Gamecocks Rally Late for Historic New Orleans Bowl Victory

Saturday, December 16

New Orleans, LA

1:15 pm

Jax State

9-4 , 6-2

Louisiana

6-7 , 3-5

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Final F
Jacksonville State	7	7	10	7	3	34
Louisiana	7	7	7	10	0	31

Box Score (PDF)

12/16/2023 8:05:00 PM | Football

Box Score Photo Gallery

NEW ORLEANS – History was made in the iconic Caesars Superdome on Saturday in Jax State's thrilling 34-31 overtime victory over Louisiana at the 23rd annual R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.

The Gamecocks, who qualified for a bowl berth in their first season as FBS and Conference USA members thanks to there not being enough conditionally bowl-eligible teams, made the most of their postseason opportunity by scoring on fourth down with less than two minutes left in regulation, then winning in OT as first-time starter Garrison Rippa calmly kicked a 27-yard field goal.

"We capped off a great week with a great win," said Jax State head coach Rich Rodriguez. "I'm proud of our players, proud of our staff and proud of our crowd – we had a lot of folks here who drove a long way and I'm sure they're celebrating downtown tonight."

Zion Webb – shaking off an earlier shin injury that forced him to the sidelines – engineered a game-tying drive culminating with his 18-yard touchdown pass to Perry Carter with 1:46 remaining in regulation to tie it at 31-31.

Louisiana missed a field goal attempt on its first possession in overtime. Wiggins then carried it six straight times to set up Rippa, a freshman, who drilled the game-winner to set off a raucous celebration as Jax State became the first school to win a bowl game in its inaugural FBS season.

Twenty-one of the Ragin' Cajuns' 31 points came on defensive touchdowns – two interception returns and a fumble return. Jax State finished with 526 total yards while Louisiana (6-7) was limited to only 247.

Jax State (9-4) got off to an inauspicious start when Louisiana's defense forced a fumble after a short Zion Webb completion. Ragin' Cajuns safety Jalen Clark scooped up the loose football and raced 46 yards to the end zone, putting the Gamecocks in a 7-0 hole less than two minutes into the contest.

Jax State responded to tie the game on its second series.

Cole Fuller, a little-used tight end, drew Jax State even with 3:06 remaining in the first quarter with a 1-yard plunge to finish off an 80-yard drive that took 13 plays. Rippa tacked on first career extra point to make it 7-7.

Louisiana's Clark gave his team a 14-7 edge midway through the second quarter when he stepped in front of a Jax State pass and took the interception 16 yards to the end zone. The extra point gave the Ragin' Cajuns their second lead with 4:22 to go in the half.

The Gamecocks erased the deficit again just before halftime by quickly moving 75 yards in less than four minutes.

Logan Smothers, who entered after Webb sustained an ankle injury, ran for 9 yards to get the Gamecocks deep into Louisiana territory. Bowl MVP Wiggins finished off the 14-play drive with a 7-yard TD run with 23 seconds left. Rippa's second PAT sent the teams to the locker room tied at 14-14.

Jax State committed three first-half turnovers while outgaining the Ragin' Cajuns 269-94.

Smothers scored on a 10-yard quarterback keeper late in the third for a 24-21 Jax State lead. Louisiana knotted it at 24-24 with a field goal early in the final quarter, then surged ahead for its final lead with a 43-yard pick-six at the 5:32 mark. The Gamecocks took the ensuing kickoff and coolly went 70 yards in eight plays to force overtime.

Jax State kicks off the 2024 season on Saturday, Aug. 31, when it hosts Coastal Carolina at Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium.

Jax State Postgame Notes – University of Louisiana
December 16, 2023 • Caesars Superdome • New Orleans, La.

JSU Captains: Senior linebacker Quae Drake, senior wide receiver Perry Carter, senior offensive lineman Treylen Brown and senior defensive tackle Jackson Luttrell
Louisiana won the opening toss and deferred its option to the second half
Jax State head coach Rich Rodriguez improved to 181-125-2 in his 26th season and 18-6 in two years with the Gamecocks
Rodriguez is now 7-6 all-time in bowl games, including wins in seven of the last 10 postseason games he has coached
Redshirt sophomore Cole Fuller's 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter marked his first carry in a Gamecock uniform. Fuller, a converted linebacker, recorded one unassisted tackle against Southeastern Louisiana as a freshman.
Wiggins' 27 rushes were a career-high for the Jacksonville native. He finished with his second career 100-yard games finishing with 126 yards on the ground.
Rippa kicked the first extra point of his career in the first quarter and his first field goal in the third and finished with 10 points scored – four PATs and field goals of 22 and 27 yards
Jax State shattered R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl records most plays (109) and most rushing attempts (74). The Gamecocks eclipsed both marks before the end of the third quarter.
The Gamecocks' 109 plays run were the second-most in FBS history, trailing only Houston's 115 plays against Louisiana Tech in 2012
Safety Jeremiah Harris concluded his career with seven tackles and finished with 262 career stops, moving past Rashad Smith (259 from 2010-13) into sixth place on Jax State's career tackles list
Larry Worth was the Gamecocks' leading tackler with 12