Saturday, October 1
Murray, Ky.
6 p.m.
Jacksonville State University
4-1 , 3-0
38
at
30
Murray State
2-3 , 1-2
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville State | 7 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 38 |
| Murray State | 10 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 30 |
Washaun Ealey rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns vs Murray State
No. 13 Gamecocks Unleash Offense, Hold Off Murray State
10/1/2011 10:00:00 PM | Football
FINAL STATS l PHOTO GALLERY
MURRAY, Ky. – Another uniform variation, another Jacksonville State victory.
A week after donning black jerseys in a home win over Eastern Illinois, the Gamecocks broke out red pants with their road white jerseys for the first time in two years Saturday night against Murray State.
JSU spotted the Racers an early 10-point lead before rallying to claim a heart-pounding 38-30 Ohio Valley Conference victory before crowd of 3,838 at Roy Stewart Stadium, extending the Gamecocks' win streak over Murray State to eight.
Jacksonville State improved 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the OVC.
Murray State, which was picked second behind JSU in the OVC preseason poll, fell to 2-3 and 1-2.
The Gamecocks appeared to have the game under control when junior James Esco kicked a 28-yard field goal with 5:15 to go in the fourth quarter to make it 38-24. The outcome seemed even more secure when Robert Gray intercepted a Murray State pass with only 3:39 left.
But three running plays failed to net a first down and Coty Blanchard was forced to punt from deep in his own territory.
His kick was fielded at the Racers' 45 by Dontre Johnson, who returned it 54 yards to the JSU 1. Murray quarterback Casey Brockman then ran in from the 2 with 53 seconds remaining, but the Gamecocks' Rodney Garrott broke through to block the extra point try – Jax State's second blocked kick of the game.
Murray State recovered the ensuing onside kick and drove to the JSU 45 in the waning seconds. But the Racers were penalized for a false start on fourth down, which by NCAA rule ended the game.
The Gamecocks rolled up a season-high 486 yards, including 329 on the ground. It was the third straight game – all victories –the Jacksonville State offense had eclipsed the 400-yard mark.
Junior Washaun Ealey ran 28 times, his most this season, for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Blanchard added 79 yards and Calvin Middleton had 66.
Murray State was limited to 11 yards on 26 running plays, but finished with 421 yards through the air. It was the fewest rushing yards Jax State has allowed an OVC opponent since joining the league in 2003.
Madison, Ala., native Arthur Brackett, a sophomore receiver, caught eight passes for a career-high 181 yards for the Racers.
Ealey's 13-yard run late in the first quarter trimmed Murray's lead to 10-7.
Blanchard then hooked up with Justin Howard for a 5-yard touchdown pass on JSU's next drive and Esco added the PAT to make it 14-10 with 13:58 in the second quarter, a lead the Gamecocks never relinquished.
Ealey's second rushing TD, a 12-yarder with 13:08 to go in the third quarter, put JSU in front 21-10.
The teams then swapped touchdowns over the next 16 ½ minutes, with Jerry Slota scoring on a 1-yard run from the Wildcat formation and Blanchard tossing a 40-yard scoring pass to Trey Smith.
Blanchard's second TD pass of the game extended Jax State's lead to 35-24 with 11:38 remaining.
The Gamecocks have an open date next Saturday. They return to action on Oct. 15 at Austin Peay, the second of three straight road games.
Jacksonville State returns to Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium on Oct. 29 against Tennessee Tech. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
POST-GAME NOTES
- Captains for the Gamecocks: senior RB Calvin Middleton, junior DB Brooks Robinson, senior DE Jamison Wadley.
- Murray won the toss and deferred to the second half.
- The Gamecocks wore Red pants for the fifth time under Jack Crowe on Saturday vs Murray State. JSU wore Red pants for the first time under Crowe in 2008, when JSU claimed a 23-10 win at Eastern Illinois. JSU also wore Red pants at Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 11 2008, at Florida State on Sept. 9, and at home against UT Martin on Oct. 3, 2009. Entering the game, JSU was 3-1 in Red pants under Crowe.
- Washaun Ealey recorded his third rushing touchdown of the year as JSU cut the lead to 10-7 with 2:37 left in the first quarter.
- Blanchard's 43-yard run early in the second quarter was the Gamecocks longest rush of the season. It was just the fifth rush of longer than 20-yards this season for JSU.
- Jerry Slota earned his first carry as a Gamecocks with 10:33 left in the second quarter and he rushed five yards for a JSU first down. He scored his first career touchdown with 1:13 left in the third quarter.
- Justin Howard now has four catches on the season, three for scores.
- Washaun Ealey finished with 143 yards to become the first Gamecocks to rush for 100-yards or more in consecutive games since Daniel Jackson in 2008. Ealey rushed for 155 yards on 24 carries last week vs Eastern Illinois.
- Clarence Jackson broke through and blocked a Murray State field goal attempt late in the second quarter. It was the third blocked kick for JSU this year, as the Gamecocks blocked a PAT at UTC and blocked a punt vs Georgia State. It was the first blocked field goal for JSU since Monte Lewis and Brandt Thomas blocked a field goal vs Tennessee State on Nov. 15, 2008, in the second and third quarters.
