Saturday, November 17
Gainesville, Fla.
12 noon
Jacksonville State University
0
at
23
Florida
Gamecocks Fall 23-0 at No. 7 Florida in Season Finale
11/17/2012 3:43:00 PM | Football
PHOTO GALLERY | FINAL STATS
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A season that began with a loss against a Southeastern Conference opponent ended with the same result for Jacksonville State Saturday afternoon.
Florida's Caleb Sturgis kicked three field goals and its stout defense limited the Gamecocks to 38 total yards after halftime as the No. 7 Gators prevailed 23-0 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in the first meeting between the schools.
Jacksonville State concluded the season with a 6-5 record, its fewest victories since 2007. Among the Gamecocks' five losses was a 49-24 defeat at Arkansas in the season opener.
Florida improved to 10-1 heading into a Top 10 showdown against rival Florida State next Saturday.
The Gamecocks came away without points on their only two drives deep into Florida territory, failing to convert field goals of 25 and 36 yards. It marked the first time Jacksonville State has been shutout in 133 games, a streak dating back to a 28-0 loss to Troy in 2000.
“We had some opportunities in the first half,” said Jacksonville State coach Jack Crowe. “That's the first time we've been shut out in a long time. But if you're going to have it happen, you want it to be against a quality team like they are.”
“I don't know if there's a better defense in the country,” said second-year Gators head coach Will Muschamp, a one-time graduate assistant at Jacksonville State. “We're playing very well right now.”
Jacksonville State shocked the Gators and the 82,691 gathered in “The Swamp” on its first offensive play.
Marques Ivory completed a short pass to Kevyn Cooper, who was tackled by two Florida defenders. Cooper fell on top of one of the Gators but never touched the turf, springing to his feet and sprinting down the sideline in front of Florida's players and coaches for a 76-yard gain to the UF 7.
The pass play was Jacksonville State's longest non-scoring play from scrimmage since moving up to Division I.
“We ran the hitch outside and the corner came straight at my knees and I landed on him,” said Cooper. “I didn't hear the whistle, so I just kept running.”
The opening drive stalled, however, and the Gamecocks came away empty-handed when Griffin Thomas' 25-yard field goal attempt sailed left with 12:53 remaining in first quarter.
The Gators' offense responded with a methodical 80-yard march after the missed JSU field goal try.
Gillislee, who entered the game as the Southeastern Conference's fourth-leading rusher with 842 yards, was the workhorse with eight carries on the 12-play march. He completed the drive with a seven-yard run up the middle at 6:02 mark in the first quarter.
Gillislee finished with 122 yards on 20 carries.
Florida moved 61 yards in six plays to increase its lead to 10-0 on the next drive. Gillislee's 46-yard run got the Gators deep into Gamecocks' territory, but the drive stalled at the JSU 4 and Sturgis came in to kick a 21-yard field goal with 2:22 left in the first.
Ivory connected on four consecutive passes during a second-quarter drive as Jacksonville marched from its 10 to Florida's 19. But Griffin missed a 36-yard attempt, this time wide to the right, with just under six minutes left before halftime.
Florida moved 70 yards on 11 plays on the ensuing possession but came away without points when Jacksonville State senior Brooks Robinson broke through to block Sturgis' 27-yard field goal attempt with 1:23 left in second quarter.
An ill-advised decision by Alan Bonner to call a fair catch on a Gators punt, coupled with a holding penalty, pinned the Gamecocks at the 2 early in the third quarter.
After failing to gain any yardage with two runs, Ivory attempted to pass from the end zone on third down. Florida linebacker Jonathan Bostic stepped in front of Ivory's pass and returned it seven yards for a touchdown with 10:38 left in the third quarter.
Sturgis added field goals of 44 and 47 yards in the fourth quarter to conclude the scoring.
Ivory, in his final game with the Gamecocks, completed 14-of-25 passes for 169 yards and moved past Ryan Perrilloux into fifth place on the school's all-time passing list. Ivory passed for 2,086 yards as a senior, the eighth time 2,000-yard passing season in JSU history.
