JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State fell 17-7 to Kennesaw State in the Second Round of the FCS Playoffs at Burgess-Snow Field on Saturday.
 
Kennesaw State (12-1), the Big South Conference champion, advances to the quarterfinals and travels to No. 6 Sam Houston State. Its 12 victories establish an FCS record for the most wins for a program in its third year of existence – the old mark was 10 set by Old Dominion in 2011.
 
Jacksonville State (10-2) was limited to a season-low 187 total yards, nearly 200 below its season average. JSU was held to its lowest point total against an FCS opponent since 2005, and the offense managed only 54 yards after halftime.
 
The Owls dominated time of possession over the final two quarters with their FCS-best ground attack, consuming nearly 22 minutes and scoring on a pair of touchdown runs to overcome a 7-3 halftime deficit. JSU, meanwhile, was 2-for-12 on third-down conversions.
 
"This was probably the worst offensive outing since I've been here," said Jacksonville State head coach John Grass. "We weren't able to block and that didn't allow us to get anything going.
 
"I stand by the type of men these seniors are and what this program stands for. My heart goes out for these seniors. They didn't deserve to go out like this."
 
Jacksonville State got on the scoreboard first by driving 53 yards in nine plays for what proved to be its only points.
 
Roc Thomas kept the drive alive by rushing for three hard-fought yards on fourth-and-1 from Kennesaw State's 25. Thomas then sprinted 22 yards for a touchdown on the next play and Cade Stinnett kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead with 4:20 to go in the second quarter.
 
Thomas, the Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year, finished with 1,065 yards and 13 touchdowns in his final season for the Gamecocks. The Oxford, Ala., native ran 17 times for 74 yards on Saturday.
 
"I think Roc has had a really great career," Grass said. "It's the first year he's been healthy and I think he's had a great season. You can't say enough about this senior class and everything they've accomplished for this university."
 
Kennesaw State took the lead for good on a 9-yard run by Darnell Holland early in the third quarter. The Owls added a 2-yard run from quarterback Chandler Burks on the first play to extend their lead to 17-7 and JSU never seriously threatened again.
 
"Coach Grass and these guys have done a phenomenal job here," said Owls head coach Brian Bohannon. "For us to come here and find a way to win … it wasn't always pretty at times, but we found a way. That's who we are.
 
"In the first half it felt like there were 15 guys on defense."
 
Senior linebacker Jonathan Hagler led the Gamecocks' defensively with 10 tackles in his final appearance in a JSU uniform. Senior defensive end Darius Jackson recorded 1.5 tackles for loss and ends his illustrious career with 60.5, by far the most in school history.
 
The two programs, located 90 miles apart, will resume their budding rivalry on Nov. 17, 2018, in the first football game at 41,149-seat SunTrust Park, the home of the Atlanta Braves. The 2018 meeting will serve as Kennesaw State's home game, with the Owls coming to Burgess-Snow Field at a later date not yet set.
 
Next year's game will be the regular-season finale and come during JSU's scheduled off week in OVC play. The baseball playing surface at SunTrust Park will be converted to a football field running from near home plate to left field.
 
Jacksonville State opens the 2018 season in Montgomery on Aug. 25 at the second annual Guardian Kickoff Classic. The opponent for the nationally televised matchup has not been announced.
 
Jacksonville State Postgame Notes – Kennesaw State
December 2, 2017 • Burgess-Snow Field • Jacksonville, Ala.

