A near-perfect opening quarter from its offense and a swarming defense lifted Jax State to a resounding 41-16 Conference USA victory over Florida International on Wednesday.

The Gamecocks (7-2, 5-1) raced to a 21-point lead at FIU Stadium by scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions and limiting the Panthers to 32 total yards during the first half.

Quarterback Zion Webb ran for two touchdowns and passed for another, accounting for 230 scrimmage yards as Jax State continued making its case for bowl game selection with a second straight impressive effort before a national TV audience.

Former Jacksonville High standout Ron Wiggins returned from a five-game absence due to injury and contributed two rushing touchdowns, finishing with 61 yards on nine carries.

"We talked all week that we haven't gotten off to a fast start all year," said Jacksonville State head coach Rich Rodriguez. "We got off to a great start – we got control early and that was good to see.

"We were seeing the field well and executing well. The guys played hard and it was good enough to win."

FIU, which needs two wins in its last three games to secure one of CUSA's guaranteed bowl slots, fell to 4-5 and 1-5.

The Gamecocks welcomed the return of running backs Wiggins and Malik Jackson from injuries and both made an immediate impact. Jax State rushed for 265 yards vs. FIU and averaged almost five yards per carry.

Anwar Lewis lined up behind Webb in the backfield to start the game and ripped off a run of 21 yards to get Jax State's offense into gear. Webb did the rest with completions of 17 and seven yards, then finished off the TD drive with a 13-yard run at the 9:17 mark in the first quarter.

The lead went to 14-0 as the Gamecocks needed just five plays to find the end zone again.

Wiggins, making his first appearance since sustaining an injury at Coastal Carolina on Sept. 9, gained 12 yards on his initial carry, then scored his third touchdown of the season with a nifty 22-yard run to finish off a 61-yard drive at the 6:23 mark in the first.

Webb connected with tight end Sean Brown on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 1:14 remaining in the opening quarter as the Gamecocks moved 60 yards in nine plays for their third touchdown. Junior kicker Alen Karajic's third PAT extended the lead to 21-0.

Karajic sent Jax State to the locker room with a 24-3 edge at the break with a 28-yard field goal with five seconds to go. He added a 38-yard field goal early in the third as Jax State extended its lead to 27-3.

Jax State out-gained the Panthers 269-32 through the first two quarters.

FIU sliced the deficit to 27-16 by the end of the third quarter with a pair of touchdown passes in a span of seven minutes.

Wiggins and Webb had fourth-quarter touchdown runs of 16 and three yards, respectively, as Jax State turned back the Panthers' rally.

Linebacker Laletia Hale, Jr., was Jax State's leading tackler with nine.

Jax State will play its first Saturday game in 42 days when it travels to Columbia, S.C., on Nov. 4, to face Southeastern Conference foe South Carolina for a battle of the Gamecocks. The matchup marks the ninth SEC opponent Jax State has faced in history.

Kickoff at Williams-Brice Stadium is scheduled for 11 a.m. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.