By Erik Harris
FRISCO, TX – The University of Alabama football team isn’t the only state school playing for a national championship in the coming days. Jacksonville State will vie for the FCS title this Saturday, and two former Hewitt-Trussville players, along with a former Clay-Chalkville Cougar, will take part in the effort to stop North Dakota State’s run of four consecutive FCS national titles.
Junior center Casey Dunn and freshman linebacker Joseph Roberts have both made their mark on the Huskies’ program and are now making noise for the Gamecocks, who take the Toyota Stadium field in Frisco, Texas this Saturday.
The game is scheduled to start at noon, and can be seen on ESPN 2.
Redshirt senior offensive lineman Adam Wright, a former Cougar, has also been an anchor of the Gamecocks’ front, helping pave the way for 4,364 rushing yards this season. The line has only given up 17 sacks on the season as well. Wright has been named to the First Team All-OVC team each of the last two seasons.
Dunn, former Hewitt-Trussville head coach Hal Riddle’s team captain in 2012, was named to the 2015 FCS All-America Team in December. Dunn has started every game in the middle this season and was one of four First Team All-OVC linemen from JSU, just the third time in OVC history that four of the five first team offensive linemen have been from the same team.
Roberts is in his first season at Jacksonville State after transferring from UAB where he signed out of high school. He made the move following the Blazers’ brief absence from the sport.
Roberts, a redshirt freshman, has played in 12 of the Gamecocks’ 14 games, recording 13 total tackles, one quarterback sack and recovering one fumble.
No. 1 Jacksonville State enjoyed a first-round bye in the Division 1 playoffs before beating Chattanooga, Charleston Southern and Sam Houston State to advance the championship contest against perennial power North Dakota State.
Erik Harris is the Sports Editor for the Trussville Tribune. Follow him on Twitter @jeharris2 or email him at jmseharris2@gmail.com.