Jacksonville State Edges FIU 27-24 on a Late Field Goal
Jacksonville State is 5-2, and it got there without ever trailing. That makes a 27-24 win over Florida International sound calmer than it was. The Gamecocks were tied three times and needed a Garrison Rippa field goal with 44 seconds left to finish it.
Caden Creel threw a 38-yard touchdown to Luke Gilbert with 11:45 left in the first quarter, FIU's Maguire Anderson answered with a 50-yard score, and Creel found Deondre Johnson from 36 yards to make it 14-7. Rippa's 47-yard field goal made it 17-7 early in the second. Then Anderson struck again from 30 yards with 1:41 left in the half, and it was 17-17. Justus Savage ran in from 4 yards in the third to put Jacksonville State back up, and Devonte Lyons answered from 8 yards with 1:06 left in the quarter. Tied 24-24 going into the fourth, with no more scoring until Rippa's 26-yarder.
FIU actually had the better yardage day, 404 to 387, and passed for 280 yards against 214 with no turnovers. The Gamecocks ran 32 times for 173 yards (Creel alone had 19 carries for 95) and threw the only interception of the game. Take away the final kick and this is tied at 24 with 44 seconds left. One swing at the end of the clock decided it.
FIU falls to 3-3. For fantasy, Anderson was the best receiver in the game, with 8 catches for 133 yards and two scores in a loss, and Creel kept up his usual pace with 30.1 points.