MIAMI – FIU junior quarterback Grayson James entered the game in the third quarter and led a strong comeback attempt by completing seven of his first nine passes, along with a rushing and passing score, before the Panthers came away with a 41-16 setback vs. Jacksonville State on Wednesday night.
 
Jax State (7-2, 5-1 CUSA) opened the game with touchdowns on each of its opening three possessions to build a 21-0 advantage that proved to much for the Panthers to overcome, despite a furious push in the third quarter that saw it get within 11 points at 27-16 with 2:29 left in the third.
 
The Panthers rallied to outscore the Gamecocks 13-3 in the third quarter and had a chance to get even closer before a call on a muffed punt by Jax State nullified a FIU fumble recovery inside the Jax State 40 and trailing by nine with just over 12 minutes left in regulation.
 
James finished 12-for-20 overall through the air for 200 yards and a touchdown.  He also rushed for a score after replacing freshman Keyone Jenkins as the signal caller in the third quarter.
 
Junior wide receiver Kris Mitchell logged 109 yards and a touchdown on five receptions. 
 
Quarterback Zion Webb paced the Jax State offense with 125 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on 20 carries.  He also completed 9-of-19 passes for 105 yards and tossed one TD pass in the win.
 
Jax State took its opening possession for a score as it posted 42 rushing yards on a six-play, 60-yard push that resulted in a 13-yard scoring run by Webb to give the Gamecocks an early 7-0 edge 5:43 into the opening quarter.
 
The Gamecocks continued to utilize the ground game on their following possession as they churned out 46 more ground yards on a five-play, 61-yard drive that was culminated with a 22-yard touchdown rush by Ron Wiggins to increase the lead to 14-0 with just over six minutes left in the opening period.
 
Webb led the Gamecocks to a score on their third straight drive to start the contest and open a 21-0 edge with 1:14 left in the first when he connected with Sean Brown for a nine-yard scoring pass.
 
The Panthers (4-5, 1-5 CUSA) got on the scoreboard at the 7:13 mark of the second quarter on a season-long 50-yard field by Chase Gabriel finished off a drive that went 48 yards and was sparked by a 17-yard rush by Shomari Lawrence and a 14-yard reception by Eric Rivers.
 
Allen Karajic added a 28-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to extend the Jax State lead to 24-3 at the break.
 
The Gamecocks added a 38-yard field goal just under three minutes into the second half – which was set up by a FIU turnover on their initial possession of the third quarter. 
 
Following a reception, junior Kris Mitchell fumbled following a hit and it was recovered by Jax State at the FIU 20 – putting Karajic in position for his second successful field goal of the contest, which stretched the lead to 27-3.
 
Mitchell made up for it on the Panthers' next possession as he snagged a 60-yard strike from junior quarterback Grayson James, who entered the game in the third quarter, to set up a one-yard rushing score by James to get the Panthers within 27-9, after the two-point conversion failed, with 9:32 left in the third.
 
James directed the Panthers for another score on their following possession. First combining with Rowdy Beers for a 19-yard completion on a fourth and nine attempt, before closing the push with an eight-yard touchdown toss to Mitchell, his team-leading sixth TD catch of the season, to close the margin to 27-16 at 2:29 of the third.
 
FIU was forced to punt on its next possession, which was muffed by Jax State and recovered by the Panthers Larry Preston inside the Jax State 40-yard line. A flag was thrown for a penalty against FIU for kick catch interference despite the fact, replays showed no one appearing to touch the JSU returner prior to the muff.
 
Jacksonville State added a 16-yard rushing touchdown from Ron Wiggins on the drive following the penalty to increase its lead to 34-16 at the 10:48 mark of the fourth.
 
The Gamecocks scored one final time on a Webb three-yard scamper for a score with 4:40 remaining.

UP NEXT
Following the showdown with the Gamecocks, FIU will be idle for 16 days until facing Middle Tennessee State on the road on Saturday, Nov. 11 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.  Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.
 
POSTGAME NOTES

• Junior place kicker Chase Gabriel connected on a season-long 50-yard field goal in the second quarter.
• Jax State scored a touchdown on each of its opening three possessions of the contest to open a 21-0 lead.
• Junior punter Daton Montiel hit a 54-yard punt in the second quarter – his eighth punt of over 50 yards this season.
• Junior Grayson James entered the game at quarterback for FIU in the third quarter.
• James completed seven of his first nine passes for 131 yards and scored a rushing touchdown and threw for another on consecutive drives.
• Junior Kris Mitchell's 60-yard reception in the third quarter marked his fifth catch of 40 or more yards this season – he also has at least one reception of 25 yards in each of FIU's nine games this season.
   

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