SATURDAY'S SCORES
Jacksonville State 41, @#22 UT Martin 27
@Murray State 35, Tennessee Tech 24
@Eastern Kentucky 38, Austin Peay 3
@Tennessee State 40,
Southeast Missouri 16
JACKSONVILLE STATE 41, #22 UT MARTIN 27
MARTIN, Tenn. - DaMarcus James continued to find the end zone and the Jacksonville State football team rolled to a 41-27 Ohio Valley Conference win at No. 22 UT Martin on Saturday.
The junior from Demopolis, Ala., ran for 184 yards on 23 carries and scored three touchdowns for the third-straight game to help the Gamecocks (5-1, 1-1 OVC) spoil Homecoming for the Skyhawks (3-2, 0-1 OVC). UTM entered the game having never trailed an FCS opponent this season, but it never led in falling to 7-28 all-time to JSU.
James continued to etch his name in the Gamecock record books, becoming the first player in school history to tally three three-touchdown games in a career, let alone in three-straight games. With his third 100-plus yard game of the year he surpassed the 500-yard mark at the halfway point of the season. His 184 yards more than doubled the previous high the Skyhawks had allowed by a player this year.
The win was the first for JSU this season in which the Gamecocks have never trailed at any point in the game and it also snapped an NCAA-record-tying streak of consecutive overtime games at three.
Junior Max Shortell threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns on14-for-25 passing with no interceptions, while freshman Josh Barge hauled in five passes for 114 yards. Sophomore Markis Merrill caught seven passes for 67 yards and a score.
Several Gamecocks racked up tackles in the win, led by Jermaine Hough and Pierre Warren with nine apiece. Hough intercepted a pass and Warren had three break-ups. Dustin Gayton and Rashod Byers each made eight tackles. JSU forced two turnovers, the fifth time in six games in which it has forced at least two in a game.
Dylan Favre led the Skyhawk offense with 290 yards on 24-for-36 passing. He threw two touchdowns and one interception. Chris Thompson had 107 receiving yards on seven catches, while Jeremy Butler had two scoring catches.
The Gamecocks took their first possession down the field and did so quickly, going 69 yards in just three plays and 44 seconds. A 46-yard pass from Shortell to Merrill set up a pair of runs by James that gave JSU the 7-0 lead and the Skyhawks their first deficit to an FCS foe this year.
The defense held the Skyhawks on fourth down to get the ball back, and the offense put together an 11-play drive that ended with a 38-yard field goal by Griffin Thomas. The senior improved to 9-for-10 from inside 40 yards and gave JSU a 10-7 lead with 2:34 left in the first.
UTM finally lit its side of the scoreboard on the next drive, a 75-yard one that took seven plays and was capped by a 10-yard pass from Favre to Jeremy Butler with 20 seconds to play. The Skyhawks then returned a wayward MacInnes punt to the seven, but an errant snap on the first play fored them to settle for a 37-yard Jackson Redditt field goal that tied the game early in the second quarter,
The two exchanged possessions before the Gamecocks used a little trickery to grab the lead back. Shortell dropped a 42-yard pass into Barge's hands at the UTM 36, setting up a flea flicker that saw DaMarcus James take the handoff before flipping it back to Shortell. The JSU quarterback then tossed it to a wide open Spencer Goffigan for a 36-yard touchdown that gave JSU a 17-10 lead with 5:09 left in the half.
On their next drive, the Skyhawks went for it on fourth and three but an errant snap sailed 21 yards before Jordan Jackson recovered at the UTM 45 with just under two minutes to play. Shortell went to work, driving the Gamecocks the rest of the way and finding Markis Merrill for a 10-yard scoring strike that gave JSU a 24-10 halftime advantage.
The Skyhawks held JSU to start the third quarter to get the ball. They were stopped on three plays, but a roughing-the-passer call extended the drive. Favre drove UTM down the field before finding Butler for a 17-yard touchdown pass that cut JSU's lead to 24-17 with just under nine minutes on the clock.
The Gamecock offense couldn't move the chains again, but the defense came through. Jermaine Hough intercepted Favre and took it 18 yards to the UTM 24. Thomas missed a 40-yard field goal try, but an offsides flag gave him another chance from 35 yards out and he connected. His second successful kick of the day made the Gamecocks' lead 27-17 with 4:27 left in the third.
