BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — Lucas Carneiro kicked four field goals and his last one from 50 yards with three seconds left gave Western Kentucky a 19-17 win over Jacksonville State on Saturday.
With the win, the Hilltoppers (8-4, 6-2) secured a trip to the Conference USA title game on Dec. 6 which will feature a rematch between the same two teams.
Jacksonville State (8-4, 7-1) secured the top seed and the right to host the conference championship game last week beating Sam Houston 21-11. Against Western Kentucky, Gamecocks’ starting quarterback Tyler Huff left the contest due to injury and never returned. He plays a critical role in the Gamecocks’ run-based offense and left after rushing for 97 yards on 13 carries.
Carneiro kicked two field goals from 50 yards and from 35 and 21 in the win. Caden Veltkamp threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Young to give the Hilltoppers a 7-0 lead.
Jacksonville State got its first lead at 10-7 when Tre Stewart ran it in from the 8 with 3:42 before halftime. The Gamecocks’ last lead came when reserve quarterback Logan Smothers ran it in from the 17 with 9:44 left to play.
Smothers threw for 62 yards and ran for 32 yards in relief of Huff.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
