SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Ohio 38,
Austin Peay 0
Southern Illinois 36,
Southeast Missouri 19 (in St. Louis)
Jacksonville State 32, @Georgia State 26 (OT)
@Bowling Green 48,
Murray State 7
@Northern Illinois 43,
#8 Eastern Illinois 39
Eastern Kentucky 56, @Morehead State 24
Tennessee State 41, @Tennessee Tech 21
OHIO 38, AUSTIN PEAY 0
OXFORD, Ohio - Senior Tyler Tettleton threw for three first-half scores to lead Ohio to a 35-0 victory against Austin Peay State University, Saturday afternoon, at Peden Stadium in nonconference football action.
It was Ohio’s third straight victory after a pummeling by Louisville in the opener. Austin Peay will take a 0-4 record into its bye week.
Tettleton, the Bobcats star quarterback who also is the son of former major league catcher/designated hitter Mickey Tettleton, was 9-of-11 for 135 yards in the opening half, completing scoring tosses of 6, 53 and 23 yards in the first 16:10. Those three scoring tosses occurred before the Governors could gain their first first down—APSU had four pre-snap penalties in the opening half which hampered the offensive effort.
The Governors did gain footing in the second quarter and moved the ball consistently through much of the game’s remainder. In fact, the Govs achieved three scoring opportunities, thanks largely to a strong running game, but all ended in missed field goals, the final one being blocked.
The Govs also forced three fumbles on the day, one a strip by Montez Carlton as a Ohio wide receiver was about to score after a long pass and run.
Offensively, however, the Bobcats finished with 494 yards compared to 298 for the Governors, including a 251- to-155 rushing edge. Still, the Governors ground game showed its best so far in 2013. Sophomore Omar Williams came off the bench to rush for 103 yards, including a 57-yard run, while senior Tim Phillips ran for 69 yards.
Andrew Spivey recorded his APSU 100-yard passing game by completing 11 of 22 for 114 yards. Senior Kamron Johnson led the Govs with five catches for 46 yards.
Defensively, linebacker Craig Salley led the Govs with 10 stops while safety EnRiques Perry forced two fumbles
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 36, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 19
ST. LOUIS - Southeast Missouri (0-3) battled back to tie the game with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Snyder to Paul McRoberts midway through the third quarter, but Southern Illinois (2-2) responded with 17 unanswered points to pull away with a 36-19 victory Saturday afternoon in the first NCAA football game at Busch Stadium.
Southeast trailed, 19-13, when Snyder hit McRoberts in stride. A native of St. Louis, McRoberts secured the ball after it was tipped by a Saluki defender and dashed to the end zone to tie the game with 7:34 left in the third quarter. Alex Knight, however, missed the PAT that would have given the Redhawks the lead.
After that, SIU responded with a 25-yard field goal by Thomas Kinney and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including an 18-yard pass from Kory Faulkner to MyCole Pruitt and a 9-yard run by Malcolm Agnew to grab the victory.
Southeast and SIU met for the 81st time, this time in front of a crowd of 14,618 at a unique, one of a kind, iconic setting. The attendance was the largest in a game the Redhawks have played against SIU as the home team.
After Southeast came up empty on its opening drive, SIU capitalized on its first possession to take an early lead.
Faulkner's 24-yard pass to John Lantz on a 3rd-and-long kept the Salukis drive alive and Tay Willis followed with a 12-yard run.
Five plays later, Faulkner hooked up with Lantz on an 18-yard touchdown pass, giving SIU a 7-0 advantage with 7:29 left to play in the first quarter. Lantz's touchdown reception capped a 10-play, 77-yard march for SIU.
Snyder engineered a nice 11-play, 74-yard drive to give the Redhawks an immediate answer.
Snyder completed a 23-yard pass to Paul McRoberts and threw a 13-yard completion to Spencer Davis on fourth down to help get Southeast inside SIU's 20-yardline.
Lennies McFerren ran for 13 yards on his first carry of the game to give Southeast a 1st-and-Goal at the five before Snyder threw a 4-yard pass to Davis to tie the game at 7-7 with 1:19 remaining.
SIU regained the lead at the start of the second quarter when Ken Malcome crossed the goal line on a 2-yard run to finish off a 10-play, 58-yard drive. Malcome's touchdown pushed the Salukis lead to 14-7 with 11:47 on the clock.
Austin Pucylowski's 44-yard punt was downed at Southeast's 1-yardline, and the Redhawks later recovered their own fumble in their end zone for a safety, giving SIU a 16-7 lead at the 7:39 mark.
