MONTGOMERY – The Ol' School Bell is returning to its rightful owner for the first time since 1990 after Jax State rallied to knock off Troy 17-13 at Cramton Bowl Tuesday night in the 21st annual IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl.
Playing for the first time without Cam Cook, the nation's leading rusher, the Gamecocks came through with two clutch interceptions in the second half to upend their in-state rival before a crowd of 15,721 in the renewal of the Battle of the Ol' School Bell series after a 24-year hiatus.
"It was a great way to bring back an old rivalry," said Jax State head coach Charles Kelly, who led the Gamecocks to a 9-5 record in his first season. "Bill Burgess would be proud.
"We did what we had to do to win the game. It's a great honor to be able to play in 14 games. There's not many football players that are able to do that. Our players never quit and I'm just glad that they respect this game the way they do."
Quarterback Caden Creel was selected by the media as the game's Most Valuable Player after completing 14-of-20 passes for 173 yards with one touchdown.
The Gamecocks were without third-team All-American Cook, who was limited in practice all week due to an injury. Cook finishes with 1,659 yards, the second-highest total in school history. He remains the top rusher among all FBS backs, with a 99-yard edge over Missouri's Ahmad Hardy, whose team faces Virginia in the Taxslayer Gator Bowl.
Jax State struck for a 7-0 lead on its opening series after forcing Troy to punt to start the game.
Creel completed passes to Deondre Johnson, Dylan Gentry and Michael Pettway as the Gamecocks drove deep into Trojans territory. Creel then connected with Brock Rechsteiner for a 22-yard touchdown and Garrison Rippa added the extra point with 9:41 remaining in the first quarter.
Not much went right for Jax State in the first half after that as the Trojans (8-6) capitalized on two busted trick plays for their first 10 points.
Troy nose tackle Luis Medina recovered a fumbled flea-flicker attempt in the end zone at the 1:39 mark to tie the game at 7-7. Then a botched fake punt set up the Trojans' go-ahead score, a 38-yard field goal early in the second, and Troy went to the locker room at halftime leading 13-7 after tacking on a 30-yard field goal.
Jax State's offense managed only 46 total yards after going 71 yards on its initial drive.
Rippa nailed a 51-yard field goal midway through the third quarter, cutting the Gamecocks' deficit to 13-10. The kick marked his 37th career field goal, moving him into sole possession of third place on the all-time list, trailing only Gavin Hallford (49) and Alen Karajic (48).
"It was an electric game. Such a great ballgame. It was awesome," said junior safety Caleb Nix. "And I can say that Jax State has never lost to Troy in my lifetime."
Interceptions by Jax State defenders Ian Mitchell and Tyrin Taylor shifted the momentum after halftime. Troy was held scoreless over the final two quarters and finished with just 217 total yards.
What proved to be the game-winning drive came early in the fourth quarter as the Gamecocks went 47 yards in 11 plays after Mitchell's interception. Andrew Paul took a direct snap and scored on a one-yard plunge at the 10:06 mark as Jax State took its only lead of the game.
Deondre Johnson snagged six passes for 101 yards – his fourth game with 100+ receiving yards in the last seven.
Jax State Postgame Notes, IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl – Troy
December 16, 2025 • Cramton Bowl • Montgomery
- JSU Captains were all 18 seniors. Redshirt senior receiver Michael Pettway, senior quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, redshirt senior tight end Pearson Baldwin, senior safety Trevor Woods went out for the coin toss.
- Brock Rechsteiner's 22-yard TD reception on Jax State's opening drive was just the second bowl game touchdown scored on a first series, the other by Northern Illinois in its 21-19 win over Arkansas State in 2023.
- Jax State's 17 points were the fewest scored in a victory since a 17-14 over UTEP in the 2023 season opener.
- Redshirt freshman receiver Dylan Gentry made his first career start and caught an 18-yard pass in the first quarter, his longest reception on the season.
- Garrison Rippa's 51-yard field goal in the third quarter was the second-longest in bowl history, trailing only the 52-yarder kicked by Arkansas State's Blake Grupe in 2019.
- Jax State is now 2-1 in bowl games.
- The Gamecocks now lead the all-time series 34-28-2.
- Marc Woods had a career-best eight tackles against the Trojans, which tied him for the team-high with Mac Sanders.
- Five different running backs carried the ball for the Gamecocks. Jax State also had five running backs run the ball against Delaware during the regular season.
- The 2025 squad is just the fifth team in the program's history to play at least 14 games in a season, joining the 1977, 1989, 1992 and 2024 squads. Jax State's 2015 team played 15 games while advancing to the FCS Championship Game.
- Charles Kelly is one of five head coaches – and fourth in a row – in Jax State's esteemed football history to win at least nine games in their debut season, joining Jim Fuller (11-3 in 1977), Bill Clark (11-4 in 2013), John Grass (10-2 in 2014) and Rich Rodriguez (9-2 in 2022).
- Jax State made its 11th all-time appearance on ESPN's flagship channel in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl, marking the fifth Gamecocks game televised from Montgomery. ESPN has previously aired Jax State's season openers from Montgomery against Chattanooga (2017), North Carolina A&T (2018), UAB (2021) and Stephen F. Austin (2022).
- Tuesday night's game marks the third time Jax State has played a postseason game on December 16. The Gamecocks are 3-0 on this date, with victories over Livingston State Teachers College (now West Alabama) at the 1949 Paper Bowl in Pensacola, Fla., and Louisiana at the 2023 New Orleans Bowl.
- The 36-degree temperature at kickoff was the coldest start in the 21-year history of the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl.
