FINAL STATS  |  PHOTO GALLERY

JACKSONVILLE – One dominating stretch in the middle of the game proved to be the difference for the No. 4 Jacksonville State football team on Saturday night, when the Gamecocks held on for a 40-34 win over Murray State at Burgess-Snow Field.

The Racers (1-4, 1-2 Ohio Valley Conference) jumped on the Gamecocks (5-0, 2-0 OVC) early, putting up 14 points and 146 yards on their first two possessions. The Gamecocks took over for a while from that point, rolling off 33 unanswered points in a stretch that saw them gain 304 yards while holding their visitors to just nine yards of total offense.

Murray would battle back to cut the deficit to six in the final minutes, but a defensive stand by JSU gave the Gamecocks a 5-0 record for the first time since 2004. It also extended the nation's longest FCS winning streak and the fifth-longest in school history to nine games.

Senior wide receiver Jeffrey Cameron caught two touchdown passes, a 65- and 60-yarder, making him the Gamecocks' first 100-yard receiver in their last 11 games. Junior Marques Ivory found him on one of his seven completions, while freshman Coty Blanchard connected with him for the other. Ivory went 7-for-17 for 161 yards and two scores on the night, and Blanchard went 3-for-4 for 68 yards and a score. The native of Centre, Ala., also ran for 28 yards on four carries and punted seven times for a 39.4 yard average.

Senior tailback Jamal Young ran for 60 yards and a touchdown on nine carries, while catching five passes for 59 yards and a touchdown in the game. It was the first time a Gamecock caught and ran for a touchdown in the same game since Young did it against the Racers in 2009.

Freshman Brenton Tolson led the Gamecocks defense with 10 tackles on the night, six of which were solo. The Anniston, Ala., native entered the night with just four career tackles.

Their were no turnovers on either side of the ball in the game, snapping a streak of 25 games in which the JSU defense has forced at least one turnover. The last time the Gamecocks didn't force at least one was on Aug, 28, 2008 at Georgia Tech.

The Racers outgained the Gamecocks with 397 yards to JSU's 380, the second time in as many league games they have been outgained. Casey Brockman threw for 197 yards on 23-for-36 passing, while Jeff Ehrhardt went 13-for-18 for 87 yards. Brockman ran 17 times for 65 yards and two scores, while Arthur Brackett's 13 catches for 96 yards led the Racers' receiving corps.

MSU raced out to a 14-0 lead after a pair of one-yard touchdown runs, the first by Casey Brackman and the second by Mike Harris. The Gamecocks finally found an answer towards the end of the first quarter, when Blanchard and Cameron hooked up for a 65-yard scoring pass over the middle. A career long for both Blanchard and for Cameron, the strike cut the deficit to 14-7 with 35 seconds to play ion the quarter.

Sophomore DiMetrio Tyson sacked Ehrhardt inside the MSU five on the first play of the ensuing drive, forcing the Racers to punt out of their own end zone. The Gamecocks used the short field to set up a 35-yard field goal by James Esco. The sophomore's kick cut the Racers' lead to 14-10 with 12:45 on the first-quarter clock.

After a defensive stop forced the Racers to punt, the Gamecock offense continued to roll. Ivory found Cameron from 60 yards out with 6:45 to play in the half to give JSU its first lead of the night. Esco's attempts was blocked to leave the score at 16-14, but the Gamecocks attempted an onside kicks and recovered it. On the next play, Ivory connected with Jamal Young for a 34-yard touchdown pass. Esco's kick was true on this one, eight seconds after his previous attempt, giving the Gamecocks a 23-14 lead.

On the Gamecocks' next possession, they used a little trickery to set up a score. On fourth and 11, Blanchard kept the ball on a fake punt attempt and scampered 27 yards to the Racers' 47. On the next play, Young ran 47 yards to the end zone, giving JSU a 30-14 lead it would take into the halftime locker room.

The Gamecocks stretched the lead to 33-14 on their first possession of the second half, thanks to a 41-yard field goal by Esco with 10:50 remaining in the third.

The Racers moved the football again in the third quarter, putting together a 67-yard drive that was capped by a one-yard run by Brockman. A failed two-point attempt put the score at 33-20 with 1:49 remaining in the quarter.

After the two exchanged possessions, the Gamecocks punted it away to Dontrell Johnson, who returned the kick 70 yards for a score. The punt return for a touchdown was the first against the Gamecocks since the 2009 season opener at Georgia Tech and cut its lead to 33-27 with 8:44 to play.

JSU's Alan Bonner answered on the ensuing kick, taking it 92 yards to stretch the lead back to 13 at 40-27. It was JSU's first kickoff return for a score since Young's 95-yard return at Nicholls State on Sept. 26, 2009.

The Racers cut the lead to 40-34 with just under six minutes to play on a Duane Brady TD run, and then got the ball back on the Gamecock 47 yard line with 3:02 to play. After a holding penalty and a 12-yard loss set up a fourth and 23 for the Racers, Brockman found Arthur Brackett for 22 yards, turning it over on downs. They stopped JSU on three plays and forced the Gamecocks to punt. Blanchard booted a 50-yard punt that went out of bounds at the four, leaving the Racers with 96 yards between them and the end zone.

The Gamecocks defense held on to their fifth single-digit win of the season.

