JACKSONVILLE -- The Jacksonville State football team routed Abilene Christian 40-25 in its home finale Saturday at Burgess-Snow Field. 

Running back Josh Samuel rushed for two scores, kicker Alen Karajic booted a pair of field goals and Zerrick Cooper hit Sean Brown for two passing touchdowns in the first ever meeting between the Gamecocks (4-5, 2-3 AQ7) and Wildcats (4-5, 1-4 AQ7).

"It was a really good game and I'm proud of our guys," head coach John Grass said. "They were resilient and played really well. Take away the knee at the end of the game and we have 500 yards of offense, and our defense held them to around 300. I thought we played a solid football game."

Jacksonville State finished the night with 497 yards of total offense, collecting 225 yards through the air and 272 on the ground. Samuel accounted for 119 of the Gamecocks' net 289 rushing yards, while receiver PJ Wells was responsible for a team-best 87 receiving yards on five catches.

Cooper's two passing touchdowns made the senior quarterback the program's leader for touchdowns responsible for with 90 in his career, surpassing Eli Jenkins' record of 89. 

The two scoring throws from Cooper to Brown were the first and second touchdown receptions of the freshman's career, and Samuel's two TD runs marked the fourth multi-touchdown game of the season for the Greenville, S.C., native.

It took less than two minutes for the Gamecocks to get on the board. On ACU's third offensive play, quarterback Peyton Mansell was picked off by Markail Benton and returned 52 yards for a touchdown. 

The interception was Benton's second of his career and the first since picking off Tennessee Tech on Feb. 28, 2021. 

"I told Markail all week during practice he was going to get a pick and score," safety Nicario Harper said. "He works so hard and he's playing with an injury, so I was really happy for him."

On the ensuing drive, a turnover on downs gave the ball back to the Gamecocks at their own 31-yard line. Eight plays later, a group of Gamecocks pushed Josh Samuel into the end zone from six yards out for the second score of the first quarter. The drive lasted less than four minutes and spanned eight plays.

Malik Feaster stopped an ACU drive immediately after the Jacksonville State score for the defense's second interception of the day. The junior picked off Mansell at the JSU 29 to thwart the Wildcats' scoring threat. It was the second interception of his career and the first since snagging a turnover against Kennesaw State at Truist Field in 2018.

An Abilene Christian field goal and Peyton Mansell keeper cut into the Jax State lead in the second, but field goals of 30 and 21 yards, respectively, from JSU kicker Alen Karajic kept the Jacksonville State advantage at 10 at halftime.

After getting the ball to begin the second half, Cooper marched the Gamecocks downfield on the opening drive to extend the lead to 27-10. JSU ate up 75 yards on seven plays and capped the drive with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Brown.

Abilene Christian answered with a Mansell touchdown run late in the third, shortening Jax State's advantage to 10, but it would be the last time the Gamecock defense allowed the 'Cats into the end zone until less than two minutes remained in the game.

Samuel scored his second touchdown of the day on a 17-yard sprint to begin the fourth quarter, and a Harper interception led to Cooper and Brown connecting in the end zone for a second time to push the JSU lead to 40-17. 

Mansell was picked off for the third time on a bullet to the left side of the field. Harper snagged the pass intended for Javion Johnson at the ACU 39, which set up a seven-play scoring drive that lasted less than three minutes. 

Cooper, evading a pursuing defender, threw off-balance to Brown, who made a leaping catch at the 1-yard line and fought off a tackle to cross the goal line. The TD pass was Cooper's 90th to become the program's all-time leader for touchdown responsibility.

"I really didn't know much about the record until yesterday," Cooper said. "It means a lot to have this record, and I am happy to be in a position to be as successful as I have been, but a lot of credit goes to the guys around me. That's the coaches, offensive line, running backs and wide receivers. I broke the record, but they broke it with me."

ACU added a late touchdown and converted for two to make it a 40-25 game, but with 1:23 left on the clock, the game was too far out of reach for the Wildcats to have any chance at a comeback.

Cooper completed 18 of 32 attempts and targeted seven different receivers. He found Ahmad Edwards seven times for 32 yards, while his long of 29 yards put Wells over the top of the Gamecocks' leading receiver. 

Samuel led the attack on the ground with his 17 carries, followed by Cooper who ran the ball nine times for 34 yards. Uriah West had eight touches for a second-most 76 yards, and junior Matt LaRoche broke off a 42-yard run on the first of his two carries to finish the night with 48 yards.

