2016 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team

The 2016 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team represented Jacksonville State University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by third-year head coach John Grass, the Gamecocks compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 7–0 in conference play, winning the OVC title for the third consecutive season. Jacksonville State received the OVC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs. After a first-round bye, the Gamecocks lost in the second round to the eventual national runner-up, Youngstown State. The team played home games at Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama. The team played home games at Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama.

2016 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football
OVC champion
NCAA Division I Second Round, L 24–40 vs. Youngstown State
Conference	Ohio Valley Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 6
FCS Coaches	No. 6
Record	10–2 (7–0 OVC)
Head coach	John Grass (3rd season)
Co-defensive coordinator	David Blackwell (3rd season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Brandon Hall (3rd season)
Home stadium	Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium

2016 Ohio Valley Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 6 Jacksonville State $^		7	–	0					10	–	2
UT Martin		6	–	2					7	–	5
Tennessee Tech		5	–	3					5	–	6
Tennessee State		4	–	3					7	–	4
Eastern Illinois		4	–	4					6	–	5
Murray State		4	–	4					4	–	7
SE Missouri State		3	–	5					3	–	8
Eastern Kentucky		2	–	6					3	–	8
Austin Peay		0	–	8					0	–	11
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	6:00 pm	No. 15 (D-II) North Alabama*	No. 3	Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium Jacksonville, AL	WEAC TV-24, OVCDN	W 31–12	22,116
September 10	6:30 pm	at No. 21 (FBS) LSU*	No. 5	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	ESPNU	L 13–34	98,389
September 17	1:00 pm	No. 17 Coastal Carolina*	No. 4	Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium Jacksonville, AL	WEAC TV-24, OVCDN	W 27–26	14,265
September 24	6:00 pm	at Liberty*	No. 3	Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	ESPN3	W 48–19	15,354
October 8	1:00 pm	Tennessee Tech	No. 3	Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium Jacksonville, AL	ESPN3	W 40–21	16,092
October 15	1:00 pm	Austin Peay	No. 3	Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium Jacksonville, AL	WEAC TV-24 OVCDN	W 34–14	14,455
October 22	2:00 pm	at Eastern Kentucky	No. 2	Roy Kidd Stadium Richmond, KY	OVCDN	W 24–7	11,600
October 29	2:00 pm	No. 23 Eastern Illinois	No. 2	Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium Jacksonville, AL	ESPN3	W 47–14	21,655
November 5	1:00 pm	at Southeast Missouri State	No. 2	Houck Stadium Cape Girardeau, MO	ESPN3	W 17–10	6,839
November 12	1:00 pm	at Murray State	No. 2	Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY	OVCDN	W 33–15	3,220
November 19	1:00 pm	UT Martin	No. 2	Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium Jacksonville, AL	WEAC TV-24, OVCDN	W 33–7	18,982
December 3	1:00 pm	No. 13 Youngstown State*	No. 2	Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium Jacksonville, AL (NCAA Division I Second Round)	ESPN3	L 24–40	18,838
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Game summaries

North Alabama

North Alabama @ Jacksonville State

1 2 3 4 Total #15 (D-II) Lions 0 6 3 3 12 • #3 Gamecocks 14 7 7 3 31 Date: September 1 Location: JSU Stadium Jacksonville, AL Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Game attendance: 22,116 Television network: WEAC TV-24

See also: North Alabama Lions football

@ LSU

Jacksonville State @ LSU

1 2 3 4 Total #5 Gamecocks 0 10 0 3 13 • #21 (FBS) Tigers 0 27 7 0 34 Date: September 10 Location: Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA Game start: 6:30 PM CDT Game attendance: 98,389 Television network: ESPNU

See also: 2016 LSU Tigers football team

Coastal Carolina

Coastal Carolina @ Jacksonville State

1 2 3 4 Total #17 Chanticleers 3 9 6 8 26 • #4 Gamecocks 7 6 7 7 27 Date: September 17 Location: JSU Stadium Jacksonville, AL Game start: 1:00 PM CDT Game attendance: 14,265 Television network: OVCDN

