SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 48, Murray State 26
#4 Jacksonville State 20, @#15 Eastern Kentucky 6
@Tennessee Tech 27, Southeast Missouri 26
Tennessee State 31, @Austin Peay 27
@#1 Mississippi State 45
, UT Martin 16
EASTERN ILLINOIS 48, MURRAY STATE 26
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois ran 104 offensive plays accumulating 654 yards of total offense as the Panthers improved to 5-5 on the season, 5-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 48-26 win over Murray State on Saturday afternoon.
The win set up a showdown at first place Jacksonville State next Saturday as the Gamecocks handed Eastern Kentucky its second OVC loss on the season Saturday afternoon.
EIU won its fourth straight game climbing to .500 for the first time this season. Murray State fell to 3-7 overall, 1-5 in the OVC.
Taylor Duncan, Jalen Whitlow and Adam Drake were the story line for EIU's offense as the 104 plays are third highest single game total in school history. The 654 offensive yards are the eighth highest total in school history. EIU converted on 14-of-20 third down chances during their 11th straight home conference win.
Duncan rushed for a career high 171 yards on 30 carries with two touchdowns as he moved into sixth place on the EIU career rushing touchdowns list. Duncan found the end zone with 11:55 to go in the second quarter and again with 48 seconds left in the first half. His second touchdown pushed the Panthers halftime lead to 35-20.
EIU opened the game with a Shepard Little 24-yard touchdown run. The Panthers defense then made a red zone stop with Robert Haynes forcing a fumble at the eight yard line. It was one of three red zone stops the Panthers defense made on the day. Adam Gristick intercepted a pass to end a drive in the third quarter while Anthony Goodman and Laquesse Taylor stopped a Racers drive at the 11 yard line in the third.
Whitlow hit Jeff LePak for a two-yard score and Adam Drake for a 46-yard touchdown strike as the Panthers led 21-0 in the first quarter. Whitlow finished the day 27-of-37 passing for a career high 312 yards with three touchdown passes. Whiltow and Drake connected one more time in the third quarter from 16-yards. Drake had 11 catches for 176 yards and two touchdowns.
Janawski Davis caught a 8-yard pass from KD Humphries for the first Murray State score in the first quarter. Pokey Harris returned a kickoff 100-yards in the second quarter to cut the lead to 28-13. Harris became the 11th player in OVC history to return a kickoff 100-yards. Humphries connected with Nevar Griffin to close the Panthers lead to 28-20 with 3:17 to go in the second quarter. Humphries passed for 306 yards with two touchdown passes. He was 29-of-38 with two interceptions.
Both teams tacked on a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Whitlow scored from 1-yard out for EIU while CJ Bennett scored on a 6-yard rush for MSU.
Vince Speller and Gristick led the Panthers with ten tackles each. Gristick added a half sack and the interception at the goal line. Dino Fanti had two tackles for loss to go with seven tackles.
Jonathan Jackson led Murray State with 17 tackles and 1.5 for loss. Travis Taylor added 11 tackles.
#4 JACKSONVILLE STATE 20, #15 EASTERN KENTUCKY 6
RICHMOND, Ky. - Jacksonville State turned decidedly "old school" Saturday afternoon and left Roy Kidd Stadium in sole possession of first place in the Ohio Valley Conference.
The No. 4 Gamecocks relied on a punishing running game and stern defense to defeat No. 15 Eastern Kentucky 20-6 in a showdown between the OVC's top teams. Jacksonville State won on EKU's field for the first time since 2006 to improve to 8-1 overall, 6-0 in league play.
The Gamecocks can clinch their fourth OVC title with a win over Eastern Illinois (5-5, 5-1) next Saturday. Kickoff at Burgess-Snow Field is at 3 p.m.
DaMarcus James rushed for a career-best 170 yards on 21 carries to lead JSU's ground attack. The Gamecocks ran 56 times for 357 yards with three other players - Eli Jenkins (79 yards), Troymaine Pope (64) and Miles Jones (52) - rushing at least six times.
Meanwhile, Jacksonville State's defense limited the Colonels to only 292 yards, 130 under their season average.
Eastern Kentucky entered the contest as the OVC's second-best rushing team. The Colonels were held to 100 yards on 35 rushes by the Gamecocks.
Jacksonville State's defense extended its streak of not allowing a touchdown to 13 quarters by limiting EKU to two field goals Saturday. Tennessee State was the last team to find the end zone against JSU in the third quarter on Oct. 11.
Jacksonville State's aggressive defense limited the Colonels to 113 total yards and just one field goal as the Gamecocks led 10-3 at halftime.
Connor Rouleau gave Jacksonville State a 3-0 lead with a 22-yard field goal at the 10:30 mark in the first quarter.
The Colonels answered with a 30-yard field goal from Andrew Lloyd after a JSU turnover midway through the second quarter. But James finished off a 75-yard drive on the next series with a 13-yard run for a 10-3 lead the Gamecocks never relinquished.
Rouleau booted a career-long 48-yard field with 8:35 remaining to push JSU ahead 13-6.
