JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State re-discovered the running attack against Chattanooga that was sorely missing in its season-opening upset loss nine days earlier.
 
Austin Kinsey and Zerrick Cooper each rushed for two touchdowns, and Cooper added a pair of touchdown tosses as the No. 17 Gamecocks outlasted the Mocs 41-20 before a crowd of 19,428 at Burgess-Snow Field. Jacksonville State improved to 1-1 with its sixth consecutive victory over Chattanooga.
 
Cooper accounted for 374 yards of total offense – the eighth-highest single-game yardage in JSU history – with 30 yards rushing on a team-high 11 carries and 344 yards via the air. He completed his first nine throws and had touchdown passes of 39 yards to Jamari Hester and 40 yards to Trae Barry as Jacksonville State recorded its largest margin of victory in the series since 2008.
 
The Gamecocks tallied 509 total yards. Cooper was 20-of-26 with one interception and recorded a 205.8 passing efficiency rating while Barry snagged six passes for a career-high 151 yards.
 
"I'm really proud of our guys and the way they rebounded," said head coach John Grass. "We did not play perfectly but we played better everywhere.
 
"We had a really good week of preparation. I'm proud of them and how they responded. We had the will to win."
 
Jacksonville State trailed 3-0 early but responded to the early deficit to beat Chattanooga (1-1) for the 11^th time in 13 meetings. The Gamecocks led 21-6 at halftime before the Mocs scraped back to make it a one-score contest twice during the third quarter.
 
JSU put the game away in the fourth quarter, however, as Kinsey finished off a time-consuming 15-play touchdown with a 4-yard run, and Cooper ended the night's scoring with a 1-yard quarterback sneak with 4:27 remaining.
 
Chattanooga took a 3-0 lead on its first series before JSU responded with a seven-play march capped off by Cooper's 39-yard touchdown pass to Hester. The scoring reception was the 18^th of the senior receiver's career, moving him into a tie for fourth with teammate Josh Pearson and Derrick Thomas (1982-85) in the school's record book.
 
Kinsey had a 28-yard burst for a touchdown, and Cooper added the second of his two 1-yard sneaks into the end zone as Jacksonville State extended the lead to 21-3 with 4:09 left in the second quarter.
 
Kinsey was one of four Gamecocks with at least nine carries and led the rushing attack with 56 yards. The Gamecocks ground out 165 yards on 41 rushes against UTC after being limited to 67 yards in their season-opening loss at Southeast Louisiana.
 
Marlon Bridges was the Gamecocks' leading tackler with eight stops while Yul Gowdy added seven solo stops.
 
The Gamecocks now brace for a visit from No. 4 Eastern Washington, the 2018 FCS runner-up, for the first meeting between the programs since the 2013 national quarterfinals. The Eagles (1-1) routed Lindenwood 59-31 on Saturday.
 
Kickoff at Burgess-Snow is set for 3 p.m. and the game will be available on ESPN+.

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Jacksonville State Postgame Notes – Chattanooga
September 7, 2019 • Burgess-Snow Field • Jacksonville, Ala.

• JSU Captains: Redshirt senior WR Daniel Byrd, Redshirt senior WR Josh Pearson, Senior LS Josh Brady, Redshirt senior DE Ty Minshew.
• JSU won the toss and deferred to the second half.
• Attendance: 19,428
• The Gamecocks have now won six consecutive games over UTC and has claimed 11 of the last 13 meetings between the two programs.
• JSU improved to 53-18-3 all-time in home openers at Burgess-Snow Field, including a 15-2 in home debuts since joining the Ohio Valley Conference and has won the last 14 home openers.
• Jax State netted 500-plus yards of total offense, which was the 42nd game since joining the OVC in which the offense has tallied 500 or more yards of total offense.
• Redshirt freshman running back Austin Kinsey had a breakout performance against the Mocs with a pair of touchdowns in the contest. Kinsey turned in a TD run of 28 yards in the second quarter and added a four-yard run in the fourth quarter. Kinsey finished with 56 yards on nine carries.
• Redshirt junior QB Zerrick Cooper matched a career high in rushing touchdowns with a pair of one-yard runs… the last time Cooper collected two TD runs was against Austin Peay on September 29, 2018. Cooper also threw for a pair of TDs in the win. He has two TD passes each in the first two games of the season. Cooper accumulated 344 yards passing on 20-of-26 attempts. He finished with 414 passing yards in the season opener at Southeastern Louisiana. Cooper targeted eight different receivers in the win.
• Junior WR Trae Barry accounted for 151 of Cooper's 344 passing yards on six catches. The 151 yards established a new career high for Barry. The tight end hauled in a 48-yard catch along with a 40-yard TD reception. The touchdown grab was the fifth of his career.
• Redshirt senior Jamari Hester posted his first touchdown of the season and his 18th of his career with JSU's first scoring play – a 39-yard catch in the opening quarter. Hester is now five TD catches away from matching Joey Hamilton's record of 23.
• Redshirt senior Marlon Bridges led the JSU defense with eight tackles, including seven solo stops. 
• Redshirt senior Jalen Choice was credited with a pair of tackles for a loss to lead the Gamecocks' defense. As a team, JSU finished with six stops for a loss. 

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Jacksonville State Postgame Quotes – Chattanooga
September 7, 2019 • Burgess-Snow Field • Jacksonville, Ala.
 
Head Coach John Grass
Opening statement
"We played much better this week. We lost to a pretty good team on the road last week, but we bounced back. We've got a lot to work on. We made a huge jump in improvement on upfront offensively, but we've still got a way to go from all three phases. A win is a win, though, and we got a good win against a good football team at home."
 
On separating from UTC on fourth-down score
"It was a key point in the game. We knew they weren't going away anytime soon, but we had to make some key fourth-down conversions to keep our drive alive. We found a way to get the ball in the endzone. It was huge finding a way to make it a two-score game again."
 
On offensive line adjustments
"We definitely tried to keep our five best guys on the field. Deandre Butler played much better at center, and Ye'Majesty Sanders played good on the inside. We've got seven or eight guys that we're really comfortable with in the game. We're young on offense and defense, but we're definitely getting better."
 
On responding following a loss
"I could tell this week in practice that we were responding in the right way. We felt comfortable in how we played following last week, but we have to continue to get better up front. We gave up too many explosive plays, but from early in the game on, we controlled the line of scrimmage. We just have to keep getting better."
 
Zerrick Cooper, Quarterback, Redshirt Junior
On zero sacks and offensive line improvement
"Kudos to the offensive line. They really worked hard this week leading up to the game. Coach Revis just really got them well prepared and it certainly showed."
 
On connection with tight end Trae Barry
"He does such an awesome job of getting open. I just take what the defense gives me and give him a chance to come down with it."
 
Trae Barry, Tight End, Junior
On fourth-down, drive-saving catch
"I thought I was open to begin the play, but Zerrick Cooper had some pressure and was able to get out of the pocket and get the ball up in the air. I just dove for it coming back to the ball and came down with it."
 
Austin Kinsey, Running Back, Redshirt Freshman
On his first touchdown run
"I just followed my blockers and found my way into the endzone"
 
Marlon Bridges, Safety, Redshirt Senior
On defensive adjustments
"The defensive line had to get more pressure, and we had to play a little tighter in the backfield. They had a couple drives that put our offense in a bad position, but we just kept fighting and found the will to win like Coach Grass talks about at every position."