THE DETAILS OF JACKSONVILLE STATE’S UPSET AGAINST FLORIDA STATE
Jacksonville State quarterback Zerrick Cooper threw to Damond Philyaw-Johnson for a 59-yard touchdown pass on the final play. Jacksonville State pulled the upset win with a 20-17 game score over Florida State.
The Gamecocks were down 3 points with 6 seconds remaining in the last half. Philyaw-Johnson was less than 20 yards away from the end zone when he caught the pass. The play marked the first time Jacksonville State ever led against its ACC foe.
Philyaw-Johnson’s only catch of the game was the 59-yard game-winner. P.J. Wells led Jacksonville State with four catches for 74 yards. Ahmad Edwards had the other touchdown catch. He recorded three catches for 49 yards.
Five days earlier, FSU lost to Notre Dame in overtime and scored the most intense day of college football. Following the loss against Jacksonville State, Florida State coach Mike Norvell showed much emotion after the tough loss.
“I apologize to our fan base, to our university, to all Seminoles for the performance we had,” Norvell said via ESPN. “I take ownership of it, but we go in and work, correct the things that have to be corrected to play to the level we’re capable of playing. This team has talent, they have heart, they truly do believe in what we can accomplish, but we have to go execute. It can’t just be something we talk about in the moment. I’ve been a part of challenging times before. Tonight is a challenging time for our university and our football team. We will get it corrected.”