Southeast added another touchdown just before the half when Snyder scrambled out of the pocket to deliver a 3-yard strike to McRoberts with six seconds left. Knight's PAT was blocked, as SIU led 16-13 at the intermission.
McRoberts finished with a game-high five catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns. His 75-yard reception tied for the sixth-longest in school history.
Meanwhile, Snyder completed 17-of-33 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns. Snyder's 249 passing yards were the most in a game by a Redhawk quarterback since Houston Lillard had 331 against Missouri State on Sept. 20, 2008.
Faulkner completed 16-of-30 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns, and Agnew ran for 127 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries to lead SIU.
SIU outgained Southeast, 209-53, on the ground and held a 409-302 advantage in total yards. The 53 rushing yards were the Redhawks fewest in a game under head coach Tony Samuel since Nov. 8, 2008 (at Murray State).
Defensively, Ben Kargbo, Ron Davis and Wisler Ymonice led Southeast with nine tackles each. Daniel Siehndel and Buck Wilson added one interception apiece, as well.
A total of 26 different Redhawks from the metropolitan St. Louis areas returned home to play in a football game at Busch Stadium today.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 32, GEORGIA STATE 26 (OT)
ATLANTA - Junior DaMarcus James' third touchdown of the day came in overtime and gave his Jacksonville State football team a thrilling 32-26 win over FBS opponent Georgia State in the Georgia Dome.
James ran for 41 yards on 16 carries but ran three times out of the wildcat formation and scored on all three to lift the Gamecocks (4-0) to yet another last-minute win. His career-high three scores is one away from the school record and gives JSU its fifth win over a team from the NCAA's highest level and first since beating Ole Miss in 2010.
The Panthers (0-4) used fireworks on the first play of the game, only to watch JSU storm back and build a 14-point second-half lead. GSU got two big special teams plays that set up 14 points that tied the game, and the two teams exchanged field goals before the game went into overtime.
The JSU defense held the Panthers to start the extra frame, and the offense marched 25 yards in six plays to give the Gamecocks their sixth overtime win in 10 tries and sixth in a row. It was JSU's second trip to the Georgia Dome and its second overtime win in the facility.
JSU outgained the Panthers, 433-400, grabbing 311 of those through the air. All four scores came from its 122 rushing yards on 44 attempts, with Eli Jenkins adding one to James' career-high three.
Max Shortell threw for a career-high 235 yards on 12-for-27 passing, while Jenkins was 5-for-5 for 76 yards through the air. Freshman Josh Barge hauled in eight catches for 124 yards, both career highs for a guy that had just four catches for 50 career yards before Saturday.
The Panthers got a duel-threat performance from starting quarterback Ronnie Bell, who threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns on 16-for-41 passing and ran for 57 yards on 11 carries. Albert Wilson was his favorite target, pulling in seven catches for 158 yards and a 75-yard score on the game's first play.
Defensively, Robert Gray had seven tackles, while Caleb Lawrence had six and a sack. JSU had three sacks and six quarterback hurries in the game.
The Panthers wasted no time in getting on the board, using just 13 seconds of the first quarter clock before taking a 6-0 lead. Bell found Wilson on a 75-yard strike on the game's first play that put GSU in front. The game opening bomb was the longest play the JSU defense had allowed this season.
The Gamecock defense redeemed itself on its next trip on the field. After a JSU punt, the defense made a move on third down. Ketrick Wolfe stripped the ball from receiver Travis Evans and Pierre Warren scooped it up and returned it 29 yards inside the one. James punched it in on the very next play and Griffin Thomas' kick gave the Gamecocks a 7-6 lead with 9:24 left in the first.
The Panthers grabbed the lead back on the ensuing possession, thanks to a 60-yard kickoff return from Wilson that set up a 39-yard Wil Lutz field goal that pushed the score to 9-7 in GSU's favor.
After the two teams exchanged punts, the Gamecocks drove 90 yards down the field to regain the lead early in the second. A nine-play, 90-yard drive would be the longest of the year for the JSU offense and was capped by another wildcat run of one-yard by James. Max Shortell entered the game early in the drive and set up the score with a 50-yard pass that was dropped right into the hands of Anthony Johnson at the GSU one. The Gamecocks went for two but failed, leaving their lead at 13-9 with just over nine minutes left in the half.
