The Jacksonville State Gamecocks (9-5) took on the Troy Trojans (8-6) on Tuesday night in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl from Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. The Gamecocks trailed the Trojans 13-7 at halftime. In the second half, they shut Troy out and scored 10 unanswered to beat the Trojans 17-13 to win the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl.
Jacksonville State’s offense had 273 yards (173 yards passing, 100 yards rushing), 15 first downs, and the team was penalized three times for 45 yards. Quarterback Caden Creel completed 14 of 20 passes (70%) for 173 yards, one touchdown, and 13 carries for -10 yards.
Running back Khristian Lando had 11 carries for 44 yards, while Andrew Paul had five carries for 12 yards and one rushing touchdown. Wide receiver Deondre Johnson made six catches for 101 yards, while Brock Rechsteiner made three catches for 27 yards and one touchdown.
Kicker Garrison Rippa made one field goal for 51 yards. The defense made 61 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, and two pass breakups.
Troy’s offense had 217 yards (129 yards passing, 88 yards rushing), 15 first downs, and the team was penalized three times for 15 yards. Quarterback Tucker Kilcrease completed 12 of 23 passes (52.1%) for 116 yards, two interceptions, and 12 carries for 14 yards.
Running back Dennis Palmer had eight carries for 37 yards. Wide receiver RaRa Thomas made five catches for 52 yards, and Peyton Higgins made three catches for 31 yards. Kicker Scott Taylor Renfroe made 2 of 3 field goals (66%) with a long of 38 yards. The defense made 83 tackles, eight tackles for loss, five sacks, one pass breakup, one fumble recovery, and one touchdown.
