ASUNset: JSU downs UCA, celebrates like conference champion

Nov. 19—CONWAY, Ark. — Jacksonville State left the Ohio Valley Conference as an uncelebrated league champion, and the Gamecocks will leave the ASUN as unofficial champions.

JSU recovered four fumbles and blocked a punt out of the end zone while building a 16-point halftime lead and downed Central Arkansas 40-17 in Estes Stadium on Saturday, finishing undefeated in ASUN play.

Transitioning from FCS to FBS, JSU (9-2, 5-0 ASUN) is ineligible for the FCS playoffs. Ten months after JSU announced it would leave the ASUN and begin Conference USA in 2023, the ASUN issued a "clarification," saying JSU's games will count in the ASUN standings this season, but the Gamecocks cannot win the league title.

With JSU's win Saturday and Eastern Kentucky's victory over Kennesaw State, Central Arkansas (5-6), Eastern Kentucky (7-4) and Austin Peay (7-4) finished in a three-way tie among eligible teams at 3-2 in league play.

As JSU officials promised, the Gamecocks celebrated like conference champions Saturday. Players doused first-year coach Rich Rodriguez with Gatorade with 20 seconds to play.

Tight end Sean Brown and offensive lineman Treylen Brown stalked Rodriguez with the cooler then splashed him from behind.

"We tried to keep it a secret," Treylen Brown said. "He turned around twice, so I had Sean shield the water cooler."

Rodriguez tried to seize the cooler and return fire.

"I knew he was going to be mad, but I didn't think he was going to try to get me with it," Treylen Brown said. "I ran away.

"He wasn't going to catch me. I'm 300 pounds, but he's not going to catch me on that."

Rodriguez celebrated his 10th conference title as a head coach, going back to his time at Glenville State. He's also had head-coaching stops at West Virginia, Michigan and Arizona.

"This is the first one I've ever gotten in the first year, I think," Rodriguez said. "To me, it's really remarkable from a player standpoint and a staff standpoint. We had a lot of new coaches, getting together and getting used to each other for the first time, a lot of new players.

"I'm just tickled to death that they all bought in to what we're trying to do and set the standard for what we want in the future."

As for the dousing, Rodriguez said he dodged it just enough to avoid a total soaking on a chilly Arkansas night.

"I'm just so happy for our players," he said. "To see smiles on their faces. I know the work they've put in, and they earned this.

"We talk about earning success. They earned this."

JSU athletics director Greg Seitz said the school will treat finishing with the ASUN's best record as the school's 25th conference title in football and 10th in Division I. Celebrations will include rings, T-shirts, presentation at a home basketball game and a sign in JSU Stadium.

JSU presented a special-ordered trophy featuring an ASUN logo and "2022 football champions, Jax State."

JSU last officially won a conference title in spring of 2021, when the Gamecocks won the OVC. the Gamecocks clinched with a victory at Murray State, months after JSU announced it would leave the OVC for the ASUN.

OVC officials mailed the trophy to Murray State in advance of the game. No OVC official presented the trophy.

JSU finished the job on Central Arkansas' staggered purple-and-gray turf field in Conway, Ark. The Gamecocks gathered on the scoreboard end with gray championship T-shirts and posed for a picture.

"It's so cool," Treylen Brown said. "When they asked us what's the motivation for the season, I mean, we just want to win. We want to win.

"We knew that the ASUN wasn't going to give it to us, but we're gonna take it anyway."

1. Webb's farewell

Zion Webb was the starting quarterback for JSU's last two conference titles. He started the entire spring 2021 season after Zerrick Cooper suffered a season-ending knee injury in the fall finale.

Cooper returned to start in the fall 2021 season and finished his eligibility. Webb won the starting job under a new coach and system and finished off a strong season with a career-high 132 rushing yards.

He recorded his third career 100-yard game and second in a row.

He finished with 295 total yards and went out a champion.

"It just says I had to come out and handle business and do what I had to do to help this team win," Webb said. "It wasn't just me. I was all 11 guys each time really all 22.

"Those guys did my part, and I did my part, and we came out on top."

Webb came close to scoring his 13th rushing touchdown of the season in the third quarter but fumbled at the 2-yard line. Teammate Michael Pettway recovered in the end zone, winning the scramble for the ball against three UCA players, and Alen Karajic's kick extended JSU's lead to 33-10.

Webb hugged Pettway.

"I told him I love him a lot," Webb said. "Lord knows, if I would've gotten to the sideline, and we wouldn't have recovered that, I was going to hear it all night."

Webb got his 13th rushing touchdown of the season, a 3-yard run, at 8:36 of the fourth quarter to make it 40-17.

Webb has been part of JSU's program since redshirting in 2017. A knee injury in JSU's 2021 playoff loss to Delaware forced the redshirt senior to sit out most of the 2021 fall season.

"He's a great competitor," Rodriguez said. "He's banged up. His foot's still been bothering him, but he knew we needed him, and we needed him to have some runs.

"He's a good runner, but he's an even better leader. Our guys rally behind him, and I'm just so proud of him."

2. Wiggins starts

Coming off of his career-high 139-yard performance against Eastern Kentucky last week, Ron Wiggins made his first start of the season and third of his career at tailback.

He rushed for 82 yards in the first quarter, including a 48-yard ramble on the game's first snap. His two touchdown runs on the day covered one and 14 yards.

"It was pretty cool," the Jacksonville High graduate said. "I mean, it's just a lot of adversity through this season, just pushing through. The beginning of the season, I had a little ankle nag, and they were just trying to see the perfect time to really play me."

Wiggins' big run early and Anwar Lewis' 28-yard run later in the first quarter opened chances for Webb to keep in the read-option game. Webb finished with a team-high 83 rushing yards in the first half, including a 58-yard run to set up a 25-year Alen Karajic field goal.

Lewis saw his first action since suffering an ankle injury at Austin Peay on Oct. 26.

Wiggins finished with 77 yards and finished with a career-high 461 for the year.

"Ronnie is a really good football player," Rodriguez said. "He's going to get better and better. In his first year in the system, you could see him getting better and better, and he's got a great future with us."

3. Special points

JSU's special teams added to its scoring credits this season when Jacksonville High graduate Yessman Green blocked a UCA punt out of the back of the end zone in the first quarter.

The play resulted in a safety and 9-0 JSU lead.

JSU blocked two punts resulting in points this season. Amon Scarbrough returned one 11 yards for a touchdown against Kennesaw State.

Jamari Jemison returned Larry Worth's field-goal block for a touchdown at Austin Peay on Oct. 29.

After Alen Karajic kicked a 25-yard goal to put JSU up 19-7 in the second quarter Saturday, and JSU's Jett Smith recovered a UCA fumble on the ensuing kickoff. Webb hit a wide-open Lewis hooked up for a 25-yard touchdown pass on the next play to make it 26-7.

Smith's recovery was the first of two JSU fumble recoveries on consecutive kickoffs.

"We've worked as hard on special teams as anything we do," Rodriguez said. "The punt-block team is kind of my pet favorite. That's kind of the one that I take the most attention to, and our staff does a good job with.

"Our players take a lot of pride in putting pressure on a block team."

Sports Writer Joe Medley: 256-235-3576. On Twitter: @jmedley_star.