Another GSU turnover set up another Gamecock score just before the half. Jamill Lott picked off Bell at midfield and returned it 18 yards to the Panther 41 with 53 seconds left in the half. Shortell connected with Merrill for a 31-yard throw-and-catch that set up a five-yard run from Jenkins. The 27-second drive gave the Gamecocks the halftime lead for the third-straight week at 20-9.
The Gamecocks caught a break midway through the third, when a third-and-long saw Shortell scramble before finding Dalton Screws for first-down yardage. The receiver fumbled, but several GSU players kept pushing it downfield, where Anthony Johnson fell on it at the Panther 14. Thomas kicked a 29-yard field goal to extend JSU's lead to 23-9 with just under five minutes left in the quarter.
The Panthers' special teams went to work to start the fourth quarter. After forcing a JSU 3-and-out, C.J. Scott blocked Hamish MacInnes' punt and recovered in the end zone for a score that cut the Gamecocks' lead to 23-16.
On the ensuing kick, Rashod Byers took it from just inside the end zone and fumbled it over to the Panthers at the Gamecock 13-yard line. Two plays later, Bell connected with Robert Davis for a 10-yard touchdown pass. The Panthers scored 14 points in just 62 seconds to tie the game with just over 12 minutes to play.
The two exchanged punts before the Gamecocks got back in front. A drive that started at the GSU 48 ended with Thomas' 34-yard field goal that gave JSU a 26-23 advantage with 2:58 remaining.
The Panthers marched the ball down the field as the clock ran down, converting a fourth down and two third-down conversions before Wil Lutz's 26-yard field goal as time expired sent the game into overtime.
JSU won the OT toss and chose to go on defense to start the extra period. A three-and-out forced Lutz to try a 42-yarder, which he missed wide left and set up the Gamecocks' winning drive.
JSU needed just six plays, all of which were rushes by James, to punch it in and escape the Dome with the Gamecocks' ninth win in the final 80 seconds since the start of 2010.
BOWLING GREEN 48, MURRAY STATE 7
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Murray State closed out the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 48-7 loss at Bowling Green Saturday afternoon at Doyt Perry Stadium.
The Racers move to 2-2 on the season, while the Falcons improve to 3-1.
The Falcons got on the board midway through the first quarter by putting together an eight-play drive that covered 63 yards. The drive started with a 20-yard pass to Chris Gallon and ended when quarterback Matt Johnson hit Gallon on a four-yard touchdown pass on third down.
The Racers looked to get on the board late in the first quarter as they used a Darrian Skinner interception to drive deep into Falcons territory. MSU reached the one-yard line, but unfortunately a fumble turned into a 99-yard scoring drive for BGSU.
The Falcons used 11 plays to go the length of the field, and reached the endzone on an eight-yard Travis Greene touchdown run to make it 13-0.
BGSU added to its lead on its next possession as they used the big play to cover 69 yards on just five plays. The big play was a 29-yard completion to Shaun Joplin. The drive was capped off with a seven-yard Johnson touchdown run.
The Falcons closed out the first-half scoring by driving 97 yards, ending with a Johnson one-yard touchdown pass to Gallon.
After the Falcons scored to start the second half, the Racers put together their lone scoring drive of the game with a 13-play drive that covered 83 yards. MSU picked up a pair of first downs on passes to Pokey Harris and Nevar Griffin.
A pass interference call moved the ball into Falcon territory, and Maikhail Miller broke up the middle for a 22-yard run. A pass interference call moved the ball to the two-yard line and Jaamal Berry finished the drive with the two-yard run up the middle.
Berry led the Racer ground game with 55 yards on nine carries. Miller added 52 yards on 10 carries.
Miller finished the day 22-for-32 for 134 yards. Griffin was the main target with five catches for 42 yards.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 43, #8 EASTERN ILLINOIS 39
DeKALB, Ill. - On a night in which Jimmy Garoppolo tied both the Eastern Illinois and Ohio Valley Conference record for career touchdown passes, the Panthers ran out of time during a 43-39 loss at Northern Illinois.
The Panthers, ranked No. 8 in the latest FCS polls, finished the non-conference portion of their schedule at 3-1. NIU improved to 3-0 as the Huskies were the fourth team also listed in this week’s Associated Press poll (No. 29 overall). It was NIU’s 22nd consecutive home win the longest streak in the FBS.
After Mathew Sims put NIU up 36-33 with 11:24 to play in the game with a 37-yard field goal, EIU answered. Shepard Little ripped off a 26-yard run to put the Panthers inside the ten. Jimmy Garoppolo then hit Erik Lora for a 10-yard strike to put EIU up 39-36 as the extra point was missed. It was Garoppolo’s sixth touchdown pass of the day as he tied the EIU and OVC record of 85 held by Tony Romo. Garoppolo was 34-of-49 for 450 yards.
