No. 3 Jacksonville State scores final 16 points to beat Southeast Missouri State 23-7

Southeast Missouri State wide receiver Zack Smith catches a pass against Jacksonville State on Saturday in Jacksonville, Alabama.

Matt Reynolds ~ JSU Athletics

In front of a Homecoming crowd of 15,692, the third-ranked Jacksonville State football team scored the final 16 points and pulled away with a 23-7 victory over Southeast Missouri State on Saturday at Burgess-Snow Field in Jacksonville, Alabama.

The loss drops Southeast to 2-6 overall and 2-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference.

For the Gamecocks, the win improves them to 7-1 on the season and 5-0 in OVC play. JSU has now won 29 straight conference games and 38 in a row against non-Football Bowl Subdivision opponents.

"I knew we were going to have to play extremely well to be in the game," Redhawks coach Tom Matukewicz said in a news release. "The first half was tremendous, and then they converted some big third downs in the second half.

"The margins were thin, and they are a super good team."

Southeast Missouri State cornerback Shabari Davis, right, defends Jacksonville State's Shaq Davidson on Saturday in Jacksonville, Alabama.

Matt Reynolds ~ JSU Athletics

Roc Thomas led the way for the Gamecocks, accounting for 92 of their 174 yards rushing. He averaged 7.1 yards on 13 carries and scored on a 27-yard run that sealed the final score with 2 minutes, 46 seconds remaining in the game.

JSU quarterback Bryant Horn was limited to 47 yards on 20 rushes, while the Gamecocks averaged 4 ypc.

The Redhawks pressured Horn to the tune of a season-high eight sacks, including three apiece from Zach Hall and Justin Swift. Omar Pierre-Louis paced SEMO's defense with 15 tackles, while Hall added 11 stops.

JSU blocked two field goals and made several key plays on third down to secure the win.

After Southeast made a defensive stop on each of the Gamecocks' first two drives, Kendrick Doss connected with a wide-open Trae Berry downfield for a 65-yard TD pass that gave the hosts a 7-0 advantage with 6:38 left in the first quarter.

Southeast Missouri State running back Marquis Terry attempts to break a tackle by Jacksonville State's Marlon Bridges on Saturday in Jacksonville, Alabama.

Matt Reynolds ~ JSU Athletics

SEMO's Cameron Sanders returned the ensuing kickoff 55 yards into JSU territory, and on the next play from scrimmage, QB Jesse Hosket found Zack Smith for a 37-yard TD pass, tying the game at 7-7 with 6:23 left in the period.

Cade Stinnett knocked through field goals of 22 and 39 yards, respectively, as the Gamecocks went into halftime with a 13-7 lead.

Neither team was able to score during the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Hosket threw a 40-yard pass to Eric Williams on third-and-1 to give the Redhawks a first down at the JSU 30-yard line. A 7-yard reception by Zack Smith on third down set Southeast up with first-and-goal at the 10, but a rush for no gain by Marquis Terry and consecutive dropped passes by Eric Williams forced the Redhawks to settle for a 27-yard field goal attempt by Nicholas Litang, whose kick was blocked.

The Gamecocks answered with an eight-play, 61-yard drive that ended with a 36-yard FG by Stinnett, extending JSU's lead to 16-7 with 3:41 to play.

On the next possession, Hosket threw incomplete on fourth-and-8, setting up Thomas' TD run.

Hosket threw for 190 yards on 15-of-34 passing (44 percent). His top target was Smith, who finished with four catches for a career-high 81 yards. Hosket spread the ball around to eight different players, as Southeast didn't commit a turnover for the fourth game in a row.

The Gamecocks concluded the game with a 353-209 advantage in total yardage, and they held the Redhawks to a season-low 22 yards rushing.

Terry finished with 24 carries for 57 yards, averaging 2.4 ypc.

The eight sacks were SEMO's most in a game since a seven-sack performance against Tennessee Tech on Oct. 31, 2015.

Southeast was without starting outside linebacker Chad Meredith (knee) and wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson (ankle).

The Redhawks return to action at 1 p.m. Saturday for their Pink Up Game against UT Martin at Houck Field.