Jacksonville State of the Ohio Valley Conference has signed a contract to play Kentucky in football during the 2011 season, JSU Athletics Director Oval Jaynes announced on Wednesday.
"They play in one of the toughest conferences in the country and have appeared in four consecutive bowls games for the first time in Kentucky football history," Jaynes said in a news release. "It will be a challenge for our team, but I know our coaches, players and fans will be excited about the opportunity."
The game is set for Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011. Financial terms of the deal were not announced.
Jacksonville State has faced just one other Southeastern Conference opponent, playing at Mississippi State in 2002 and again in 2006, but it will open the 2010 season at Mississippi and will face Florida in 2012.
Kentucky's non-conference schedule in 2011 is already known to include Louisville (at Commonwealth Stadium) and Western Kentucky (at Nashville).
Jacksonville State, a school of 9,061 students in Jacksonville, Ala., is a member of the Football Championship Subdivision. The Gamecocks finished 8-3 in 2009 and won the OVC title.
