Rich Rodriguez goes crazy on own players for getting in scuffle with opponent at halftime

Rich Rodriguez and the Jacksonville State Gamecocks cruised to a blowout victory before a nationally televised audience on Wednesday night. They took care of business against New Mexico State, coasting to a 54-13 victory on ESPN2.

But things got chippy throughout the game, including at halftime, when JSU players got into it with NMSU players on their sideline. Before heading to the locker room, Rodriguez was heated, running across the field and shouting at his players for getting into a scuffle.

pic.twitter.com/OQfibTzbal

— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) October 10, 2024

Jacksonville State jumped out to a 33-6 lead in the first half and never looked back against New Mexico State. Then they outscored the Aggies 21-7 in the second half, stretching their lead even more. Jacksonville State running back Tre Stewart had a spectacular night. He had 150 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns. He rattled off 21 carries for 118 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and one catch for 32 yards and a touchdown as a receiver.

Rodriguez had his most successful tenure as a head football coach at West Virginia. In 2007, he nearly led the Mountaineers to a national championship game appearance, but WVU was stunned 13-9 by Pittsburgh. He mentioned in an interview in 2019, how hard it is for him to think about that game.

Rodriguez still led the Mountaineers to three 10-win seasons during his time there, coaching one of the most prolific duos in college football history in quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton. Rodriguez finished 60-26 in seven seasons at West Virginia, winning the Big East Championship four times (2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007). The Mountaineers made two appearances in the BCS–the 2005 Sugar Bowl with a victory over Georgia, finishing with an 11-1 record. And they had a victory over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl to finish 10-2 shortly after Rodriguez had left for Michigan.

He certainly has made his mark as one of the all-time greats in the sports’ history, as he is known as the father of the “zone-read” option offense. He created the offense in the early 1990s, when he was coaching at Glenville State (West Virginia).

The Jacksonville State Gamecocks moved to 3-3 overall and currently rank second in C-USA. They’ll take some time off before facing Middle Tennessee State on Oct. 23rd. Kick for that one is set for 7:30 PM and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN2.