Jacksonville State wins 8th straight, clinches its 1st berth in the Conference USA championship game

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. — Tyler Huff ran for three touchdowns and Jacksonville State beat Sam Houston 21-11 on Saturday to clinch its first berth in the Conference USA championship game.

The Gamecocks (8-3, 7-0) won their eighth straight game. They finish their regular-season schedule at Western Kentucky next Saturday while the Bearkats (8-3, 5-2) will be hosts to Liberty on Friday.

Huff ran for 177 yards on 30 carries and threw for 54 yards. Tre Stewart rushed for 99 yards on 27 carries.

Hunter Watson rushed for 102 yards with a touchdown on 21 carries and threw for 84 more for the Bearkats.

Huff's touchdowns included a 38-yarder to give the Gamecocks a 14-3 halftime lead.

Watson ran 21 yards for a score midway through the third quarter to close the gap to 14-11 and the Bearkats had a chance to go ahead late in the quarter when they recovered a fumble on a Jacksonville State punt return at the Gamecocks' 14. But the Bearkats lost 6 yards on three downs and a field-goal attempt was wide.

Huff added his final TD on a 7-yard run to finish off a 14-play 80-yard drive early in the fourth.