NIU scored quickly to regain the lead as Keith Harris scored on a short 8-yard run to put NIU back in front. The Panthers were stalled on the next drive by several penalties and surrendered the ball back to NIU which ran out the clock in front of a sellout crowd.
EIU drove down the field on its first possession as Garoppolo hit Lora on a 14-yard fade in the end zone. EIU went for two and missed the conversion to lead 6-0.
The Panthers offense kept the ball as they recovered an onside kick as LeQuince McCall came out of the pile with the loose football. Garoppolo struck again on the first play hitting Adam Drake for a 43-yard touchdown pass. EIU led 13-0 with 12:08 to play.
EIU’s defense then held NIU and quarterback Jordan Lynch to a three and out. EIU drove to score its third touchdown of the first half as Garoppolo hit Keiondre Gober from 13-yards out to put EIU up 20-0 with 7:36 to play in the opening quarter. Garoppolo was 13-of-16 for 180 yards with three touchdowns on the first three drives including two fourth down conversions.
NIU scored on its second offensive drive as Cameron Stingily plunged over from five yards. The extra point failed hitting the post as EIU led 20-6 with 5:17 left in the first quarter. NIU picked off a long fourth down pass by Garoppolo inside the ten yard line late in the first quarter. The Huskies converted that turnover into another short Stingily touchdown run to open the second quarter cutting EIU’s lead to 20-13 with 14:08 left in the half.
Jourdan Wickliffe seemed to turn the momentum in EIU’s favor with an interception in the red zone. NIU had the momentum swing back in their direction after a failed fake punt attempt by EIU gave the Huskies the ball in EIU territory. NIU tied the game at 20-20 on a Jordan Lynch touchdowns pass to Luke Eakes with 9:18 left in the first half.
The Huskies took their first lead of the game with five seconds left in the half as Matthew Sims knocked home an 18-yard field goal to put NIU up 23-20 at the half.
The two teams traded turnovers to open the second half. NIU converted its turnover chance resulting in a Keith Harris 9-yard touchdown run which put the Huskies up 30-20 with 10:17 to play in the third. EIU answered on the next drive ending a nearly 30-minute scoreless stretch as Garoppolo found Lora for the second time on a 33-yard strike, Garoppolo’s fourth touchdown pass of the day. Lora finished the day with 14 catches for 198 yards and three scores.
EIU’s defense kept NIU within a touchdown as they held inside the five yard line. Sims knocked home a 33-yard field goal to put NIU up 33-26 with 2:50 left in the third. Garoppolo tied the game with his fifth touchdown pass of the day, a 13-yard strike to Adam Drake. Drake had 8 catches for 137 yards as EIU knotted the game at 33-33 with 14:51 to play.
NIU’s Heisman candidate Lynch passed for 235 yards and rushed for 189. Stingily added 134 yards on the ground as NIU had 602 yards of total offense. EIU finished with 577 yards of total offense.
Wickliffe led EIU with 16 tackles. Kamu Grugier-Hill added 11 tackles with one tackle for loss. Michael Santacaterina led NIU’s defense with 15 tackles.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 56, MOREHEAD STATE 24
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Running back JJ Jude tallied four touchdowns while wide receiver Devin Borders chipped in with two touchdown catches as the Eastern Kentucky University football team earned a 56-24 victory at Morehead State Saturday night. This was the first meeting between the long-time rivals in Morehead since 1993.
Jude, a redshirt freshman out of Hagerhill, Ky., carried the ball 33 times for 195 yards. He registered three scoring runs in the first half and added a 17-yard touchdown burst in the fourth quarter to make the score 42-24. Meanwhile, Borders, a redshirt freshman from Fort Walton Beach, Fla., hauled in nine catches for 133 yards to go along with the two touchdowns. He is the first Colonel to reach 100 yards receiving this season.
The first half was back-and-forth with Eastern (2-2) taking a 21-14 lead into intermission. The Colonels reached the red zone five times in the first two quarters, but came away empty on two occasions.
Morehead State (0-4) put together a 71-yard scoring drive in the waning minutes of the first half to cut the deficit to seven points. EKU tried to answer with a quick scoring drive of its own, but tossed an interception in the end zone with six seconds left on the clock.
