Troy, Jax State hit road for major non-conference tests

Troy and Jacksonville State both face major non-conference road tests on Saturday.

The Trojans face No. 15 Kansas State of the Big 12, while the Gamecocks are at Sun Belt Conference power Coastal Carolina. Both Troy and Jax State are more than two touchdown underdogs, so a win for either would be considered a major upset by oddsmakers.

Troy (1-0) at Kansas State (1-0), 11 a.m., Fox Sports 1

Troy faces a reigning conference champion for the second straight week when it battles the Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan. (AKA, “The Little Apple”). The Trojans have won 12 straight games overall, second nationally behind Georgia’s 16 in a row.

Troy outlasted Stephen F. Austin 48-30 last week behind a school-record 248 rushing yards from Kimani Vidal. Kansas State blanked Southeast Missouri State 45-0, scoring 28 points in the second quarter to put the game away early.

Troy and Kansas State have met only once in football, a 41-5 Wildcats win in the 2003 season-opener. The Trojans have just one road win over a ranked team, a 24-21 upset of No. 22 LSU in Baton Rouge in 2017.

Troy linebacker Jayden McDonald (10) celebrates with fans after a game vs. Stephen F. Austin on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy. (Tyler Bowman/Troy athletics)

Jax State (2-0) at Coastal Carolina (0-1), 6 p.m., ESPN+

The Gamecocks are unbeaten through two games as an FCS program, but face their toughest opponent yet in the Chanticleers, who have won 30 games combined in the last three seasons.

In victories over UTEP and East Tennessee State, Jax State has shown it has two capable quarterbacks in Zion Webb and Logan Smothers. Coastal Carolina, which lost 27-13 at UCLA last week, has a standout QB of its own in fourth-year starter Grayson McCall.

JSU played Coastal Carolina once during both programs’ days in the FCS ranks, with the Gamecocks claiming a 27-26 victory in Jacksonville in 2016.