“I was proud of our guys for the way they fought,” Crowe said. “I appreciate the opportunity to play against the University of Florida; we don't take these games for granted. They are very important games to us.”
HEAD COACH JACK CROWE QUOTES
Opening statement:
“I am impressed with the Florida Gators. I understand quality when I see it and they are a very well-trained team; along with that a truly talented team. We could have scored on them; we had some opportunities in the first half and that's the first time we've been shut out in a long time. But if you're going to have it happen, you want it to be against a quality team like they are… I think they are better than I thought they were… I was proud of our guys for the way they fought. I appreciate having the opportunity to play the University of Florida; we don't take these games for granted. They are very important games to us.”
On the opening 76-yard drive:
“It's typical for the guy that did it; he's a great-effort guy. I think the Gator player thought the play was down, and normally it would be when somebody is that close to the ground, but it was one of those roll-over someone's back plays. It was just extremely impressive for me. We had an opportunity and we just didn't do anything. I give the Gators credit and say they kept us from doing anything. It was a great play.”
On the team's momentum:
“I didn't think we had any sparks. We had plays, and those are the plays that they dare you to take. If you're going to score points, you have to have a spark. They carried the spark over on that side of the field all day. After (the 76-yard drive), I don't think there was another play that sparked us the rest of the day.”
JSU PLAYER QUOTES
Junior linebacker Rashad Smith
On UF offense:
“I stressed to people on defense that players are players, we all played against different players in high school. We knew we could hang with them, a man can take out another man.”
On UF senior running back Mike Gillislee:
“We weren't really paying attention to what they were doing with their formations. I don't try to scout each player out because I'll start getting self-conscious and competitive.”
Senior Quarterback Marques Ivory
On the first play of the game:
“It would have been good to get something early, like try to catch them off guard on the first play that would have been great but it didn't happen. “
Senior Wide Receiver Kevyn Cooper
On the first play of the game:
“Well we ran the hitch outside and the corner came straight at my knees and I landed on top of him so I didn't hear the whistle, so I just kept running.”
On after pulling the play off what would happen:
“I thought we were going to go score and get up on them early. I thought we were going to give them a challenge early. It would have changed the momentum of the game and it would have given us more confidence or some more momentum to keep going and keep scoring on them.”
POSTGAME NOTES
- Captains for the Gamecocks: senior QB Marques Ivory, senior DB Brooks Robinson, and senior DE DiMetrio Tyson.
- Florida won the coin toss and deferred to the second half.
- The Gamecocks fall to 4-16 against FBS teams and to 1-5 against teams from the Southeastern Conference. They are now 0-3 against FBS ranked teams, with the Gators' #7 ranking the highest by any of JSU's FBS opponents.
- The first play from scrimmage, a 76-yard pass from Ivory to Kevyn Cooper, was Cooper's longest career reception and was the Gamecocks' longest non-scoring play from scrimmage in the school's Div. I history. It was the longest non-scoring play since Maurice Dupree's 86-yard kickoff return vs. Samford on Nov. 3, 2007.
- With his 169 passing yards in the game, Marques Ivory threw for 2,086 yards this season, the eighth 2,000-yard season in school history and his second. He threw for 2,248 in 2010.
- Ivory finishes his career with 4,832 passing yards, moving him past Ryan Perrilloux into fifth on the school's all-time passing list.
- Ivory finishes his career with 384 pass completions, third-most in school history.
- Alan Bonner's 20-yard pass completion to Trey Smith in the second quarter was the first pass attempt of the senior's career.
- With his 23 receiving yards in the game, Alan Bonner now has 1,986 yards in his career, moving past Derrick Thomas (1982-85) for second in school history.
- Brooks Robinson's block of Caleb Sturgis' 27-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter was the first of his career.
- Today marked the first time that Jacksonville State has been shut out since Nov. 18, 2000 in a 28-0 loss to Troy State. It snaps a streak of 133 consecutive games in which the Gamecocks have scored, the longest in the Ohio Valley Conference.