- JSU was 15-for-15 on Red Zone scoring chances, before turning the ball over on a fumble midway through the second quarter.
- The Gamecocks held Murray State to 11 rushing yards. It was the fewest yards an OVC opponent has rushed for against the Gamecocks. It was the 31st time Jax State has held an opponent to 100 rushing yards or less and the first time since holding UTM to 89 rushing yards in 2010.
- Jax State finished with 486 yards of total offense, which was the 56th time (out of 68 games) the Gamecocks had 300-yards or more of total offense.
- JSU posted its third striaght game with 400-or more yardes of total offense (401 vs Ga State, 415 vs EIU).
- Trey Smith caught a touchdown in his second straight game. It went for 40 yards with 11:38 left in the fourth quarter to give JSU a 35-24 lead.
- Jax State has now won eight straight against Murray State and now leads the all-time series 8-1
- The Gamecocks now have an all-time record of 51-15 against OVC foes
- JSU has posted a 29-10 record since the start of the 2008 season.
- The last time JSU was 4-1 to open the season was in 2008
- JSU snaps a three-game road losing streak. The Gamecocks last road win prior to today was Oct. 9, 2010, at UT Martin.
- JSU trailled 10-0 in the first quarter, but rallied back for its TENTH come-from-behind wins since the start of the 2010 season.
- Blanchard has now surpassed 100 yards passing in all five contests this season and now has six games with 100-plus yards passing.
MURRAY, Ky. – Another uniform variation, another Jacksonville State victory.
A week after donning black jerseys in a home win over Eastern Illinois, the Gamecocks broke out red pants with their road white jerseys for the first time in two years Saturday night against Murray State.
JSU spotted the Racers an early 10-point lead before rallying to claim a heart-pounding 38-30 Ohio Valley Conference victory before crowd of 3,838 at Roy Stewart Stadium, extending the Gamecocks' win streak over Murray State to eight.
Jacksonville State improved 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the OVC.
Murray State, which was picked second behind JSU in the OVC preseason poll, fell to 2-3 and 1-2.
The Gamecocks appeared to have the game under control when junior James Esco kicked a 28-yard field goal with 5:15 to go in the fourth quarter to make it 38-24. The outcome seemed even more secure when Robert Gray intercepted a Murray State pass with only 3:39 left.
But three running plays failed to net a first down and Coty Blanchard was forced to punt from deep in his own territory.
His kick was fielded at the Racers' 45 by Dontre Johnson, who returned it 54 yards to the JSU 1. Murray quarterback Casey Brockman then ran in from the 2 with 53 seconds remaining, but the Gamecocks' Rodney Garrott broke through to block the extra point try – Jax State's second blocked kick of the game.
Murray State recovered the ensuing onside kick and drove to the JSU 45 in the waning seconds. But the Racers were penalized for a false start on fourth down, which by NCAA rule ended the game.
The Gamecocks rolled up a season-high 486 yards, including 329 on the ground. It was the third straight game – all victories –the Jacksonville State offense had eclipsed the 400-yard mark.
Junior Washaun Ealey ran 28 times, his most this season, for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Blanchard added 79 yards and Calvin Middleton had 66.
Murray State was limited to 11 yards on 26 running plays, but finished with 421 yards through the air. It was the fewest rushing yards Jax State has allowed an OVC opponent since joining the league in 2003.
Madison, Ala., native Arthur Brackett, a sophomore receiver, caught eight passes for a career-high 181 yards for the Racers.
Ealey's 13-yard run late in the first quarter trimmed Murray's lead to 10-7.
Blanchard then hooked up with Justin Howard for a 5-yard touchdown pass on JSU's next drive and Esco added the PAT to make it 14-10 with 13:58 in the second quarter, a lead the Gamecocks never relinquished.
Ealey's second rushing TD, a 12-yarder with 13:08 to go in the third quarter, put JSU in front 21-10.
The teams then swapped touchdowns over the next 16 ½ minutes, with Jerry Slota scoring on a 1-yard run from the Wildcat formation and Blanchard tossing a 40-yard scoring pass to Trey Smith.
Blanchard's second TD pass of the game extended Jax State's lead to 35-24 with 11:38 remaining.
The Gamecocks have an open date next Saturday. They return to action on Oct. 15 at Austin Peay, the second of three straight road games.
Jacksonville State returns to Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium on Oct. 29 against Tennessee Tech. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
POST-GAME NOTES
- Captains for the Gamecocks: senior RB Calvin Middleton, junior DB Brooks Robinson, senior DE Jamison Wadley.
- Murray won the toss and deferred to the second half.
- The Gamecocks wore Red pants for the fifth time under Jack Crowe on Saturday vs Murray State. JSU wore Red pants for the first time under Crowe in 2008, when JSU claimed a 23-10 win at Eastern Illinois. JSU also wore Red pants at Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 11 2008, at Florida State on Sept. 9, and at home against UT Martin on Oct. 3, 2009. Entering the game, JSU was 3-1 in Red pants under Crowe.
