Jacksonville St. steamrolls into FCS title game

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. -- Troymaine Pope ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns to punch Jacksonville State's ticket to the FCS Championship game, leading the top-ranked Gamecocks in a 62-10 drubbing of Sam Houston State on Saturday afternoon in front of a record 23,692 fans at Burgess-Snow Field.

Eli Jenkins completed 17 of 23 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns, and added 43 rushing yards and another score for the Gamecocks (13-1). Josh Barge led in receiving with six receptions for 121 yards.

Jacksonville State, the Ohio Valley Conference champion, will play in the FCS Championship January 9 in Frisco, Texas, against four-time defending champion North Dakota State. Jacksonville State is the first OVC school to play for the national championship since Eastern Kentucky claimed the title in 1982.

Jacksonville State, which came into the game No. 3 nationally in total offense, finished with 639 yards in avenging last year's playoff loss to the Bearkats.

Pope has rushed for 665 yards in three playoff games to raise his season total to 1,757 yards and needs just 22 yards to break the OVC single-season rushing record.

After unseeded Sam Houston State (9-4) fumbled the opening kickoff, Jenkins connected with Barge on a 28-yard toss to get Jacksonville State to the Bearkat 3-yard-line. Three plays later, Jenkins kept the ball on a read option and scored on a 1-yard run to put the Gamecocks up 7-0.

The Bearkats quickly ventured into Gamecock territory on the ensuing possession following a 27-yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe to Yedidiah Louis, but a Briscoe fumble abruptly ended the series. Pope broke free for a 62-yard touchdown romp four plays later to double Jacksonville State's lead.

Sam Houston State lost three fumbles in the first quarter and trailed 17-0 by the end of the period.

Jacksonville State's lead ballooned in the second quarter thanks to touchdown runs from Pope and Miles Jones as well as a 12-yard pass from Jenkins to Ruben Gonzalez. Sam Houston State scored its only points of the game in the second quarter after Ladarius Brown recovered a Corey Avery fumble in the end zone. Tre Honshtein also booted a 51-yard field goal for the Bearkats in the closing seconds of the half.

Bearkats quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe had a dismal passing day, completing 13-of-42 for 130 yards and an interception. Corey Avery had 81 yards on 14 carries.