Football preview: Jacksonville State looks to keep hot streak going against Austin Peay
Nothing helps a football coach have a restful night of slumber like seeing his nationally ranked team take care of business.
And John Grass’ Jacksonville State team did just that in downing Southeast Missouri 21-3 last Sunday.
“I slept really good last night after a solid win,” Grass said in his weekly press conference. “Anytime you can beat a team like SEMO. … They are a solid football team and have lost some really close games. I think, (that) we took control of the game early and played the way we did to finish the game was a tip of the cap to the guys.
“I thought we played really well and played physical football,” he continued. “We dominated in stopping the run, and we were able to run the ball and make some plays on offense. We are close on offense from exploding after you go back and watch the tape. There are a few things here and there and, if we do it correctly, you (would have gotten) 550 yards of offense and three more scores. We are really close to playing really great offensively.”
The Gamecocks, who moved from No. 8 to No. 7 in the latest STATS Football Championship Subdivision national ranking, will have a chance to sharpen their offense even more as they host Austin Peay (2-5) at 2 p.m. Sunday.
“Watching them for the first time this year and you see how they played in the fall, I think they are the most talented team in the league,” Grass said of the Governors. “They are a dangerous team, and they have played two close games the last two weeks and went into double overtime with SEMO and losing a close one (Sunday) against UT Martin. We have our work cut out for us this week.”
JSU (7-1 overall and 4-0 in the spring) must also deal with spring break, which is something new in a football season.
“Every college student is heading toward somewhere on the beach or vacation and getting a break from school,” Grass said. “Our guys are going to be grinding and catching up on school work, practicing football and getting ready for a game on Sunday.”
In other spring football season developments:
Alabama State at Arkansas Pine Bluff: The Hornets (2-1) were ready for their closeup when they downed coach Deion Sanders and his then-No. 21 Jackson State Tigers 35-28 on national television. That yielded a pair of league honors. Running back Ezra Gray was tabbed Southwestern Athletic Conference co-offensive player of the week, gathering a career-high 195 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. Ryan Nettles was named newcomer of the week, connecting on 27 of 42 passes for 257 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Hornets will leave the friendly confines of ASU Stadium this week for a 6 p.m. Saturday game with the Golden Lions (2-0).
Samford at The Citadel: Coach Chris Hatcher’s Bulldogs (2-3) saw a 13-point, fourth-quarter lead melt away on their way to a 38-37 overtime loss to No. 19 VMI. “Our late-game collapses, some of them have been unthinkable. We’ve got to do a good job from me all the way down to manage those late-game scenarios a whole lot better,” Hatcher said. “I really do think we’re close.
“I say it every week and I told the team yesterday we’re not changing what we do,” Hatcher continued. “We’re staying the course. Once we kind of figure that out to play better complementary football in the fourth quarter, we’ve got a chance to have a really good football team.”
Samford’s next chance to finish a game with a victory comes at noon Central on Saturday against The Citadel (0-8) in Charleston, South Carolina.
Grambling State at Alabama A&M (canceled): The Bulldogs (1-0) have to feel as though they’ve been cast in a football version of the Bill Murray movie “Groundhog Day.” In this version, A&M games that are scheduled to be played are pushed back or called off all together. Games at Mississippi Valley State and Prairie View A&M were postponed, but this week’s game with the Tigers – like the others, called off by COVID-19 – simply won’t happen because it can’t fit in the Bulldogs’ schedule. That means the home folks in Huntsville won’t get to see their team at Louis Crews Stadium. Coach Connell Maynor’s crew is now set to next take the field at 2 p.m. April 3 in its makeup game with the Panthers.