JACKSONVILLE – Jax State's defense picked off Eastern Michigan three times and quarterback Logan Smothers was steady in his second start as the Gamecocks overwhelmed the Mid-American Conference visitors 21-0 at Burgess-Snow Field.
 
The Gamecocks (3-1) got interceptions by Larry Worth, Quae Drake and Jalen Mack and sacked Eastern Michigan's rotating quarterbacks six times. The Eagles (2-2) finished with just 152 total yards – only 46 after halftime – as Jax State recorded its first shutout in five years in front of a homecoming crowd of 20,966.
 
Jax State's defense has recorded 10 takeaways through four games.
 
"We had an extra week to get ready and that helped a little bit," said Jax State head coach Rich Rodriguez, who earned his 175^th career win, currently ninth most among active FBS coaches. "We had a couple of turnovers and offensively we took care of the ball.
 
"Good effort, good win against a solid program. Now we turn around in five days and play another one."
 
Smothers accounted for 212 scrimmage yards, including 119 on the ground. He was 9-for-19 passing for 93 yards with a touchdown. Smothers also quick-kicked twice for a 39.5-yard average.
 
The Gamecocks rolled up 388 total yards. Malik Jackson ran a game-high 21 times for 127 yards and caught three passes.
 
Jackson and Smothers became the first Gamecock duo to each rush for 100 yards in a game this season.
The Gamecock defense limited the Eagles to 106 total yards in the first 30 minutes as Jax State built a 14-0 lead.
 
Eastern Michigan's most effective weapon for most of the game was punter Mitchell Tomasek, who averaged 49.8 yards per kick, including a 72-yard punt in the second quarter that pinned Jax State at its 8.
 
Smothers, in his second start of the season, threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Quinton Lane late in the opening quarter for the game's first points. Alen Karajic's extra point made it 7-0 with 1:36 remaining in the first quarter.
 
Smothers produced Jax State's next score with his legs. The Gamecocks drove 69 yards in four plays to extend their lead as Smothers sprinted up the middle on a quarterback draw and out-ran the EMU defenders for a 41-yard TD. Karajic's PAT upped the lead to 14-0 at the 14:02 mark in the second quarter.
 
J'Wan Evans found the end zone for the third time in 2023 when he finished off a 48-yard Gamecock drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Smothers got things started with a 20-yard pass to Lane, then Jackson wove his way through a host of Eagles for a 27-yard gain to the shadow of the goal line.
 
Jax State's recorded 13 tackles for loss against the Eagles. Drake was the leading tackler with seven stops and four other defenders were credited with five.
 
The Gamecocks travel to meet fellow CUSA newcomer Sam Houston on Thursday night on ESPNU. This will be Jax State's first league game on the road.
 
Kickoff at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.  The Gamecocks are 5-6 all-time against the Bearkats.
 
Jacksonville State Postgame Notes – Eastern Michigan
September 23, 2023 • Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium • Jacksonville, Ala.

• Jax State Captains: Redshirt senior safety Jeremiah Harris, redshirt senior wide receiver Jamarye Joiner, redshirt senior wide receiver Quinton Lane
• Jax State won the and elected to defer to the second half
• Head Coach Rich Rodriguez improved to 12-3 at the helm of Jax State in his second season
• Jax State's 21-0 win is the first shutout for the Gamecocks since beating Mississippi Valley State 71-0 on Sept. 8, 2018
• The Gamecocks improve to 62-14-2 in Homecoming games
• Eastern Michigan's 152 yards were the fewest allowed since holding Lamar to 147 on the road on Nov. 13, 2021
• Junior punter Jack Dawson took off after a low snap on fourth-and-9 in the third quarter for a 12-yard gain and first down for Jax State's first fake punt since Sept. 28, 2013, against Murray State
• Alen Karajic's third extra point against Eastern Michigan was the 123^rd of his career, moving into him past Connor Rouleau (2013-16) for fifth place on Jax State's career PATs made list
• The Eagles are the second team from the state of Michigan that Jax State has faced on the gridiron. The Gamecocks lost at Big Ten member Michigan State to open the 2014 season, then reeled off 10 straight wins in the regular season.
• This was the first of a home-and-home agreement between the two schools. Jax State is scheduled to visit EMU's Rynearson Stadium on Sept. 14, 2024.

