Jacksonville State football vs Tennessee-Martin: Scouting report, prediction

Jacksonville State football pulled off a close victory, 27-24, over North Alabama last week and will look to push its winning streak to three games in the Gamecocks' second home game at Burgess-Snow Field.

The Gamecocks (2-1) will play host to long-time rival Tennessee-Martin (2-1) on Saturday (3 p.m., ESPN+). The Skyhawks are coming off a 35-10 victory over Northwestern State.

Here are three things to know about the game:

LAST WEEK: Jacksonville State football debuts new starting QB, holds off North Alabama in home opener

LOOK BACK: An inside look at how Jacksonville State football got a huge upset against Florida State

Zerrick Cooper game-time decision

The JSU quarterback did not start last week after suffering a knee injury in practice. Freshman Matthew Caldwell filled in and led the Gamecocks to victory.

Cooper sustained an MCL sprain in his right knee. and as of Tuesday JSU coach John Grass said Cooper was progressing, but was headed toward being a game-time decision.

"I'm not sure he'll be 100% this week," Grass said. "We'll see how the week goes. Hopefully we can get him back to 100% before too long."

Caldwell will start again if Cooper is unable to go.

Junior cornerback Yul Gowdy said Caldwell impressed him in his first career action. Caldwell finished 10-for-19 for 98 yards with an interception and also added a rushing touchdown.

"On that touchdown run, nobody was going to stop him from getting into the end zone," Gowdy said. "I loved it. He played with a lot of confidence. First time playing, he played with a lot of confidence and got the job done."

Touchdown machine

The Gamecocks defense scored on a 100-yard fumble return by Malik Feaster and on a Jaylen Swain 39-yard interception return last week.

JSU has scored five defensive touchdowns since the beginning of the 2020 season.

"It's the standard on our defense, even if you guys watch us in practice," Gowdy said. "We try to punch the ball out or catch an interception. Coach tells us to stay down, but we're going to get that ball if it's in the air or on the ground, we're going to pick it up and return it to the end zone. That's our standard. We want the ball."

Another tough opponent

The Skyhawks dropped their opener, 59-21 to Western Kentucky. Just like the Gamecocks, they've won their last two games.

"It don't get no easier," Grass said. "... Coach (Jason) Simpson does a great job. I think this is probably his most talented team he's had since I've been playing him. They are an older football team. They've added eight or nine transfers and they have a quarterback that can spin it around. Their receiving corps is probably as good as we've played."

Quarterback Keon Howard, a graduate transfer from Tulane, has thrown for 596 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions. He's also added 149 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

Colton Dowell is the leading receiver with 12 receptions for 205 yards and a touchdown.

Other notes

• The Gamecocks lead the series 34-8, including 17-3 at home.

• The last time Tennessee-Martin defeated JSU on the road was in 1987.

• The 3 p.m. start time will be the earliest game of the season for the Gamecocks. The previous games were UAB (6:30 p.m.), FSU (7 p.m.) and UNA (6 p.m.).

Prediction

Jacksonville State 31, Tennessee-Martin 24: The Gamecocks pull off their third straight victory in another close one. The defense continues to score, adding an interception return for a touchdown in the second half.

Reach Ehsan Kassim at EKassim@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Ehsan_Kassim.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Jacksonville State football vs Tennessee-Martin: Prediction, scouting report