WHAT: StaffDNA Cure Bowl — Jacksonville State (9-4) vs. Ohio (10-3).

WHEN: 11 a.m.., Friday.

WHERE: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Fla.

SERIES: First meeting.

TV: ESPN.

LINE: Ohio by 4.5.

THIS GAME WILL DETERMINE: If Jacksonville State can finish the season with 10 wins and win its second straight bowl game.

THREE THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. New head coaches on the sidelines

Both teams will feature some new faces at head coach as both squads saw their head coaches depart for new opportunities; former Jax State coach Rich Rodriguez took the job at West Virginia, while former Ohio coach Tim Albin is now with Charlotte. Leading Jax State is offensive coordinator Rod Smith, who has been with Jax State for three seasons; this will be his second time as an interim head coach, also leading Illinois for its 2020 season finale after Lovie Smith was fired; the Fighting Illini lost 56-21 to Penn State. Brian Smith, who was recently named the program’s next head coach, served as associate head coach and offensive coordinator this year and has been with the program since 2022.

2. A clash of conference champions

After Sun Belt Conference champion Marshall opted out of the Independence Bowl against American Athletic Conference champion Army, this matchup will be the lone contest of conference champions for any bowl game this year. Jax State claimed the Conference USA title with a 52-12 thrashing of Western Kentucky in the championship game, while Ohio downed rival Miami-Ohio with a dominant 38-3 victory to claim the Mid-American Conference championship.

3. Two of the nation’s top rushing quarterbacks face off

Along with a battle of two premier teams in the Group of Five, two standout rushing quarterbacks will square off in this contest on Friday. Conference USA MVP Tyler Huff set the CUSA record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in one season with 14, running for 1,343 yards on the ground; he’s 85 yards shy of breaking the CUSA single-season rushing record by a quarterback. The opposing side boasts all-conference quarterback Parker Navarro, who leads the MAC with 15 rushing touchdowns; the Ohio quarterback has run for 943 yards this year, which ranks fourth in the MAC for a single player.

KEY MATCHUP

Ohio wide receiver Coleman Owen vs. Jax State’s secondary

Jax State will face another challenge at the receiver position on Friday in Ohio receiver Coleman Owen. The first-team All-MAC athlete has 67 catches for 1,105 yards and eight receiving touchdowns this season, also rushing for a score and returning a punt for a touchdown. He’ll face a Jax State secondary without Zechariah Poyser, who recently signed with Miami out of the NCAA transfer portal. Still, those on the depth chart for Jax State who have entered the portal include Fred Davis, Derek Carter and Fred Perry.

BY THE NUMBERS

2 — Number of bowl appearances Jax State has made in its two seasons at the FBS level, being the first team to accomplish that feat since Marshall did so in 1997 and 1998; the Gamecocks could become the first team to ever win two bowl games in its first two seasons at the FBS level.