JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – It took only one glance at the final stat sheet to point out what Russ Huesman already knew.
The Jacksonville State University offense is lethal.
After watching the Gamecocks put up 640 yards of offense in Saturday’s 41-35 NCAA FCS overtime loss, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga coach both extolled the talents of the victors and lamented his defense’s play.
“You look at the numbers and they just ripped us apart,” Huesman said. “We didn’t fill gaps, we didn’t tackle well and our schemes weren’t great against them.
“When you’ve got to defend (Troymaine) Pope, (Eli) Jenkins, (Josh) Barge and (Ruben) Gonzalez – and they’ve also got four all-conference linemen – it’s an impossible chore. Any time they throw the ball up and to the outside, their receivers are unbelievable. We were fighting as good as we can.”
Led by quarterback Jenkins, who piled up 412 total yards, the Gamecocks had 10 plays of 20 or more yards. They entered the game with 67 such plays for the season.
While the skill players received postgame accolades, Jacksonville State coach John Grass said the difference was up front.
“Our offensive line played outstanding football,” Grass said. “When you roll up 640 yards on a defense like Chattanooga has, your offensive line has to play well, and they did.”
Bender redemption
JSU linebacker Brandon Bender’s end-zone interception was Saturday’s biggest play, and the senior said he had been beating himself up after missing a possible pick-six early.
“I felt bad because I missed an interception on the first play of the game,” the 5-foot-9 Bender said. “No excuses, I just missed it, so I was hoping for another opportunity.”
The Mocs, who had used passes against the flow of the play to great success during the game, went to the well one time too many. Bender refused to get sucked into play-action and followed UTC running back Derrick Craine into the end zone.
“Early in the game they got us with a throwback to the tight end, so I knew something was coming in the red zone and it was set up nicely,” he said. “It was my job to have the back out of the backfield, and I just turned my head around at the right moment and caught the ball.”
Huesman: Right matchup
There was much consternation among UTC fans about the Mocs having to face the top-seeded Gamecocks in the second round. Huesman, whose team was unseeded, said the matchup was exactly the right one.
“If you’re not a seed, which we weren’t, we were going to play Jacksonville State in the second round, so there was no surprise to me,” he said. “This is a regional tournament and we can’t complain one bit about it.
“Jacksonville State happens to be a great football team and they’re two hours away from us, so they were going to put us in the same bracket. That’s just the way it is. You can’t start flying FCS teams all around the country – you just can’t. This is the way it should be. Any fan that complains about it, they’re nuts.”
Davis sets sack mark
UTC junior defensive end Keionta Davis had two sacks Saturday, setting a school season record. The 6-4, 260-pound sophomore tied Davis Tull’s mark of 12 1/2 sacks on JSU’s first play from scrimmage, then broke the record on JSU’s next possession by trapping the elusive Jenkins.
Receivers praised
UTC quarterback Jacob Huesman, who was 11-for-18 passing for 161 yards and a pair of touchdowns, was quick to credit the work of his receivers Saturday.
Junior C.J. Board had a team-high 86 yards on four catches, with sophomore James Stovall adding 59 yards on four catches. The pair came up big on several third-down plays to keep drives alive.
“I’m absolutely proud of those guys,” the quarterback said. “They’ve come a long, long way. I’ve built some trust with James and C.J., and it showed today. A couple of times I just put it up there and trusted them to go get it, and they did. Those guys are weapons, and we just needed to get the ball in their hands.”
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow on Twitter @youngsports22.