It was nine years ago that Jacksonville State played Sam Houston for a chance to compete in the FCS national championship game.

The 2015 group would go on to down the visiting Bearkats in a 62-10 rout to advance.

On Saturday, Rich Rodriguez’s squad has a chance to make history again against a historic foe.

The Gamecocks will host Sam Houston on Saturday, with a victory clinching a spot in the Conference USA championship game for Jax State in just its second season at the FBS level and first season of being eligible to play in the conference title game.

Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at Burgess-Snow Field at AmFirst Stadium.

“Early in the week, which is today and Sunday, we remind the guys that they put themselves in a position now where you’ve got a chance to compete for a conference championship,” Rodriguez said. “So now, here we are; if we win this game, we have a chance to play for the conference championship, and then I’ll mention it again on Friday, and that’ll be it.

“I want their thoughts more on the process than a potential outcome. I’m proud of the way they’ve worked in the last couple of games. It’s been kind of crazy, but they’ve come a long way since the start that we had and we’re very fortunate to have the opportunities that we have in front of us.”

Fresh off of a 34-31, comeback victory over Florida International, the Gamecocks claimed sole possession of the conference lead after Western Kentucky lost to Louisiana Tech.

Should Jax State beat Sam Houston and Liberty beat Western Kentucky on Saturday, Jax State would claim the CUSA regular-season title and have the opportunity to host the conference title game.

“After the first three games of the year, I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of people that probably wrote us off,” tight end Sean Brown said. “In a way, we all came together and we turned it around right at the right point when conference started, and those conference games matter a lot. Being on a seven-game winning streak with two conference games left, I think it gives us a little bit more confidence knowing that we can make it to that level and just showing what we’ve done for the past seven weeks.”

While Saturday’s victory over FIU marked Jax State’s first time since 2010 winning back-to-back games when trailing in the fourth quarter, it sealed a seventh-straight win and kept the Gamecocks in the top 10 among all FBS schools in points per game (38.7).

Tre Stewart ran for his sixth-straight 100-yard game after piling up 136 yards and two touchdowns in the win, with Jax State leading all FBS teams in rushing touchdowns (38) and ranking fourth in the nation in rushing yards per game (258.2).

“I’m proud of the way they’ve worked,” Rodriguez said of his group. “They’ve come a long way since the start that we had and we’re very fortunate to have the opportunities that we have in front of us.”

The Gamecocks will go against a Sam Houston defense that has allowed just 12 points per game in its last three games and ranks 25th in the nation in allowed yards per game (319.3).

Defensive lineman Chris Murray is tied for the CUSA lead with 5.5 sacks and ranks third in tackles for loss with 9.5, while defensive back Caleb Weaver leads the conference with four interceptions on the season.

“One of the best in the league; very, very athletic,” Rodriguez said. “They have probably played more guys up front than anybody on our schedule. Rotate seven or eight guys in on the defensive line and are all very athletic. One of the most athletic teams, probably the most athletic defense, that we have seen, including some of those teams early in the year that were really good.

“It’s a big challenge, and if you look at some of their games, they’ve won some tight ballgames and their defense has kind of pulled some of that out.”

Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on Saturday against the Bearkats, with the game to be broadcasted on CBS Sports Network; with next Saturday’s game against WKU being picked up for a national broadcast, there will be eight nationally-televised games for Jax State this season.

“We use that in recruiting,” Rodriguez said. “We say, listen, you’re going to get a lot of exposure if you come to Jax State because our conference has their TV deal and our guys are having some success. It’s neat that those eight games, and it’s not just exposure for our program, it’s exposure for the school. Whether you win or not, you still get a lot of positive exposure for the school, so I think it’s been a big, big boom for all of us.”