UTM answered with a 44-yard kick from Redditt to cut it back to a seven-point game, but after two exchanged punts the Gamecocks got back in the end zone. James capped a 10-play 40-yard drive with a one-yard run with just under 10 minutes to play. The big play in the drive was an 19-yard scramble by Shortell on fourth down that kept the scoring drive alive.
James put the game on ice with 5:24 to play with his second 50-yard run and his third touchdown run of the day. His ninth score in the last three weeks gave the Gamecocks a 41-20 lead with 5:24 left in the game.
MURRAY STATE 35, TENNESSEE TECH 24
MURRAY, Ky. - Murray State scored on defense and special teams as the Racers got off to their first 2-0 start in Ohio Valley Conference since 1998 with a 35-24 victory over Tennessee Tech Saturday afternoon at Stewart Stadium.
All-American Walter Powell kick started the victory by returning a punt 88-yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. The return marked the second time in as many seasons that Powell has taken a punt back for touchdown in the first quarter against the Golden Eagles.
Powell was not done there as he added eight catches for 177 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He caught a 55-yard touchdown in the second quarter, and then hauled in a 59-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. He finished the game with 310 all-purpose, and set the MSU modern-day record with 30 total touchdowns. He breaks the old record of 28, previously held by Willie Cannon. Harlan Brodie holds the all-time record with 40 touchdowns from 1927-30.
Powell also has 26 career receiving touchdowns, tieing Terrance Tillman for the all-time record at MSU.
With the Racers leading 21-7 at the half, the defense came out on the opening possession of the second half and forced a fumble. Anthony Hayes forced the fumble that was scooped up by Josh Manning and returned 22 yards for the touchdown.
The Eagles (3-3, 1-1 OVC) tried to get back into the game with a pair of rushing touchdowns in the second half, but the Racer defense bowed its neck and forced a pair of turnovers. Manning and Brandon Wicks reach intercepted passes as the Racer defense now has 10 interceptions on the season.
The Racer defense closed out the game in fitting fashion as they stopped the Golden Eagles on four plays from the three yard line.
Sophomore quarterback Maikhail Miller had his first career 300-yard passing game as he went 31-of-42 for 306 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Powell was his main target with the eight receptions, while Jeremy Harness added seven grabs for 41 yards.
Linebacker Travis Taylor led the defense with eight tackles. Felton Collins, Zach Dean and Jonathan Jackson each added seven stops. Dean and Zac Ross each recorded a sack and two tackles-for-loss.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 38, AUSTIN PEAY 3
RICHMOND, Ky. - Football basics – running the ball and stopping the run – led the Eastern Kentucky University football team to a 38-3 victory over winless Austin Peay on Saturday evening at Roy Kidd Stadium.
The Colonels (3-3, 1-1 OVC) virtually put the game away in the first half. The offense totaled 195 yards and three scores while the defense limited the Governors to 51 yards and forced a turnover. Eastern held a 131-4 rushing advantage at the break.
Austin Peay (0-5, 0-1) finished the game with six net rushing yards on 25 carries. Eastern churned up 321 yards on the ground.
EKU’s first scoring drive consisted of seven straight runs. Redshirt freshman Jared Sanders covered 35 of the 65 yards on four carries. Junior quarterback Jared McClain polished if off with a 10-yard touchdown run.
Junior running back Caleb Watkins then capped a 10-play, 65-yard drive with four straight carries, including a three-yard scoring run, to make the score 14-0 early in the second quarter. Senior kicker Luke Pray tacked on a 23-yard field goal with four minutes remaining to make it a 17-0 Colonel lead at the break.
Austin Peay threatened to put points on the board in the final seconds of the second quarter before senior defensive lineman Anthony Brown intercepted a pass at the EKU five-yard line to put an end to the drive.
Eastern extinguished any doubt of a Governors comeback early in the second half. The Colonels’ first drive started at the APSU 29-yard line as a result of an APSU fumble. Five plays later McClain connected with senior Roman Lawson at the goal line from four yards out to push the advantage to 24-0.
Watkins added a second touchdown in the third quarter and senior Ben De La Cruz capped the scoring with a 79-yard run on a quarterback draw in the fourth.
Four Colonel running backs finished with 59 or more yards. Redshirt freshman Thomas Owens had 100 yards on six carries, 62 of which came on one run. De La Cruz finished with 79 yards. Watkins had 67 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. Finally, Sanders toted the ball 15 times for 59 yards.
