FINAL STATS  |  PHOTO GALLERY

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The fourth-ranked Jacksonville State football team let the Ohio Valley Conference title slip away on Saturday evening, when Tennessee Tech overcame a 17-point fourth-quarter to claim a 35-24 upset win at Tucker Stadium.

The Gamecocks (9-2, 6-2 OVC) put together a 21-play, 95-yard drive late in the third quarter that put them up 24-7 with 13:40 to play and seemed to put the game away. However, the Golden Eagles (5-6, 4-4 OVC) went to work and scored 28 fourth-quarter points to keep JSU from claiming its first conference title since 2004.

Sophomore Calvin Middleton ran for 120 yards and a score on a career-high 26 carries to lead a Gamecock offense that rolled up 408 yards, 346 of which came in the first three quarters. TTU gained 258 of its 455 total yards in the final quarter.

Quarterback Cass Barnes led the Golden Eagles rally, throwing for 271 yards and a touchdown on 19-for-28 passing and running 18 times for 88 yards. The senior was 10-of-11 for 164 yards and ran for 49 yards on six carries in the fourth quarter alone. Fellow senior Jocques Crawford scored three touchdowns on his 14 rushes and 54 yards on the ground.

JSU junior Marques Ivory was 17-of-35 for 191 yards and two touchdowns, with senior Jeffrey Cameron finishing as his top target. Cameron caught five passes for 96 yards, while junior Cory Freeman caught four passes for 26 yards and a score, while junior Justin Howard caught the Gamecocks' other touchdown pass.

Junior Jason Horton tallied 10 tackles for the JSU defense, while junior Rodney Garrott forced two fumbles and recovered one of them. TTU was led on defense by Jake McIntosh's 15 tackles, the most among four Golden Eagles players with double-digits in the tackles category.

The Gamecocks got on the board first on the opening play of the second quarter. Middleton finished off an 80-play drive that ate the last 3:21 of the first quarter with a two-yard scoring run with 14:46 remaining in the half.

JSU used its defense to set up the second score of the game. Garrott forced a Barnes fumble and recovered it at the Tech six. Ivory found Freeman on the drive's first play to give JSU a 14-0 lead with 9:30 to play in the half. Garrott knocked the ball from Barnes' hands again on the second play of the ensuing drive, but James Esco's 36-yard field goal attempt missed to the left.

The Golden Eagles cut the JSU lead in half on their next drive, a 70-yard possession that took seven plays and was aided by three JSU personal fouls. Crawford capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown run with 2:41 on the second quarter clock.

Esco stretched the lead back to two possessions with just 41 seconds before the intermission with a 37-yard field goal that split the uprights. The score finished an 11-play, 49-yard drive that took 1:55 off of the clock.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Gamecocks pushed the lead to 24-7 with 13:40 to play. They put together a masterful 95-yard scoring drive that stretched over 21 plays and 10:34 and was capped by a 12-yard pass from Ivory to Howard. The drive was the longest of the year by the JSU offense in yards and in plays.

TTU answered and did so quickly, going 80 yards in just seven plays and 2:07. Crawford finished it off with a seven-yard scoring scamper that cut JSU's lead to 24-14 with 11:33 remaining. After forcing a JSU punt, the Golden Eagles got another score on a quick drive. This one went 84 yards in eight plays and cut the JSU lead to 42-21 with 6:27 to play. The score came on a 16-yard pass from Barnes to Zack Ziegler.

The Golden Eagle rally continued with another defensive stop that set up an 88-yard touchdown drive that gave TTU a 28-24 lead. Cody Forbes punched it in from two yards out with 3:04 on the clock to give the Golden Eagles their first lead of the game.

Jax State turned the ensuing possession over on downs, giving Tech the ball at the JSU 11 with just under three minutes remaining. They scored again with 1:46 to play to seal the game, a four-yard run by Crawford.

The Gamecocks will learn on Sunday morning what their postseason fate will be. The NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision selection show will air live on ESPNU at 9 a.m. CT. The team will gather on the fifth floor of the Burgess-Snow Field Stadium Tower to watch the show and fans are welcome to attend.

POST-GAME NOTES
- Captains for the Gamecocks: senior OL Tyler Ogletree, senior OL Curt Porter, senior DB T.J. Heath and junior DT Jamison Wadley.
- Tennessee Tech won the coin toss and deferred to the second half
- Jacksonville State recovered two fumbles during the second quarter of the game.
- Junior Marques Ivory finished with 191 yards and topped 2,000 passing yards on the season. He now has 2,078 passing yards this season.. It's the first time in school history that Jax State has an individual to pass for 2,000 yards in a season in three-straight years. Ryan Perrilloux passed for 2,318 in 2008 and 2,350 in 2009.
- The Gamecocks have now outscored OVC foes 170-67 during the opening half of OVC games.
- Jax State used a 21-play, 95-yard drive in the third quarter and start of the fourth quarter. It was the longest drive of the season by JSU in yards and plays. The previous longs were 17 plays vs UT Chattanooga during the fourth quarter and 91 yards against Austin Peay.
- Tech snapped a five-game losing skid in the series. JSU still leads 9-6 in the all-time series.
-Calvin Middleton rushed for a season-high 120 yards on 26 carries and one touchdown. He was one-yard shy of his career-high of 121 yards (vs UT Martin on 10.3.09).
- Calvin Middle recorded his first 100-yard performance of the season with 120 yards on 26 carries tonight.
- Jeffrey Cameron finished with 96 yards on five catches, his third most receiving yards of the season.
- Jason Horton led the Gamecock defense with 10 tackles, his second straight double-digit performance and the third of the season.