SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 28, Tennessee State 3
@#18 Eastern Kentucky 33, Southeast Missouri 21
@UT Martin 37, Austin Peay 7
@#6 Jacksonville State 49, Tennessee Tech 3
@Murray State 86, Kentucky Wesleyan 29
EASTERN ILLINOIS 28, TENNESSEE STATE 3
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Anthony Goodman turned the tide with 2:35 to play in the third quarter as he picked off a pass and raced 46-yards for a touchdown to put Eastern Illinois up 14-3. The Panthers tacked on two fourth quarter rushing touchdowns as they beat Tennessee State, 28-3, on Saturday afternoon during the EIU homecoming game at O’Brien Field.
Goodman stepped in front of the pass thrown by quarterback Ronald Butler just as defensive lineman Dino Fanti was applying pressure. It was the second big play of the day Fanti was involved in as the junior made a stop on a fourth and goal with just over four minutes to play in the second quarter that allowed EIU to lead 7-0 at the half. Fanti had five tackles including two stops for loss.
With the win EIU improved to 3-5 on the season, 3-1 in the OVC. Tennessee State dropped its fourth straight game falling to 4-5 overall, 1-4 in the OVC. The Panthers will play at Tennessee Tech next Saturday with a 1:30 p.m. start.
In a game that matched the league’s top offensive unit (EIU) and the league’s top defensive unit (TSU), it was a defensive battle through three quarters. The Panthers scored the only points of the first half on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Whitlow to Adam Drake with 13:33 to go in the quarter. It capped a six play, 59-yard drive. EIU had 136 yards on 32 plays at the half, TSU had 131 yards on 32 plays at the half.
The Tigers broke through on the opening drive of the second half as Lane Clark connected on a 42-yard field goal capping a seven play, 27-yard drive.
The two squads traded possessions before Goodman’s interception return for a touchdown. It was Goodman’s third career touchdown as he has now scored on a blocked punt return, fumble return and interception return in his three-year career. Goodman ended the day with four tackles and one pass break-up.
EIU would break open the game in the fourth quarter on the ground. Whitlow scampered through the right side of the line for a 67-yard touchdown with 12:36 to play. Shepard Little would find the end zone on a 50-yard run up the middle with 4:04 left in the game. EIU finished with 294 yards rushing as Little rushed for 130 yards. Whitlow had 91 yards on the ground.
Whitlow was 8-of-14 through the air for 76 yards with one touchdown. EIU did not turn the ball over for a second straight game. Whitlow has now completed 145 straight passes without an interception. The school record is 157 set by Walter Payton Award winner Jimmy Garoppolo last season.
TSU finished with 287 yards of total offense with Darion Hall rushing for 63 yards. Michael German and Butler each spent time at quarterback for TSU with both throwing an interception. German passed for 149 yards going 16-of-25. The Panthers also recovered a fumble as Thomas Coronado came out the pile with a loose ball to give EIU a plus-3 margin.
Jourdan Wickliffe led the way with eight tackles. Robert Haynes had six tackles with one tackle for loss.
#18 EASTERN KENTUCKY 33, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 21
RICHMOND, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky University football team never trailed in its 2014 Homecoming game as the No. 18 Colonels fought off visiting Southeast Missouri for a 33-21 win.
Junior running back Dy’Shawn Mobley tallied three touchdown rushes, including the game-clincher with 2:21 remaining to provide the final score. The EKU (7-1, 4-1 OVC) defense was led by sophomore safety Kiante Northington, who posted a team season-high 17 stops and also came down with a key third-quarter interception to stop a Southeast Missouri (4-5, 2-3) scoring threat.
Eastern got on the board first when junior wide receiver Jeff Glover blocked a SEMO punt and raced 22 yards untouched for a touchdown midway through the first quarter. The Redhawks responded with a quick nine-play, 75-yard drive to tie the score.
On the second play of Eastern’s ensuing possession, senior quarterback Jared McClain found sophomore wide out Devin Borders all alone down the right sideline for a 49-yard pass play to the SEMO seven. Mobley finished off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run up the middle on fourth down.
The Colonels pushed the lead to 20-7 with 10:39 left in the second quarter when Mobley found the end zone for a second time. The junior took the hand-off and went around the left side untouched from nine yards out, capping the six-play, 49-yard drive that took 1:56 off the clock.
Southeast Missouri cut the deficit to six at halftime, 20-14, on quarterback Kyle Snyder’s second touchdown run with six minutes to go in the second quarter.
The Redhawks were perhaps poised to take their first lead of the game midway through the third quarter when Northington came through with his first collegiate interception. On 3rd-and-3 from the Eastern nine-yard line, the sophomore hauled in a tipped pass in the end zone to end the threat.
Eastern Kentucky’s offense followed that interception with its longest drive of the game. McClain put a cherry on top of the 11-play, 80-yard drive with a perfect 27-yard touchdown strike to Borders to make the score, 26-14. The Colonels went for a two-point conversion, but did not complete the pass play.