Austin Peay got on the board on Chase Dunlap’s 30-yard field goal with 13:36 left in the game. The kick capped a 10-play, 56-yard drive that featured a 32-yard pass from Andrew Spivey to Tim Phillips down to the EKU 12-yard line.
Eastern out-gained APSU 427-108 for the game. Spivey completed 12-of-21 passes for 102 yards through the air for the Governors. Eastern’s McClain went 12-for-17 for 106 yards and a touchdown.
TENNESSEE STATE 40, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 16
NASHVILLE - Running back Telvin Hooks had a career-high 159 yards and Tennessee State defeated Southeast Missouri State, 40-16, on Saturday night at LP Field.
Senior Tim Broughton added 95 yards on 14 carries as the Tigers (5-1, 2-0 OVC) piled up 544 yards and recorded their third straight game with at least 40 points.
Redshirt junior Michael German completed 12-of-21 passes for 202 yards and two scores and is now seventh on the school’s all-time passing touchdown list with 38.
The Redhawks (0-5, 0-2 OVC) got the ball to start the game and used 11 plays to get to the TSU 21-yard line. From there the Big Blue defense forced a stop, but Southeast kicker Ryan McCrum connected on a 39-yard field goal to give his team an early, 3-0, lead.
The field goal was the Redhawks’ first this season, and it marked the first lead the team held all season.
After the teams traded possesions, quarterback Ronald Butler drove the TSU offense 71 yards down the field for a touchdown. Butler found tight end A.C. Leonard on a crossing pattern and Leonard did the rest, scampering 20 yards for the score.
Butler was 5-of-6 on the series for 57 yards and Big Blue led the Redhawks, 7-3, with 14:08 to go before halftime.
The TSU defense forced another punt on Southeast’s next possession, giving its offense good field position at the TSU 38-yard line. Tim Broughton gained 23 yards on a pair of carries but on the next play, Butler was sacked and the freshman fumbled. Southeast’s Cantrell Andrews picked up the ball and raced 68 yards for a Redhawk touchdown.
On the ensuing point after, Southeast could not handle the snap and TSU’s Michael Murphy ended up the ball. He then tossed it behind him to Antinio Harper and the senior from Huntsville, Ala. ran 80 yards, giving the Tigers two points.
The wild two plays made the score even at nine a side with nine minutes to play in the second quarter.
Michael German came in after the offense’s last miscue and hit Weldon Garlington with a 16-yard touchdown two possessions later.
The scoring toss gave the Tigers a 16-9 advantage, where the score would remain for the rest of the half.
Big Blue outgained the Redhawks 243 to 71 during the game’s first 30 minutes.
TSU received to begin the second half and German was a perfect 3-of-3 until the Tigers got into the red zone. Two TSU runs proved unsuccessful and a pass to Vernon Frett fell incomplete, leading to a field goal attempt. Godfrey drilled the 21-yarder, putting TSU up, 19-9, with 9:22 to go in the third period.
With Godfrey’s kick, he passed Javarris Williams’s 264 points for second place on the school’s all-time scoring list.
Junior safety Daniel Fitzpatrick got his second interception of the season on Southeast’s second play of the second half, and returned it to the 36.
Broughton broke off a run of 14 yards two plays into TSU’s next drive and the senior ended up scoring a four-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-one. Broughton’s run brought the score to 26-9 at the 5:16 mark of the third quarter.
After another Redhawk punt, the Tigers took over on their own 16-yard line. Hooks ran for nine yards on first down, and a perfectly executed screen pass sprung Ryan Mitchell loose for a 75-yard touchdown. The quick strike gave TSU a commanding 24-point lead.
Fitzpatrick got his second pick of the game and fourth of his career on Southeast’s next possession, but Godfrey missed a 43-yard field goal attempt on TSU’s following drive.
Later in the fourth, a great punt by Leon Holderhead and heads-up play by the TSU punt team downed the ball at the Redhawk one-yard line. On the next play, Lewis Washington raced 99 yards for a touchdown.
The run was the longest offensive play in Redhawk history and brought the score to 33-16, with TSU on top.
On TSU’s next possession, Hooks ran six times for 65 yards including a 28-yard touchdown to cap off the drive and end the scoring.
The Tigers limited the Redhawks to 229 yards and Nick Thrasher led the team in tackles with five solo stops.