NIXED: Jax State safety delivers game-winning punt return against Georgia Southern

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JACKSONVILLE — Since arriving on campus at Jacksonville State, Caleb Nix has proven to be a weapon with the ball in his hands.

He showed it again Saturday night, returning a fourth-quarter punt 75 yards for the game-winning touchdown in Jax State’s 31-27 victory over Georgia Southern at AmFirst Stadium.

With three defenders bearing down on him, Nix elected to field the punt rather than wave for a fair catch.

“I know he’s got good hands, and he makes good decisions,” Jax State head coach Charles Kelly said. “So, he saw something in that coverage coming down the field to make him do that. He just doesn’t put the ball in danger.”

Nix’s instinct proved correct as all three Georgia Southern defenders went flying past him, giving him plenty of green grass to make a game-changing play.

“I kind of thought I was going to get killed, because all the white jerseys were right there,” Nix said. “And then, somehow when I caught it, they just kind of all passed. I was kind of shocked nobody hit me at first.”

Nix’s return didn’t come as a surprise to quarterback Caden Creel.

“We see Caleb make plays all the time in practice, and it shows up on game day. Obviously, it was a surreal return, but that’s just the stuff that he does on a day-in, day-out basis,” Creel said. “Like Coach talks about all the time, what we do in practice is what we’re going to do in the game, and that was just him showing up in a big-time moment and really flipping the game on its head.”

The game then shifted into the hands of a defense that allowed 24 first-half points. Georgia Southern drove the ball all the way down Jax State’s 13-yard line before a second-down pass from quarterback Max Johnson skipped off the hands of running back Ty Cummings into the waiting arms of Jax State true freshman Tristan Lyles, sealing the Gamecocks’ come-from-behind victory.

Nix’s punt return touchdown capped a rally from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit. Sophomore running back Lucas Farrington got the Gamecocks within striking distance at 27-24 on a 26-yard touchdown run with 11:17 remaining.

“I’m very proud of our guys for the resiliency they showed,” Kelly said.

The comeback required overcoming a nightmare start after Jax State fell into an early 17-0 hole. Georgia Southern took a 3-0 lead on a 22-yard field goal from Tripp Bryant, and the Eagles extended the advantage with back-to-back touchdown runs of 10 and 2 yards by change-of-pace quarterback Weston Bryan early in the second quarter.

The Gamecocks responded with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Creel to running back Jalen Likely and a 35-yard field goal from Garrison Rippa to cut the deficit to 17-10, but Bryan answered with his third touchdown run of the half to set the halftime score at 24-10.

Creel pulled Jax State back within a touchdown midway through the third quarter on an 18-yard strike to wide receiver Deondre Johnson. Bryant then nailed a 43-yard field goal to keep the Eagles ahead 27-17 entering the final quarter.

Creel finished 17-of-24 passing for 194 yards and added 38 rushing yards on 10 carries. Farrington led the ground attack with 44 yards on four carries. Deondre Johnson caught three passes for 61 yards, Darius Cannon had five receptions for 54 yards, and Ronnel Johnson added three catches for 38 yards.

Defensively, linebacker Walker O’Steen recorded a team-high 13 tackles. The former White Plains star also delivered a critical third-down pass breakup ahead of Nix’s punt return and was credited with a hurry on the play that led to Lyles’ game-sealing interception.

“If you can run fast and you’ve got length, that makes you a pretty good player,” Kelly said when discussing O’Steen. “And he’s instinctive, he’s smart, he works hard at it. So, it’s not unexpected.

Nix added six tackles and two pass breakups from his safety spot to complete his standout night.

Jax State (2-2) will open Conference USA play Saturday at AmFirst Stadium when it welcomes Middle Tennessee to town for a 6 p.m. kickoff.

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