FINAL STATS         PHOTO GALLERY

JACKSONVILLE – Ryan Perrilloux completed 18-of-20 passes for 189 yards and a career-high four touchdowns to lead Jacksonville State to a 31-21 win over Murray State in front of a Homecoming crowd of 14,251 at Paul Snow Stadium on Saturday.

Jacksonville State, ranked No. 23 in the latest FCS poll, improved to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the OVC. Murray State drops to 3-5 overall and 2-2 in the conference.

“Ryan is very poised,” said JSU head coach Jack Crowe. “He was fully involved and had great energy the first play he got back out there. Every ball he threw had some intent to it and you could tell he was going to play well.”

Perrilloux completed his first 12 passes and became the first JSU player to toss four touchdown passes since 1999. He ran his season touchdown total to 13, the most by a Gamecock since Reggie Stancil in 2001.

The Gamecocks struck quickly, scoring after Perrilloux hooked up with Maurice Dupree on a 39-yard touchdown pass with only 1:07 gone off the first quarter clock. Gavin Hallford became the OVC's all-time career scoring leader by a kicker with the point after as JSU took a 7-0 lead.

The score was the quickest score since Craig Agee returned an interception 17
yards versus Samford with 14:30 left in the first quarter on Nov. 11, 2006. It was also the quickest offensive score dating to a Rondy Rodgers 16-yard touchdown run with 14:40 left in the first quarter against Samford on Sept. 21, 2000.

A Dupree 39-yard punt return set up JSU's next touchdown. Three plays later, Perrilloux scrambled and found Deonte Carter for a 21-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone. Hallford's point after pushed the JSU lead to 14-0 with 6:51 left in the second.

Murray State answered on its next offensive possession and scored after Charlie Jordan raced 74-yards for the touchdown to cut the JSU lead to 14-7 with 5:23 to go in the second quarter.

The JSU special teams again put the Gamecocks in scoring position when Eric Russell recovered a Taylor Lanigan fumble on a punt return at the Murray 33 late in the second quarter. 

Perrilloux and Dupree hooked up for the second time on the day from 21 yards out. Hallford added the PAT for a 21-7 lead with 1:54 remaining in the second quarter.  The touchdown reception by Dupree was a school record ninth of the season, eclipsing the old mark set by Derrick Thomas in 1985. Dupree finished with a team-high 79 yards on five catches.

The Racers' final drive of the first half stalled at the JSU 12 and the again the Gamecock special teams again came up big. Monte Lewis blocked a Kienan
Cullen 29-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the first half to keep JSU ahead 21-7 at the half.

Murray State took the opening second half kickoff and marched 52 yards in nine
plays to cut into the JSU lead. McKinnis dove over for a one-yard touchdown run
to cap the drive and trim deficit to 21-14 with 11:23 left in third quarter.

Jax State scored the first points of the second half when Hallford kicked his longest field goal of the season with a 45-yard field goal to give JSU a 24-14 lead at the 6:45.

The Racers closed the gap to 24-21 with 5:48 left in the fourth quarter after quarterback Jeff Ehrhardt plunged in on a quarterback sneak to finish a 14-play 69-yard drive that took 3:28 off the game clock. Ehrhardt finished 24-for-42 for 171 yards to lead the Racers.

The Gamecocks scored the final points of the game after Perrilloux tossed his fourth touchdown pass of the game, connecting with Alphonso Freeney for a three-yard strike with 3:41 to play.

The JSU defense held Murray out of the end zone on its final drive of the
game when Alexander Henderson stopped Charlie Jordan for a loss of three yards on third and goal from the JSU one and Jawaan Booker batted away an Erhardt pass intended for Marcus Harris on fourth and goal.

Jacksonville State travels to Tennessee Martin on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in Martin, Tenn. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

- Captains for the Gamecocks: Senior defensive back Kenny Walker and senior offensive lineman Keith Gergel.

- Murray State won the toss and deferred to the second half.

- Jacksonville State improves to 63-28-8 against teams from the Ohio Valley Conference and 5-1 against Murray State. It is JSU's fifth straight win over the Racers.

