Jacksonville State football coach John Grass resigns after Gamecocks beat Abilene Christian 40-25
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. — Jacksonville State saved its best home performance for last, and it turned out to be the last home game for coach John Grass, who resigned after the game.
The Gamecocks easily handled Abilene Christian 40-25 in the WAC/ASUN Challenge game Saturday at Burgess-Snow Field.
Jacksonville State (4-5, 2-2) jumped out to a 14-0 lead over the Wildcats (4-5, 1-4) and never looked back.
The Gamecocks will play Lamar at 4 p.m. Saturday in a Challenge game in Beaumont.
Here are three takeaways for JSU following back-to-back blowout losses.
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Big first quarter for defense
The defense set the tone early. On the third play from scrimmage, Markail Benton returned a tipped pass for a 52-yard touchdown.
On the second drive, ACU drove into JSU territory, but the Gamecocks forced the Wildcats to turn the ball over on downs.
Malik Feaster added an interception on the third drive.
The Gamecocks scored their first two touchdowns off turnovers, helping them jump out to an early lead they never relinquished.
Nicario Harper added an interception early in the fourth quarter.
Offensive explosions
An emphasis for Grass has been to get his running game going. The Gamecocks dominated the ground game on Saturday.
JSU rushed 42 times for 272 yards and two scores.
Josh Samuel led the way with 15 rushes for 111 yards and both touchdowns on the ground. Uriah West added eight rushes for 76 yards, and Matt LaRoach finished with two carries for 48 yards, though he did lose a fumble.
Quarterback Zerrick Cooper passed for 214 yards and two touchdowns, both to tight end Seth Brown.
Cooper has 90 career touchdowns, which passes Eli Jenkins' old school record of 89 (2013-16).
JSU accumulated 501 yards of offense and scored 40 points, which are both season highs.
PJ Wells' massive target day
While Wells finished with five catches for 87 yards for the Gamecocks, it could have been an even bigger game for him.
Wells finished with a game-high and career-best 17 targets. The next closest player in targets was Ahmad Edwards (9).
In the first half, Wells was targeted 11 times, reeling in four catches for 68 yards. Two of those catches came on third downs to move the chains.
Wells has 32 receptions for 468 yards and two scores on the season.
Turnovers doom Wildcats
ACU didn't have a problem moving the ball. They finished with 405 yards of offense, picking up 17 first downs. But quarterback Peyton Mansell threw three interceptions.
The pick in the fourth quarter followed a fumble by JSU and with ACU trailing by 17, represented a chance for it to get back into the game.
Mansell did connect for a touchdown pass for 85 yards to Sweetwater grad Kobe Clark late in the fourth quarter.
Clark finished with six receptions for a career-high 143 yards and a touchdown. Mansell threw for a career-best 301 yards, also rushing for 58 yards and two scores.
The Wildcats have dropped four of five since a 3-1 start. ACU finishes the season with home games against Tarleton State (1 p.m. Saturday) and No. 1-ranked defending national champion Sam Houston State (1 p.m. Nov. 20).
WAC/ASUN CHALLENGE STANDINGS
................................. Challenge .... Overall
................................... W ... L .... W ... L
Sam Houston State .... 4 ... 0 .... 8 ... 0
Eastern Kentucky ....... 3 ... 1 .... 6 ... 3
Central Arkansas ........ 3 ... 2 .... 5 ... 3
Stephen F. Austin ........ 2 ... 2 .... 6 ... 3
Jacksonville State ....... 2 ... 2 .... 4 .... 5
Abilene Christian ........ 1 ... 4 .... 4 ... 5
Lamar ......................... 0 ... 4 .... 1 ... 7
(Challenge winner gets an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs)
SATURDAY, NOV. 5, GAMES
Jacksonville State 40, ACU 25
SFA 31, Eastern Kentucky 17
SATURDAY, NOV. 13, GAMES
Eastern Kentucky at Sam Houston, noon
Jacksonville State at Lamar, 4 p.m.
SFA at Central Arkansas, 4 p.m.
SATURDAY, NOV. 20, GAMES
Sam Houston at ACU, 1 p.m.
Jacksonville State at Eastern Kentucky, 1 p.m.
SFA at Lamar, 4 p.m.
End Regular Season
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Jacksonville State coach John Grass resigns after Abilene Christian win
