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CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – It took Jacksonville State almost 20 minutes to find its way into the end zone Saturday night.

Then the floodgates opened and Austin Peay couldn't keep the Gamecocks out.

No. 10 Jacksonville State scored 28 points in a 10-minute span in the second quarter – its most in a quarter in seven years – and crushed Austin Peay 44-14 before a crowd of 5,186 at Governors Stadium.

The Gamecocks improved to 5-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play with their fourth straight victory.

It was JSU's fifth consecutive win over Austin Peay since the Govs rejoined the OVC in 2007 and has outscored the Govs 205-58 in those five meetings.

Jacksonville State gave its next opponent, Southeastern Conference member Kentucky, plenty to study on film ahead of next Saturday's game in Lexington, Ky.

The Gamecocks' opportunistic defense forced six turnovers and returned two interceptions for touchdowns – the first time that's happened in a game since 2009. Brooks Robinson also returned a fumble 32 yards for a Jacksonville State score.

Pierre Warren had an apparent interception return for a TD, but the play was blown dead by an official's inadvertent whistle.

Two freshmen reserves, linebacker Ben Endress of Ashland and defensive back Jamaal Johnson of Piedmont, added to Govs' quarterback Jake Ryan's misery in the fourth quarter.

Endress scored on a 10-yard interception return with 3:37 left. Johnson duplicated the feat just over a minute later, picking off Ryan and racing 45 yards to the end zone for the Gamecocks' final touchdown.

Ryan completed just 16-of-31 passes for 172 yards and was intercepted five times before mercifully being replaced on Austin Peay's final possession.

It was a turnover by Jax State that led to the game's first points.

Alan Bonner muffed a punt late in the first quarter that was recovered by Austin Peay's Devan Stark at the JSU 30. Two plays later, Ryan connected with Stark on a 15-yard touchdown pass and the extra point gave the Govs a 7-0 lead with two minutes left.

The game took a decided turn in JSU's favor after Warren's interception.

Starting at the APSU 35, the Gamecocks covered the distance in just four plays, with Washaun Ealey scoring on a 27-yard run, his longest of 2011. James Esco's extra point pulled JSU even at 7-7 with 10:34 left in the second quarter.

Coty Blanchard ran in from the 3 on JSU's next possession to cap a nine-play, 51-yard drive. Esco's kick made it 14-7 at the 5:56 mark, a lead the Gamecocks never relinquished.

Ealey's 17-yard run set up the next Jax State score. Fullback Jerry Slota finished off the eight-play drive by taking a direct snap from center and diving in from the 2 to make it 21-7 with 52 seconds left before halftime.

Then disaster struck for Austin Peay (2-4, 2-2) when Monte Lewis forced a fumble that was snatched up by Robinson, who ran 32 yards to the end zone to give JSU a 28-7 halftime lead.

The 28-point quarter was the most Jax State had scored in one period since 2004 against UT-Martin.

Esco's  19-yard field goal early in the third quarter extended the lead to 31-7.

Ealey eclipsed the 100-yard barrier for the third straight contest, carrying 18 times for 124 yards. Jax State outgained the Governors 360-266.

The Gamecocks travel to Commonwealth Stadium next week to face Kentucky (2-4). Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and the game will be nationally televised on ESPNU.

POST-GAME NOTES
- Captains for the Gamecocks: senior RB Calvin Middleton, junior DB Brooks Robinson, senior DE Jamison Wadley.
- Austin Peay wins the toss and deferes to the second half. JSU will receive and defend the north endzone.
- JSU did not score in the first quarter, which snapped a streak of 12 straight quarters the Gamecocks had scored.
- APSU's passing touchdown in the second quarter was the first touchdown the Govs scored against JSU since Nov. 1, 2008, which occured in the third quarter of JSU's 42-9 win.
- Washaun Ealey scored on a 27-yard rush with 10:34 left in the second quarter to tie the game at 7-7. It was the longest rushing TD for the Gamecocks this season. It was Ealey's fifth rushing TD of the season, which leads the Gamecocks.
- Coty Blanchard gave JSU a 14-7 lead with 5:56 left in the second quarter and it was his third rushing TD of the season and the fifth of his career.
- Jerry Slota scored on a 2-yard run on a direct snap to score his second TD of the season.
- Brooks Robinson returned a fumble 31 yards to give JSU a 28-7 lead and it was the first fumble JSU returned for a TD since Sept. 4, 2010, when Jamison Wadley returned a fumble 15 yards at Ole Miss.
- The 28 points in the second quarter was the most points scored in a quarter by the Gamecocks since Oct. 9, 2004, when JSU scored 28 points during the second quarter at UT Martin. JSU won the game 59-12 to improve to 5-0 on the season.
- Jawaan Booker recorded his first INT of the season and returned it 34 yards to lead to JSU's 19-yard field goal by James Esco. It was Booker's second career interception.
- James Esco kicked a 19-yard field goal with 12:45 left in the third quarter to extend JSU's lead to 31-7. Esco is a perfect 5-for-5 on FG this season.
- Washaun Ealey finished with 124 yards to become the first Gamecocks to rush for 100-yards or more in three striaght games since Daniel Jackson in 2008. Ealey rushed for 143 yards vs Murray State, and 155 yards vs Eastern Illinois.
- The Gamecocks held Austin Peay to 94 rushing yards. It was the 47th time Jax State has held an opponent to 100 rushing yards or less since moving to Division I in 1995, and the third straight game not allowing a 100-yards rushing.
- Jax State finished with 360 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 fourth straight game with 400-or more yards of total offense (401 vs Ga State, 415 vs EIU, 486 at Murray).
- The Gamecocks are 49-7 when scoring 30-or more points under Jack Crowe. JSU is 21-5 on the road when scoring 30-or more points under the 12th year head coach.
- The last time JSU opened the season at 5-1 was in the 2001 season.
- JSU has posted a 30-10 record since the start of the 2008 season.
- Jax State has now posted a record of 52-15 against OVC opponents.
- The Gamecocks snap a 3-game losing skid following an Open Week and now has a 9-4 record following an Open Week under Jack Crowe.
- The 2011 JSU Senior Class now has a record of 30-10, which is just one win shy of tying the school's Division I record of 31-14 (set by the 2010 class)
- Jax State has now won five straight against Austin Peay and now leads the all-time series 13-6-3. JSU is now 5-3-2 in Clarksville against the Govs
- Jax State had five interceptions tonight, the first time the Gamecocks had five INT since intercepting five passes at UT Chattanooga on Sept. 20, 2008
- JSU returned two interceptions for touchdowns tonight, the first time the Gamecocks returned two for touchdowns since UT Martin on Oct. 3, 2009
- Ben Endress had his first career interception and returned it 10 yards for a touchdown with 3:37 left in the game
- Jamaal Johnson returned his first career interception for a touchdown with 2:25 left in the fourth quarter

BY THE NUMBERS
3 - Consecutive games with 400 yards of total offense.
5 - Come-from-behind wins for Jax State since the start of the 2010 season
5 - Interceptions by the Gamecocks tonight, the most since UTC on 9/20/08.
5 - Different players that scored a touchdown for JSU tonight
6 - Straight 100-plus yard passing outings for JSU QB Coty Blanchard.
6 - Turnovers forced by the Gamecock defense
52 - Ohio Valley Conference wins by JSU since joining the league in 2003. Jax State is now 52-15 all time in the OVC and a winning percentage of .773.
118 - Consecutive games in which the Gamecocks have scored, a streak that dates back to Nov.18, 2000, when they were last shut out.