The Eagles made the game really interesting at the start of the third quarter by notching a 43-yard field goal on their opening possession to creep within four points at 21-17.
However, Eastern Kentucky turned the game around after the field goal. Eastern’s offense scored touchdowns on five of its six possessions in the second half while defense forced two turnovers and blocked a punt.
Four different Colonels scored in the second half led by two touchdown receptions from Borders. Running backs Thomas Owens and Jared Sanders also found the end zone.
EKU racked up a season-high 606 yards of total offense with 345 yards coming on the ground and 261 through the air. Junior quarterback Jared McClain finished 17-of-26 passing for 250 yards and two touchdowns.
On defense, junior safety Brandon Stanley led the Colonels with eight tackles in his first game this season. He missed the first three games with an injury. Senior linebacker Tyler Horn added eight tackles of his own plus an interception.
TENNESSEE STATE 41, TENNESSEE TECH 21
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee State football team scored 34 unanswered points and survived a late rally to defeat Tennessee Tech, 41-21, Saturday night in front of 10,044 spectators and a national ESPN3 audience.
The TSU offense set season highs in total yards (438), passing yards (343) and points (41) on the way to the first Ohio Valley Conference victory of the season.
A.C. Leonard caught five passes for a career-high 122 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
Samquan Evans paced the TSU defense, setting a personal-best with eight stops and added 2.5 tackles for loss.
Tennessee Tech (2-2, 0-1 OVC) took the ball 79 yards down the field on the game’s opening drive and TTU center James Normand recovered a fumble in the end zone to put the Golden Eagles ahead, 7-0, with nine minutes left in the first period.
The touchdown signified the first points that the Big Blue defense had surrendered in the first quarter this season and the first time since last year’s game against TTU that the Tigers had allowed a touchdown on the opponent’s opening possession.
TSU (3-1, 1-0 OVC) answered on its first offensive series as quarterback Ronald Butler architected an impressive eight-play, 79 yard touchdown drive that ended in a 47-yard pass to Ryan Mitchell.
Butler’s scoring toss knotted the score at seven apiece, was TSU’s first touchdown pass of the season and the first of his and Mitchell’s careers.
Later in the quarter, a 43-yard punt by Leon Holderhead forced the TTU offense to start on its own one-yard line. On the Golden Eagles’ first play, running back Ladarius Vanlier coughed up the ball and TSU’s Nick Thrasher recovered, inches from the goal line.
On TSU’s ensuing possession, Broughton ran the ball up the right side, broke an arm tackle and forced his way into the end zone. The rushing score and PAT that followed put TSU ahead, 14-7, to start the second quarter.
Broughton finished the contest with 28 carries for 86 yards for a 3.1 yard per carry average.
After a three-and-out by TTU, Big Blue got the ball and marched it 46 yards down the field. Butler keyed the drive, completing all three of his passes for 27 yards. A sack stalled the drive in Tennessee Tech territory, but the Tigers still salvaged a 39-yard field goal by Jamin Godfrey that gave TSU a ten-point cushion with 8:24 to go before halftime.
A 52-yard field goal try by Godfrey just prior to halftime fell short and TSU went into the locker room holding a 17-7 lead.
Butler’s 139 passing yards at the break were the most for TSU in any full game this season.
Michael German came in at quarterback to begin the second half, but his first two drives under center did not result in points.
At the 9:22 mark in the third quarter and with the TTU offense on the move, TSU safety David Van Dyke picked up his FCS-leading fourth interception of the season.
This time, German led a scoring drive on TSU’s next offensive series that ended with a 22-yard field goal by Godfrey. The kick made the score 20-7 with 5:24 left in the third period.
The Tigers struck pay dirt again on their following possession as German completed a deep pass to Leonard for an 80-yard touchdown. The bomb put TSU up by 20 and nearly doubled German’s 42 yards that he tallied against Jackson State.
German found Leonard again early in the fourth quarter and this one also went for a touchdown. Leonard’s three-yard grab capped off a nine-play drive that spanned 58 yards and put the Tigers up 34-7. German was 3-of-5 on the drive for 43 yards.
TTU scored a touchdown with 7:27 left in the game and recovered a fumble on TSU’s next offensive play. The turnover set up another TTU touchdown with just over two minutes left to pull Tech within 13 at 34-21.
TSU eventually iced the game when German found Lavatiae Kelly wide open for a 43-yard pass and catch that resulted in the game’s final touchdown.
German finished 8-of-14 for 204 yards and three touchdowns. Kelly had a game-high six grabs for a career-high 95 yards.