A tough season for Tennessee State came to a rough end with a 36-6 loss at the hands of the no.2 ranked Jacksonville State Gamecocks.
The scoring did not get going until 4:07 to go in the first half with a Cade Stinnett 19-yard field goal, to give the Gamecocks a 3-0 lead. Two minutes later Jacksonville State would find the end zone for the first time in the game when quarterback Bryant Horn connected with tight end Austin Cummins for a 45-yard touchdown pass. The PAT gave JSU a 10-0 lead. JSU would increase their lead to 17-0 in third quarter on Roc Thomas’s 50-yard touchdown run and extra point. Barely a minute later, the Gamecocks would increase their lead to 24-0 on quarterback Bryant Horn’s 44-yard touchdown run and extra point.
Tennessee State would finally get on the board on a 37-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Michael Hughes to Chris Rowland. The failed two-point conversion left the score at 24-6.
JSU got back in the scoring column early in the fourth, increasing their lead to 27-6 with another Cade Stinnett field goal, this one from 33 yards out. TSU’s subsequent drive would end in a safety when Michael Hughes was sacked in the end zone, increasing the Gamecock lead to 29-6. Tramel Terry’s 8-yard touchdown pass would end the scoring for the night at 36-6.
The Gamecock defense stymied the Tigers offense nearly all night, holding TSU to 97 yards of total offense and only allowed seven first downs.
Other TSU offensive lowlights for the evening included accounting for a measly 15 rushing yards on 28 attempts,allowing seven sacks of quarterback Michael Hughes and going 0-12 on third down. The Tiger offense had no answers for the dominant JSU defense, ranked third in the nation in total defense, made Tennessee State the fourth consecutive opponent held to less than 210 total yards.
Jacksonville State on the hand racked 493 yards of total offense, including a whopping 368 on the ground 19 first downs.
The Gamecocks will make their fifth-consecutive playoff appearance; the field will be announced on Sunday at 10 A.M. on ESPNU.
