Nix punt return completes comeback over Georgia Southern

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. — Fifth-year senior Caleb Nix showed once again why he deserves all the praise heaped on him by the Jacksonville State University coaching staff, returning a punt 75 yards in the fourth quarter to help the Gamecocks to a thrilling 31-27 come-from-behind victory over Georgia Southern on Saturday night at AmFirst Stadium.

Nix's return, which came with 8:16 remaining, marked the first lead of the game for JSU, which trailed 24-10 at halftime.

"If there's a better player in Conference USA, I'd like to see him," said Jax State Coach Charles Kelly. "He's a punt returner, he's our holder, and he's the finest safety I've ever coached. You just come to expect players like him to make big plays in big moments."

The Gamecocks (2-2) got outmuscled in the first half, with one player doing much of the banging and bruising. Weston Bryan, a 6-foot-3, 245-pound short-yardage quarterback, took shotgun snaps three times inside scoring range for the Eagles (1-2) and buried his head through the JSU defensive line for touchdowns each time. He scored on runs of 10, 2 and 2 to give Georgia Southern a 24-10 lead heading into halftime.

The lead once seemed all but insurmountable for what had been an anemic Jax State offense. But Kelly credited adjustments by his coaching staff for keeping his team in position to win.

"It's something every coach says," Kelly remarked. "The game is 60 minutes long, so you have to play a full 60 minutes. Nobody panicked, and our coaches made some great adjustments."

The adjustment showed, as JSU opened the second half with a 13-play, 75-yard drive that was capped when quarterback Caden Creel hit Deondre Johnson from 18 yards out for a touchdown that pulled the Gamecocks back within one score at 24-17.

Georgia Southern answered with a field goal to briefly extend its lead to 27-17, but the rest of the scoring belonged to JSU. Lucas Farrington's 26-yard touchdown run pulled the Gamecocks within three at 27-24, and Nix's breathtaking punt return gave JSU the lead for good.

The Jax State defense put the game on ice when a pass by Georgia Southern's Max Johnson was tipped into the air and intercepted by JSU linebacker Tristan Lyles.

Creel was the offensive leader for JSU, completing 17 of 24 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 10 times for 38 yards.

Johnson, a seventh-year senior whose father Brad Johnson won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had a solid night for Georgia Southern, going 23 of 33 for 187 yards with one interception. Running back David Mbadinga also rushed 18 times for 103 yards.

While acknowledging the performance was far from perfect, Kelly said he's happy to be headed into C-USA play coming off a win.

"We need to improve on us," Kelly said. "You don't have to look hard for areas where we have to get better — and we'll need to do that because Coach (Derek) Mason has done a great job with Middle Tennessee. They'll come in here ready to play.

"But I'd much rather correct mistakes coming off a positive outcome."