GAMECOCKS REMAIN NO. 2 AFTER CLINCHING OVC TITLE
JACKSONVILLE – After holding off UT Martin in a defensive battle on Saturday, the Jacksonville State football team held onto the No. 2 spot in both polls on Monday.
The Gamecocks (9-1, 7-0 Ohio Valley Conference) limited the Skyhawks to just 176 yards of total offense and only 48 rushing yards to pull off a 14-7 win and clinch their fourth-straight OVC title on Saturday
It marks the second-straight week that JSU has been ranked second in both the STATS FCS Top 25 and the FCS Coaches Poll. JSU tied the OVC record for consecutive championships, joining Middle Tennessee (1956-59), Tennessee Tech (1958-61) and Eastern Kentucky (1981-84) as the only programs in league history with four titles in a row.
With their win over the Skyhawks on Saturday, the Gamecocks extended their OVC-record conference win streak to 31 games. It is the longest active conference win streak in all of Division I football. It is the second-longest conference win streak in FCS history behind Duquesne’s 39-straight Metro Atlantic wins from 1999-2006.
The latest rankings put the Gamecocks in the Top 10 for the 57th-straight week, a stretch that dates back to the final polls of the 2013 season. JSU has been in the Top six in at least one of the polls for 39-straight weeks now, dating back to the first week of the 2015 season. North Dakota State is the only other team to join JSU in both of those streaks.
Defending national champion James Madison remained No. 1. Central Arkansas is No. 3 in both, while Sam Houston State is fourth in the Coaches and fifth in the STATS. NDSU is fourth in the STATS poll and sixth in the Coaches, while South Dakota State is fifth in the Coaches Poll and sixth in the STATS Top 25.
JSU is the only OVC team ranked in either poll, while Austin Peay is each receiving votes both polls.
The Gamecocks return home for a Thursday night showdown with Tennessee State this week. The OVC Game of the Week will kick off at 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN3. It will be Senior Night for the Gamecocks, who will honor their senior class prior to the game. The senior class has a combined record of 42-7 in four years, including an OVC record of 30-0.
Tickets for Thursday’s game can be purchased online at www.JSUGamecockSports.com at a discounted rate of $10 through Wednesday. All general admission tickets on game day will be $15.
STATS FCS Top 25
Last Updated – November 13, 2017
RANK. SCHOOL, POINTS, RECORD, PREVIOUS RANKING
1. James Madison (10-0), 4075 (163), 1
2. Jacksonville State (9-1), 3840, 2
3. Central Arkansas (9-1), 3700, 3
4. North Dakota State (9-1), 3510, 5
5. Sam Houston State (9-1), 3451, 4
6. South Dakota State (8-2), 3331, 6
7. Wofford (9-1), 3043, 8
8. North Carolina A&T (10-0), 2829, 9
9. Western Illinois (7-3), 2417, 11
10. Stony Brook (8-2), 2263, 12
11. Elon (8-2), 2197, 7
12. Weber State (8-2), 2096, 14
13. Grambling State (9-1), 1942, 13
14. Southern Utah (8-2), 1823, 15
15. South Dakota (7-3) 1769, 10
16. New Hampshire (7-3), 1667, 18
17. Samford (7-3), 1598, 16
18. Eastern Washington (6-4), 1049, 19
19. McNeese (8-2), 967, 20
20. Furman (7-3), 954, 21
21. Illinois State (6-4), 798, 17
22. Kennesaw State (9-1), 787, 23
23. Northern Arizona (7-3), 717, 24
24. UNI (6-4), 515, 25
25. Nicholls (8-2), 485, NR
Others: Monmouth (366) , Delaware (225) , Montana (215) , Yale (89) , Richmond (83) , Western Carolina (70) , Austin Peay (46) , Columbia (18) , North Carolina Central (16) , Sacramento State (7) , Youngstown State (6) , Howard (5) , Central Connecticut State (3) , Dartmouth (2) , San Diego (1).
FCS Coaches Poll
Last Updated – November 13, 2017
RANK. TEAM, POINTS, PREVIOUS RANKING, RECORD
1. James Madison (26), 650, 10-0, 1
2. Jacksonville State, 618, 9-1, 2
3. Central Arkansas, 572, 9-1, 3
4. Sam Houston State, 558, 9-1, 4
5. South Dakota State, 544, 8-2, 5
6. North Dakota State, 535, 9-1, 6
T-7. North Carolina A&T, 473, 10-0, 7
T-7. Wofford, 473, 9-1, 8
9. Weber State, 397, 8-2, 12
10. Western Illinois, 387, 7-3, 13
11. Grambling State, 385, 9-1, 11
12. Stony Brook, 318, 8-2, 15
13. Samford, 312, 7-3, 14
14. New Hampshire, 207, 8-2, 16
15. Elon, 269, 8-2, 9
16. South Dakota, 257, 7-3, 10
17. Nicholls, 217, 8-2, 17
18. Southern Utah, 213, 8-2, 19
19. McNeese, 199, 8-2, 18
20. Eastern Washington, 138, 6-4, 21
21. Kennesaw State, 136, 9-1, 23
22. Monmouth, 135, 9-1, 24
23. Northern Arizona, 77, 7-3, 22
24. Furman, 73, 7-3, NR
25. Illinois State, 67, 6-4, 20
Others receiving votes: Northern Iowa (60), Montana (25), Richmond (15), Delaware (15), Yale (11), Western Carolina (7), Austin Peay (5), Central Connecticut (1), San Diego (1).