MARTIN, Tenn. – Zion Webb passed for three touchdowns as No. 10 Jacksonville State overcame an early deficit to defeat UT Martin 37-20 at Hardy M. Graham Stadium for its FCS-best sixth straight victory.

The Gamecocks (6-1, 3-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference) beat the Skyhawks for the 10th time in 11 games in what was likely the final meeting between the programs as Jacksonville State joins the ASUN Conference on July 1.

UT Martin (1-2, 1-2) stunned Jacksonville State by jumping out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, the largest deficit the Gamecocks faced since the Mercer game on Oct. 10. But JSU overcame 109 yards in penalties to build a 20-10 lead by halftime and never allowed the Skyhawks to get within 10 points the rest of the afternoon.
Webb threw three touchdown passes for the second week in a row, becoming the first Jacksonville State quarterback since Zerrick Cooper pulled off the feat in the final two games of the 2019 campaign.

Webb had touchdown passes to Dave Russell III, Ahmad Edwards and Mike Pettway while completing 11-of-20 passes without an interception. Russell caught five passes for 107 yards, a season-high total that surpassed Trae Barry's 104-yard performance at North Alabama in October.

Jacksonville State scored 27 unanswered points after spotting UTM an early lead and head coach John Grass liked the way his squad faced down adversity.

"We got off to a rough start and lost two starters in that first quarter," Grass said. "Once we got rolling offensively, I thought we played really well.

"I wanted to see how this bunch would face some adversity and how they respond. I was very excited about how they responded – on the road, down 10-0 early, we had to find a way to turn the game around. I was just really proud of the guys for doing that."  

Josh Samuel had a four-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and Uriah West finished off the scoring with a five-yard run around Webb's three TD passes and a 25-yard field goal by Alen Karajic.

UT Martin was limited to 29 rushing yards on 20 carries, the first time the Gamecocks defense limited an opponent to fewer than 50 yards on the ground since Murray State in 2018.

The final minute of the first half featured a bizarre special teams play seldom seen by press box observers.

Karajic's line-drive kickoff following Edwards' touchdown catch struck a UT Martin player up front directly in the facemask, bounced toward the Skyhawks' end zone and was recovered by the freshman kicker at JSU's 14. The Gamecocks ran out the remaining time in the second quarter after the unique onside kick recovery to carry a 20-10 lead to the locker room.

Karajic was credited with his first career fumble recovery.

The Gamecocks return to the friendly confines of Burgess-Snow Field next Sunday to face Southeast Missouri State. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN+.

Sunday's game vs. SEMO marks the 400^th JSU football game played at Burgess-Snow Field. Since the Gamecocks' home stadium opened in 1946, JSU has a record of 288-103-8 

For more information on the JSU football team, follow the Gamecocks on Twitter (@JSUGamecocksFB) and Instagram (@JSUGamecocksFB). For more on all Gamecocks sports teams, follow the official social media accounts of JSU Athletics on Twitter (@JSUGamecocks), Facebook (Facebook.com/JSUGamecocks) and Instagram (@JSUGamecocks).
 

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Jacksonville State Postgame Notes – UT Martin
March 14, 2021 • Hardy M. Graham Stadium • Martin, Tenn.

• Jacksonville State captains were LB Zack Woodard and OL Zack Cangelosi.
• Jacksonville State won the coin toss and deferred its option.
• Freshman tight end Jacob Jenkins from Birmingham made his first career start.
• Russell's 67-yard reception from Webb in the second quarter was the longest of his JSU career.
• Defensive D.J. Coleman's fumble recovery in the second quarter was the first of his career.
• Wide receiver Edwards' 39-yard TD catch in the second quarter was his first score since catching a 7-yarder vs. Southeast Missouri in 2019.
• UT Martin's 10-0 lead in the second quarter marked the largest deficit Jacksonville State had faced since trailing 14-3 against Mercer on Oct. 10, 2020. The Gamecocks responded by scoring 24 straight points in the second quarter of that game.
• Wide receiver Pettway, an Alabaster native who transferred from Washington State, caught 14-yard TD pass from Webb in the fourth quarter, his first score as a Gamecock.
• Russell's 107 receiving yards were the most by a JSU pass catcher since Jamari Hester caught nine for 186 yards in the 2019 season finale against Eastern Kentucky.
• JSU ran its all-time record to 34-8 against UT Martin. The teams played every season from 1967-90 as members of the Gulf South Conference, then every year since 2003 as OVC rivals.
• Grass improved to 42-6 in his coaching career against OVC opponents and is now 64-19 overall.
• The Skyhawks blocked a Karajic extra point attempt late in the second quarter, his first missed PAT of the season. He's now 23-of-24 on extra points.
• The teams combined for 224 yards of penalties (JSU – 12 for 129; UTM – eight for 95).
• Marshall Clark and Jeremiah Harris led Jacksonville State with nine tackles apiece. Umstead Sanders was credited with three quarterback hurries.