3-3-5 defense, and they’ve forced a turnover in every game this year. Their seven fumbles recovered rank ninth in the FBS for a defense that has been better against the run than in the past.
Safety Trevor Woods is the team’s leading tackler, while linebacker Walker O’Steen is second. The Gamecocks rank fifth nationally in fourth-down defense.
Jax State players to watch
Running back Cam Cook. Of course. The Round Rock (Austin area) native by way of TCU leads the nation in rushing yards and rushing yards per game. He has size (5-11, 200 pounds) and speed (4.5 40-yard dash).
Receiver Deondre Johnson. The 6-8 sophomore had four catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns last week against Middle Tennessee after having five catches for 68 yards and no touchdowns in the first seven games.
Defensive end Emmanuel Oyebadejo. The 6-7 junior from the (European) football hotbed of Manchester, England, has 3 1/2 sacks, fifth in Conference USA.
Key stats
1,096%. Rushing yards for Cam Cooko, ranking him No. 1 in the FBS this season.
17-14. The score for Jacksonville State’s first-ever game as an FBS member, against UTEP to open the 2023 season.
0.01%. Per ESPN’s game tracker, Jax State’s chance of winning against Sam Houston when they trailed 27-26 on Oct. 9 against Sam Houston State with 17 seconds left and the ball on their 25-yard line, 4th-and-2. The Gamecocks won 29-27.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.