- In his final collegiate game, senior wide receiver Kevyn Cooper hauled in a career-high 93 yards on three catches. He also finishes the season with 402 yards, 137 more than his previous career high of 265 yards last season.
- Today's crowd of 82,691 fans is the largest crowd to ever watch the Gamecocks play, 11,271 more than the previous high of 71,420 at Florida State on Sept. 12, 2009. It is the sixth-largest crowd to ever watch an OVC team play.
- The Gamecocks wrap up the 2012 season with a 6-5 record, their 10th consecutive winning season. It marks the fewest wins in a season since posting the same record in 2007.
- Junior Rashad Smith finishes the season with 89 total tackles, 12 more than his previous career high of 77 last season. He now has 190 total tackles in his three-year career.
BY THE NUMBERS
0 - Points by the Gamecocks in the first half, the first time JSU has been shut out in the first half since Sept. 11, 2010 vs. UTC.
48 - Rushing yards by the Gamecocks, the fewest by a JSU team since running for 28 at Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 6, 2010.
75 - Kevyn Cooper's previous career high for receiving yards in a game, a high that was broken on the first play from scrimmage, a 76-yard pass from Ivory.
76 - Yards on JSU's first play from scrimmage, the longest non-scoring play in the school's Division I history.
133 - Number of consecutive games in which JSU had scored prior to the 23-0 loss, the longest streak in the OVC. JSU's last shutout was vs. Troy State on Nov. 18, 2000.
242 - Yards of total offense for the Gamecocks, the fewest ion a game since Kentucky held them to 224 on Sept. 10, 2011.
859 - receiving yards by Alan Bonner in 2012, third-most in a season in school history.
1,986 - Career Receiving yards by Alan Bonner, moving past Derrick Thomas for 2nd all-time at JSU.
2,086 - Passing yards for Marques Ivory this season, the eighth 2,000 yard season in JSU history and the second for Ivory.
4,832 - Career Passing Yards by Marques Ivory, moving him past Ryan Perrilloux for fifth in school history.
82,691 - Fans in attendance for the game, the largest crowd to ever watch the Gamecocks play (previous was 71,420 at Florida State on Sept. 12, 2009).
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A season that began with a loss against a Southeastern Conference opponent ended with the same result for Jacksonville State Saturday afternoon.
Florida's Caleb Sturgis kicked three field goals and its stout defense limited the Gamecocks to 38 total yards after halftime as the No. 7 Gators prevailed 23-0 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in the first meeting between the schools.
Jacksonville State concluded the season with a 6-5 record, its fewest victories since 2007. Among the Gamecocks' five losses was a 49-24 defeat at Arkansas in the season opener.
Florida improved to 10-1 heading into a Top 10 showdown against rival Florida State next Saturday.
The Gamecocks came away without points on their only two drives deep into Florida territory, failing to convert field goals of 25 and 36 yards. It marked the first time Jacksonville State has been shutout in 133 games, a streak dating back to a 28-0 loss to Troy in 2000.
“We had some opportunities in the first half,” said Jacksonville State coach Jack Crowe. “That's the first time we've been shut out in a long time. But if you're going to have it happen, you want it to be against a quality team like they are.”
“I don't know if there's a better defense in the country,” said second-year Gators head coach Will Muschamp, a one-time graduate assistant at Jacksonville State. “We're playing very well right now.”
Jacksonville State shocked the Gators and the 82,691 gathered in “The Swamp” on its first offensive play.
Marques Ivory completed a short pass to Kevyn Cooper, who was tackled by two Florida defenders. Cooper fell on top of one of the Gators but never touched the turf, springing to his feet and sprinting down the sideline in front of Florida's players and coaches for a 76-yard gain to the UF 7.
The pass play was Jacksonville State's longest non-scoring play from scrimmage since moving up to Division I.
“We ran the hitch outside and the corner came straight at my knees and I landed on him,” said Cooper. “I didn't hear the whistle, so I just kept running.”
The opening drive stalled, however, and the Gamecocks came away empty-handed when Griffin Thomas' 25-yard field goal attempt sailed left with 12:53 remaining in first quarter.
