(STATS) -- Jacksonville State left no doubt about its credentials for the FCS championship game.

Troymaine Pope rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns and the top-seeded Gamecocks shut down Sam Houston State's potent offense in a 62-10 rout in Saturday's semifinal.

Jacksonville State (13-1) earned a spot opposite four-time defending champion North Dakota State in the Jan. 9 title game in Frisco, Texas, by dominating the mistake-prone Bearkats in all facets. The Gamecocks piled up 639 total yards, including 360 on the ground, and held the FCS leader in total offense to a season-low 259.

The Gamecocks, whose lone loss came in double overtime at Auburn on Sept. 12, added five sacks and forced four first-half turnovers in avenging a 37-26 loss to Sam Houston State (11-4) in last year's second round.

"We weren't satisfied with the (Ohio Valley Conference) championship," linebacker Dawson Wells said. "We knew Frisco was the real goal."

Jeremiah Briscoe was responsible for three of the Bearkats' miscues and completed just 13 of 42 passes for 130 yards. The UAB transfer lost two fumbles early as Jacksonville State roared to a 31-0 lead midway through the second quarter.

STATS first-team All-American Eli Jenkins finished 17 of 23 for 247 yards and had three total touchdowns to help the Gamecocks reach their first FCS championship game. They're the first OVC member to do so since Eastern Kentucky in 1982.

Both Jenkins and Pope, who amassed 484 yards and six TDs in earlier playoff wins over Chattanooga and Charleston Southern, sat out the entire fourth quarter with the Gamecocks owning a commanding 55-10 lead.

Sam Houston State, making its fourth semifinal appearance in five years, rallied from a 26-24 halftime deficit to claim last year's matchup between the former Southland Conference foes. It dug itself a far greater hole in the rematch by turning it over three times just over six minutes in.

Hayden Cagle fumbled the opening kickoff and the Gamecocks recovered on the Bearkats' 31 to set up Jenkins' 1-yard touchdown run just 1:35 in. Briscoe was stripped by Desmond Owino on a scramble with SHSU driving on the ensuing possession, and Pope followed with a 62-yard run for a 14-0 lead with 9:42 left in the first quarter.

"We've gotta get him on a Wheaties box," Gamecocks coach John Grass said of Pope.

Briscoe fumbled at his own 27 on a sack by Darius Jackson during the next drive, leading to Connor Rouleau's 36-yard field goal.

The Bearkats, averaging 551.5 total yards coming in, punted on their next three possessions as Jacksonville State kept piling on.

Miles Jones capped a short drive with a 3-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, and Jenkins engineered a 14-play, 89-yard sequence with a 12-yard pass to Ruben Gonzalez to extend the margin to 31-0 with 7:46 left in the half.

Sam Houston State finally got on the board when LaDarius Brown recovered teammate Corey Avery's fumble in the end zone, but got no closer. Rouleau hit a 22-yard field goal late in the half and Rashod Byers intercepted Briscoe and returned it 30 yards to the Bearkats' 7. Pope then ran in untouched for a 41-7 advantage 59 seconds before halftime.

Tre Honshtein's career-long 51-yard field goal gave the Bearkats a brief positive entering intermission. However, the offense continued to stall in the third quarter while the Gamecocks continued to score at will.

Jacksonville State put together two more long touchdown drives for a 55-10 cushion, with Jenkins hitting Gonzalez from eight yards out and Jones scoring on a 3-yard run.

Jenkins' backup Christian LeMay finished things off with a 13-yard run with 9:29 left.

Josh Barge finished with 121 yards on six catches for Jacksonville State. Yedidah Louis led the Bearkats with 10 receptions for 103 yards and Avery had 81 on 14 carries.