FRIDAY'S SCORES
Jacksonville State 19, @FIU 10
JACKSONVILLE STATE 19, FIU 10
MIAMI - Freshman Alen Karajic kicked four field goals and Josh Samuel rushed for a career-high 163 yards as Jacksonville State shocked Florida International 19-10 at Riccardo Silva Stadium, the Gamecocks' first victory over an FBS opponent since 2013.
Samuel and Uriah West (24 carries, 116 yards) helped Jacksonville State ground out 285 yards and control than ball for more than 42 minutes. It marked the first time since Nov. 16, 2017, that two Gamecock players surpassed 100 yards in the same game.
JSU (3-1) outgained FIU 444-156 and allowed only six first downs to the Panthers (0-3), who were averaging 33.5 points in their first two games. The Gamecocks held a 42:16 to 17:44 advantage in time of possession and ran almost twice as many plays as the Panthers.
"What a great game," said Jacksonville State head coach John Grass. "We played a full 60 minutes. That was fun to watch and I'm so proud of these guys.
"This game would not have been close if we had scored touchdowns in the red zone. We had to kick too many field goals. But we've got a kicker and he did a heck of a job tonight."
Samuel became the Gamecocks' first 100-yard rusher since Jaelen Greene's 121-yard performance vs. East Tennessee State in the FCS playoffs on Nov. 24, 2018, a streak of 17 games.
Record-setting quarterback Zerrick Cooper was hurt on JSU's first series but walked off the field on his own. He stayed in and directed a 62-yard drive capped off by Karajic's first field goal on the next possession but could not return.
Cooper was 5-of-8 for 56 yards before departing. He now has 7,491 career passing yards, closing to within 161 yards of Eli Jenkins' record of 7,652. He remains tied with Ed Lett (1979-82) atop the record book with 61 career touchdown passes.
Grass could not have scripted a better first-half effort from the Gamecocks, even with Cooper watching from the sideline on crutches. Jacksonville State spotted the Panthers a 3-0 lead, then totally dominated the contest until halftime with Zion Webb at the helm of offense.
"I can't say enough about Zion Webb," said Grass, who posted his first career win over an FBS foe. "Zion has hardly been able to practice the last two weeks. He came in and just a great job."
The Gamecocks had 15 first downs to FIU's 2, outgained the Panthers 223-54 and controlled possession for nearly 21 minutes through the first two quarters.
Each of Jacksonville State's three first-half scoring drives covered at least 55 yards and lasted 10, 14 and 12 plays, respectively.
Karajic kicked field goals of 30 and 39 yards sandwiched around the Gamecocks' longest scoring drive since 2014.
Taking over at its two following a 64-yard punt by FIU's Tommy Heatherly, JSU drove 98 yards in 14 plays - 11 running plays and three Webb completions - and Samuel finished things off with a two-yard touchdown run for a 10-3 lead with 11:43 remaining in the second quarter.
Karajic provided all the points Jacksonville State needed after halftime.
He kicked a 20-yard field goal at the 9:53 mark in the third quarter to extend the Gamecocks' lead to 16-3. His final kick - a 23-yarder with 2:35 remaining - put the proverbial nail in the coffin, extending JSU's lead to 19-10 and capping off a time-consuming 14-play, 66-yard drive.
Webb threw for 103 yards in relief of Cooper and ran for 15 more.
Safety Nicario Harper led Jacksonville State defensively with seven tackles. Robert Johnson had a fumble recovery, the game's only turnover.