UT MARTIN 15, EASTERN ILLINOIS 9
UT Martin held on to defeated Eastern Illinois, 15-9, and keep its unbeaten OVC record in tact.
EIU’s Zach Yates hit a 35-yard field goal to give the Panthers the 3-0 lead in the first half. The Skyhawks limited Eastern Illinois to 94 yards of total offensse in the opening stanza.
With 5:12 to play in the third quarter, Chapman capped off a 10-play drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to put the Skyhawks on the board. Taylor Brown added the point-after, his 19th consecutive PAT of the season.
Eastern Illinois tried to answer the touchdown with a sustained drive led by the running attack of Vincent Webb and Norris Smith. The Skyhawk defense caught a break when Eastern Illinois was penalized for holding. The Panthers opted for the passing game, but were flagged for holding again and offensive pass interference. The drive consumed more than four minutes of the third quarter.
EIU regained the lead in the fourth quarter when they picked off Skyhawk quarterback Greg Preston. Cole Stinson scored on a two-yard run with 12:32 to play in the game. Yates’ PAT was blocked by Skyhawk senior Joel Kilpatrick.
The Skyhawks only needed to score once and it came on the ensuing possession. Chapman carried the ball seven times for 33 yards in the drive. Preston, the redshirt freshman, capped the drive off with a 1-yard touchdown run. The drive covered 69 yards on 14 plays and took almost eight minutes. Chapman iced the touchdown with a two-point conversion to give the Skyhawks a 15-9 lead.
Chapman finished the game with 26 carries for 94 yards.
The Skyhawks held Eastern Illinois to 193 yards of total offense, 37 passing and 156 rushing. Webb led the Panthers with 29 carries for 106 yards, while Norris had 10 carries for 43 yards.
TENNESSEE STATE 29, SAMFORD 7
Tennessee State remained undefeated in Ohio Valley Conference play with a 29-7 homecoming victory over Samford in front of 18,758 Saturday night at LP Field.
Sophomore quarterback Antonio Heffner scored two second quarter touchdowns to give the Tigers a 13-0 halftime lead. The Memphis, Tennessee native added his third touchdown with 7:09 remaining in the third quarter to increase TSU's lead to 20-0.
The defense added to the scoring, forcing the Bulldogs quarterback into an intentional grounding in the end zone. The safety gave the Tigers a commanding 22-0 lead heading into the final quarter.
Samford got on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter when quarterback Alex Mortenson threw 3-yard touchdown pass to Josh Brennard.
Reserve quarterback Julian Sample entered in the fourth quarter, after Heffner left with a bruised shoulder, and led the Big Blue to their final score of the evening. Sample broke numerous tackles on his way to a 5-yard touchdown run.
Sophomore running back Javarris Williams notched his sixth 100-yard performance of the year carrying 35 times for 162 yards. Tonight's effort puts Williams at 1,045 rushing yards on the season.
.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 17, TENNESSEE TECH 10 (OT)
Taureen Rhetta grabbed a 17-yard touchdown pass from Matt Hardin in overtime, then the Jacksonville defense stopped Tech to preserve a 17-10 Ohio Valley Conference victory Saturday afternoon in Tucker Stadium, spoiling a sensational defensive effort by the Golden Eagles.
Tech (2-6 overall) goes to 2-3 in conference play while Jacksonville State
(4-4 overall) improves to 4-2 in the league.
Tech held JSU to just 67 rushing yards in the contest and 231 yards of total offense, but the Golden Eagle offense was held to 52 yards on the ground and
169 total yards. The Tech defense had seven tackles behind the line for losses of 61 yards.
Tech drove 56 yards in six plays to tie the game with 4:31 remaining as Derek White raced around right end for a touchdown and Nate Johnson added the PAT.
JSU had a chance to win the game on the final play of regulation but a 43-yard field goal try by Gavin Hallford was short.
In overtime, JSU moved 12 yards for a first down on the first play from scrimmage as Hardin hit Rhetta over the middle. After Tech stopped Clay Green for a four-yard loss, Hardin lofted a pass into the end zone that Rhetta was able to wrestle away from the defender for the score.
On Tech's possession, the Golden Eagles faced a fourth-and-nine and Lee Sweeney hit Brent McNeal over the middle, where the Willie Swain stopped him for a one-yard gain to end the contest.
Johnson kicked a career-long 36-yard field goal in the first minute of the second period to put Tech on top 3-0, and Gavin answered with a 29-yard field goal with 2:16 to play before halftime to knot the game at 3-3.
JSU went ahead 10-3, driving 74 yards in 11 plays, with Clay Green scoring from one yard out.
Green finished with 70 yards on 28 carries to lead all ball carriers. Hardin was 13-for-22 for 164 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked three times. Rhetta had five catches for 81 yards.
For Tech, both Anthony Ash and Derek White rushed for 31 yards. Sweeney was
11-for-27 for 117 yards with one intereption.
Aaron Williams topped the Tech defense with a career-high 15 tackles, including two tackles-for-loss.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 24, MURRAY STATE 17
Murray State took an early 7-0 lead and then scored 10 straight points to tie the game in the fourth quarter but Southeast Missouri State’s Tim Holloman scored on a 76-yard run with 9:18 left in the game to send the Redhawks to a 24-17 win today at Stewart Stadium in Murray, Ky.
Freshman Taylor Lanigan gave the Racers (1-8, 0-6 OVC) the early lead when he returned a blocked punt for a touchdown with 12:36 to play in the first quarter. Fellow freshman Shane McCleskey caught a 30-yard touchdown pass to close a SEMO lead to three points with 1:12 remaining in the third quarter.
The Redhawks’ win today was only the second ever for Southeast Missouri in 20 trips to Murray.
SEMO ran up 285 yards on the ground led by Holloman’s 188 yards and two touchdowns. Tony Anderson picked up 92 yards on 25 carries and scored once.
Quarterback Zach Barnard completed 16-of-36 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown. The redshirt freshman did not throw an interception. Freshman Derrick Townsel caught three of Barnard’s throws for 73 yards.
Josh Jones rushed for 87 yards on 15 carries for the Racers.
Colin Schermann got the Redhawks on the board when he connected on a 26-yard field goal with 10:22 to go in the second quarter. Holloman’s first touchdown run, from 27 yards out, with 8:09 left before halftime gave Southeast Missouri a 10-7 advantage at the break.
Anderson capped a nine play, 80-yard drive with an eight-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter to extend the SEMO advantage to 17-7.
After Barnard hooked up with McCleskey from 30 yards out Gary Crass tied the game with a 25 yard field goal with 10:25 left in the game.
On the second play of the Redhawks’ next drive Holloman broke free up the middle from 76 yards out for the game winner.
Murray State’s Will Werner finished with a game-high 12 tackles. Nathan Williams earned his fifth double-digit tackle performance of the season, finishing with 10 stops, 0.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.
Anthony Lumpkin led Southeast Missouri defenders with 10 tackles. Edgar Jones, who entered the game as the nation’s sack leader, finished with one sack and six tackles.