Tough loss
- Updated: September 12, 2026
Jax State outgains Ohio by wide margin but misses field goal at end of regulation, suffers costly penalties and falls in four overtimes.
By East Alabama Sports Today
ATHENS, Ohio — Jax States’s latest non-conference disappointment will sting.
Garrison Rippa missed a 42-yard field goal try at the end of regulation, and the Gamecocks fell at Ohio 29-27 in four overtimes.
Jax State fell to 1-2 despite outgaining Ohio 447 total yards to 262, but the Bobcats got D.J. James-Hamilton’s 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to close within 17-14 with 44 seconds left to go in the second quarter.
Ohio tied the game at 24-24 on Victor Rosa’s 1-yard touchdown run with 1:34 left in regulation, leaving Jax State time to drive for a winning score. The Gamecocks drove 55 yards in 11 plays, but Rippa missed a 42-yard attempt wide right as time expired.
Both teams failed to score the first overtime. A substitution penalty hampered Jax State’s possession, and quarterback Caden Creel was stopped on fourth down and 3 at Ohio’s 17-yard line.
Ohio and Jax State traded field goals in the second overtime, with Ohio’s Will Hryszko hitting from 43 yards and Rippa hitting from 28.
The Game came down to two-point conversion attempts, and Levi Davis converted to lead off the fourth overtime.
A false start backed Jax State up from the Ohio 3-yard line to the 8, and Creel’s pass for Darius Cannon fell incomplete.
Creel completed 18 of 24 passes for 264 yards, including an 82-yard touchdown connection with Luke Gilbert, and rushed for 120 yards and a score.
“It was a wild game, but give them a lot of credit,” Jax State coach Charles Kelly said during his postgame radio interview. “They made the plays that they had to. We had our opportunities. You can’t give teams second opportunities, and we did that.
“I’m very proud of our players, the way they played and competed. I’m glad the way we stuck in there. I think we’ve got a good football team, but when you go on the road, you can’t have those mistakes.”
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