Jacksonville State walked into Murfreesboro as .5-point favorites and left like they owned the place. After trading haymakers with Middle Tennessee State in the first quarter—including an 87-yard bomb that left Coach Znicol muttering & "we literally practiced that exact play this morning"—the Gamecocks decided enough was enough. What followed was a 45-3 beatdown over the next three quarters that included four interceptions, five straight scoring drives, and a level of offensive efficiency that should probably be illegal in Conference USA. Final score: 52-17, and MTSU's defense is still buffering.
Tyler Huff played like a man with rent due—25-of-33, 310 yards, three touchdowns, and one QB option score where he basically strolled in untouched. Tre Stewart was, once again, a human avalanche: 177 yards rushing, one touchdown, and at least three Blue Raiders now questioning their football careers. Michael Pettway added two touchdowns receiving *and* a jet sweep score just to flex. "We like to spread the ball around:, Huff said after the game. "But mostly, we like to spread panic.". Defensively, Jax State straight-up looted the MTSU passing game. Four different Gamecocks picked off Nicholas Vattiato, who looked less like a quarterback and more like a raffle winner every time he dropped back.
By the time Pettway waltzed into the end zone with three minutes left, the only people left in the stands were Jax State fans and MTSU students trying to beat traffic. The Gamecocks finished with 486 yards of offense, converted every third down, and made a statement that should rattle some egos.
CUSA just got a reality check—Jacksonville State is here to contend. UTEP might’ve thought they had a cakewalk to the title after starting 6-0, but one loss later, the path is wide open—and the Gamecocks are charging through it with bad intentions.
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