MURRAY, Ky. - Anwat Lewis rushed for 184 yards and three touchdowns as Jacksonville State improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2013 with a 34-3 win over ex-Ohio Valley Conference rival Murray State at Roy Stewart Stadium. 

The Gamecocks defeated the Racers (0-2) for the eighth straight time despite committing a season-high four turnovers. Lewis paced Jax State's punishing rushing attack with 184 yards and scored on runs of one, 46 and 64 yards.

Jacksonville product Ron Wiggins added a career-long 83-yard run late in the fourth quarter for the Gamecocks' final points – his third career rushing touchdown coming on Jax State's longest run from scrimmage this year and tied for the second-longest ever in JSU's Division I history.

The Gamecocks generated a season-high 568 total yards while limiting the hosts to only 267 and 13 first downs.

"We moved the ball at times, but we had some untimely turnovers," said Jacksonville State head coach Rich Rodriguez. "We had some mental mistakes and it was very frustrating at times for everybody, coaches and players.

"I think we'll have moments like that but we've got to learn from our mistakes and try to get better."

Zion Webb connected on his first four passes to four different receivers as Jax State established an early 7-0 lead. The Gamecocks covered 85 yards in 11 plays with Lewis finishing off the four-minute drive by walking in from the Murray 1.

Kicker Alen Karajic's first extra point of the season made it 7-0 with 7:24 to go in the first quarter.

There weren't many offensive highlights for the rest of the opening half by either team until Jax State tacked on a field goal in the final seconds before halftime.

Karajic nailed a 42-yard field goal on the last play of the half as the Gamecocks carried a 10-3 lead to the locker room at intermission. Karajic's kick finished off a much-needed 12-play, 50-yard drive in the last two minutes of the second quarter.

The Gamecocks outgained Murray State 224 to 119 as seven JSU players caught passes from Webb, who threw for 112 yards in the first half.

The Racers' only points came on Aaron Baum's 45-yard field goal.

Webb completed 18 of 28 passes for 167 yards but was intercepted twice before yielding to backup Aaron McLaughlin in the third quarter. Webb also ran nine times.

Murray State turned to trickery in the third when punter Lewis Halton completed a 37-yard pass to Dylan Appleton – their longest play of the game – on fourth down from its 22. Appleton, however, had the ball knocked loose by Jax State's T.J. Lockley and Jett Smith recovered at JSU's 41.

With McLaughlin at the helm, the Gamecocks needed only three plays to find the end zone after the Racers' turnover. Lewis broke loose for a 46-yard TD run and Karajic tacked on another extra point as Jax State reeled off 24 unanswered points in the second half. Karajic later kicked a 26-yard field goal as JSU built its lead to 20-3 through three quarters.

McLaughlin ran seven times for 50 yards and completed two passes in his first significant playing time with the Gamecocks. P.J. Wells and Lewis contributed a team-high five receptions each.

Murray State completed only six passes for 92 yards. Markail Benton led Jax State with eight tackles, including 1.5 stops for losses, and also had a sack.

The Gamecocks venture to Tulsa, Okla., next Saturday to face the Golden Hurricane (1-1), a member of the American Athletic Conference. Kickoff at 30,000-seat H.A. Chapman Stadium is at 6 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN+.

Tulsa opened the season with a 40-37 loss at Wyoming and a 38-35 home win over Northern Illinois. It will be Jax State's first football matchup against a program from the state of Oklahoma.

Jacksonville State Postgame Notes – Murray State
September 10, 2022 • Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, Ky.

• JSU Captains: Senior quarterback Zion Webb, senior safety Stevonte Tullis and senior linebacker Markail Benton
• JSU improves to 17-2 all-time again Murray State and has won the last eight meetings 
• JSU won the toss and elected to defer 
• JSU's 3-0 start is the best since beginning the season 4-0 in 2013 
• Head coach Rich Rodriguez is now 3-0 at the JSU helm and moves to 166-119-2 for his career
• Jax State recorded a season-high 28 first downs
• JSU rushed for 388 yards for the Gamecocks' first 300-yard game on the ground since gaining 353 at Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 6, 2018
• Redshirt sophomore running back Anwar Lewis recorded his second career 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 184 total on the ground
• Lewis became the first Gamecock to rush for more than 150 yards in a game since Josh Samuel at FIU on Oct. 23, 2020
• Lewis finished with three rushing touchdowns, the third-straight week a Gamecock has done so after Zion Webb in the opening two games
• Running back Ron Wiggins broke free for an 83-yard score late in the fourth quarter for the longest scoring play by a Gamecock this season and tied for the second-longest ever in JSU's Division I history.
• This series, which started in 2003 when the Gamecocks joined the OVC, is scheduled to resume on Sept. 20, 2025, when Murray State visits Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium. The Racers will join the Missouri Valley Football Conference beginning with the 2023 season.