By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Information
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Seventh-ranked Jacksonville State got things rolling in the second quarter Saturday afternoon, and used its advantage in that one stanza to beat Tennessee Tech, 49-3, in an Ohio Valley Conference game in Burgess-Snow Field.
The Golden Eagles held a 3-0 advantage after the first quarter, but things went completely awry in the second period as a well-rested Jacksonville State rolled off 35 unanswered points to take control.
Jacksonville State, which had an open date last Saturday and two weeks to prepare for the Golden Eagles, earned its sixth straight victory that left the Gamecocks (6-1/4-0 OVC) unbeaten and in first place in the Ohio Valley Conference. Tech (3-5/2-3 OVC) remained winless on the road, dropping their fifth of the season.
Coming off a huge fourth quarter last week that led to a stunning, 39-31 victory over 12th ranked Eastern Kentucky, the Golden Eagle looked to surprise their second consecutive highly ranked FCS foe.
JSU fell four yards shy of posting its third 600-yard game of the season, finishing with 596 yards while Tech managed 174. The Gamecocks rushed for 335 yard, with five different ball carriers contributing 49 yards or more.
DeMarcus Jones led the attack with 93 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries, while quarterback Eli Jenkins added 68 yards. Miles Jones rushed for 60 and two scores, Troymaine Pope added 51 and backup quarterback Christian LeMay ran for 49.
Tech was led by quarterback Darian Stone's 79 yards on 13 carries.
The JSU passing game added 261 yards, with Jenkins getting 136 and one touchdown on a 11-for-17 effort. LeMay, who entered in the second quarter when Jenkins suffered a hand injury, was 6-for-10 for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
Redshirt freshman Brock McCoin led Tech's receivers with four catches for 44 yards, but the Golden Eagle pass attack netted just 67 yards on 7-for-16 accuracy.
Tech had the ball longer (30:21 to 29:4), but the Golden Eagles were 3-for-15 on third downs while JSU was 9-for-15.
The Tech offense moved the ball in the first quarter, and a 33-yard completion from to McCoin pushed Tech deep into Gamecock territory with a first down at the 15. JSU held, however, and Tech settled for a 33-yard field goal from John Arnold (shown in photo) for a 3-0 lead.
It meant Tech had outscored the two ranked foes, 32-0, over a 30-minute span.
And that kind of play continued as Tech's defense forced fumbles on the next two JSU possessions. Tech recovered the first near midfield but the Golden Eagles weren't able to take advantage.
Two minutes later, the Gamecocks caught a huge break that foreshadowed the balance of the half. After Cory Webber's jarring tackle forced Pope to fumble, 320-pound JSU guard Kyron Samuels scooped up the loose ball and carried it 12 yards for a first down.
It was a break that lit a fire under the home team, and Jacksonville State poured it on over the rest of the quarter, outscoring Tech 35-0 to take a 35-3 lead into halftime. The Gamecocks held a 236-16 advantage in offense in the second period.
Tech had some big plays in the third quarter, but still couldn't take advantage. First, senior Austin Tallant squirted through the line to block a field goal attempt. A few minutes later, redshirt freshman Trey Thompson recovered a Gamecock fumble to halt a scoring chance.
But Tech lost it right back on a fumble as the clock wound down.
The only points in the second half were a pair of JSU touchdowns, one in the third to cap an 88-yard drive and one in the fourth to finish a 52-yard march.
Defensively, James Huguely and Jay Rudwall led Tech with 10 tackles each, while Marty Jones added nine tackles and one pass breakup. Ben Endress topped JSU with 12 tackles including two tackles-for-loss.
Now comes the stretch of the schedule the Golden Eagles have been looking forward to, with three consecutive home games in Tucker Stadium.
It's not an easy stretch, however, as the first visitor will be defending OVC champion Eastern Illinois, next Saturday (Nov. 1) for Tech's Faith, Family and Youth Day. The Panthers demolished Tennessee State Saturday to improve to 3-1 within the league.
Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m., while the 98.5 Kiss FM Tailgate Park opens at 10:30 a.m. and the Golden Eagle Walk is scheduled for 11:15 a.m.
For tickets, please call (931) 372-3940 or visit the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center. Tickets are also available online at TTUsports.com.
GOLDEN NOTES: Tech's game captains were seniors Austin Tallant, Darian Stone, Marty Jones and Cody Matthews…senior defensive end DaJuan Brown made his first career start
