Golden Eagles make final OVC trip to Jacksonville State
February 26, 2021

Golden Eagles make final OVC trip to Jacksonville State

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – The last time Tennessee Tech entered a football game ranked in one of the FCS Top 25 polls was November 26, 2011. The game was the Golden Eagles’ first trip to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs facing Central Arkansas. Ten years later, the Golden Eagles are ranked again, earning the No. 23 spot in the latest Stats Perform FCS Top 25. Another interesting thing happened in 2011 – Tech toppled Jacksonville State on the road 21-14, the Golden Eagles’ only victory on the road in the Ohio Valley Conference series between the two teams since the Gamecocks joined the league in 2003. It was just days over 10 years since Tech had last won in Jacksonville when Grant Swallows helped lead the Golden Eagles to a 35-27 victory in 2001. 2001. 2011. 2021? Could it be fate? Coincidence? Who knows?

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GAME NOTES -- Week 2 -- at Jacksonville State (PDF)

By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – The last time Tennessee Tech entered a football game ranked in one of the FCS Top 25 polls was November 26, 2011. The game was the Golden Eagles' first trip to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs facing Central Arkansas.

Ten years later, the Golden Eagles are ranked again, earning the No. 23 spot in the latest Stats Perform FCS Top 25.

Another interesting thing happened in 2011 – Tech toppled Jacksonville State on the road 21-14, the Golden Eagles' only victory on the road in the Ohio Valley Conference series between the two teams since the Gamecocks joined the league in 2003. It was just days over 10 years since Tech had last won in Jacksonville when Grant Swallows helped lead the Golden Eagles to a 35-27 victory in 2001.

2001. 2011. 2021? Could it be fate? Coincidence? Who knows?

But what the Golden Eagles do know as they enter Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium for the final time in an OVC contest is they'd like to get one more win there. They'll get that opportunity on Sunday with kickoff slated for 3 p.m.

Roger Ealey and Dylan Vazzano will provide the radio call for 98.5 KISS FM, while Mickey Shadrix and Butch Barker will handle the broadcast duties for ESPN+ (subscription required).

Jacksonville State, playing in its first OVC contest of the 2020-21 spring campaign, enters the game with a 3-1 record. The lone loss was a 41-24 defeat at Florida State as the Gamecocks rifled off three consecutive wins – at home vs. Mercer, then on the road at North Alabama and at Florida International – before calling it a fall.

Jacksonville State and Eastern Kentucky, who opted out of the spring season after playing nine games in the fall, both announced in February that they were leaving the Ohio Valley Conference to join the Atlantic Sun. In conjunction with the Western Athletic Conference, the A-Sun will combine for a scheduling alliance next season as the conference begins its own football endeavor.

JSU leads the all-time series 16-7, but Tech snapped a seven-game losing streak – once again, that 2011 contest looms large as that was the last win prior – last season with a 37-27 Homecoming win. In the game, Bailey Fisher ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns, while completing 20-of-27 passes for 213 yards and two more touchdowns – scoring strikes to Metrius Fleming and Brad Clark.

However, during last week's game against Austin Peay, the quarterback found himself sacked seven times, one shy of the opposing record of eight set by UT Martin in 2015. That didn't stop the Tech offense though, after some first quarter unease, the Golden Eagles pulled together to rally for the 27-24 victory over the defending conference champ.

Junior running back David Gist ran for two touchdowns as he earned the first OVC Offensive Player of the Week honor of the spring season. He took two direct snaps and was able to evade a tricky APSU defensive line to put points on the board. True freshman Hayden Olsen was also 2-for-3 on field goals and 3-for-3 on PATs, earning league specialist honors.

The defensive side of the ball also played a huge part, forcing four turnovers as Josh Reliford and Jack Warwick picked off passes and Seth Carlisle and Marcus McMeans recovered fumbles, while also forcing APSU to go 2-for-5 on fourth down. Carlisle, along with his 11 tackles, earned OVC Defensive Player of the Week honors along with an honorable mention for Stats Perform National Defensive Player of the Week.

Still, OVC competition against the Gamecocks have not been kind as Tech has gone 4-13 against JSU, the 2011 game once again being the only victory away from Cookeville. Head coach John Grass, in his seventh season at the helm of the JSU ship, has a 61-19 career record – the 11th highest winning percentage among active Division I coaches – and a 41-6 record in OVC play. His lone loss against the Golden Eagles came last season.

Zerrick Cooper passed for 671 yards and one touchdown in the fall, while rushing for another 83 yards and five scores. Josh Samuel ran 42 times for 251 yards and two touchdowns, while Trae Barry caught 13 passes for 240 yards. Alen Karajic led JSU in scoring with 35 points, going 8-for-9 on field goals and 11-for-11 on PATs. On defense, Nicario Harper and Darius Joiner each had 28 tackles, while Harper had an interception and a 64-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.

In the last contest against Tech, Cooper passed for 312 yards and three touchdowns on 28-for-41 passing, including eight catches for 142 yards and two scores for Josh Pearson, who was a rookie this past season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dave Russell, who had two catches for 11 yards, is the highest receiving returner from that game, collecting 11 catches for 121 yards in the fall.

Uriah West, who had 71 yards rushing on three carries against the Golden Eagles last time out, rushed for 198 yards on 49 carries in the fall.