HUNTSVILLE, Texas – A name out of Jacksonville State's postseason past helped lead top-ranked Sam Houston to a 42-7 victory over the 21st-ranked Gamecocks at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Junior running back Ramon Jefferson, who starred in Maine's 2018 FCS playoff win over Jacksonville State, ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns as the Bearkats (6-0, 4-0 in AQ7) won their 17^th game in a row, the longest current streak in Division I (FCS or FBS).

The defending FCS champions kept pressure on Gamecocks' quarterback Zerrick Cooper for most of the afternoon. The Bearkats built a 21-7 halftime lead after forcing two turnovers with six quarterback hurries and a couple of sacks, and continued to frustrate JSU for the final two quarters.

Jacksonville State fell to 3-4 and 1-1. It's the first time the Gamecocks have started a season 3-4 in 15 years.

"You gotta play for four quarters," said Jacksonville State head coach John Grass. "I thought we came out and played well early. But at the end of the first half and in the third quarter we gave up too many explosive plays and turned the ball over.

"They have a good football team and their skill guys didn't turn the ball over and made plays in space. We weren't able to do that."

Cooper's counterpart, SHSU quarterback Eric Schmid, passed for 227 yards and two touchdowns plus a 3-yard TD run in the second quarter.

The day began in promising fashion after the teams had exchanged punts early. Cooper directed a quick 77-yard drive highlighted by a 47-yard completion to Ahmad Edwards and finished things off with a six-yard run to the end zone at the 7:44 mark in the first quarter.

It was Cooper's 20^th career rushing touchdown and the 87^th touchdown the senior has been responsible for in his storied Jacksonville State career, leaving him two shy of Eli Jenkins' school-record 89 TDs.

Sam Houston led 21-7 at halftime and poured on three touchdowns in a 6½-minute span to build a 35-point lead going to the fourth.

Bearkats defenders were credited with 13 quarterback hurries, seven pass breakups and forced two fumbles

Cooper left the game early in the fourth quarter after the last of many hard hits. He completed 15-of-33 passes for 169 yards and had one interception while rushing a team-high 15 times.

Yessman Green contributed his first career interception in the fourth quarter. Jamari Jemison was the leading tackler with seven stops, while Markhail Benton had six including JSU's only sack and a tackle for loss.

The Gamecocks continue their trek through the AQ7 against Central Arkansas next Saturday at Burgess-Snow Field during Hall of Fame weekend. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN+.

Jacksonville State Postgame Notes – Sam Houston
October 23, 2021 • Elliott T. Bowers Stadium • Huntsville, Texas

• JSU Captains: Junior DJ Coleman and junior running back Uriah West
• JSU won the toss and elected to defer for the sixth straight week
• The Gamecocks fall to 5-6 all-time against Sam Houston after their first visit to Huntsville, Texas, since 2001    
• Head coach John Grass is now 71-25 at the helm of the Gamecocks
• Saturday marked just the second time JSU faced the No. 1-ranked FCS team, previously falling 30-14 at McNeese State in 1998 
• Redshirt-senior Zerrick Cooper scored his 87th career touchdown on a 6-yard run in the first quarter to pull him within two of Eli Jenkins' school-record of 89 career scores as a Gamecock
• Freshman cornerback Yessman Green collected his first career interceotion in the forth quarter
• Jamari Jemison led JSU's defense with seven tackles
• JSU is now 13-17 all-time against teams from the state of Texas