The postgame report: Jax State 27, FIU 24

For the second consecutive week, Garrison Rippa kicked a game-winning field goal. For the sixth time in Caden Creel's career, the Gamecocks needed a late drive and got one. And for the 11th straight weekday CUSA game, Jax State walked off a winner — beating FIU 27-24 on Tuesday night at AmFirst Stadium after Robert Czeremcha's 49-yard field goal attempt as time expired sailed wide right.

The Gamecocks won despite being outgained 404-387 and holding the ball for just 26 minutes. They trailed the time of possession battle by more than seven minutes. They committed eight penalties for 80 yards. And they still found a way — because when it mattered, Creel and Rippa executed.

Creel finished 16 of 22 for 214 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while adding 95 rushing yards on 19 carries. Rippa's 26-yard field goal with 44 seconds left capped a 13-play, 82-yard drive that Creel kept alive with a 34-yard third-down strike to Ronnel Johnson. Jax State improved to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in CUSA before a record 15-day break.

WHAT IT MEANS

Jax State heads into a record 15-day break between regular-season games riding a four-game winning streak and sitting alone atop CUSA at 3-0. The Gamecocks have now won 24 of 29 conference games since joining the conference in 2023 and have never lost back-to-back league games. Their 13-1 weekday CUSA record is the best in the conference over the last four years, and Tuesday extended their weekday win streak to 11 games. The next four weeks will determine whether they host a third consecutive championship game.

THE TURNING POINT

FIU opened the second half with a fake punt on its first possession. It failed. The Gamecocks took over in Panthers territory and needed just five plays to cover 46 yards, with Justus Savage punching in a four-yard touchdown run at the 8:02 mark of the third quarter. That score broke a 17-17 halftime tie and gave Jax State a 24-17 lead. Without the fake punt, FIU would have pinned Jax State deep and let its defense — which had limited the Gamecocks to 10 total yards in the second quarter — keep dictating the game. Instead, the Panthers handed Jax State a short field and a lead.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Good: Jax State's offense produced 194 yards in the first quarter — its best first-quarter output this season — and averaged 7.2 yards per play for the game on just 54 snaps. Creel completed 72.7% of his passes and generated explosive plays through the air: a 38-yard touchdown to Luke Gilbert, a 36-yard touchdown to Deondre Johnson and a 34-yard third-down conversion to Ronnel Johnson on the game-winning drive. Gilbert's touchdown was his fifth reception of 30 or more yards this season, the most by any FBS tight end. Savage ran seven times for 44 yards and a touchdown at 6.3 yards per carry, and Lucas Farrington added two carries for 26 yards at 13.0 per attempt.

Bad: Jax State converted just 3 of 10 third downs. The Gamecocks managed 10 total yards in the entire second quarter and let FIU reel off 10 unanswered points to tie the game at 17 heading into halftime. Creel's interception in Jax State territory late in the first half nearly cost them — Czeremcha's 38-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the half missed, sparing the Gamecocks from trailing at the break.

Ugly: Jax State's defense has now allowed a touchdown in the final 1:41 of the first half in all six games against FBS competition this season. Tuesday's version: Maguire Anderson hauled in a 30-yard touchdown from JJ Kohl with 1:41 remaining in the second quarter to tie the game at 17. The Gamecocks had led by 10 less than seven minutes earlier.

THE STATS THAT MATTER

65 consecutive games with a rushing touchdown — Savage's four-yard score extended the NCAA's longest active streak to 65 games, 26 more than any other Division I program (FCS Montana State is second at 39). It was Savage's first career touchdown with the Gamecocks.

33:44 to 26:16 — FIU owned possession for more than seven minutes longer than Jax State, ran 73 plays to the Gamecocks' 54 and outgained them 404-387. JJ Kohl threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. The Panthers did everything but win. The combined 20 penalties for 180 yards — 12 for 100 on FIU, eight for 80 on Jax State — kept both offenses from finding rhythm.

47 career field goals — Rippa's two makes moved him within two of the Jax State record of 49 shared by Gavin Hallford (2004-08) and Alen Karajic (2020-23). On the first attempt, a 46-yarder that missed, Rippa said the process felt right: "That felt good. Like everything felt clean about that kick. The result just wasn't there. So, like I don't have to change anything."

WHAT THEY SAID

Jax State head coach Charles Kelly: "I'm very proud of our players, very proud of our coaching staff. I expected this game to be hard. FIU, I give their team, their coaches a lot of credit as well. They got a good football team. They played well all year. But there were a lot of things that we did in the game that we need to spend time on during the off week that we've got to get better at. But you know, I'm proud of the resiliency and I don't think there was a guy on our team that worried about the scoreboard, that looked at the scoreboard — they just played and we made some mistakes, but they played hard and they played to try to execute."

Kelly on the first half: "I was really frustrated at halftime with the penalties that we had that put us behind the chains because honestly in the first half they didn't stop us, we stopped us."

Kelly on the running back room: "I think at one point I felt like it would be running back by committee a lot, and that's what it has been and you know it's like having four good shooters on a basketball team. Whoever's hot, get them the ball."

FIU head coach Willie Simmons: "Tough loss obviously. We knew it was going to be a dog fight on the road against a really good football team. Hostile environment. When you make it close, you know, you take certain things out of your hands and there were things out of our control tonight that cost us the game."

Simmons on the locker room message: "Every single person in that locker room contributed to that loss. And if each of us do 1% better, we win. Those little things that we've been talking about since this spring — in close games they come back to bite you."

3 STARS

Caden Creel, QB, Jax State — 16 of 22, 214 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT; 19 carries, 95 rushing yards. The game plan for his rushing workload changes weekly based on his relationship with offensive coordinator Housewright: "We kind of have a dialogue and I know if I'm probably going to be rushing the ball more that week."

Maguire Anderson, WR, FIU — 8 receptions, 133 yards, 2 TD. Simmons praised Kohl's connection with Anderson but wanted more from the rest of the group: "Got to get a little more consistency from the other guys."

Morven Joseph, LB, Jax State — Career-high nine tackles (five solo). His previous best was six stops against Middle Tennessee. Kelly praised the defense for raising its level after the failed fourth-and-five conversion: "There were a couple times we put them in tough situations and they actually played better when they got in those tough situations."

FINAL TAKEAWAYS

Kelly admitted the failed fourth-and-five in the fourth quarter put his defensive staff in a tough spot: "I probably put House in a little bit of a tough situation right there. He said it wasn't, but I almost played for the field position." He felt good about the play call but said the defense responded by playing harder when backed into a corner.

FIU defensive lineman DeeJay Holmes Jr. entered the game with a sack in five consecutive games. The Gamecocks ended that streak. FIU center Daveion Harley, who started eight games for Jax State's 2024 CUSA championship squad, returned to AmFirst Stadium on the other sideline — a reminder of how quickly rosters turn over in the transfer portal era.

After the game, Rippa sought out Czeremcha to encourage him. "I've been there, especially this year," Rippa said. "He's a young kicker. He's having one hell of a year. Just telling him that this isn't going to end his season. He just needs to keep doing what he's doing."

The Gamecocks improved to 20-3 at AmFirst Stadium since joining the FBS ranks. The 15-day break before New Mexico State gives Kelly time to address the fundamentals: "We got to get better at blocking. We got to get better at running. We got to get better at receiving. We got to get better at throwing. We got to get better at taking on blocks. We got to get better at tackling, covering, all those things. That is our total focus."

NEXT UP

Jax State visits New Mexico State (2-4, 1-1 CUSA) on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Aggie Memorial Stadium. Kickoff at 7 p.m. CT.