Mark Edwards: Happy birthday, John Grass, as Gamecocks find their footing on the ground again

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Mar. 1—JACKSONVILLE — Don't we usually sing happy birthday before we give someone a present? Or, maybe both at the same time?

On Sunday afternoon, Jacksonville State's 16th-ranked football team gave head coach John Grass his present with a 27-10 win over No. 23 Tennessee Tech. Then, in the locker room afterward, they sang to celebrate him turning 53.

Typically, Grass wouldn't celebrate his birthday anywhere near a football game, but with the pandemic and all, the Ohio Valley Conference season got shifted to the spring, and here we are. For the first time, birthdays and football games go together for Grass.

"It's a pretty good birthday," Grass said afterward. "I'll take it."

It wasn't just the win that pleased Grass but how his Gamecocks got it.

Grass still has a taste for old-school-style football, and in that respect, Jacksonville State's win Sunday was gratifying and satisfying.

The Gamecocks beat Tennessee Tech by running the ball, stopping the run and being plus in giveaway-takeaway (five to three), which means they hit all three markers in the holy triumvirate of success for 1970s college football coaches.

College football has changed, and nothing is wrong with that. The passing game has taken over bigger and bigger roles in the highest levels of the game. And, we love it.

But, over the years, Jacksonville State's strongest teams have dominated at the line of scrimmage.

In 2019, JSU struggled to run. The Gamecocks averaged about 123 rushing yards as an inexperienced line tried its best to move opposing defenses out of the way.

They went 6-6 and missed the playoff for the first time since 2012, which is the year before Grass joined the JSU football staff.

This past fall, that average jumped to 162. On Sunday, JSU outrushed Tech 274-75. Those young guns up front have grown up. They've eaten plenty of protein and gotten bigger and stronger.

Now, they're eating up opposing defenses.

Uriah West picked up 106 yards, while Pat Jackson got 62. Josh Samuel got the ball plenty late as JSU slowly tore time off the clock, although he finished with only 37 yards on 17 carries.

Do you want a sign of how important that running game was late?

Near the end of the third quarter and at the beginning of the fourth, JSU put together an 11-play drive that went 78 yards. The resulting touchdown pushed JSU's lead from seven points to 14 at 24-10. Nine of the plays were on the ground.

After getting the ball back, the Gamecocks went 85 yards on eight plays (all on the ground) and kicked a field goal to make it 27-10.

In 2019, the Gamecocks couldn't manage that kind of effort. Heat wasn't a factor Sunday, so Tech can't blame that for wilting late. The Golden Eagles just got tired or having JSU's frontline beat on them play after play.

They got tired of trying to tackle Samuel, Jackson and West.

It won't be an easy schedule, and the weather will get warmer and warmer. It's hard to imagine any other OVC team wanting a piece of JSU's run game any more than Tech did.

Also, imagine how this will look when quarterback Zion Webb is well. He suffered much of the week with a stomach virus — no, not THE virus, but the ordinary one that still sidelines you for a few days.

He didn't get much preparation, and at times, it showed. When he's strong and fit, he'll give opposing defenses fits.

That won't be a bad birthday followup for Grass, who joked that he isn't actually 53. He claims that since his birthday is Feb. 29, he's really only 13 1/4 .

In non-leap years, he always has celebrated on Feb. 28, although he understands not everyone else does.

When he turned 15, he was ready to go get his driver's permit and showed up at the license office Feb. 28. While there, a state trooper told Grass that in the eyes of the government, he wouldn't turn 15 until March 1.

"He told me to come back tomorrow," Grass said, laughing.

Senior Editor Mark Edwards: 256-235-3570. On Twitter: @MarkSportsStar.