Colby Carlisle
Carlisle's Heroics Lead JSU to Overtime Win
11/10/2006 8:02:00 PM | Women's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE – Matt Hardin passed for 218 yards with two touchdowns and Clay Green rushed for 110 yards and two more touchdowns as Jacksonville State (6-4, 5-2 OVC) cruised to a 55-7 win over Samford (3-8, 1-8) in an Ohio Valley Conference game Saturday afternoon.
It was the biggest margin of victory in the series and the seventh straight win by Jacksonville State over Samford.
The Gamecocks rolled up 489 yards of total offense, including 294 yards in the second half, while the JSU defense limited the Bulldogs to just 79 second half yards of total offense.
“We challenged our team at halftime,” said JSU head coach Jack Crowe. “I was concerned. We got our points without having much offensive consistency.
“To challenge a bunch that had the lead, and yet you’re telling them they haven’t put things together. The way they came out and established themselves in the third quarter was just a very strong statement,” added Crowe.
The Gamecocks set the tone early after Craig Agee intercepted Samford’s Dontae Williams’ first pass of the game and returned it 17 yards to give Jax State a 7-0 lead with 14:30 left in the first quarter.
Jax State added two more touchdowns, a 42-yard pass from Hardin to James Wilkerson and a 7-yard pass to Josh Moten as the Gamecocks built a 21-0 lead after the first quarter. Wilkerson finished the game with his second 100-yard receiving game with 114 yards on three receptions.
“The turnovers early were the tone setters for the whole game,” said Crowe. “I think we were ready to play and I’d like to think that we forced those turnovers.”
Gavin Hallford kicked a 32-yard field goal with 6:37 left to push the JSU lead to 24-0 with 6:37 left, but Samford answered by scoring its only touchdown of the day on a 41-yard run by Marcus Rice to cut the lead to 24-7. Hallford added a 29-yard field goal as Jax State built a 27-7 lead at the half.
The Gamecocks came out in the second half and dominated as Clay Green scored two touchdowns during the third quarter to build a 41-7 lead entering the fourth quarter. Shawn Green scored on a two-yard run and Ty Griswold broke free for a 38-yard run in the fourth quarter for the final margin.
“We’re calling these last four games a championship revival. The revival has started and we’re 3-0,” said Crowe. “Of course, this next one against Eastern Illinois is a statement game. The team that won the OVC - other than us - in the last five years is them.”
Jefferson Adcock finished 11-for-22 for 143 yards to lead Samford, while Jonathan Lowery had three receptions for 72 yards.
The Gamecocks will wrap-up the season next week at Eastern Illinois. Kick-off is set for 1:30 p.m. at Charleston, Illinois.
JACK CROWE QUOTES
“The turnovers early were the tone setters for the whole game. I think we were ready to play and I’d like to think that we forced those turnovers.”
“I thought that we had urgency. We challenged them at halftime. I was concerned. We got our points without having much offensive consistency. To challenge a bunch that had the lead, and yet you’re telling them they haven’t put things together. The way they came out and established themselves in the third quarter was just a very strong statement.”
“I was just exceedingly impressed with the character of these guys.”
“It feels like a rivalry. This win ties the series. It’s the longest playing series on our schedule. We’re both in the same market. We’re going to hear about them. I tell our guys ‘You’re not going to sit down and have a cup of coffee with a guy from Eastern Illinois.’ There have been rivalries that have been lopsided before. They won’t be lopsided forever.”
“We were sitting there laying in wait. We felt like we could play zone and get a break on the ball. We got an opportunity because the ball was a little high.”
“We didn’t turn the ball over, knock on wood. Running the ball, not turning it over and playing defense is the way we’ve won championships.”
“We’re calling these last four games a championship revival. The revival has started and we’re 3-0. Of course, this next one against Eastern Illinois is a statement game. The team that won the OVC - other than us - in the last five years is them.”
POST-GAME NOTES:
- Jacksonville State captains: Senior linebacker George Summers, senior fullback Raynodd Zeine, senior safety Kenny Brown
- Senior cornerback Craig Agee's 17-yard interception return for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage was his first career defensive touchdown. It was the third career pick for the Taylorsville, Miss., native, and in his career, he has now scored a touchdown on a reception, a punt return and now an interception return.