After Southeast Missouri made one last charge to slice the lead to 26-21, the Colonel offense put the game away with one more scoring drive late in the fourth quarter. Eastern converted two huge third downs on that drive, including a 3rd-and-6 play where junior wide receiver Deno Montgomery came up with a 19-yard catch-and-run completion to move the ball to the SEMO 27-yard line. Mobley put the final stamp on the win with a 13-yard run around the left side with 2:21 showing on the clock.
McClain started at quarterback for the Colonels and put up impressive numbers. The senior completed 15-of-18 throws (83.3 percent) for a season-high 203 yards and one touchdown. Borders notched four catches for a season-best 106 yards receiving.
For Southeast Missouri, Snyder threw for 245 yards and a touchdown, but also tossed two interceptions. Snyder also led the Redhawks with 116 yards rushing on just 19 carries.
UT MARTIN 37, AUSTIN PEAY 7
MARTIN, Tenn. - For the third time in program history, the University of Tennessee at Martin football team claimed the Sgt. York Trophy as the Skyhawks posted a 37-7 victory over Austin Peay on Homecoming at Hardy Graham Stadium.
The Skyhawks completed their 2014 Sgt. York Trophy sweep today after their third straight win in the series. UT Martin defeated Tennessee Tech (17-10) on Oct. 9, followed by a win at Tennessee State (21-16) last week. The Skyhawks improve to 16-8 in the all-time Sgt. York Trophy series, which rewards the winner of the season series between the four Ohio Valley Conference football playing schools located in the state of Tennessee. UT Martin also won the trophy outright in 2010 and shared the trophy in 2012.
Today’s win also resulted in a season-long three-game winning streak for UT Martin, who improves to 4-5 overall and 3-3 in league play.
Abou Toure rushed for over 100 yards for the third time this season, compiling 114 yards on 13 carries (8.8 yards per rush) while scoring a pair of touchdowns. Dylan Favre completed 11-of-17 passes for a game-high 205 yards and two touchdowns while Taylor Higgason compiled a game-high 67 yards receiving and a touchdown. Trent Garland (rushing touchdown) and William Tanner (touchdown reception) also found the endzone today for UT Martin, who outgained the Governors by a 496-170 yard margin.
Defensively, the Skyhawks were led by Tony Bell’s game-high 11 tackles and two sacks. Aaron Simms (forced fumble), Ryan Isom (fumble recovery), Leon Carlton III (interception) and Walter Evans (interception) all had a hand in forcing turnovers for UT Martin, who has limited its last three OVC opponents to 11.0 points per game.
Darrien Boone (56 passing yards, touchdown), Wesley Thomas (50 receiving yards, touchdown) and Justin Roberson (53 rushing yards) led Austin Peay today. Adam Noble’s 10 tackles paced the Governors defensively.
It was an emotional day from the beginning, as the Skyhawks honored their 21 seniors in a pregame ceremony.
The UT Martin defense allowed the Skyhawks to strike first on the scoreboard. UT Martin posted a three-and-out on Austin Peay’s first drive and on its next possession, Simms forced a fumble on the Governors’ 20-yard line to put the Skyhawk offense in prime field position after the fumble was recovered by Isom.
Three plays later, Toure scampered into the endzone from nine yards out. Jackson Redditt successfully booted the PAT to give UT Martin a 7-0 advantage with 8:47 remaining in the first quarter.
Austin Peay was then forced to punt on each of its next two drives, pinning the Skyhawks back at their own 1-yard line on UT Martin’s first possession of the second quarter.
Favre then took over for starter Jarod Neal at quarterback and engineered the Skyhawks 99 yards on 10 plays that used up 3:45 of clock time. A highlight reel one-handed 43 yard reception by Caylon Weathers extended the drive on 3rd-and-4 while Ben Axline (19 yard reception) and Toure (27 yard rush) each accounted for big plays before Garland completed the scoring drive with a two yard rush on 4th-and-goal.
The swarming Skyhawk defense then pushed Austin Peay back a total of 14 yards on its next drive, forcing the Governors to punt for the fourth time in the first 21 minutes of the contest.
Redditt’s accuracy was on display on UT Martin’s ensuing possession, as he nailed a 34 yard field goal with 6:31 left in the second quarter to make the score 17-0.
The Skyhawks then came up with an interception on each of their next two drives. With Austin Peay driving into UT Martin territory, Carlton stepped in front of a Mickey Macius pass and returned it 11 yards to keep the Governors off the scoreboard.
Favre found Tanner with a 19-yard touchdown strike on the Skyhawks’ next drive. The PAT failed and as a result, UT Martin took a 23-0 lead.
Evans then accounted for another Skyhawk turnover, intercepting Boone to essentially close out the first half.
UT Martin gained 253 yards in the first half while limiting Austin Peay to just 70 yards on 30 plays.
The Governors gained one yard on three plays on the opening possession of the second half and it didn’t take long for the Skyhawks to get back in the scoring column. Toure was a workhorse on UT Martin’s scoring drive, carrying the ball on four of the five plays – including a 35 yard rush before a six yard carry provided the Skyhawks with a 30-0 advantage.