The Gamecocks will now travel to Martin, Tenn., where they will take on UT Martin on Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on the JSU Radio Network with Mike Parris and Ed Lett calling the action.

POSTGAME NOTES
- Captains for the Gamecocks: senior CB T.J. Heath, senior OL Curt Porter, senior RB Alphonso Freeney and junior DT Jamison Wadley.
- Murray State won the coin toss and deferred to the second half.
- JSU donned black jerseys for the first time in school history.
- JSU moves to 5-0 on the season for the first time since 2004.
- Jax State pushes its win streak to nine games and currently holds the longest winning streak in the FCS...its the fifth-longest streak in school history and its currently fourth in NCAA Division I Football.
- The Gamecocks now own a 7-1 lead in the series with Murray State and have claimed the last seven contests.
- JSU finished with 380 yards in the contest, pushing its mark to 49-of-57 OVC games in which the squad has turned in 300-plus yards.
- Jax State posted a season-high 23 points in a single quarter, besting its 21-point fourth quarter at Ole Miss...It is also the most points put on the scoreboard in a quarter since a 24-point second quarter output against Alabama A&M in 2008.
- JSU's 23-point second quarter is the most points scored in a quarter since posting 28 points versus UT Martin in 2004.
- JSU compiled 303 total yards in the opening half on just 29 plays....The last time the Gamecocks had 300-plus yards in a single half was last year against Tennessee Tech (339).
- The Gamecocks have scored at least one TD through the air in four of the five games this season. Last week at Eastern Illinois, all scores came by rushing.
- Sophomore WR Alan Bonner returned a 92-yard kick off return - the first return for a touchdown since Jamal Young's 95-yard scamper last year at Nicholls State...It ties for seventh all time in JSU laurels...Former Gamecock Danny Lee was credited with a 92-yard kick off return against Kentucky State in 1992.
- Junior LB Brannon Byrd and sophomore DB Brooks Robinson earned their first career starts on the defensive side of the ball...Byrd finished with five stops and a QB hurry.
- Junior QB Marques Ivory has passed for over 100 yards in all five games this season and has seven 100-plus yard games in his career.
- Senior WR Jeffery Cameron's 65-yard first quarter TD reception was the longest in his career. His previous long was 43 yards against UT Martin in 2008. Cameron also posted a career high two TDs in the contest with his 60-yard TD reception in the second quarter.
- JSU's Cameron also became the first 100-plus yard receiver this season with a pair of catches for 125 yards.
- Senior RB Jamal Young has scored five touchdowns in the past two games after hauling in a 47-yard catch and turned in a 34-yard rushing TD.
- Sophomore PK James Esco nailed a pair of field goals in the contest - the third time this season he has made two kicks in a game this season.
- Freshman WR Rayce Whiddon recovered his first fumble recovery on a JSU kick off.
- Freshman LB Brenton Tolson, a local product from Anniston, led JSU in tackles with 10
- Murray State's Dontre Johnson's 70-yard punt return for a touchdown was the first surrendered by JSU since the Georgia Tech game last season.

BY THE NUMBERS
7 - Games that JSU QB Marques Ivory has passed for over 100 yards in his career and the fifth time this season.
9 - Game wining streak, the fifth-longest in school history and currently fourth in NCAA Division I Football
8:58 - Time it took JSU to erase a 14-point deficit in the second quarter.
14 - Point deficit erased with a 23-point second quarter.
23 - Points in second quarter, the most points in a single quarter and the largest quarter output since putting 24 points on the board against Alabama A&M in 2008.
30 - JSU is 43-6 when scoring 30 or more points in a game...Jax State is also 26-2 at Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium under Jack Crowe when putting up 30-plus points.
105 - Consecutive games in which the Gamecocks have scored, a streak that dates back to Nov.18, 2000, when they were last shut out.
202 - Yards in the second period quarter.
303 - Total yards in the first half by the Gamecocks, the most since registering 339 yards in one half against Tennessee Tech last season.
14,812 - Attendance at Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium.

Head Coach Jack Crowe Quotes
On having a young team
“I think we are making some progress with some young players. We are challenged to do the right thing on this football team.”

On running the ball
“The fact that our offense couldn't make a first down and stay on the field during the second half, is just a hard pill to swallow. There are several reasons, most of it is due to injury, but we are having to depend on young players, but they are talented players. I have never seen a team with this many playmakers.

On the style of wins
“Winning is an attitude, it involves the heart and the mind. We have the heart and the mind, but when you cannot get a first down - you're in it, but not for long. I am responsible for the attitude of running the ball, I'm responsible, and I take it personal. We have to do whatever we have to do to win, and we have. When you start out like we did against Ole Miss you cannot thump your chest.”

On having big plays
“We took shots down the field, and we hit all of them. If we didn't we would have been in trouble.”

On making a case to be No.1
“When you can't run the ball and we were trying. I'm not going to throw any smoke out there I don't care about the polls. If we win the OVC it will be because we can run the ball and stop the run.”

Quarterback Marques Ivory
On losing a large lead
“We didn't execute like we were supposed to in the second half, we put our defense in a bad situation.

On being ranked in the top five
“The polls are based on what other people say, if we keep winning, we will set the standard for ourselves. The win feels good.”

Wide Receiver Alan Bonner
On returning the kickoff for a touchdown
“Our goal is to get 30 yards I told my teammates in the huddle if they get the blocks I'm going to take it to the house.”