- Agee's interception return for a touchdown on teh first play from scrimmage marked teh first time JSU has scored on the opening snap since Marcus Mitchell scored on a one-yar run against Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 23, 2003, the Gamecocks' first Ohio Valley Conference matchup.
- James Wilkerson's 42-yard touchdown catch in teh first quarter was the second scoring catch of his career and the second-longest reception of the freshman's career. He then had a 72 yard reception in the third quarter, which was the longest pass for the Gamecocks this season (passing a 70-yard pass by Hardin to Wilkerson vs Tennessee State on Oct. 21). Wilkerson was the first JSU receiver to record 100 receiving yards in a game since Wilkerson had 100 yards against Tennessee State earlier this year.
- Matt Hardin's 42-yard scoring pass to freshan James Wilkerson in teh first quarter was the second-longest pass play for JSU this year. THe longest was a 70-yard touchdown pass against Tennessee State, also a Hardin-to Wilkerson connection.
- Junior Josh Moten's seven-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter was the first of the seasn for the Cedar Bluff, Ala., native and thethird of his career.
- Junior quarterback Matt Hardin threw multiple touchdown passes for the third time in 2006 and the fourth time in his career.
- Samford's Marcus Rice's 41-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter was the longest rush the Gamecock defense has allowed all season and was 19 yards longer than the previous long, a 22-yard scamper by Chattanooga last week.
- Junior linebacker Marquise Elston's fumble recovery in teh first quarter was the first of his career.
- Senior Montae Pitts' fumble recovery in the second quarter was the first of his JSU career.
- All-American Clay Green finished with 110 rushing yards to post 991 yards on the season. It was his 13th career 100-yard rushing performance and his fifth this season. Green also finished with a career-high four receptions for 31 yards.
- Senior Clay Green scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter and his touchdown with 5:35 left gave him 204 career points, which put him fifth in JSU's career scoring list. He now trails Walter Brougton's total of 216.
- With today's win the Gamecocks have now won seven straight games over Samford and 8-of-9. JSU now has tied the all-time series at 21-21-2 and improved to 13-3 in Jacksonville vs the Bulldogs.
- JSU will post its 38 winning seasons, since the modern era began in 1948 and JSU now has four straight winning seasons under Jack Crowe after earning a win today over Samford.
- The 55-7 win over Samford is the largest margin of victory in the series.
- With the win today, the 2006 Senior Class is the winningest Class in JSU's Division I history with a 29-15 record.
It was the biggest margin of victory in the series and the seventh straight win by Jacksonville State over Samford.
The Gamecocks rolled up 489 yards of total offense, including 294 yards in the second half, while the JSU defense limited the Bulldogs to just 79 second half yards of total offense.
“We challenged our team at halftime,” said JSU head coach Jack Crowe. “I was concerned. We got our points without having much offensive consistency.
“To challenge a bunch that had the lead, and yet you’re telling them they haven’t put things together. The way they came out and established themselves in the third quarter was just a very strong statement,” added Crowe.
The Gamecocks set the tone early after Craig Agee intercepted Samford’s Dontae Williams’ first pass of the game and returned it 17 yards to give Jax State a 7-0 lead with 14:30 left in the first quarter.
Jax State added two more touchdowns, a 42-yard pass from Hardin to James Wilkerson and a 7-yard pass to Josh Moten as the Gamecocks built a 21-0 lead after the first quarter. Wilkerson finished the game with his second 100-yard receiving game with 114 yards on three receptions.
“The turnovers early were the tone setters for the whole game,” said Crowe. “I think we were ready to play and I’d like to think that we forced those turnovers.”
Gavin Hallford kicked a 32-yard field goal with 6:37 left to push the JSU lead to 24-0 with 6:37 left, but Samford answered by scoring its only touchdown of the day on a 41-yard run by Marcus Rice to cut the lead to 24-7. Hallford added a 29-yard field goal as Jax State built a 27-7 lead at the half.
The Gamecocks came out in the second half and dominated as Clay Green scored two touchdowns during the third quarter to build a 41-7 lead entering the fourth quarter. Shawn Green scored on a two-yard run and Ty Griswold broke free for a 38-yard run in the fourth quarter for the final margin.
“We’re calling these last four games a championship revival. The revival has started and we’re 3-0,” said Crowe. “Of course, this next one against Eastern Illinois is a statement game. The team that won the OVC - other than us - in the last five years is them.”
