JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – The Eastern Kentucky University football team fell to Jacksonville State by a score of 49-7 on Saturday night at AmFirst Stadium in the 20th all-time meeting between the longtime rivals.
Jacksonville State (1-1) scored the first 28 points of the night before junior running back
Brady Hensley broke free for a 72-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter.
The Gamecocks added another touchdown before halftime and scored once in each of the final two quarters to pull away for the victory.
Hensley led Eastern Kentucky (0-2) on the ground with 91 yards and a touchdown on seven carries as the Colonels rushed for 195 total yards. Freshman
Cortez Stone added 58 yards on eight attempts.
Defensively, EKU safety
Derek Taylor recorded his second consecutive double-digit tackle performance with 10 tackles, including six solo stops and one tackle for loss. Linebacker
Cam Jessee added eight tackles, while
Kaden Smith had five stops and
Jack McGrath added five tackles and an interception.
Jacksonville State opened the scoring with a 13-play, 70-yard drive that ended when quarterback Caden Creel connected with Jamill Williams for a 13-yard touchdown with 6:27 remaining in the first quarter.
The Gamecocks doubled their advantage less than two minutes later. After taking over at their own 26-yard line, Creel found Williams for a 55-yard touchdown on the second play of the possession to make it 14-0.
Eastern Kentucky moved into Jacksonville State territory late in the quarter, but the drive ended when Ty Sims intercepted sophomore quarterback
Tyler Travers with 11 seconds remaining.
Jacksonville State extended its lead to 21-0 early in the second quarter when Creel found Williams again, this time for a 30-yard touchdown that capped a 91-yard drive.
The Gamecocks added a defensive score on EKU's ensuing possession as Caleb Nix intercepted Travers and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown to make it 28-0 with 10:27 left in the half.
EKU immediately responded as Hensley took a handoff up the middle and raced 72 yards for a touchdown with 9:45 remaining, tying his career-long rush. Kicker
Buzz Flabiano converted the extra point to cut the deficit to 28-7.
Jacksonville State responded with an eight-play, 75-yard drive capped by Jalen Likely's 45-yard touchdown run to take a 35-7 advantage into halftime.
The Colonel defense created its first turnover of the game on Jacksonville State's opening possession of the third quarter when McGrath intercepted Creel at the EKU 29-yard line.
Jacksonville State eventually added to its lead later in the quarter as Creel connected with Luke Gilbert for a 24-yard touchdown with 6:03 remaining, pushing the score to 42-7.
The Gamecocks added one more score in the fourth quarter to cap the 49-7 victory and earn their first win of the season.
EKU returns to Roy Kidd Stadium for its 2026 home opener next Saturday against Chattanooga. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET, and tickets are available
online here.
