Jacksonville State Beats Middle Tennessee 23-13 Despite Two Picks
Caden Creel threw two interceptions and still went home with the win. That is what 279 rushing yards do for a quarterback's mistakes.
Jacksonville State took a 3-0 lead on a Garrison Rippa field goal and made it 10-0 when Creel ran in from a yard out with 6:50 left in the second quarter. Middle Tennessee got one back right before halftime, a 5-yard touchdown from Roman Gagliano to Cam'ron Lacy with 27 seconds left, and took the lead at 13-10 on a 32-yard touchdown to Markus Allen early in the third. The two-point try failed, which left it a three-point game. Flip that try and it is 15-10 instead.
From there it was all Jacksonville State. Rippa tied it at 13 with a 31-yard field goal, Creel hit Deondre Johnson from 38 yards with 1:15 left in the third quarter to make it 20-13, and Rippa closed it with a 29-yarder at 2:46 of the fourth. That was 13 straight points, and Middle Tennessee never scored again.
The yardage was lopsided: 520 for Jacksonville State against 319 for Middle Tennessee, with the winners running 38 times for 279 yards and throwing for 241. Middle Tennessee threw for 216 and ran for 103 and did not turn the ball over once, so the Blue Raiders were simply out-gained by 201 yards. The 23-13 final moves Jacksonville State to 3-2 and Middle Tennessee to 2-2.
For fantasy, Creel's day was the strange one: 33.5 points, with 119 rushing yards and a rushing score covering for the two picks.