The Gators' offense responded with a methodical 80-yard march after the missed JSU field goal try.
Gillislee, who entered the game as the Southeastern Conference's fourth-leading rusher with 842 yards, was the workhorse with eight carries on the 12-play march. He completed the drive with a seven-yard run up the middle at 6:02 mark in the first quarter.
Gillislee finished with 122 yards on 20 carries.
Florida moved 61 yards in six plays to increase its lead to 10-0 on the next drive. Gillislee's 46-yard run got the Gators deep into Gamecocks' territory, but the drive stalled at the JSU 4 and Sturgis came in to kick a 21-yard field goal with 2:22 left in the first.
Ivory connected on four consecutive passes during a second-quarter drive as Jacksonville marched from its 10 to Florida's 19. But Griffin missed a 36-yard attempt, this time wide to the right, with just under six minutes left before halftime.
Florida moved 70 yards on 11 plays on the ensuing possession but came away without points when Jacksonville State senior Brooks Robinson broke through to block Sturgis' 27-yard field goal attempt with 1:23 left in second quarter.
An ill-advised decision by Alan Bonner to call a fair catch on a Gators punt, coupled with a holding penalty, pinned the Gamecocks at the 2 early in the third quarter.
After failing to gain any yardage with two runs, Ivory attempted to pass from the end zone on third down. Florida linebacker Jonathan Bostic stepped in front of Ivory's pass and returned it seven yards for a touchdown with 10:38 left in the third quarter.
Sturgis added field goals of 44 and 47 yards in the fourth quarter to conclude the scoring.
Ivory, in his final game with the Gamecocks, completed 14-of-25 passes for 169 yards and moved past Ryan Perrilloux into fifth place on the school's all-time passing list. Ivory passed for 2,086 yards as a senior, the eighth time 2,000-yard passing season in JSU history.
“I was proud of our guys for the way they fought,” Crowe said. “I appreciate the opportunity to play against the University of Florida; we don't take these games for granted. They are very important games to us.”
HEAD COACH JACK CROWE QUOTES
Opening statement:
“I am impressed with the Florida Gators. I understand quality when I see it and they are a very well-trained team; along with that a truly talented team. We could have scored on them; we had some opportunities in the first half and that's the first time we've been shut out in a long time. But if you're going to have it happen, you want it to be against a quality team like they are… I think they are better than I thought they were… I was proud of our guys for the way they fought. I appreciate having the opportunity to play the University of Florida; we don't take these games for granted. They are very important games to us.”
On the opening 76-yard drive:
“It's typical for the guy that did it; he's a great-effort guy. I think the Gator player thought the play was down, and normally it would be when somebody is that close to the ground, but it was one of those roll-over someone's back plays. It was just extremely impressive for me. We had an opportunity and we just didn't do anything. I give the Gators credit and say they kept us from doing anything. It was a great play.”
On the team's momentum:
“I didn't think we had any sparks. We had plays, and those are the plays that they dare you to take. If you're going to score points, you have to have a spark. They carried the spark over on that side of the field all day. After (the 76-yard drive), I don't think there was another play that sparked us the rest of the day.”
JSU PLAYER QUOTES
Junior linebacker Rashad Smith
On UF offense:
“I stressed to people on defense that players are players, we all played against different players in high school. We knew we could hang with them, a man can take out another man.”
On UF senior running back Mike Gillislee:
“We weren't really paying attention to what they were doing with their formations. I don't try to scout each player out because I'll start getting self-conscious and competitive.”
Senior Quarterback Marques Ivory
On the first play of the game:
“It would have been good to get something early, like try to catch them off guard on the first play that would have been great but it didn't happen. “
Senior Wide Receiver Kevyn Cooper
On the first play of the game:
“Well we ran the hitch outside and the corner came straight at my knees and I landed on top of him so I didn't hear the whistle, so I just kept running.”
