RICHMOND, Ky. – The anticipated matchup between the Ohio Valley Conference's best defense and the league's top-rated rushing offense turned out to be lopsided in favor of No. 8 Jacksonville State.

The Gamecocks put on a clinic in all phases from the opening kickoff to rout Eastern Kentucky 56-7 Saturday afternoon at Roy Kidd Stadium. Jacksonville State (4-1, 3-0 OVC) extended its winning streak to six in a row over the Colonels with its 35th consecutive conference victory.

Eastern Kentucky entered the matchup as the sixth-best team in FCS in rushing at 297.8 yards per game.

The Colonels (2-3, 1-1) had no such success against JSU's stout defense, finishing with just 20 yards on the ground (a 0.7 per carry average) and 147 overall as the Gamecocks rebounded from their worst defensive outing of the season against Austin Peay with their best.

Reserve QB Zion Webb accounted for four touchdowns – three through the air ­– as Jacksonville State posted its second-highest production of the season.

The balanced Gamecocks finished had 637 scrimmage yards, the seventh-highest offensive output in program history.

"I think we played a complete game," said Jacksonville State head coach John Grass. "We got off to a good start and we have been waiting on that.

"I thought we started fast and did a pretty good job when we came out after halftime. It was a good outing. We're going to enjoy this one." 

Webb connected with three different receivers for touchdowns in the second half. The redshirt freshman was 9-of-15 for 137 yards, with TD passes of 16 yards to Jamari Hester, 29 yards to Lajarret Ford and 29 yards to Shaq Davidson.

Ford and Davidson's scoring catches were their firsts of the season.

"I thought Zion played really well," Grass said. "He got off to a great start. He's not just a one-dimensional quarterback."

Webb also contributed a 15-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Starter Zerrick Cooper threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Josh Pearson as the Gamecocks received the opening kickoff and marched 60 yards in nine plays. The first of Cade Stinnett's eight extra points gave JSU a 7-0 lead with 11:02 left in the first quarter.

Webb's TD run, a 1-yard run by Leander Burrowes and Cooper's 11-yard touchdown pass to Pearson stretched Jacksonville State's lead to 28-0 by halftime. Eastern Kentucky has not scored a first-half touchdown against the Gamecocks since 2012.

De'Marcus Flowers wrapped up the scoring with a 60-yard run with 2:54 left in the fourth quarter.

Cooper was 12-of-21 for 147 yards in limited action as eight different Gamecocks snared at least one pass.

Freshman Zack Woodard had the first two interceptions of his career to lead the defensive effort, becoming the first Gamecock with two in a game since Jaylen Hill in 2016.

EKU avoided a shutout with a short touchdown pass with 5:18 remaining.

The Gamecocks return home next week for their only game at Burgess-Snow Field in October. Kickoff vs. Eastern Illinois is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the game will be televised by ESPN3.

Jacksonville State Postgame Notes – at Eastern Kentucky
October 6, 2018 • Roy Kidd Stadium • Richmond, Ky.

• JSU Captains: Senior DE Monty Young, junior OL Darius Anderson, junior WR Jamari Hester, junior SAF Traco Williams.
• Eastern Kentucky won the toss and elected to defer to the second half.
• With the win, Jacksonville State is now 10-6 all-time against the Colonels. JSU has now won six in a row against the Colonels, the longest win streak by either team in the all-time series. JSU is now 5-3 against the Colonels in Richmond.
• The Gamecocks extend the longest active conference win streak in Division I football to 35-straight Ohio Valley Conference wins. JSU's streak is 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.
• The Gamecocks have now won their last 40 games when scoring at least 30 points. Since 2000, JSU is 96-10 when scoring at least 30 points in a game.
• After Saturday's 56-7 win, JSU has now outscored the Colonels 243-55 over the last six games, all JSU wins.
• Jacksonville State's 637 total yards ranks seventh all-time in program history.
• With a 28-0 halftime lead, JSU has now held EKU without a first-half touchdown in six-consecutive seasons. In the last six meetings, JSU has outscored the Colonels 147-9 in the first half, an average score of 24.5-1.5.
• The Gamecocks clamped the No. 5 rushing offense in the FCS, holding a unit that is averaging 297.8 yards per game to just 20 yards on 28 carries, an average of 0.7 yards per attempt.
• EKU marks the second team that JSU has held scoreless in the first half this season after holding Mississippi Valley State off the board in the first half in the second game of the season.
• After his two touchdown receptions in the game, Josh Pearson has caught at least one touchdown catch in every game this season and has caught two touchdowns in three games. He now has eight touchdown catches so far in 2018, tying him with five others for the fourth-most touchdown catches in a season in school history.
• Connor Christian, who entered the game as the team leader in sacks with 2.0, doubled that total in the game.
• Zion Webb ran for a career-best 100 yards in the game on eight carries.
• Zion Webb's career-high 100 yards makes him the first Gamecock this season to run for 100 yards in a game. He is JSU's first 100-yard rusher since Bryant Horn (148) and Roc Thomas (105) both hit the mark vs. Tennessee State on Nov. 16, 2017.
• Zion Webb's 15-yard rushing touchdown late in the first quarter was his fourth of the season, giving him the team lead for the season.
• Leander Burrowes' one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was the second of his career and puts him in the end zone for the second-straight game.
• Zion Webb's 16-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Hester in the third quarter was his second career touchdown pass, both of which have gone to Hester. He threw a 40-yard scoring pass to Hester vs. Tennessee Tech on Sept. 22.
• Zion Webb recorded the third passing touchdown of his career in the fourth with a 29-yard pass to Lajarrett Ford and his fourth later in the quarter with a 29-yard strike to Shaq Davidson.
• Zack Woodard's third-quarter interception was the first of his career. He later snagged a second in the fourth quarter.
• Zack Woodard's two interceptions make him the first Gamecocks to pull down two interceptions in the same game since Jaylen Hill vs. UT Martin in Nov. 19, 2016.
• Lajarrett Ford's 29-yard touchdown reception in fourth quarter was his first career reception and touchdown.
• Shaq Davidson's 29-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter was his first touchdown catch of the season.
• De'Marcus Flowers' 60-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was his longest run of the season after entering the game with 19 yards on three carries. His previous-long was 16 vs. Tennessee Tech.