Jefferson Adcock finished 11-for-22 for 143 yards to lead Samford, while Jonathan Lowery had three receptions for 72 yards.
The Gamecocks will wrap-up the season next week at Eastern Illinois. Kick-off is set for 1:30 p.m. at Charleston, Illinois.
JACK CROWE QUOTES
“The turnovers early were the tone setters for the whole game. I think we were ready to play and I’d like to think that we forced those turnovers.”
“I thought that we had urgency. We challenged them at halftime. I was concerned. We got our points without having much offensive consistency. To challenge a bunch that had the lead, and yet you’re telling them they haven’t put things together. The way they came out and established themselves in the third quarter was just a very strong statement.”
“I was just exceedingly impressed with the character of these guys.”
“It feels like a rivalry. This win ties the series. It’s the longest playing series on our schedule. We’re both in the same market. We’re going to hear about them. I tell our guys ‘You’re not going to sit down and have a cup of coffee with a guy from Eastern Illinois.’ There have been rivalries that have been lopsided before. They won’t be lopsided forever.”
“We were sitting there laying in wait. We felt like we could play zone and get a break on the ball. We got an opportunity because the ball was a little high.”
“We didn’t turn the ball over, knock on wood. Running the ball, not turning it over and playing defense is the way we’ve won championships.”
“We’re calling these last four games a championship revival. The revival has started and we’re 3-0. Of course, this next one against Eastern Illinois is a statement game. The team that won the OVC - other than us - in the last five years is them.”
POST-GAME NOTES:
- Jacksonville State captains: Senior linebacker George Summers, senior fullback Raynodd Zeine, senior safety Kenny Brown
- Senior cornerback Craig Agee's 17-yard interception return for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage was his first career defensive touchdown. It was the third career pick for the Taylorsville, Miss., native, and in his career, he has now scored a touchdown on a reception, a punt return and now an interception return.
- Agee's interception return for a touchdown on teh first play from scrimmage marked teh first time JSU has scored on the opening snap since Marcus Mitchell scored on a one-yar run against Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 23, 2003, the Gamecocks' first Ohio Valley Conference matchup.
- James Wilkerson's 42-yard touchdown catch in teh first quarter was the second scoring catch of his career and the second-longest reception of the freshman's career. He then had a 72 yard reception in the third quarter, which was the longest pass for the Gamecocks this season (passing a 70-yard pass by Hardin to Wilkerson vs Tennessee State on Oct. 21). Wilkerson was the first JSU receiver to record 100 receiving yards in a game since Wilkerson had 100 yards against Tennessee State earlier this year.
- Matt Hardin's 42-yard scoring pass to freshan James Wilkerson in teh first quarter was the second-longest pass play for JSU this year. THe longest was a 70-yard touchdown pass against Tennessee State, also a Hardin-to Wilkerson connection.
- Junior Josh Moten's seven-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter was the first of the seasn for the Cedar Bluff, Ala., native and thethird of his career.
- Junior quarterback Matt Hardin threw multiple touchdown passes for the third time in 2006 and the fourth time in his career.
- Samford's Marcus Rice's 41-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter was the longest rush the Gamecock defense has allowed all season and was 19 yards longer than the previous long, a 22-yard scamper by Chattanooga last week.
- Junior linebacker Marquise Elston's fumble recovery in teh first quarter was the first of his career.
- Senior Montae Pitts' fumble recovery in the second quarter was the first of his JSU career.
- All-American Clay Green finished with 110 rushing yards to post 991 yards on the season. It was his 13th career 100-yard rushing performance and his fifth this season. Green also finished with a career-high four receptions for 31 yards.
- Senior Clay Green scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter and his touchdown with 5:35 left gave him 204 career points, which put him fifth in JSU's career scoring list. He now trails Walter Brougton's total of 216.
- With today's win the Gamecocks have now won seven straight games over Samford and 8-of-9. JSU now has tied the all-time series at 21-21-2 and improved to 13-3 in Jacksonville vs the Bulldogs.
- JSU will post its 38 winning seasons, since the modern era began in 1948 and JSU now has four straight winning seasons under Jack Crowe after earning a win today over Samford.
- The 55-7 win over Samford is the largest margin of victory in the series.
- With the win today, the 2006 Senior Class is the winningest Class in JSU's Division I history with a 29-15 record.
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