JACKSONVILLE, Ala. — Amari Odom threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Navelle Dean in the final minute after Kennesaw State let a 12-point fourth-quarter lead slip away, and the Owls rallied to beat regular-season champion Jacksonville State 19-15 in the Conference USA championship game Friday night.
Kennesaw State first-year coach Jerry Mack led his team to the title after the Owls finished 2-10 last season.
Odom and the Owls (10-3) took over at their own 25-yard line after fourth-quarter touchdown runs by Caden Creel and Cam Cook had given the Gamecocks a 15-12 lead with 4:04 left to play.
Odom hit Christian Moss for a 26-yard gain on third-and-27 before Coleman Bennett picked up the first down with a 3-yard run with two minutes left. Odom ran 14 yards on a fourth-and-14 keeper, and a late-hit penalty gave Kennesaw State the ball at the Gamecocks’ 11 with 63 seconds left.
Dean, a sophomore, caught the go-ahead pass from Odom on the next play for his first collegiate touchdown. Dean finished with two catches for 19 yards after entering with two receptions on the season.
Kennesaw State used Bennett’s 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and Britton Williams’ 38-yard field goal in the third to take a 10-0 lead.
Momentum swung Jacksonville State’s way after Davis Bryson fumbled on a free kick following a safety with 12:39 remaining. Cook, the leading rusher in the FBS with 1,581 yards entering play, turned the turnover into a 1-yard scoring run to cut it to 12-7.
Creel’s 19-yard touchdown run and his conversion pass to Deondre Johnson gave the Gamecocks a brief lead.
Odum completed 26 of 32 passes for 246 yards. Bennett carried 17 times for 82 yards.
Creel totaled 96 yards on 12-for-21 passing with an interception. He rushed for 112 yards on 18 carries. Cook totaled 78 yards on 19 rushes.
The Owls avenged a 35-26 road loss to the Gamecocks on Nov. 15.
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