JACKSONVILLE — When the temperature starts to drop in Alabama , Jax State wide receiver Deondre Johnson heats up.
The 6-foot-8 New York native ran a post route late in the third quarter and high-pointed the football over Middle Tennessee cornerback Jackson Lowe in the end zone for a 38-yard touchdown. The score gave the Gamecocks a lead they wouldn't relinquish in a 23-13 victory over the Blue Raiders on Saturday in the Conference USA opener for both teams.
"I've been waiting for it all season," Johnson said. "My number got called, and I had to make a play."
After a slow start — he caught just four passes for 48 yards in Jax State's first two games — Johnson has started to show flashes of the big-play potential he brought to the Gamecocks' offense during the second half of the 2025 season.
He finished Saturday's game with three catches for 57 yards. For the season, he's caught 14 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns.
Jax State head coach Charles Kelly credited Johnson for focusing on the small details, including how he catches the football.
"You watch how he's catching the ball, he's extending his arms now. He's catching the ball above his eyes. Most balls that are dropped are below your eyes," Kelly said. "When he made that catch tonight, I saw him do that, so I'm proud of him for that."
Jax State senior quarterback Caden Creel also had a big night. His 1-yard touchdown run with 6:50 to play in the second quarter gave the Gamecocks an early 10-0 lead. He led the team in rushing with 119 yards on 12 carries. Through the air, Creel completed 19 of 27 passes for 241 yards and the touchdown strike to Johnson.
Johnson said Creel is a more confident quarterback than he was last season.
"He knows everything. Creel is smart, man," Johnson said. "Me and him and the receivers, we've been doing extra film study, extra meetings, just so we all can be on the same page."
Senior wide receiver Darius Cannon was Creel's favorite target, hauling in six catches for 48 yards. Fifth-year wide receiver Jamill Williams caught three passes for 43 yards, and sophomore tight end Luke Gilbert added two grabs for 39 yards.
Sophomore running back Lucas Farrington was second on the team in rushing with a career-high 94 rushing yards on 12 carries. He also caught two passes from Creel for 24 yards.
Jax State fifth-year kicker Garrison Rippa made all three of his field-goal attempts from 27, 31 and 29 yards. The Gamecocks didn't need sophomore punter Conor Donaghy, as they didn't punt for the first time since Nov. 22, 2014, when they won 49-30 at Southeast Missouri.
Jax State did lose starting middle linebacker Walker O'Steen to a knee injury during the first quarter, and the former White Plains star was unable to return to the game. Kelly didn't have an update on O'Steen after the game but said the team would likely do testing on Sunday.
"We'll see what we get from the test, but I knew he couldn't play anymore tonight," Kelly said.
Jax State was already without starting middle linebacker Mac Sanders, who was injured in the season opener against North Dakota State and has been ruled out for the season.
With O'Steen out of the game, Middle Tennessee capitalized with 27 seconds remaining in the second quarter on a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Roman Gagliano to wide receiver Cam'ron Lacy. The Blue Raiders then briefly took a 13-10 lead on Gagliano's 32-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Markus Allen with 10:11 remaining in the third quarter.
But Jax State made the necessary adjustments, and the replacements at linebacker improved as the game wore on. The Gamecocks held the Blue Raiders scoreless the rest of the way.
"It's just a next-guy-up mentality," Jax State junior safety Marc Woods said. "I trust anybody on our team to go out there and perform and be able to execute and do what they're supposed to do."
Despite winning the conference opener, Kelly was focused on what the Gamecocks need to do better moving forward. Jax State reached the red zone five times and came away with just one touchdown. The Gamecocks were also 3-for-9 on third-down conversions.
"We got to get better on third down on offense. We got to get better in the red area," he said. "We got to get better at, when we get somebody down — all right? — that we finish them off."
Jax State (3-2, 1-0 CUSA) will travel to Kennesaw State on Wednesday, Oct. 7, with kickoff set for 6 p.m.