See also: 2016 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team

@ Liberty

Jacksonville State @ Liberty

1 2 3 4 Total • #3 Gamecocks 14 13 0 21 48 Flames 3 0 7 9 19 Date: September 24 Location: Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Game attendance: 15,354 Television network: ESPN3

See also: 2016 Liberty Flames football team

Tennessee Tech

Tennessee Tech @ Jacksonville State

1 2 3 4 Total Golden Eagles 0 7 7 7 21 • #3 Gamecocks 17 16 7 0 40 Date: October 8 Location: JSU Stadium Jacksonville, AL Game start: 1:00 PM CDT Game attendance: 16,092 Television network: ESPN3

See also: 2016 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles football team

Austin Peay

Austin Peay @ Jacksonville State

1 2 3 4 Total Governors 0 7 0 7 14 • #3 Gamecocks 7 7 13 7 34 Date: October 15 Location: Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN Game start: 1:00 PM CDT Game attendance: 14,455 Television network: WEAC TV-24

See also: 2016 Austin Peay Governors football team

@ Eastern Kentucky

Jacksonville State @ Eastern Kentucky

1 2 3 4 Total • #2 Gamecocks 0 14 3 7 24 Colonels 0 0 7 0 7 Date: October 22 Location: Roy Kidd Stadium Richmond, KY Game start: 2:00 PM CDT Game attendance: 11,600 Television network: OVCDN

See also: 2016 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team

Eastern Illinois

Eastern Illinois @ Jacksonville State

1 2 3 4 Total #23 Panthers 0 7 0 7 14 • #2 Gamecocks 21 10 9 7 47 Date: October 29 Location: JSU Stadium Jacksonville, AL Game start: 2:00 PM CDT Game attendance: 21,655 Television network: ESPN3

See also: 2016 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team

@ Southeast Missouri State

Jacksonville State @ Southeast Missouri State

1 2 3 4 Total • #2 Gamecocks 7 10 0 0 17 Redhawks 0 0 7 3 10 Date: November 5 Location: Houck Stadium Cape Girardeau, MO Game start: 1:00 PM CDT Game attendance: 6,839 Television network: ESPN3

See also: 2016 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks football team

@ Murray State

Jacksonville State @ Murray State

1 2 3 4 Total • #2 Gamecocks 0 7 6 20 33 Racers 0 3 0 12 15 Date: November 12 Location: Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY Game start: 1:00 PM CST Game attendance: 3,220 Television network: OVCDN

See also: 2016 Murray State Racers football team

UT Martin

UT Martin @ Jacksonville State

1 2 3 4 Total Skyhawks 0 0 7 0 7 • #2 Gamecocks 12 7 7 7 33 Date: November 19 Location: JSU Stadium Jacksonville, AL Game start: 1:00 PM CST Game attendance: 18,982 Television network: WEAC TV-24

See also: 2016 UT Martin Skyhawks football team

Youngstown State—NCAA Division I Second Round

Youngstown State @ Jacksonville State

1 2 3 4 Total • #13 Penguins 17 3 14 6 40 #2 Gamecocks 7 10 7 0 24 Date: December 3 Location: JSU Stadium Jacksonville, AL Game start: 1:00 PM CST Game attendance: 18,838 Television network: ESPN3

See also: 2016 Youngstown State Penguins football team

Ranking movements

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
STATS FCS	3 (4)	5 (1)	4	3	3	3	3	2 (19)	2 (16)	2 (15)	2 (19)	2 (18)	2 (15)	6
Coaches	3	5	6	4	4	4	4	2 (2)	2 (2)	2 (2)	2 (2)	2 (2)	2 (2)	6
FCS Playoffs	Not released									1	1	3	Not released