Jacksonville State @ UAB

[Feathered Fury]

JSU scores 21 points and attempts 3 onside kicks in the 4th qtr. Still loses to UAB 35-28. This has been the most frustrating September I can remember. So close 3 times to possible victory yet still 0-3 by 12 damn points! At some point the football gods have got to loosen up on us. I look for us to kick the living hell out of SEMO!!! Go Cocks!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tod]

JSU is a much better team than 0-3 indicates. They'd beat the Griz. Good luck next game.

[JSU02]

Just in from Legion field. We might be 0-3, by gosh darn we are the best 0-3 team in the land by far. OVC here we come!!!!!!!!!

[Feathered Fury]

JSU Rally Falls Short in 35-28 Loss to UAB

http://www.JSUGamecockSports.com/article.asp?articleid=72350

BIRMINGHAM – In Jacksonville State’s first game against a Division I-A foe
in two years, a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit proved too much to
overcome in a hard-fought 35-28 loss to UAB in front of 23,109 fans at
Legion Field on Saturday night.

The Gamecocks (0-3) trailed by as many as 21 in the final eight minutes of
the game, but 14 unanswered points set up an onside kick attempt that
ricocheted off of the back of JSU linebacker Haneef Haqq and allowed the
Blazers (2-1) to kneel on the ball and escape with a win in its home
opener.

“I am proud of the fact that our guys played hard,” JSU head coach Jack
Crowe said. “I have a lot of respect for UAB. I have no less respect for
them as a football team right now than I did when we watched them play
Tennessee. They are a very good football team.”

Senior quarterback Maurice Mullins threw for a career-high 259 yards and
two touchdowns on 21-of-29 passing, his second career game with 200 or
more yards. Both touchdown passes came in the fourth quarter, each to
sophomore wideout Tauren Rhetta to bring the Gamecocks to within one score
with 55 seconds left after trailing 35-14 at the
7:44 mark.

Junior placekicker Brett Rushing attempted an onside kick that was
recovered by JSU and would have given the Gamecocks the ball with a chance
to tie the game, but the ball bounced off of the back of Haqq before it
traveled 10 yards, giving UAB the ball and securing the win. It was the
Blazers third straight over JSU to improve their record to 3-2 in the
series.

The Gamecocks dropped to 0-3 for the first time since 1996 and fell to 3-8
all-time against I-A foes in their first game against a team from the NCAA
’s highest division since falling to Kansas in 2003.

“We are 0-3 right now, but I don’t think we are fragile. When I look into
the eyes of these players in tough situations, I don’t see fragile. We are
a volatile bunch, and I hope we can get it all together.”

The Blazers, led by Davey O’Brien Award candidate and senior quarterback
Darrell Hackney, outgained the Gamecocks by just 10 yards, 383-372.
Hackney threw for 231 yards and two scores on 16-of-24 passing.

Rhetta led all receivers with a career high 129 yards and eight catches,
including the two fourth-quarter scores. Junior tailback Clay Green led
all rushers with 74 yards and a career-high tying two touchdowns on 11
carries, accounting for over half of JSU’s 113 rushing yards. Mullins
added 27 yards on 12 carries.

The Blazers were led on the ground by Corey White, who ran for 63 yards
and two scores on 15 rushes.

Defensively, the Gamecocks were led by senior safety Darren Williams and
junior safety Kenny Brown, who each tallied a game-high 10 tackles.

UAB dented the scoreboard on its second possession, a quick drive that
spanned 87 yards in just eight plays and took 2:56 off of the clock.
Hackney found tight end Chico Cleveland on a fade route in the back of the
endzone on a six-yard touchdown pass that gave the Blazers a 7-0 lead with
8:09 to play in the opening quarter.

After the two teams swapped punts, the Gamecocks struck back, driving 55
yards on 11 plays for a scoring drive that took 6:08 and was capped by a
two-yard run off right tackle by Green that tied the game at seven with
12:23 to play in the first half. On the drive, the Gamecocks only put the
ball in the air twice and totaled 35 yard son nine rushes that were spread
out among three players.

The Blazers answered immediately, taking the ensuing possession 59 yards
on 11 plays to claim a 14-7 lead with 7:02 to play in the half. UAB
running back Dan Burks capped the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run
up the middle.

A three-and-out by the Gamecocks on their next possession led to the
Blazers next score, a four-yard toss from Hackney to Norris Drinkard that
gave UAB a 21-7 lead with just under four minutes remaining in the half.
The drive took just 1:25 and totaled 64 yards on four plays, highlighted
by a 54-yard pass from Hackney to receiver Jhun Cook on the drive’s first
play.

Jax State threatened to close the gap late in the half, but a 27-yard pass
from Mullins to Rhetta was stripped at the UAB 20 and recovered by the
Blazers, who took the 21-7 lead into intermission.

UAB stretched the lead again late in the third quarter, thanks to a
one-yard touchdown run by Corey White that capped a five-play, 33-yard
drive and gave the Blazers a 28-21 lead at the 1:53 mark in the third
quarter.

The Gamecocks cut the lead to 14 on a four-yard run by Green with 12:53 to
play in the fourth quarter, capping a 77-yard scoring drive that took
eight plays and just 3:53. The score was set up by a 45-yard scamper to
the right side by Green that set Jax State up inside the 10.

White’s second score came with 7:44 to play and stretched the lead to
35-14, capping a 44-yard drive that took 11 plays and ate 5:07 off of the
clock.

JSU tacked on seven more points on a 27-yard touchdown pass across the
middle of the field from Mullins to Rhetta that capped a seven-play,
76-yard drive that took 3:16 and cut the lead to 35-21 with 4:22 to play.

The Gamecocks scored their final touchdown at the 55-second mark in the
fourth on Mullins and Rhetta’s second scoring connection of the night, a
13-yard pass that capped a five-play, 33-yard drive that took just 1:03
off of the clock.

The Gamecocks return to action on Saturday, when they travel to Cape
Girardeau, Mo., to open Ohio Valley Conference play against Southeast
Missouri State. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT, and the game can be heard
live on the JSU Sports Network.

JSU Head Coach Jack Crowe Post-Game Quotes

“I am proud of the fact that our guys played hard. I have a lot of respect
for UAB. I have no less respect for them as a football team right now than
I did when we watched them play Tennessee. They are a very good football
team.”

“I give UAB a lot of credit for stopping us from running the ball. We were
never able to establish a rhythm on the ground, and we were forced to
throw a little more than we originally had planned.”

“They made a strong commitment to running the ball, and I think that’s
pretty much what got us. I’m still concerned whether we are a good
defensive team stopping the run. We are going to have to get better, and I
think we can get better.”

“We are 0-3 right now, but I don’t think we are fragile. When I look into
the eyes of these players in tough situations, I don’t see fragile. We are
a volatile bunch, and I hope we can get it all together.”

“We had a chance. But of course, they didn’t make many mistakes all day.
We didn’t get a turnover, and they only got one, so it was a well-played
football game. But, one thing you never see this bunch do is not try to
win.”