- Washaun Ealey recorded his third rushing touchdown of the year as JSU cut the lead to 10-7 with 2:37 left in the first quarter.
- Blanchard's 43-yard run early in the second quarter was the Gamecocks longest rush of the season. It was just the fifth rush of longer than 20-yards this season for JSU.
- Jerry Slota earned his first carry as a Gamecocks with 10:33 left in the second quarter and he rushed five yards for a JSU first down. He scored his first career touchdown with 1:13 left in the third quarter.
- Justin Howard now has four catches on the season, three for scores.
- Washaun Ealey finished with 143 yards to become the first Gamecocks to rush for 100-yards or more in consecutive games since Daniel Jackson in 2008. Ealey rushed for 155 yards on 24 carries last week vs Eastern Illinois.
- Clarence Jackson broke through and blocked a Murray State field goal attempt late in the second quarter. It was the third blocked kick for JSU this year, as the Gamecocks blocked a PAT at UTC and blocked a punt vs Georgia State. It was the first blocked field goal for JSU since Monte Lewis and Brandt Thomas blocked a field goal vs Tennessee State on Nov. 15, 2008, in the second and third quarters.
- JSU was 15-for-15 on Red Zone scoring chances, before turning the ball over on a fumble midway through the second quarter.
- The Gamecocks held Murray State to 11 rushing yards. It was the fewest yards an OVC opponent has rushed for against the Gamecocks. It was the 31st time Jax State has held an opponent to 100 rushing yards or less and the first time since holding UTM to 89 rushing yards in 2010.
- Jax State finished with 486 yards of total offense, which was the 56th time (out of 68 games) the Gamecocks had 300-yards or more of total offense.
- JSU posted its third striaght game with 400-or more yardes of total offense (401 vs Ga State, 415 vs EIU).
- Trey Smith caught a touchdown in his second straight game. It went for 40 yards with 11:38 left in the fourth quarter to give JSU a 35-24 lead.
- Jax State has now won eight straight against Murray State and now leads the all-time series 8-1
- The Gamecocks now have an all-time record of 51-15 against OVC foes
- JSU has posted a 29-10 record since the start of the 2008 season.
- The last time JSU was 4-1 to open the season was in 2008
- JSU snaps a three-game road losing streak. The Gamecocks last road win prior to today was Oct. 9, 2010, at UT Martin.
- JSU trailled 10-0 in the first quarter, but rallied back for its TENTH come-from-behind wins since the start of the 2010 season.
- Blanchard has now surpassed 100 yards passing in all five contests this season and now has six games with 100-plus yards passing.
Team Stats
JSU
MUR
Total Yards
486
432
Pass Yards
157
421
Rushing Yards
329
11
Penalty Yards
64
25
1st Downs
26
21
3rd Downs
7
9
4th Downs
1
0
TOP
35:17
24:43
1st Quarter
JSU 0, MUR 7
MUR - LAVEA, Tyler 8 yd run (CULLEN, Kienan kick), 10 plays, 70 yards, TOP 3:03
JSU 0, MUR 10
MUR - CULLEN, Kienan 44 yd field goal 6 plays, 23 yards, TOP 2:06
JSU 7, MUR 10
JSU - EALEY,Washaun 13 yd run (ESCO,James kick), 5 plays, 47 yards, TOP 1:47
2nd Quarter
JSU 14, MUR 10
JSU - HOWARD,Justin 5 yd pass from BLANCHARD,Coty (ESCO,James kick) 7 plays, 95 yards, TOP 2:28
3rd Quarter
JSU 21, MUR 10
JSU - EALEY,Washaun 12 yd run (ESCO,James kick), 2 plays, 31 yards, TOP 0:46
JSU 21, MUR 17
MUR - BRACKETT, Arthu 19 yd pass from BROCKMAN, Casey (CULLEN, Kienan kick) 9 plays, 98 yards, TOP 3:12
JSU 28, MUR 17
JSU - SLOTA,Jerry 1 yd run (ESCO,James kick), 12 plays, 70 yards, TOP 5:47
JSU 28, MUR 24
MUR - POWELL, Walter 35 yd pass from BROCKMAN, Casey (CULLEN, Kienan kick) 4 plays, 78 yards, TOP 0:57
4th Quarter
JSU 35, MUR 24
JSU - SMITH,Trey 40 yd pass from BLANCHARD,Coty (ESCO,James kick) 9 plays, 80 yards, TOP 3:27
JSU 38, MUR 24
JSU - ESCO,James 28 yd field goal 4 plays, 0 yards, TOP 1:55
JSU 38, MUR 30
MUR - BROCKMAN, Casey 2 yd run (CULLEN, Kienan kickblocked), 3 plays, 1 yards, TOP 0:45
Game Leaders
CMP
13
TD
2
YDS
157
INT
0
Friday, April 17
Saturday, December 06
Wednesday, December 03
Sunday, November 30