On after pulling the play off what would happen:
“I thought we were going to go score and get up on them early. I thought we were going to give them a challenge early. It would have changed the momentum of the game and it would have given us more confidence or some more momentum to keep going and keep scoring on them.”
POSTGAME NOTES
- Captains for the Gamecocks: senior QB Marques Ivory, senior DB Brooks Robinson, and senior DE DiMetrio Tyson.
- Florida won the coin toss and deferred to the second half.
- The Gamecocks fall to 4-16 against FBS teams and to 1-5 against teams from the Southeastern Conference. They are now 0-3 against FBS ranked teams, with the Gators' #7 ranking the highest by any of JSU's FBS opponents.
- The first play from scrimmage, a 76-yard pass from Ivory to Kevyn Cooper, was Cooper's longest career reception and was the Gamecocks' longest non-scoring play from scrimmage in the school's Div. I history. It was the longest non-scoring play since Maurice Dupree's 86-yard kickoff return vs. Samford on Nov. 3, 2007.
- With his 169 passing yards in the game, Marques Ivory threw for 2,086 yards this season, the eighth 2,000-yard season in school history and his second. He threw for 2,248 in 2010.
- Ivory finishes his career with 4,832 passing yards, moving him past Ryan Perrilloux into fifth on the school's all-time passing list.
- Ivory finishes his career with 384 pass completions, third-most in school history.
- Alan Bonner's 20-yard pass completion to Trey Smith in the second quarter was the first pass attempt of the senior's career.
- With his 23 receiving yards in the game, Alan Bonner now has 1,986 yards in his career, moving past Derrick Thomas (1982-85) for second in school history.
- Brooks Robinson's block of Caleb Sturgis' 27-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter was the first of his career.
- Today marked the first time that Jacksonville State has been shut out since Nov. 18, 2000 in a 28-0 loss to Troy State. It snaps a streak of 133 consecutive games in which the Gamecocks have scored, the longest in the Ohio Valley Conference.
- In his final collegiate game, senior wide receiver Kevyn Cooper hauled in a career-high 93 yards on three catches. He also finishes the season with 402 yards, 137 more than his previous career high of 265 yards last season.
- Today's crowd of 82,691 fans is the largest crowd to ever watch the Gamecocks play, 11,271 more than the previous high of 71,420 at Florida State on Sept. 12, 2009. It is the sixth-largest crowd to ever watch an OVC team play.
- The Gamecocks wrap up the 2012 season with a 6-5 record, their 10th consecutive winning season. It marks the fewest wins in a season since posting the same record in 2007.
- Junior Rashad Smith finishes the season with 89 total tackles, 12 more than his previous career high of 77 last season. He now has 190 total tackles in his three-year career.
BY THE NUMBERS
0 - Points by the Gamecocks in the first half, the first time JSU has been shut out in the first half since Sept. 11, 2010 vs. UTC.
48 - Rushing yards by the Gamecocks, the fewest by a JSU team since running for 28 at Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 6, 2010.
75 - Kevyn Cooper's previous career high for receiving yards in a game, a high that was broken on the first play from scrimmage, a 76-yard pass from Ivory.
76 - Yards on JSU's first play from scrimmage, the longest non-scoring play in the school's Division I history.
133 - Number of consecutive games in which JSU had scored prior to the 23-0 loss, the longest streak in the OVC. JSU's last shutout was vs. Troy State on Nov. 18, 2000.
242 - Yards of total offense for the Gamecocks, the fewest ion a game since Kentucky held them to 224 on Sept. 10, 2011.
859 - receiving yards by Alan Bonner in 2012, third-most in a season in school history.
1,986 - Career Receiving yards by Alan Bonner, moving past Derrick Thomas for 2nd all-time at JSU.
2,086 - Passing yards for Marques Ivory this season, the eighth 2,000 yard season in JSU history and the second for Ivory.
4,832 - Career Passing Yards by Marques Ivory, moving him past Ryan Perrilloux for fifth in school history.
82,691 - Fans in attendance for the game, the largest crowd to ever watch the Gamecocks play (previous was 71,420 at Florida State on Sept. 12, 2009).
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