Tag: Timothy Cash

Opinion

Reflections of the Sports Editor

 

Timothy Cash, Sports Editor

When most people think about The Chanticleer they think it’s just another college newspaper. When I think about you, though, I think about so much more than that. To me, The Chanticleer means family.

I worked that first semester with Marie, Adam Higgins and Katelyn “Bug” Schneider. Soon, graduation seasons led to Katie Cline, Alissa Camplin and Rebekah Hawkins becoming my work associates. These are the coworkers I have worked closely with, and they will be who comes to mind first when I think back at my time at the Chanty.

Katie, you have taken The Chanticleer to new heights, and I am excited to see where you take it next. The student body can’t imagine how much time you have sacrificed just to make sure the paper get published every week.

Alissa, we have had our differences at times, but I have truly enjoyed our time working together. I don’t know how we got any work done when we were in the office together, but we had fun every minute of it

Rebekah, there are not enough words to describe how thankful I am to know you. Before you took over as associate editor, you were about the only writer I could trust. More often than not, you and I were the only sports writers featured in The Chanticleer, and I am so thankful for how easy you made my job.

I wrote my first article for the Chanty in November of 2014. Specifically, the first article I wrote was Jacksonville State’s men’s basketball’s 74-55 season-opening loss to Marshall. That was four seasons ago, but I still remember listening and taking notes to Mike Parris’ broadcast.

Marvel Robinson asked me to write that story, testing the waters to see how reliable I was. He must have like me, because over the next three semesters he asked me to contribute every week. Marvel graduated in December 2015, and Marie McBurnett, the Editor-in-Chief at the time, suggested I apply for his position. I was hired on the following January.

This December I will walk across the stage at graduation, and someone new will be in charge of the sports department. I look forward to seeing where they take the sports section, and read about all of the Gamecocks’ victories.

Lastly, I would also like to send a special thank you to Greg Seitz, Josh Underwood, Tony Schmidt, Tyler Brown, Daniel Porter and the rest of the athletic department. You all have made my job as sports editor as easy as possible. I also would like to thank the student body for supporting The Chanticleer. If it weren’t for y’all, The Chanticleer would just be a memory gone by. Go Gamecocks, and God Bless.

Sports

Battle of the birds: JSU hosts Kennesaw State in the FCS second round action
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Roc Thomas (6) and the JSU Football Team head into the first round of the FCS playoffs after a well-earned week of rest (Matt Reynolds/JSU)

Timothy Cash, Sports Editor

If Jacksonville State’s football team had to choose what they liked best about their No. 3 seed in the playoff, most of the guys would say it is the respect they got from the Championship Committee. Then, they would probably say the bye week. After having two early bye weeks at the beginning of the season, the Gamecocks had to tackle then No. 16 Liberty and their OVC schedule without a break.

“It is good to be going in to the playoffs and it was great having the bye week,” head coach John Grass said at Monday’s press conference. “We were mentally and physically tired after nine-straight games, so it was good to get that time off and keep our game speed.”

With the Gamecocks’ last regular season game, a 36-6 win over Tennessee State, on a Thursday, Jacksonville State actually got almost a week and a half to rest up for their second-round matchup against Kennesaw State.

Kennesaw State (11-1) is making their first appearance to the playoffs in only their third year fielding a football team.

“They are probably the hottest team in the country with 11-straight wins, which is really impressive,” Senior linebacker Jonathan Hagler said. “They have one of the top rushing offenses in the country, so we look forward to the challenge. They are a really good team.”

The Owls suffered a close 28-23 loss to Samford to begin the season, but avenged that loss by eliminating the Bulldogs 28-17 in the first round of the playoffs.

Kennesaw State runs the triple option, which the Gamecocks faced earlier this season when they traveled to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech.

“They are a little bit more multiple than Georgia Tech was,” Grass said. “Coach (Brian) Bohannon came from there, so they do a lot of what Georgia Tech does and they are very similar.”

Running back Jake McKenzie gets much of the work load for Kennesaw State with 660 yards on 136 touches, but Shaquil Terry and Darnell Holland are on his heals with 634 yards and 622 yards, respectively.

Quarterback Chandler Burks has passed for 1061 yards on 61 completions, including eight touchdowns, but if he doesn’t see want he likes, he is not afraid to get out of the pocket. Burks leads the team with 1061 rushing yards through the 12 games played this season, and has found his way into the end zone 16 times when scrambling.

“They really run to the ball and they have really good players,” redshirt-junior running back Tramel Terry said. “They have a chip on their shoulder since they have only had a team for three years. They are playing for something.”

However, the Gamecocks are playing for something too.

 “I have been here all four years and two times we have failed (in this round),” senior defensive back Siran Neal said. “With this being my last year, I don’t want to fall short this year. This spot really means something because last year we fell short in preparing and this year we don’t want to have that experience again.”

Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State will square off at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, at Burgess-Snow Field.

Sports

Gamecocks hold off UT Martin for fourth consecutive OVC title
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JSU took down UT Martin 14-7 on Saturday to earn their fourth consecutive Ohio Valley Conference championship. (Matt Reynolds/JSU)

Timothy Cash, Sports Editor

 No 2 Jacksonville State claimed their fourth-straight Ohio Valley Conference championship Saturday, squeaking by UT Martin 14-7.

The Gamecocks also extended their OVC-win streak to 31, and picked up the OVC’s automatic FCS playoff birth.

“I’m proud of this team for getting us right where we want to be at the end of the season,” head coach John Grass said after the game.

“Proud of all the guys who’ve come before them to make this four in a row happen.

It’s pretty special when you look back at it. But right now, we don’t have time to look back at it – we have to get ready for Tennessee State.”

Jacksonville State’s (9-1, 7-0) ground game punched in two first half touchdowns via Roc Thomas, while the Gamecocks defense limited UT Martin to only 83 offensive yards.

However, the Gamecocks had to fight off a second-half resurgence by UTM to secure the win.

Linebacker Joseph Roberts secured the win for JSU when he landed on a fumble by Skyhawks’ quarterback Dresser Winn with 1:09 remaining in the contest.

“It’s a great win on the road. We knew it was going to be tough coming up here,” Grass said.

“We didn’t make enough plays to get the ball in the end zone. A few scores were left out there … but it was just a good, solid win.”

Jacksonville State’s first score came on a 75-yard eight-play drive that was capped off with Thomas finding his way into the end zone on second-and-goal from the one-yard line.

Three Gamecock drives late, Jacksonville State found pay dirt again on a four-play drive that lasted less than a minute that saw Thomas picked up his second score on a 14-yard run.

The Skyhawks’ (5-5, 3-4) lone scoring drive came late in the third quarter.

Staring at their own six-yard line, Peyton Logan weaved his way through the defense for a 51-yard gallop to the Gamecocks’ 42-yard line.

Two plays later, Winn connected with Devonte Howard for a 32-yard touchdown.

Thomas finished with 52 rushing yards on 14 carries.

Tramel Terry found 61 rushing yards, and picked up 19 receiving yards on three receptions.

Bryant Horn passed for 92 yards on eight completions, and led the gamecocks with 86 yards on the ground.

Trae Barry led the Gamecocks’ receiving corps with 34 yards on two receptions.

Marlon Bridges and Quan Stoudemire led Jax State with eight tackles apiece. Jonathan Hagler picked up seven tackles.

Darius Jackson forced two sacks for a loss of 18 yards, and had five total tackles.

Logan led the Skyhawks with 54 rushing yards.

Landarius Galloway found 31 rushing yards. Winn completed 13 passes for 128 yards.

Howards found 37-yards on two catches.

Jacksonville State now turns their attention to Tennessee State for the final game of the 2017 regular season.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 16.

Streaming is available on ESPN3 and Watch ESPN.

Coverage can also be heard on the JSU Radio Network.

Sports

Gamecock Football breaks OVC record with win over EKU

Timothy Cash, Sports Editor

Jacksonville State accomplished something no other Ohio Valley Conference team has been able to accomplish: win 27 consecutive conference games. The 41-25 win came over Eastern Kentucky, who held the previous record of 26 straight from 1992 to 1995, in front of 18,045 fans at Burgess-Snow Field.

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Students painted themselves pink for Zeta Tau Alpha’s Think Pink game. (photo by Matt Reynolds/JSU)

“I think this is a pat on the back to the guys that have built this program,” head coach John Grass said. “All of the relation ships and the hard work that has gone into that.”

The last time Jacksonville State lost to an OVC opponent came on Nov. 23, 2013 against then number two Eastern Illinois, who rolled over the Gamecocks 52-14. The streak started the next weekend at Burgess-Snow, when Jax State outlasted a big fourth quarter by Southeast Missouri to walk away with the 42-35 win.

In all, Grass was happy with the production he saw from the Gamecocks.

“It was a good night,” Grass said. “I thought we got off to a really good start, a fast start. I thought the crowd was great tonight. I thought they were really into the game, we had a lot of energy, and they helped with that energy.”

As usual, Jacksonville State’s defense had their way with Eastern Kentucky, only allowing the Colonels to net 252 yards on the day.

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The Gamecock defense makes a tackle. JSU held the Colonels to only 252 yards (photo by Matt Reynolds/JSU)

Darius Jackson, who was honored with his first OVC Defensive Player of the Week of the season, led the Gamecocks defense with two forced fumbles, tying his career high, and recovering one of the fumbles. He was also instrumental in limiting Eastern Kentucky to only 57 rushing yards.

