CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Five turnovers and a blocked kick return resulted in the second-longest conference winning streak in FCS history coming to end.
 
Southeast Missouri intercepted three passes, forced two fumbles and ran back a blocked field attempt for a touchdown to stun No. 4/5 Jacksonville State 37-14 at Houck Stadium.
 
The loss snapped the Gamecocks' 36-game Ohio Valley Conference win streak and was their first in league play since Nov. 16, 2013, at Eastern Illinois.
 
"We had way too many turnovers," said Jacksonville State head coach John Grass, who lost an OVC game for the first time in his five-year tenure. "We definitely did not play our best game today.
 
"We left our defense out there way too much. It's a tough road loss and it doesn't get any easier."
 
Jacksonville State (5-2, 4-1) will try to regroup at Murray State next Saturday with kickoff set for 3 p.m.
 
Junior receiver Josh Pearson became Jacksonville State's all-time leader in touchdown receptions in a season with a 4-yard catch in the fourth quarter. Pearson's 12th TD of 2018 moved him past Josh Barge (11 in 2015) into the top spot in Jacksonville State's record book.
 
Five Gamecocks caught at least two passes as quarterback Zerrick Cooper completed 29-of-47 passes for 323 yards. Jamari Hester had a game-high eight catches for 107 yards.
 
SEMO took control from the outset. Redhawks returner Zack Smith took the kickoff back 52 yards into Jacksonville State territory and Marquis Terry – the OVC's leading rusher – ran twice down to JSU's 14.
 
Quarterback Daniel Santacaterina then completed the quick drive with a 14-yard TD pass to Smith and Nicholas Litang added the extra point for a 7-0 lead at the 13:41 mark.
 
An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against SEMO gave Jacksonville State excellent field position on the ensuing kickoff but the drive was halted when Cooper threw the first of his two interceptions in the first half.
 
Cooper was completed four straight passes on the Gamecocks' first scoring drive early in the second quarter. The 80-yard, six-play drive culminated with Cooper throwing a 15-yard touchdown pass to Landon Rice, the first career TD for the tight end from Rome, Ga.
 
Cade Stinnett's extra point tied it at 7-7 at the 13:51 mark in the second quarter.
 
The Redhawks' defense produced the final nine points of the half.
 
The Gamecocks moved methodically from their 4-yard line to SEMO's 9-yard line in 11 plays midway through the second quarter before the drive stalled. Stinnett came on to try a 25-yard field goal, which was blocked and recovered by Brandon Knighten, who ran 85 yards with the scoop-and-score to give SEMO a 14-7 lead it never relinquished.
 
The kick block produced a momentum swing from which JSU never could recover.
 
"I thought that was a huge turning point in the game," Grass said. "We had a good drive and were going in to score and the block field goal was huge at that moment. We just weren't able to play out of that."
 
The Redhawks (5-2, 3-1) pinned the Gamecocks at the 1-yard line following a 45-yard punt in the waning minutes and capitalized two plays later when Leander Burrowes was dragged down in the end zone for a safety.
 
The first safety by a Jacksonville State opponent since Liberty in 2016 extended SEMO's lead to 16-7 with 2:26 to go in the second.
 
Linebacker Jalen Choice was JSU's defensive leader with 11 tackles, including six solo stops. He also had a team-high two tackles for loss.
 
JSU returns to Burgess-Snow Field on Nov. 3 vs. UT Martin for Marching Southerners Reunion Day.
 
 
Jacksonville State Postgame Notes – at Southeast Missouri
October 20, 2018 • Houck Field • Cape Girardeau, Mo.

• JSU Captains: Senior DL Connor Christian, Senior RB De'Marcus Flowers, Junior LB Jalen Choice and Junior OL Hunter Sosebee.
• Jacksonville State won the toss and elected to defer to the second half.
• With the loss, Jacksonville State is now 18-5 all-time against the Redhawks. SEMO had lost 10 in a row to the Gamecocks and 15 of the last 16 in the series. JSU is now 8-4 against the Redhawks in Cape Girardeau.
• The Redhawks snap the longest active conference win streak in Division I football at 36-straight Ohio Valley Conference wins. JSU's streak was the longest in school and OVC history and the second-longest in FCS history behind Duquesne's 39-straight Metro Atlantic wins from 1996-2006. JSU's last OVC loss was at Eastern Illinois on Nov. 16, 2013.
• The loss ends the third-longest active road win streak among FCS teams, which was five games.
• Joseph Roberts started the game at Bandit for the Gamecocks, the first start of the season for the redshirt-senior from Trussville, Ala.
• Landon Rice's 15-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter was the first of his career.
• Connor Christian blocked a Southeast Missouri field goal try in the third quarter, the first block of his career. It is JSU's fourth block of the season.
• The Redhawks' 11-yard rushing touchdown by Mark Robinson late in the third quarter was the first rushing touchdown allowed by the JSU defense this season. It came on the 283rd carry by JSU foes this season.
• The last time JSU allowed a rushing touchdown in the regular season was at Eastern Illinois on Oct. 21, 2017, snapping a streak of 10-straight regular season games without allowing a rushing score.
• Josh Pearson's four-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter was his 12th scoring catch of the season, breaking the Gamecocks' single-season receiving touchdown record previously held by Josh Barge since 2015.
• Pearson's touchdown catch in the fourth quarter also extended the junior's streak of consecutive games with a touchdown reception to seven.