• This was Jax State's last Saturday game until its Nov. 4 road matchup at SEC member South Carolina – a span of 42 days. CUSA's midweek scheduling model starts next week and continues through October with CBS Sports Network carrying 10 games and ESPN carrying nine games during that timeframe on linear networks ESPN2 and ESPNU.
• Jax State faces three coaches this season who – like Rodriguez – rank in the Top 10 active FBS coaches in career wins: Sam Houston's K.C. Keeler (4^th with 259), Eastern Michigan's Chris Creighton (7^th with 187) and New Mexico State's Jerry Kill (10^th with 167).

 
Jacksonville State Head Coach Rich Rodriguez 
September 23, 2023 
The Eastern Michigan Game 
 
Opening Comments: 
"Really proud of how hard our guys played, obviously defensively we did a great job, players, and staff. Had an extra week to get ready that helped a little bit, but I don't know if they even crossed the 50 but a couple of times. That's a good, big physical football team, well coached, I got a lot of respect for Coach (Chris) Creighton. Thought our defensive guys, staff, and players did a great job and got a couple turnovers again. Then offensively, you know, we took care of the ball, ran the ball a little bit, probably left some stuff out there, but we ran it a few times when they knew we were going to run it. If you can do that, then you got a chance to win. So good effort, good win against a solid program, and now we turn around in five days play another one." 
 
On Logan Smothers' performance:  
"I think Logan, he's still getting experienced in our system, and the more he plays, the more comfortable he gets. He's a really competitive runner, but you know, there's a lot of things we could get better at, but it starts up front with those o-linemen." 
 
On Quinton Lane: 
"Well, we knew we were going to have some one-on-one opportunities outside. Our guys, we needed to trust them more than we have like, win some of them. They gave it to us the whole game. We had some opportunities, and it was nice to see Quinton. He's a guy that kind of walked-on here from Stetson and then earned a scholarship during camp as a senior, so it was really kind of neat to see him have a couple of nice plays." 
 
Logan Smothers, QB, Jr. 
On getting the start: 
"Yeah, you know, got to have the whole week to get ready, so it was good. Yeah, it was nice being able to prepare and just knowing going out there to execute and play and we did our job tonight, so I'm happy with it." 
 
On his run game: 
"Just about all of them are reads, we have some read on that either give, pull, or throw. It works. It allows us to you know, open it up in space and space the ball out, so it helps with the pass game. You know, it gets the running backs some touches too." 
 
Chris Hardie, DL, R-Jr.  
On the defensive front: 
"It felt great, especially when they're not expecting that from us. You know, moving up, well we have moved up already, but they're not going to expect nothing from us. They think we're undersized, so coming out and actually being physical, showing them that we can play with them is what was one of the things we wanted to do. We knew it started up front." 
 
On the defensive performance: 
"They work hard, but they don't work harder than us. Nobody will work harder than us." 
 
Quae Drake, LB, R-Sr.  
On the defensive preparation: 
"I feel like the guys, that we prepare every week to, you know, go out and win and dominate. I feel like we prepared well this week. The guys up front they always, they work hard each and every day. Coach Green does a great job with them. I feel confident with them. I think that like, there's nobody that you know, that could come out there and just dominate us. I feel like they feel the same way." 
 
On his interception: 
"So my initial drop was to the boundary, but I saw the quarterback rollout and I shifted my zone towards the field. I saw my d-line and the guys getting pressure and I knew he's going to throw it, so I just made a great play, an effort play to get over to field and make pick." 
 
Quinton Lane, WR, R-Sr. 
On being a captain: 
"It felt good, it means that my work's being recognized. Coming into the program, just trying to get my feet wet and fit in with the team, so being able to be a captain was a great honor." 
 
On his big downfield plays: 
"It's kind of just getting the connection with the quarterbacks. We knew we're going to get man coverage today, so we just have to win our one-on-one matchups. Logan had the trust in us to put the ball up and we just to go make a play."