Jacksonville State vs. North Dakota State: Final Score & Recap

Jacksonville State had the shorter field and scored once

Here is the part that does not fit the scoreboard. Jacksonville State had the better field position all night, starting an average of 68.9 yards from the end zone against North Dakota State's 76.7 — eight yards closer, every single drive. It turned that head start into one touchdown. The Bison scored on 60 percent of their possessions and averaged 36.0 yards per drive; the Gamecocks scored on 18 percent and averaged 16.1.

Nathan Hayes's 160 yards were worth twelve points

Nathan Hayes threw for 160 yards on 22 attempts with two touchdowns and added 14 yards on seven carries — a line that reads ordinary until you count what it was worth. His 29 snaps created about twelve points of expected value. The 44-yard touchdown to Jordan McCants at 0:18 of the second quarter, thrown on second-and-15, was worth roughly five of those by itself, and it turned a three-point halftime lead into a ten-point one.

Hayes also kept drives alive when the alternative was a punt. On fourth-and-12 at 14:05 of the second quarter he found Jackson Williams for 20 yards to the Jacksonville State 16. Williams caught five of his six targets for 58 yards, more than any receiver in the building. Reis Kessel took four of five for 30 yards, including the six-yard touchdown that opened the scoring and a 17-yard catch on third-and-five to start the game.

Caden Creel was the busiest man on the field

Caden Creel was involved in 38 plays, more than anyone else who dressed, and their accumulated value came to about nine points below neutral. He finished with 85 passing yards on 23 attempts and ran for 44 on 15 carries, including the eight-yard touchdown at 4:16 of the first quarter that tied the game at seven. He went 2-for-9 on third down. Jacksonville State converted two of ten as a team, 20 percent.

The fourth-and-one at the North Dakota State 12

The possession that decided how uncomfortable this would get came at 1:42 of the second quarter. Fourth-and-one at the North Dakota State 12, and Creel ran into the middle for nothing — DJ Voltz met him there — turnover on downs, about four points of expected value erased. A second Gamecocks drive died seven yards from the end zone. A team that finishes with seven points cannot reach scoring range twice and leave both times empty.

Blake Schiltz fell on a touchdown; McCaslin earned his

Blake Schiltz scored the ugliest points of the night. At 6:41 of the third quarter a Jacksonville State snap went 14 yards backward into the end zone and Schiltz landed on it. He also had a sack and a tackle for loss. Kelton McCaslin was the more constant problem: 1.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, and four negative plays that took roughly three points off Jacksonville State's ledger before the Gamecocks could bank them.

Marion Moore's interception at 11:19 of the third came with Peder Haugo in Creel's face, and it ended the last drive that could have made the fourth quarter interesting. Kendrick Carter forced a fumble. Jaylin Crumby broke up a pass. Logan Larson split a sack. None of it was spectacular on its own; all of it arrived at the moment Jacksonville State needed one play to travel in the other direction.

Jacksonville State's defense won its share and lost anyway

The Gamecocks defense was not the problem. Jonavan Carr intercepted Hayes at the Bison 21 at 2:12 of the second quarter. JQ Brooks intercepted him again at 7:19 of the fourth and added a pass breakup and 5.5 tackles. Tae Floyd had a sack and two tackles for loss. Add Jackson Williams's lost fumble and North Dakota State gave the ball away three times, won by 26, and was never once threatened.

We had North Dakota State by four, a 60 percent call resting mostly on last season's body of work. Right side, wrong size: the margin was 26. What the read under-rated was not the Bison offense, which was uneven and turned it over three times, but how little Jacksonville State could manufacture from consistently good starting field position against McCaslin and that front.

Nyeoti Punni's 60 yards on eight carries, including a 25-yard run at 2:48 of the third, is the number North Dakota State will want more of, because Hayes's two interceptions and 3-for-8 third-down night are not a formula that survives a better opponent. For Jacksonville State, Jalen Likely ran 11 times for 48 yards — four more than his quarterback — and until someone besides Creel moves it, every drive will start well and end near midfield.