JACKSONVILLE – Jax State delivered a clear message to the rest of Conference USA Saturday afternoon: the 2025 Gamecocks have no intention of giving up their league championship belt without a fight.

Cam Cook rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns as the Gamecocks (1-1, 1-0 in CUSA) upended Liberty 34-24 before an announced Band Day crowd of 20,755 at Burgess-Snow Field at AmFirst Stadium.

Charles Kelly's first win as Jax State's head coach came despite the Flames (1-1, 0-1) scoring three touchdowns of 50 yards or more while gaining 534 yards. But Jax State never trailed and sealed the victory with quarterback Gavin Wimsatt's three-yard TD run and a 24-yard field goal from Garrett Rippa in the final 8½ minutes

"We felt like we could run the ball and anytime you can run the football it's going to give you a chance to win the game," Kelly said. "Defensively we got some turnovers, which was big. We got a couple of key sacks and we're finding who can rush the passer and get the quarterback on the ground."

The underdog Gamecocks led 17-10 at halftime and stretched their lead to 14 points twice in the second half behind short touchdown runs from Cook and Wimsatt.

Jax State's offense ground out 338 yards as Wimsatt finished with 78 on 10 carries and Andrew Paul added 67 on eight attempts.

Defense staked the Gamecocks to a 7-0 lead just over five minutes into the contest.

Linebacker Isaac Walker hit Ethan Vasko and forced Liberty's QB to cough up the ball, which was snagged in mid-air by fellow linebacker Myles Butler and returned to the Flames 40. Cook then broke free on a 31-yard run deep into Liberty territory and Paul finished off the four-play scoring drive by diving in from the 3 with 9:58 remaining in the opening quarter.

Butler's first career interception in a Gamecocks uniform helped Jax State regain the lead after the Flames drew even at 7-7 on a 72-yard TD pass by Vasko at the 4:09 mark in the first quarter.

Butler's 11-yard return to near midfield after picking off Vasko's pass set up the Gamecocks' second score.

Jax State moved 53 yards in six plays, capping off the drive on Cook's 11-yard touchdown jaunt. Garrison Rippa added his second extra point for a 14-7 lead with 12:35 to go in the first half.

After a lightning delay of 81 minutes – Jax State's second lengthy stoppage in two games – the Gamecocks extended their lead to 17-7 with 3:02 remaining in the second quarter on Rippa's 50-yard field goal, the second-longest of his career.

The Gamecocks sacked Liberty QB Ethan Vasko four times, with Emmanuel Oyebadejo credited with a team-high 1½ sacks. Four Jax State defenders had five tackles.

Jax State is back on the road next Saturday to face Sun Belt Conference member Georgia Southern at Allen E. Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Ga.  Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and the game can be seen on ESPN+.

Jax State Postgame Notes – Liberty
September 6, 2025 • Burgess-Snow Field at AmFirst Stadium • Jacksonville, Ala.

• Jax State Captains: Junior running back Cam Cook, redshirt junior defensive end Emmanuel Oyebadejo, redshirt senior wide receiver Michael Petttway.
• Liberty won the opening coin toss and deferred its option to the second half.
• Head coach Charles Kelly is the fifth straight first-year coach to win his first home game at AmFirst Stadium.
• Cook's previous career high of 81 rushing yards came vs. Stanford while he was playing for TCU in 2024. He surpassed that with a 14-yard run in the second quarter.
• Andrew Paul's three-yard TD run for the game's first points was the junior running back's second of the season and sixth of his Gamecock career.
• Paul's 42-yard run in the fourth quarter was the longest of his career. His previous long run was a 28-yard touchdown vs. New Mexico State last year.  
• Garrison Rippa's 50-yard field goal late in the second quarter was the second-longest of his career. The Locust Grove, Ga., native kicked a 51-yarder at Eastern Michigan in 2024 and now owns three of the 10 longest field goals in Jax State history.
• The Sept. 6 game was the thirrd-earliest conference matchup Jax State has participated in during the Division I era. The Gamecocks hosted UTEP on August 26, 2023, in their inaugural CUSA game and started the 2011 season with a home win over UT-Martin on Sept. 1.
• Jax State and Liberty are both in their third season as CUSA members and have the two best conference records during that span (Gamecocks are now 14-3 all-time in league games, while the Flames are 13-4).
• Jax State has only lost one home game (in 10 outings) since its 31-13 setback to Liberty on Oct. 10, 2023. The Gamecocks are the only visitor (in 15 outings) to defeat the Flames at Williams Stadium under Jamey Chadwell.
• Liberty's 72-yard TD pass in the first quarter was the longest offensive play allowed by the Gamecocks' defense since Louisiana Tech scored on an 86-yard pass on Nov. 9, 2024.
• Jax State did not commit a penalty during the first half and had only one for 10 yards the entire game.
• Liberty has allowed only five 100-yard rushers since the start of the 2023 season, with two being from Jax State: Tre Stewart (232 yards in 2024) and Cook's 195-yard effort on Saturday.
• Fifty-two passing yards against Liberty marked the second time since 2014 the Gamecocks have thrown for less than 60 yards. Both resulted in Jax State victories.