STATESBORO, Ga.  – For the fourth time in as many trips to Georgia Southern, Jax State departed Allen E. Paulson Stadium Saturday night with a case of the Statesboro Blues.

The host Eagles overcame a fourth-quarter deficit by scoring twice in the last 11 minutes to defeat Jax State 41-34 before a near sellout crowd of 24,585. The Gamecocks dropped to 0-4 all-time at Georgia Southern's home field.

Brock Rechsteiner scored twice and quarterback Gavin Wimsatt ran for two touchdowns and threw for 178 yards with one TD for the Gamecocks (1-2). Jax State had taken a lead when Rechsteiner scored on an end around in the waning moments of the third quarter, but the Eagles tied it with a field goal on their next possession and sealed the win with a short TD run with 6½ left.

"It was very obvious that we didn't play as well as we can play," said Jax State head coach Charles Kelly. "We feel it will always be about us and not the other team. We did uncharacteristic things in the kicking game and gave up too many yards, which put us in bad field position. Defensively we didn't tackle the way we've been tackling."

The Eagles struck quickly, receiving the opening kickoff and moving 60 yards in nine plays for a 7-0 lead after only four minutes. Quarterback JC French IV finished the drive with a two-yard run at the 11:04 mark in the first quarter.

Wimsatt directed consecutive 75-yard scoring drives sandwiched around a 95-yard Georgia Southern kickoff return as the Eagles grabbed a 17-14 lead through one quarter. Wimsatt's second rushing TD of 2025 – a 10-yard keeper keyed by a block from receiver Michael Pettway – came with 6:34 left in the first.

Wimsatt connected with Rechsteiner for a 56-yard touchdown for the Gamecocks' second score. Rechsteiner's third career TD reception and Garrison Rippa's second extra point drew Jax State even at 14-14 at the 3:42 mark.

Rippa's 30-yard field goal and a six-yard Wimsatt run for a score accounted for Jax State's final points of the opening half. The Gamecocks went into the locker room trailing 31-24 despite outgaining Georgia Southern 282-200.

With 22 seconds left in the third, Rechsteiner scored his first career rushing TD on a 14-yard reverse, giving the Gamecocks their first lead of the night. The drive was extended by a targeting penalty against the Eagles (1-2), which came after they had successfully stopped Jax State's fake field goal try.

Linebacker Walker O'Steen had a career-best eight tackles for the Gamecocks, while safety Trevor Woods also had eight stops. Chase Alexander recovered a fumble and returned it 28 yards,

The Gamecocks return to AmFirst Stadium next Saturday for a Homecoming matchup with Murray State (0-3), their former Ohio Valley Conference rival. The Racers – now members of the FCS Missouri Valley Conference – fell at Georgia State 37-21 on Saturday.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be aired on ESPN+.

Jax State Postgame Notes – Georgia Southern
September 13, 2025 • Allen E. Paulson Stadium • Statesboro, Ga.

• JSU Captains: Junior safety Travis Franklin Jr., redshirt senior linebacker Isaac Walker, senior tight end Harrison Hamsley, sophomore offensive lineman Bubba Grayson. Franklin, Hamsley and Grayson are Georgia natives.
• Jax State won the opening coin toss and deferred its option to the second half. The Gamecocks have won the toss twice in three games.
• Redshirt senior receiver Michael Pettway, who missed the first two games due to injury, made his 2025 debut vs. the Eagles early in the first quarter, but did not have a reception. Pettway caught 25 passes for 454 yards and three TDs last year.
• Running back Cam Cook gained 120 yards on 21 carries and now has 390 yards through his first three games with the Gamecocks. It's the best three-game start to a season by a Jax State back since Rondy Rogers accounted for 392 yards to begin the 2001 campaign. 
• Jax State, which saw its streak of games with multiple rushing touchdowns end at 11 in the season opener at UCF, rushed for three TDs against Georgia Southern and now has seven in its last two games.
• The 31 points allowed by Jax State's defense in the first half were the most allowed during a half by the Gamecocks since Coastal Carolina scored 31 in the first half en route to a 55-27 win on August 29, 2024.
• Jax State's defense did not record a QB sack after posting three at UCF and three vs. Liberty.
• Brock Rechsteiner's 56-yard TD catch in the first quarter was his third scoring play with the Gamecocks. His three career touchdowns have averaged 47.7 per reception.
• Garrison Rippa kicked field goals of 30 and 33 yards, marking his sixth career game with multiple field goals.
• Rippa was 4-of-4 on extra points and now has 74 PATs for his career. He is seven shy of moving past James Esco (2010-11) into 10^th place on Jax State's all-time extra points made list. 
• Georgia Southern is scheduled to visit AmFirst Stadium on Sept. 19, 2026, which will be only its second trip to Jax State.
• Georgia Southern owns the fourth-highest home winning percentage among all active stadiums of FBS programs at 215-49 (81.4%) and improves to 34-7 in home openers.
• Jax State offensive coordinator Clint Trickett and tight ends coach Taylor Housewright were part of Clay Helton's Georgia Southern coaching staff in 2024. Trickett served as the Eagles' pass game coordinator/tight ends coach and Housewright was a senior analyst.
• Outside linebacker Isaac Walker was a two-year starter for the Eagles from 2023-24 before transferring to Jax State. Gamecocks safety Tyler Bride appeared in 29 games over three seasons for the Eagles from 2020-2022. Harrison Hamsley was a redshirt at Georgia Southern in 2021.
• Jax State is 1-2 for the first time since 2012.
• Since 2023, the Gamecocks have a 12-2 record at AmFirst Stadium and are 7-9 away from home.
• Jax State has allowed 133 total points in its last three visits to Allen E. Paulson Stadium.
• Georgia Southern had 182 yards on kickoff returns. Jax State had allowed only 39.0 yards on kickoff returns in its first two games.