• JSU Captains: senior linebacker Joel McCandless, senior offensive lineman Justin Lea and senior defensive end Darius Jackson.
• Kennesaw State won the toss and elected to defer to start the game.
• On the third defensive play of the game, JSU All-American defensive end Darius Jackson broke the JSU mark for tackles for loss in a single season. He broke the previous mark of 19.0 held by himself and Chris Landrum in 2015. 
• By finishing with 74 rushing yards, running back Roc Thomas becomes just the 17th player in Jacksonville State history with over 1,000 rushing yards in one season and the first since Troymaine Pope set the Ohio Valley Conference and JSU single-season mark at 1,788 in 2015. 
• With his 22-yard score with 4:20 remaining in the first half, Roc Thomas owns 20 rushing touchdowns for his Jacksonville State career. 
• Senior offensive lineman Justin Lea made his 51st straight start for the Gamecocks. The mark extends Lea's record for the longest consecutive start streak in Ohio Valley Conference and Jacksonville State history.
• The Gamecocks are now 0-1 all-time against Kennesaw State. The two teams will meet again next season at SunTrust Park in Atlanta. 
• The Gamecocks are now 5-5 in the postseason since 2014 and 5-8 in 13 FCS games. All-time, Jacksonville State is now 20-17 in 18 NCAA Playoff appearance. 
• The loss to Kennesaw State marks the first time Jacksonville State has fallen to a ranked opponent since losing to then-No. 12 Youngstown State 40-24 in the second round of the FCS Playoffs last season. 
• Kennesaw State's 213 rushing yards were most allowed by Jacksonville State's defense this season. The previous high was 210 at Georgia Tech on Sept. 9, 2017. 
• Jacksonville State's 187 yards of total offense were the fewest put up by the Gamecocks the entire season. The previous low was 189 at Georgia Tech. 
• Jacksonville State's 48-game streak of rushing for at least 100 yards was snapped as the Gamecocks were held to 99 yards on 29 attempts. It marks the first time JSU hasn't rushed for 100 yards since the 2014 season opener at Michigan State. 
• Last time Jacksonville State failed to rush for at least 100 yards against an FCS foe was against Tennessee State on Oct. 12, 2013. 

 
Jacksonville State Postgame Quotes – Kennesaw State
December 2, 2017 • Burgess-Snow Field • Jacksonville, Ala.
 
Head Coach John Grass
Thoughts on the game
"It was a tough loss. Like I told them after the game, I have to look at buttons that need to be pushed — we got outcoached today. Tip your hat to Kennesaw State. They played better than us today. It goes back to blocking and tackling, and they did that today. This was probably the worst offensive outing since I've been here. We weren't able to block and that didn't allow us to get anything going. We went into halftime up 7-3 and didn't feel so bad. We probably gave up 100-plus yards in a field-position game. Kennesaw State just made some plays. They made some blocks on the perimeter to make plays. They just outplayed us today. I stand by the type of men these seniors are and what this program stands for. My heart goes out for these seniors. They didn't deserve to go out like this."
 
On falling in the second round
"I think it's football. It's why we love the FCS playoff system. I think that's why there has been so much excitement around the FBS playoffs. You're going to face pretty solid football programs in the FCS playoffs. Last year, we played the worst defensive game since I've been here and today we played the worse offensive game. I think it goes back to who we are playing. They did a great job of tackling and limiting explosive plays. It's very rare you don't see us have the edge defensively. The teams we've lost to are very quality opponents. Coming into the game, teams who run the triple-option are blue-collar teams who block and tackle well. That's the story today was that they did that better than we did that today.
 
On Roc Thomas
"I think Roc has had a really great career. It's the first year he's been healthy and I think he's had a great season. You can't say enough about this senior class and everything they've accomplished for this university."
 
 
On Kennesaw State controlling the clock during the second half
"It made us press, especially the last two or three times we had the ball. When they first scored, it was still a one-score game. When they went up two scores, it changed the ballgame. They did a very good job of possessing the ball during the second half. We were 2-for-12 on third down conversions and the offense left the defense on the field too long today. We missed blocks on the protections and rushed throws today. I take my hat off to them today."
 
On the Kennesaw State program's success
"I think when they started football, everybody was like, 'Wow, this has a chance to be a really good, good football team.' They have a lot of Division I players in that area. We recruited that area heavily. But for them to be able to accomplish this in only three years says a lot about Coach Bohannon. They just do a nice job."
 
Bryant Horn, quarterback, R-Jr.
On KSU's defense
"I think they did a good job of mixing up pressure and coverage, and did a good job of keeping us off balancing. We just didn't do anything offensively."
 
Justin Lea, offensive lineman, R-Sr.
On KSU's defense
"They moved a lot at the line and kept us from getting that big run. We needed to gap them out to get the run game going and we didn't."
 
On second-round losses
"I know Coach Grass touched on it after the game that something was missing. We felt like something was missing today and I take the blame for that."
 
Darius Jackson, defensive lineman, R-Sr.
On Kennesaw State
"They just played great ball today. They out-executed us."
 
Marlon Bridges, safety, R-So.
On Kennesaw State
"They made great plays and we missed a couple of plays. I'm just hurt right now."