Pope sealed Jacksonville State's eighth straight win by running in from the 14 with 3:46 left in the game.
His fifth touchdown of the season capped a time-consuming eight-play, 87-yard drive and gave the Gamecocks their biggest lead at 20-6.
James moved into second place on JSU's all-time career rushing list, passing Clay Green (3,034) and Rondy Rogers (3,143). The senior tailback now has 3,203 yards on 597 career rushes.
TENNESSEE TECH 27, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 26
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Backup quarterback Jared Davis replaced struggling starter Darian Stone and ignited Tennessee Tech's offense Saturday as the Golden Eagles rallied for a 27-26 victory over Southeast Missouri in Tucker Stadium.
The Golden Eagles also got a big lift when junior runningback Willie Davis (no relation) came off the bench to replace struggling starter Ladarius Vanlier. Davis provided several big rushes and led Tech's ground game, including the game-winning touchdown with 4:16 to play.
It was the second time in three weeks that a national audience on ESPN3 was treated to a Tennessee Tech thriller, following a 29-point fourth quarter for a 39-31 victory over No. 12 Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 18.
This time, Tech saw Southeast Missouri dodge an early Golden Eagle comeback bid and score 10 straight points to erase a 20-16 TTU lead, all in the fourth quarter. The Redhawks (4-6/2-4 OVC) moved on top, 26-20, following Jake McCrum's fourth field goal of the game, a 19-yard kick with 6:15 left for the six-point lead.
Davis & Davis wouldn't be denied, taking Tech on a 76-yard, five-play drive that culminated in Willie's 3-yard run down the left sideline. John Arnold's PAT was the deciding point. Jared hit freshman Brock McCoin for a 20-yard gain on the first play of the drive, Willie ran 16 yards on the second play, and Jared found Cody Matthews for an eight-yard pickup to the SEMO 32, setting up the touchdown run.
Still, SEMO battled back behind quarterback Kyle Snyder. Moving from their own 21, the Redhawks quickly marched into Tech territory as the race against the clock was underway.
That's when the Golden Eagle defense called a halt to the drive. Jay Rudwall and Austin Tallant stopped Snyder for no gain at the 41, then Jordan Patrick and Terrell Rollins chased the quarterback down for a four-yard sack. On third-and 14, Tallant and Rudwall flushed Snyder out of the pocket and forced him to throw it away on a dead run, bringing up fourth-and-14 from the TTU 45.
With 25 seconds on the clock, the Redhawks called on McCrum – one of the leading
kickers in the nation – for a 62-yard field goal try with a breeze at his back. Jordan Patrick, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, got a hand on the kick to block it and preserve the win.
Jared Davis finished 14-for 24 passing for 216 yards with one touchdown, and also rushed four times for 51 yards and one touchdown. Willie Davis wound up with a career-high 75 yards on nine carries. McCoin had his second career 100-yard game with seven catches for 120 yards, while Matthews finished with seven catches for 86 yards and one touchdown.
Snyder was 16-for-22 passing for 132 yards for the Redhawks with one sack and one interception. Paul McRoberts, back in action for the first time since an early-season injury, caught seven passes for 95 yards.
SEMO's punishing ground game netted 348 yards, led by DeMichael Jackson with 172 yards in 22 carries with one touchdown, a 48-yard explosion in the fourth quarter that put SEMO ahead, 23-20. Snyder ran for 64 yards on 20 carries with one score while Lennies McFerren added 50 yards on seven tries.
Redshirt freshman Trey Thompson led all tacklers with 15 for the Golden Eagles, while Marty Jones and Austin Tallant had 12 apiece. Tevin MCDermott, filling in at cornerback for an injured Maleek Hall, added a career-high 11 tackles.
The Redhawk defense was paced by Eriq Moore with 10 tackles and a fumble recovery, while Hunter Bledsoe added nine.
SEMO finished with 480 total yards, including 348 on the ground and 132 passing. Tech had 396 yards, getting 149 on the ground and 247 through the air. Tech forced four turnovers, with an interception from Tallant and fumble recoveries by Cory Webber, Elliott Normand and Avery Rollins.
Tallant made one of the top plays of the year in the first quarter, but the Golden Eagles didn't capitalize. The senior safety batted a pass attempt in the backfield, and grabbed it out of the air for an interception, returning it to the SEMO 32.
After a 15-yard gain on the first play, the Redhawk defense moved Tech backwards to the 28, where Arnold's 45-yard field goal attempt into a stiff wind fell short.
From there, SEMO marched 72 yards in eight plays and finished with a one-yard touchdown run from quarterback Snyder for a 7-0 lead. Tech's defense nearly made a goal line stand, stopping SEMO three times inside the five, including two at the ne-yard line, before the touchdown came behind a surge from the SEMO O-line.
The Redhawks made it 10-0 on a 43-yard field goal by McCrum with 4:19 to play in the opening period.
The visitor's lead went to 13-0 with 9:19 to play in the second quarter, following a seven-minute, 15-play drive. McCrum's 32-yard field goal put the points on the board.