- JSU is now 228-92-8 (.707) in Paul Snow Stadium since the facility opened in 1946. In home games under Crowe, the Gamecocks are 29-15.

- JSU improves to 53-8-2 in Homecocming games, including a 8-2 record under Jack Crowe.

- Ryan Perrilloux' 39-yard touchdown pass to Maurice Dupree with 13:53 to play in the first quarter was the quickest JSU score since Nov. 11, 2006, when Craig Agee ran an interception in from 17 yards vs Samford with 14:30 on the first quarter clock. It was the fastest offensive score since a Rondy Rogers' 16-yard run with 14:40 on the clock on Sept. 21, 2000, also vs. Samford.

- Senior Gavin Hallford's seven points on Saturday gives him 287 in his career, the most by any kicker in OVC history. He entered the game tied for the lead with Middle Tennessee's Garth Petrelli and is now 35 points shy of the league's all-time scoring record of 322 by Eastern Kentucky's Markus Thomas. He needs just three points to tie David Gulledge's JSU scoring record of 290 points.

- Ryan Perrilloux became the first JSU player to throw four touchdown passes in a game since Tim Gallahan threw four against Union College on Sept. 17, 1999.

- Junior Ryan Perrilloux has now thrown 13 touchdown passes this season, the most by a JSU quarterback since Reggie Stancil threw 14 in 2001.

- In the second quarter, Junior Ryan Perrilloux was 7-of-7 passing for 77 yards and two scores. On the season, the LaPlace, La., native is 46-for-60 for 524 yards and seven touchdowns in the second quarter.

- Senior Maurice Dupree's two touchdown catches in the game give him nine on the season, tying JSU's school record, set by Derrick Thomas in 1985.

- Junior Alexander Henderson became just the second player in JSU's Division I history to record 20-or more tackles with 21 in the game. The Mobile, Ala., native had 16 solo and 5 assists. It was the most since Eric Mims had 33 tackles (school record) at Nicholls State on Sept. 14, 1996.

- Under Jack Crowe, the Gamecocks improve to 33-5 overall and 20-2 at home when scoring 30 or more points in a game.

- After gaining 282 yards on offense, the Gamecocks have now failed to gain at least 300 yards of total offense in  just seven of their 44 OVC games since joining the league in 2003.

- Freshman Monte' Lewis blocked a Murray State Field goal as time expired in the second quarter. It was the first blocked field goal by a Gamecock player since Nov. 13, 2004, when LaMarcus Rowell blocked one at Eastern Illinois.

- Perrilloux' first incomplete pass came in the third quarter, after he started the game 13-for-13 for 166 yards and three touchdowns.

- Murray State's six sacks in the game were the most against a JSU team since Southeast Missouri sacked JSU's quarterbacks eight times on Nov. 20, 2004.

- Perrilloux completed 90.0% of his passes on Saturday to tie the school record for completion percentage of 90.0%, set by Kirk Patterson (9-of-10) against UT Martin in 1981.

BY THE NUMBERS

4 - Touchdown passes in the game by Ryan Perrilloux, the most since Sept. 17, 1999, when Tim Gallahan threw four against Union College.

7 - Consecutive games in which Ryan Perrilloux has thrown at least one TD pass, accounting for all of his games at JSU.

9 - Touchdown cathces by Maurice Dupree this season, tying Derrick Thomas' school record set in 1985.

23 - Consecutive trips to the Red Zone for the JSU offense that have resulted in points for the Gamecocks.

36 - Consecutive PAT's senior Gavin Hallford has successfully made.

47 - Career field goals made by senior Gavin Hallford, adding to his school record in the category.

67 - Seconds it took JSU to score its first touchdown, the quickest since Nov. 11, 2006.

93 - Consecutive games in which the Gamecocks have scored, a streak that dates back to Nov.18, 2000, when they were last shut out.

146 - Career PAT's made by Gavin Hallford, keeping him at the top of the list of the NCAA's active leaders.

287 - Career points by kicker Gavin Hallford, the most in a career by any kicker in OVC history.