COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina won the first Gamecocks vs. Gamecocks showdown, but its Conference USA namesakes made their Power 5 hosts sweat the outcome until the final horn.

Facing a Southeastern Conference foe for the first time since 2016, Jax State (7-3) was tied entering the fourth quarter before dropping a 38-28 decision to South Carolina before an announced crowd of 75,348 at Williams-Brice Stadium.

South Carolina ended a four-game losing streak and is now 3-6.
 
"We came into a tough environment against a talented team and I thought we went toe-to-toe with them for the most part," said Jax State head coach Rich Rodriguez. "We want to win and the guys played hard enough to do it."
 
Jax State shredded South Carolina's defense for 421 yards but three costly fourth-quarter turnovers proved to be too much to overcome.
 
"When you let a team run 84 plays for 421 yards and convert more than 50% on third down, you're usually not going to win," said South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer. "(Jax State) is really good on offense. I've got so much respect for Coach Rodriguez and the energy his teams play with."
 
The second miscue – an 88-yard pick-six for South Carolina's last score – came with less than three minutes on the clock after Jax State drove to South Carolina's 17 with an opportunity to tie or retake the lead.
 
The 15-point underdog Gamecocks took the fight to South Carolina midway through the first quarter after their first three series had ended with punts.
 
Trailing 7-0, quarterback Zion Webb directed an eight-play, 62-yard Jax State scoring drive that pulled Jax State even with 3:44 remaining in the opening quarter. Webb finished it with a 15-yard TD pass to tight end Sean Brown, and Alen Karajic added the extra point to make it 7-7.
 
South Carolina regained the lead late in the first on a 1-yard run by quarterback Spencer Rattler. Jax State again answered with Anwar Lewis putting the finishing touches on a 75-yard scoring drive by plunging in from the 4. Karajic's second PAT drew Jax State even at 14-14 at the 14:16 mark in the second quarter.
 
A crucial turnover just before halftime shifted momentum in South Carolina's favor.
 
The hosts forced a Jax State fumble and needed only four plays to cover 49 yards, with Rattler throwing a 5-yard TD pass to Xavier Leggette with 30 seconds left in the half.
 
The extra point sent South Carolina to the locker room with a 21-14 lead.
 
Brown's second touchdown catch, a 13-yard toss from backup quarterback Logan Smothers, tied the game for the third time. Karajic's PAT made it 21-21 early in third quarter.
 
Jax State's only lead came six minutes later when Webb returned to the lineup and hooked up with Perry Carter on a 54-yard touchdown. Webb's perfectly thrown pass over two South Carolina defenders put Jax State ahead 28-21 with 5½ minutes left in the third.
 
The lead was short-lived, however. Rattler found Xavier Legette on a 65-yard touchdown pass four minutes later and the PAT pulled South Carolina even at 28-28.
 
Legette finished with 13 receptions for 217 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Jax State has an open date next week. It returns to action with a Conference USA matchup vs. Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Nov. 18, at Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium. The final home game of the season kicks off at 1 p.m., with Marching Southerners Reunion weekend scheduled.
 
 
Jax State Postgame Notes – South Carolina
November 4, 2023 • Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, S.C.
 

• JSU Captains: Redshirt senior receiver Perry Carter, redshirt senior linebacker Kolbi Fuqua, redshirt senior offensive lineman Treylen Brown
• South Carolina won the coin toss and chose to defer
• Head coach Rich Rodriguez is now 16-5 in his second season at Jax State and 179-124-2 overall in 26 seasons
• Jax State surpassed 100 yards rushing for the 27th consecutive game, including all 21 games under Rodriguez. They had 225 yards on 57 carries against South Carolina.
• The announced attendance of 75,348 at Williams-Brice Stadium was the fourth-largest crowd to ever watch Jax State play
• Tight end Sean Brown's two catches resulted in touchdowns, a 15-yard snag from Webb in the first quarter and a 13-yard reception from Logan Smothers in the third quarter. He now has five TD catches in 2023.
• Cornerback Kekoura Tarnue had his third interception of the season and led Jax State with nine tackles
• Jax State's defense, which entered the game with 30 quarterback sacks and tied for fifth among all FBS teams, sacked Rattler three times
• Kicker Alen Karajic's four extra points gives him 144 for his career, surpassing Cade Stinnett (2014-2018) for third place on Jax State's career extra points list
• Jax State was 10-of-19 on third-down conversions
• South Carolina became the eighth Southeastern Conference opponent Jax State has faced in football. Among current SEC members, Jax State has never played Alabama, Texas A&M, Missouri, Tennessee, Vanderbilt or Georgia.
• Jax State is 3-4 all-time on the road against teams from the state of South Carolina (0-1 at South Carolina, 0-1 at Coastal Carolina, 1-0 at Wofford, 2-0 at Newberry, 0-2 at Furman)