Marlon Bridges also shined for Jax State’s defense, intercepting Colonel quarterback Tim Boyle for a 73-yards touchdown, the 10th longest interception in JSU football’s history.

Offensively, Bryant Horn may have had his best start since taking over as the Gamecocks starting quarterback. The redshirt junior hit 10 of his 17 targets for 158 yards, including and a 31-yard touchdown to Jamari Hester late in the second quarter. He was also Jax State’s most productive rusher, gaining 73 yards with two touchdowns.

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Bryant Horn throws a pass during the JSU vs. EKU win on October 14 (photo by Matt Reynolds/JSU)

Krenwick Sanders led the Gamecocks’ receiving corp. with 46 yards on two catches. Shaq Davidson found 31 receiving yards.

Roc Thomas, who had 36 receiving yards, recorded 21 yards in the ground game, including a 12-yard touchdown.

Tramel Terry found 49 rushing yards, while Kendrick Doss found 20.

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Krenwick Sanders (15) blocks a tackle from two Eastern Kentucky players (photo by Mat Reynolds/JSU)

Colonel quarterback Tim Boyle completed 16 of his 26 pass attempts for 186, including a 27-yard touchdown to Daryl McCleskey.

McCleskey finished with 59 receiving yards, and 12 yards in the Colonels’ ground game.

Ryan Markush led Eastern Kentucky’s receivers with 60 yards, while Neiko Creamer recorded 43.

Jason Lewis led the Colonels’ ground game with 50 yards.

The Gamecocks now turn their attention to Eastern Illinois, aiming to move the streak to 28 consecutive conference wins. Jacksonville State travels to Charleston, Ill. this Saturday, October 21,  to take on the Panthers at 2 p.m. Central Time.

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JSU’s Siran Neal (5) catches a pass in the endzone (photo by Matt Reynolds/JSU)
Sports

Jacksonville State douses the Flames
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Kendrick Doss passed for 64 yards and rushed for 32 and a touchdown for Jacksonville State in Saturday’s 31-10 victory over Liberty (JSU Athletics)

Timothy Cash, Sports Editor

After a slow offensive start on Saturday, Jacksonville State’s defense led the Gamecocks to a 31-10 win over Liberty in a record-breaking home opener at Burgess-Snow Field.

Jacksonville State (2-1) hosted 23,944 fans on Saturday, breaking the previous record of 23,692, set during the 2015 postseason when JSU topped Sam Houston 62-10.

“This was a really good atmosphere,” head coach John Grass said. “After the lightning delay we were worried who all would stick with it, and if it was going to rain or not. It was just awesome, and what a great night for Jacksonville State.”

As always, Marlon Bridges and the rest of the Gamecocks’ defense wreaked havoc on the opposing team, breaking up 25 of the Flames 47 pass attempts, forcing two sacks and an interception.

 Midway through the third quarter, Bridges intercepted Liberty’s Stephen Calvert and returned the ball 34 yards to the Flame’s 15-yard line.

 “I was thinking score the whole way,” Bridges said. “I probably should have stayed behind my (blocker), but I decided to cut in.”

Although Bridges was stopped short of the goal line, he set quarterback Kendrick Doss up for a quick 15-yard touchdown run, the first of his career at Jax State.

Offensively, the Gamecocks utilized a dual-quarterback option against Liberty, featuring Doss and starting quarterback Bryant Horn.

“I thought it worked well,” Horn said. “I thought they rotated us good. We both had good drives, and we both had stall outs. It’s more about what we do when we get the opportunities. I fell like we both played a good game, and we both made plays.”

Jacksonville State’s offense was held to a mere 29 yards in the first quarter, and only converted one first-down. However, the offense came alive during the second quarter of play when Trae Berry caught an 80-yard touchdown from Horn. This was a turning point for the Gamecocks, who finished with 385 offensive yards.

Horn completed nine of 19 passing attempts for 181 yards, while Doss completed eight of ten attempts for 64 yards. Doss also rushed for 32 yards with a touchdown.

Roc Thomas led the Gamecocks’ ground game with 87 yards and two touchdowns.

Barry’s 80 yards led JSU’s receivers, while Demontez Terry followed with 54 yards. Shaq Davidson and Krenwick Sanders both recorded 37 yards apiece.

Cade Stinnett completed a career-long 49-yard field goal and was perfect on four PAT attempts.

Liberty (3-1) scored the first points of the game when Alex Probert made a 28-yard field goal in the first quarter. The Flames’ touchdown came midway through the third when Calvert connected with BJ Farrow for a 65-yard score.

Jacksonville State is now finished with the non-conference portion of their regular season, and can now turn their attention solely to the Ohio Valley Conference.

The Gamecocks travel to Cookeville, Tenn. this Saturday to take on the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (0-4). Kickoff is at 6 p.m. CT, and the game can be streamed on the OVC Digital Network, or heard on WLJS.