The Gamecocks hit the road for Beaumont, Texas next week to take on Lamar. Kick off against the Cardinals is set for 4 p.m. at Provost Umphrey Stadium and will broadcast on ESPN+.


2021 Jacksonville State Football
JSU vs Abilene Christian
Nov. 6, 2021 – Burgess-Snow Field – Jacksonville, Ala.
 

• JSU Captains: Seniors Umstead Sanders, Zerrick Cooper, Nahum Horton and Michael Shaddix.
• ACU won the toss and elected to receive. The first coin toss JSU had not won since the opener against UAB.  
• The Gamecocks' win over Abilene Christian in the first-ever meeting between the two schools gives JSU a 1-0 series lead.        
• Head coach John Grass ran his career record to 72-26 with the win over ACU.  
• Redshirt-junior Markail Benton picked off his second career pass on ACU's opening drive of the game and returned it 52 yards for the first score of the game.
• Redshirt-senior Zerrick Cooper tossed two touchdown passes to tie and later break the JSU school record for touchdowns accounted for with 90 career scores after his second touchdown pass to Brown in the fourth quarter. He passed former Gamecock standout Eli Jenkins' school-mark of 89 career scores.  
• Redshirt-freshman Sean Brown caught his first career touchdown pass in the third quarter on a 22-yard strike from Zerrick Cooper. He later added to his career day with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Cooper.
• Running back Josh Samuel collected a season-high 119 rushing yards on 17 carries for his second-straight and sixth-career 100-yard game.  
• Freshman kicker Alen Karajic connected on both of his field goal attempts from 21 and 30 yards, for his second multi-field goal game of the season.
• Freshman receiver Ahmad Edwards hauled in a team-high seven reception, while P.J. Wells led the Gamecocks with 87 receiving yards on five catches.  
• Redshirt-sophomore Nicario Harper led the Gamecock defense with 12 tackles, one shy of his career high.
• The win moves JSU to 2-2 in league game during its lone season competing in the AQ7.

 

Jacksonville State Football vs Abilene Christian Post-Game Quotes

Head Coach John Grass

Opening Quotes:

"That was a really good game. I'm proud of our guys and how they were resilient and played well. Their coach (Abilene Christian) does a really good job and they're building a young program, but we took care of business today. I thought our guys played very well today with 500 yards of offense and holding them to around 300. I'm just proud of our guys for responding and playing hard. I've never been more proud of a group of coaches and players and how they've navigated what they've been through the last year. It's just an amazing group of people."

On His Time at JSU:

"My time has come and gone here. It's been a great ride. You can't put into words what's happened here. This has been amazing. This will always be my home. My wife and I are alumni and I've raised my kids for nine years here. This place has done so much for me that I can't ever repay it. I've always put this university first and how I represent it and I think my family has done a great job in being ambassadors for this university. There's a lot of thank you's and a lot of blessings that we've had, but I got to do this my way and I am pleased and I am thankful that I got to do it my way."

On Going Out on a Win:

"It feels really good. We knew we had a good chance to win the last three but these guys battled. It's a shame we won't get into the playoffs because of the characters of the players in the locker room. I can't tell you how dessamated the roster is with injuries and what these guys have battled through, so it's a shame. This program is on solid ground though and when you get all of these guys back well, you've got a really got roster to work with. So I'm proud of that as well."

Zerrick Cooper, Quarterback, Redshirt Senior

On Coach Grass Stepping Away From the Program:

"It's unfortunate. I'm just thankful to have a coach like Coach Grass. He accepted me with open arms when I transferred here. I told him it's kinda funny that we're leaving at the same time, but I wish him the best with his career and with what God has in store for him at this point."

On Breaking the Touchdowns-Responsible-For Record:

"It means a lot. Over the course of the years that I've been here, I've broken a lot of records. I'm just happy to be in a situation where I'm more successful than I've ever been. I give credit to my coaches and my teammates. I broke it and they broke it with me, so we all broke it."

Nicario Harper, Cornerback, Redshirt Sophomore

On Coach Grass Stepping Away From the Program:

"I just want to say thanks to Coach Grass. When I transferred here, he welcomed me with open arms also. I wish him the best and I'm going to continue to stay in touch with Coach Grass. I just can't wait to see what his next step is."

On Defensive Scoring:

"I know that we work hard every day and we run to the ball, but we're just full of playmakers on this team. That's just us being aware of where the ball is and just making plays on the ball. This defense is loaded. Markail (Benton) tells me every week that he's going to get a pick. He works so hard and I'm just so happy for him."