Logan Smothers leads dramatic tying drive, throws OT touchdown, Jacksonville State tops Sam Houston

Updated Sep. 28, 2023 11:57 p.m. ET

Associated Press

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Logan Smothers led a last-minute touchdown drive with a 2-point conversion and then threw his third touchdown pass in overtime to give Jacksonville State a 35-28 win over Sam Houston on Thursday night.

After Smothers floated a 24-yard pass to wide open Sean Brown on the Gamecocks second play in overtime, the Bearkats could only managed a one-yard completion and three Keegan Shoemaker incompletions.

Jacksonville State (4-1, 2-0 Conference USA) forced the overtime when Smothers led a 75-yard drive in 58 seconds. He found Perry Carter for a 28-yard touchdown and Quinton Lane for the 2-point conversion with 13 seconds to play. Smothers was 6 of 8, including a clock-stopping spike, for 75 yards on the tying drive.

The Gamecocks trailed 21-20 when they missed an extra point after Smothers' 16-yard touchdown run with 8:44 to play. Then they lost a fumble on their 20 with 4:11 to play and had a pass interference penalty in the end zone and a holding penalty on the one before Sam Houston's running quarterback Trapper Pannell scored his second touchdown on a fourth-and-1.

Shoemaker threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to John Gentry and a 22-yarder to Noah Smith in the first quarter and Sam Houston (0-4, 0-1) opened a 21-7 lead at halftime.

Smothers was 16 of 28 for 197 yards and Malik Jackson ran for 129 yards and a touchdown for Jacksonville State.

Shoemaker was 22 of 38 for 285 yards and Gentry ran for 97 yards and had three catches for 85. Smith had a career-high 10 catches for97 yards. Shoemaker was 12 of 15 in the first half and 11 of 24 in the second.

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