Fairhope alum Caden Creel wrapped up his first season as a collegiate starter on a high-note, leading Jacksonville State to a 17-13 comeback win over Troy in the IS4S Salute the Veterans Bowl.

Creel, a sophomore, was thrust into the starting quarterback role early in the regular season and helped guide the Gamecocks to a Conference USA runner-up finish. Under his direction, Jacksonville State finished with the nation's No. 4 rushing offense. Creel was the second leading rusher on the team, carrying the ball for 1,075 yards and seven touchdowns on the season.

His streak of five straight games with at least 100 rushing yards came to an end in the bowl game, as he finished with a season-low -5 yards on the ground. Jacksonville State played without star running back Cam Cook, and Creel was sacked five times by a Troy defense that recorded 37 sacks on the season.

Despite the struggles rushing, Creel turned in his best passing performance of the year. He completed 70% of his passes for 173 yards and a touchdown.

Jacksonville State took an early lead on Creel's 23-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, but trailed for most of the game before a fourth-quarter turnaround. Creel engineered a long touchdown drive to open the final period, giving the Gamecocks the lead for good.

Creel finished the season with 1,514 passing yards and nine touchdowns, closing his first year as a starter with a bowl victory over an in-state rival.