Jacksonville State Dominates #10 Stephen F. Austin In 42-17 Win

Jacksonville State had plenty of question marks entering Week 0, but those questions were answered early against #10 Stephen F. Austin in Montgomery, AL. Play was suspended in the early 4th quarter due to inclement weather and it was determined that it was not safe to resume play. The ASUN Conference released the below statement about the conclusion of the game under NCAA guidelines.

Statement from the ASUN Conference.#AxeEm x #RaiseTheAxe pic.twitter.com/4RKec7JrDQ

— Lumberjack Football (@SFA_Football) August 28, 2022

Zion Webb was the selection for the Rich Rodriguez at the QB1 position and delivered 3 rushing touchdowns for the Gamecocks. Webb and McLaughlin only combined for 199 passing yards and 1 interception, but the rushing attack for the Gamecocks stole the show this weekend. Stephen F. Austin finished the 2021 season with a Top-20 rushing defense, but the Gamecocks were able to run all over the Lumberjacks defense. Anwar Lewis and Matt LaRoche combined for 188 rushing yards and 1 rushing touchdown. The Gamecocks averaged over 6.0 yards per carry for the game as a team and finished the game with 5 rushing touchdowns.

Stephen F. Austin was primed to have one of the most explosive offenses in the country this season, but failed to establish any consistency on the offensive side of the ball. Trae Self only completed 50% of his passes and only totaled 136 passing yards with 2 touchdowns and a costly interception in the 3rd quarter. Preseason FCS All-American Xavier Gipson led the Lumberjacks with 6 receptions for 70 yards and 1 touchdown.

The Jacksonville State defense had an excellent day under new defensive coordinator Zac Alley as the Gamecocks held the Lumberjack offense to under 250 total yards. The Gamecocks were able to pressure Trae Self all game long and totaled 4 sacks and 9 tackles for loss. Two standouts on the defense for Jacksonville State were Chris Hardie and Jaylen Swain who combined for 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. 

Jacksonville State moves to 1-0 on the season and will host the defending PFL conference champions Davidson next weekend. Stephen F. Austin will look to rebound on the road against Alcorn State in Lorman, MS in a very anticipated FCS out of conference game. Zach McKinnell will be on-site in Lorman for exclusive coverage of Alcorn State vs Stephen F. Austin.