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Jacksonville State University Athletics

Composite Calendar
Webb
52
Winner Jacksonville St. JSU 4-1 , 0-0
21
Nicholls NIC 0-4 , 0-0
Winner
Jacksonville St. JSU
4-1 , 0-0
52
Final
21
Nicholls NIC
0-4 , 0-0
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
JSU Jacksonville St. 14 21 17 0 52
NIC Nicholls 7 7 0 7 21

Game Recap: Football |

Jax State gets back on track with road rout of Nicholls

THIBODAUX, La. – Jacksonville State's defense, exploited a week earlier in a loss at Tulsa, redeemed itself in a major way against Nicholls as the offense regained its explosiveness Saturday afternoon.

Jax State (4-1) raced to a 21-point halftime lead and crushed the Colonels 52-21 at John. L. Guidry Stadium. Interceptions by Kobi Fuqua and Jamari Jemison in the first half led to touchdowns as the Gamecocks closed out the September portion of the schedule with their highest-scoring total in a half since 2018.

Quarterback Zion Webb threw touchdown passes of 76 and 71 yards and rushed for two more scores as Jax State rolled up 518 scrimmage yards and punted just three times, all in the fourth quarter after the outcome was decided. Webb threw for 252 yards, the second-most of his career, and added to his FCS-leading total for rushing TDs with scoring runs of 13 and 28 yards before yielding to the backups.

"Every time Zion was in, we scored, so he was seeing the field well," said Jacksonville State head coach Rich Rodriguez. "The execution was key for us offensively."

Fuqua intercepted a Colonels pass at midfield on the game's seventh play and returned it 25 yards into Nicholls territory. Pat Jackson – one of four Gamecocks to run for a touchdown in the first half – scored on a three-yard run and Alen Karajic kicked the first of his seven extra points for a 7-0 lead with 11:01 left in the first quarter.

Matt LaRoche made it 14-7 at the 2:28 mark in the first with a season-long 46-yard run to cap a three-play, 75-yard drive. Things went downhill rapidly for the Colonels from that point on.

Webb found a wide-open Sean Brown for a 76-yard touchdown pass, Anwar Lewis scored on a three-yard run and Webb tacked on 13-yard run to the end zone as the Gamecocks extended their lead to 35-14 by halftime.

Webb stayed hot by connecting with Sterling Galban on a 71-yard touchdown just 38 seconds into the third quarter.

Webb later added a 28-yard TD run and Karajic tacked on a 46-yard field goal as Jax State built its lead to 52-14 entering the fourth.

Nicholls fell to 0-4.

The Gamecocks return home for the first time since Sept. 3 when they open ASUN Conference play against Kennesaw State next Saturday.  The Owls own a 3-0 lead in the all-time series, including a 60-52 five-overtime thriller at SunTrust (now Truist) Park in Atlanta in 2018.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Burgess-Snow Field and the game will be televised on ESPN+.

Jax State Postgame Notes – Nicholls September 24, 2022 • John L. Guidry Stadium • Thibodaux, La.

  • JSU Captains: Senior Webb, senior linebacker Stevonte Willis and senior wide receiver Ty Lyte III
  • Eight of kicker Alen Karajic's nine kickoffs in the contest resulted in touchbacks
  • Karajic's 46-yard field goal in the third quarter tied his career-long kick. He has previously kicked three other field goals from that distance.
  • Matt LaRoche's 46-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was his fifth TD and his longest run of the 2022 season
  • The 35 points Jax State scored in the first half were its most since a 71-0 win over Mississippi Valley State on Sept. 8, 2018, in Jacksonville. The Gamecocks scored 36 points in the first half of that game.
  • Webb, who entered the day tied with Owen Wright of Monmouth and Sean Chambers of Montana State for most rushing TDs and most total TDs by any player in the FCS, rushed for two more and now has nine through five games
  • Five JSU backs – Webb, LaRoche, Anwar Lewis and Ron Wiggins – rushed for more than 50 yards
  • Webb's 28.0 yards per completion was the second-best in school history behind Montressa Kirby's 34.8 against Sam Houston State on Oct. 24, 1998. His 22.9 yards per attempt breaks his own JSU record of 15.9 per pass vs. Davidson April 4, 2021.
  • Tight end Sean Brown's 105 yards on three catches was a season-high for any JSU receiver
  • Brown's 76-yard touchdown catch in the first half was JSU's longest reception this season, surpassing Sterling Galban's 73-yard catch against Stephen F. Austin in the season opener
  • The Gamecocks' 52 points were the most scored in a game since JSU recorded 56 at Eastern Kentucky on November 6, 2018
  • The Nicholls coaching staff includes two assistants with Jacksonville State connections. Defensive coordinator Tommy Rybacki was a Gamecocks linebacker from 2004-05, served as a student assistant for JSU from 2005-08 and was an assistant on Jack Crowe's staff from 2009-10. Running backs coach Tylan Martin, an Oxford High graduate, played wide receiver for Jax State from 2009-11 and earned his degree in exercise science and wellness in 2014.
  • Nicholls State is the first of two Southland Conference opponents that Jax State is scheduled to face this season. The Gamecocks will host Southeastern Louisiana on Oct. 22 for homecoming.
  • Deco Wilson and Tullis led Jax State defensively with seven tackles each
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