The Skyhawks forced two more Austin Peay punts before getting back on the scoreboard. Taking over at its own 43-yard line, Favre completed a pass to Higgason for nine yards before dropping a perfect 48 yard pass down the right seam for a touchdown to make the score 37-0 with 2:07 to play in the third quarter.
A sack by Bell forced a turnover on downs on the Skyhawks’ next defensive possession. Austin Peay would get on the scoreboard at the 12:52 mark of the fourth quarter to conclude the scoring in the contest.
#6 JACKSONVILLE STATE 49, TENNESSEE TECH 3
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Coming off its final bye week of the season, No. 6 Jacksonville State played its most complete game in a 49-3 victory over Tennessee Tech Saturday afternoon.
The Gamecocks were led by the monster-rushing attack that tailed up 335 yards, the team's third 300-plus rushing performance on the season, to improve to 6-1, 4-0 on the year.
JSU had a slow start out of the gate, but an explosive second quarter turned things around, quickly.
The Gamecocks set a school record by scoring 35 points in the quarter. The previous mark (34) was set in 2001 against Cumberland University. Also, the JSU offense rolled up 236 yards of total offense in the quarter, while holding Tennessee Tech just 16 yards.
Jax State led by Walter Payton Award Watch List running back DaMarcus James, who finished with 93 yards on 13 carries, including a 1-yard touchdown run. The touchdown, the 43rd of his career, inches him closer to the school record (48) set by David Gulledge (1987-90), and has scored a touchdown in 16 straight games against FCS opponents.
Quarterback Eli Jenkins finished with 136 yards through the air with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Ruben Gonzalez. He also added 73 yards on the ground. Fellow signal-caller Christian LeMay came into the game midway through the second quarter and threw two touchdown pass to Anthony Johnson, one a 17-yard reception and the other a 28-yarder.
Both quarterbacks found eight different receivers on the night as they combined to finish18-for-29 for 261 yards and three touchdowns.
On a double-reverse pass during the second quarter, wide receiver Dalton Screws threw a 24-yard completion to Jenkins, his first career reception.
Miles Jones got the Gamecocks on the board in the first quarter with a 9-yard touchdown run. Troymaine Pope added a 22-yard touchdown scamper during the explosive second quarter.
Tennessee Tech's only points came by ways of a John Arnold 33-yard field goal in the first quarter. The Golden Eagle offense was limited to eight first downs and 174 total offensive yards by a stingy Gamecock defense.
Ben Endress tied a career-high with 12 tackles to lead the Gamecock defense.
MURRAY STATE 86, KENTUCKY WESLEYAN 29
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State football team scored 45 unanswered points in the second half en route to setting the school’s single game scoring record in Saturday’s 86-29 win over Kentucky Wesleyan at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray.
DeQavius Walker helped the Racers (3-5) get the game off and running in a hurry as he returned Kentucky Wesleyan’s opening kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown. It wass the first kickoff return for a touchdown by a Racer since Walter Powell accomplished the task in 2013 against Missouri State.
Murray State went on to score three more touchdowns in the opening quarter including a 64-yard punt return by Janawski Davis, to lead the Panthers, 27-10, at the end of the stanza. In the second quarter, Kentucky Wesleyan (4-4) actually outscored the Racers, 19-10, despite a second kickoff return by Pokey Harris for 75 yards. However, even with the 19 points allowed in the second stanza, Murray State led at the break, 41-29.
After halftime, the Racers put their foot on the gas and never let off scoring six touchdowns and a field goal in the final 30 minutes. KD Humphries scored twice on rushes of seven and 12 yards, while his backup, CJ Bennett also had a score, punching it in from the one yard-line.
The MSU offense was nearly perfect on the night, scoring on 13 of 16 drives with all but one being a touchdown. The rushing attack came up 10 yards shy of a school record with 408 yards for a whopping 12.0 yards a carry. Murray State finished the game with 720 yards of total offense, in addition to the 268 yards gained on kick returns
Humphries finished the game at 19-for-23 with two touchdowns and no interceptions for 293 yards. Marcus Holliday and Davis caught the two touchdown passes from Humphries, while Jeremy Harness led the MSU receiving corps with 74 yards on five catches.
Harris led the Murray State ground attack with 10 rushes for 176 yards and a touchdown. Harris’ performance not only marks the first 100-plus rushing yard game of his career, but MSU’s first of the season as well. Nick Taylor followed with 67 yards and a score, while Holliday rushed four times for 40 yard and found the end zone twice.
Defensively, Travis Taylor led the way with 10 tackles including one for a loss of a yard. Felton Collins had seven tackles in the game including 2.0 sacks for a total loss of 16 yards and two blocked extra point attempts, giving him a total of three on the year. Jonathan Jackson and Bishop Woods also had seven tackles in the game with Jackson registering 0.5 for loss, while Woods had 1.5.
The Murray State kicking game was also on in the contest as Carson Griefenkamp racked up 819 yards on 13 kickoffs with three touchbacks for an average of 63 yards per kick. Greifenkamp also converted on nine of 10 extra points and knocked down a 40-yard field goal.