Caden Creel became the first Jacksonville State quarterback to rush for 200 yards in a game, and the Gamecocks secured bowl eligibility for the fourth consecutive season with a 24-0 shutout of New Mexico State on Wednesday night at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces, N.M.
Creel rushed for a career-high 211 yards on 21 carries. He also completed 11 of 17 passes for 109 yards to finish with 320 yards on total offense.
"Caden does it all," Jax State head coach Charles Kelly said.
The Gamecocks racked up a season-high 324 rushing yards against a New Mexico State defense that entered the contest allowing just 109.1 yards per game on the ground, the best mark in Conference USA.
Kelly gave credit to Jax State's offensive line, which paved the way for running backs Jalen Likely, Khristian Lando, Justus Savage and Lucas Farrington to combine for 114 rushing yards on 24 carries.
"They don't get talked about a lot, but they've done some really good things," Kelly said. "To be able to run the ball like that is a good thing."
Creel threw an interception on Jax State's opening possession while trying to connect with wide receiver Deondre Johnson on a deep pass. The underthrown ball landed in the hands of New Mexico State cornerback Josiah Charles.
"I thought he was a little bit impatient early in the game, trying to make some things happen and kind of pressing a little bit," Kelly said. "I told him, I said, 'Just trust your eyes. If you can't trust your eyes, you can't trust anything.'"
Kelly's advice to Creel was to let the game come to him. The senior from Fairhope did just that on the Gamecocks' next possession, capping a 12-play, 80-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. Jax State kicker Garrison Rippa's successful extra-point attempt set the halftime score at 7-0.
Rippa nailed a 49-yard field goal early in the third quarter to give the Gamecocks a 10-0 cushion.
After the two teams traded interceptions, Creel ripped off the biggest play of the game, racing 84 yards down to the New Mexico State 1-yard line. Likely scored on the next play, and Jax State led 17-0 with 2:31 remaining in the third quarter after Rippa's second successful extra-point attempt.
After New Mexico State kicker Kyah Francone missed his second field-goal attempt of the game, Creel capped the scoring with a 29-yard touchdown pass to tight end Luke Gilbert, who set a new career high with five receptions for 67 yards.
"He is what you want in an H-back/tight end, because he's so athletic, smart, very competitive," Kelly said. "Just an all-round football player. There's no telling how many positions he could play on a football team."
The Gamecocks (6-2, 4-0 CUSA) improved to 14-1 in "Weekday CUSA" games since joining the league in 2023. They'll have a ten-day break before returning to the field on Saturday, Nov. 7, when they'll host Sam Houston at 6 p.m.
