Jacksonville State Gamecocks
Ohio Valley
Jacksonville State finished with a 9-3 record, but there were not many quality wins. The OVC has three teams in the field of 24 and the Gamecocks lost to both Tennessee State and Eastern Illinois by pretty significant margins. But this is a team that took care of business against the rest of the conference and held many conference opponents to just a couple of touchdowns in blowout victories.
2013 Record: 9-3, 5-3
Coach: Bill Clark
Big Wins: 10/15 at Tennessee-Martin (41-27), 11/9 Eastern Kentucky (68-10)
Bad Losses: 9/28 Murray State (34-35 OT), 11/16 at Eastern Illinois (14-52)
Strengths:
Coach Bill Clark has a decent enough offense to work with. Running back DeMarcus James rushed for 1,180 yards and an impressive 23 touchdowns. Backup Troymaine Pope added 536 yards and eight touchdowns. This is a team that can punch the ball into the end zone without much of a problem…even against big defensive lines. If the backs are having any trouble, freshman quarterback Eli Jenkins can run the ball too. He rushed for 623 yards and seven scores on the season, while throwing for 525 yards. Jenkins is mostly around for running the ball and Jacksonville State will call on Max Shortell to throw it. He has a nice arm and threw for 1,435 yards and six touchdowns. However, Shortell has not been all that effective this season and Jenkins has taken more and more of the snaps. In the regular season finale, it was all about Jenkins.
Weaknesses:
While the Gamecocks want to keep the ball on the ground, the opposition should do the same. The defense allows nearly 200 yards per game in the running game. Eastern Illinois rushed for 213 yards in their win over JSU. And that is from a team better known for their passing ability. Murray State rushed for 293 yards when they beat the Gamecocks. The secondary has done an amazing job, led by safety Pierre Warren and cornerbacks Jermaine Hough and Rashod Byers. That makes it extremely difficult for an opponent to come from behind against this team, but if Jacksonville State falls behind, which will happen sooner or later in the playoffs, they will have a very hard time coming back. That’s what happens with a Jacksonville State squad that cannot stop the run and does not have a potent passing attack of their own.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: DeMarcus James, RB, 1,180 yards
Passing: Max Shortell, QB, 1,435 yards
Receiving: Josh Barge, WR, 751 yards
Tackles: Brandon Bender, S, 87
Sacks: Caleb Lawrence, DL, 5.0; Chris Landrum, DL, 5.0
Interceptions: Pierre Warren, S, 3
2013 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 209.9 (23rd in nation, 2nd in conference)
Passing Offense: 213.5 (59, 4)
Total Offense: 423.4 (35, 2)
Scoring Offense: 34.2 (26, 2)
Rushing Defense: 199.5 (92, 6)
Pass Defense: 183.4 (18, 2)
Total Defense: 382.9 (61, 5)
Scoring Defense: 23.7 (33, 4)
Turnover Margin: 0.2 (46, 4)
Sacks: 3.00 (11, 1)
Sacks Allowed: 1.91 (59, 5)
Recent Playoff Appearances:
2010 Second Round Lost to Wofford
2004 First Round Lost to Furman
2003 First Round Lost to Western Kentucky
*all team stats through 11/16