With 5:38 to go in the half, coach Watson Brown made a change at quarterback, and Davis took over to lead a quick, 61-yard, five-play drive for Tech's first points of the game. After a 14-yard pass to McCoin, Davis hit the freshman on the next play and McCoin took it 40 yards to the SEMO four. Radir Annoor bulled his way the final two yards for the touchdown to make it 13-7.
McCrum's third field goal, a 40-yard kick into the wind, made it 16-7 with 9:42 to play in the third quarter.
Matthews grabbed a pass from Davis and took it 17 yards into the end zone for a Tech touchdown with 6:33 to play in the third to make it 16-13, after the Redhawks blocked the PAT.
Jared Davis capped a seven-play, 68-yard drive that overlapped the fourth quarter. The 6-4 quarterback kept it himself and roared down the sideline, leaping into the end zone to put Tech on top, 20-16.
But SEMO answered in only 1:01, as Jackson broke a tackle in the backfield and raced 48 yards for a go-ahead touchdown with 13:42 remaining.
Punter Jonathan King clobbered a 51-yard punt that backed up the Redhawks to their own 12, where Snyder directed another scoring drive. This time, however, the Redhawks settled for McCrum's fourth field goal when the Golden Eagles made a sensational goal line stand.
Jackson had a seven-yard run to the Tech one-yard line on first down. On second-and-one, Snyder mishandled the snap and recovered at the two. On third-and-goal, Tallant and Webber came around the end and caught Snyder for no gain, and the field goal made it 26-20.
TENNESSEE STATE 31, AUSTIN PEAY 27
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Michael German threw a game-winning touchdown with 34 seconds left, and the Tennessee State football team snapped its five-game losing streak with a, 31-27, win over Austin Peay.
The Tigers trailed 17-3 at halftime, but German threw four second-half touchdowns to lead the comeback.
On the go-ahead scoring drive, German found Ryan Mitchell over the middle to convert a third-and-15 and later hit Isaiah Freeman to make good on a second-and-10. His final throw was caught by Freeman on a five-yard slant to seal the win for Tennessee State (5-6, 2-5 OVC).
German finished the game 30-of-46 for a career-high 395 yards – 287 in the second half – in addition to the four scores.
Weldon Garlington caught eight of German’s passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns.
TSU looked like a different team to start the second half and scored its first touchdown of the game when German found Garlington wide open on a go-route. Garlington waltzed into the end zone for a 58-yard score and the Tigers trailed by just eight after the missed PAT by Clark.
After a field goal by APSU (1-9, 1-5 OVC), German hit Garlington again on an uncovered deep route for a 24-yard touchdown. This time, Clark nailed the point, making the score 20-16, with 11:03 left.
Riding high off the momentum from the offense, the TSU defense forced APSU to punt from its own 23-yard line. For the second straight week, the punt hit a Tiger and the kicking team recovered. Three personal foul penalties on TSU later, Taylor snuck into the end zone to raise the lead to 27-16 at the 7:16 mark.
For the third time in the half, German and Garlington connected on a touchdown and German then hit Mitchell for the two-point conversion. TSU trailed by just three, 27-24, with 4:50 to go in the game.
The TSU defense forced a punt on APSU’s next offensive possession, setting up the game-winning drive.
The game started rough for TSU and after a missed field goal on the Tigers’ first drive, APSU marched down the field and scored the game’s first touchdown via an eight-yard run off of left tackle by Otis Gerron. The strike put the home team up, 7-0, at the 6:38 mark of the first quarter.
After two TSU turnovers, Austin Peay found the end zone again in the second quarter when Trey Taylor hit Rashaan Coleman with a 10-yard pass to give his team a two-touchdown lead with eight minutes to go in the half.
The Tigers finally were able to cobble together a scoring drive thanks to 76 yards through the air by German. Once again, however, the offense stalled on the APSU side of the field, but Lane Clark kicked a 41-yard field goal to cut the lead to 14-3 with just under four minutes to play in the half.
The Governors responded with a field goal of their own as the clock hit zeros, and went into the locker room with a two-touchdown lead that they could not hold.
Nick Thrasher once again led the defense with 12 stops and the TSU defense recorded seven tackles for loss.
#1 MISSISSIPPI STATE 45, UT MARTIN 16
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The University of Tennessee at Martin now holds yet another piece of Ohio Valley Conference history after taking on the top-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs on Homecoming at Davis Wade Stadium. The Skyhawks are the first team in conference history to play against a No. 1 ranked FBS opponents, scoring two late touchdowns before falling to Mississippi State, 45-16 on Saturday evening.
The Skyhawks (5-6) totaled 367 yards of total offense and tallied 22 first downs on the evening. Senior tailback Abou Toure made a strong impression against the Bulldogs, carrying the ball 19 times for 94 yards. With today’s performance, Toure sits just 20 yards off a 1,000 yard total for the season.
Jarod Neal and Dylan Favre split snaps under center with Neal getting the start. Neal was 14-for-27 in the contest, tallying 159 yards and two touchdowns – one passing and one rushing. Favre finished the day 8-for-16 with 57 yards through the air.
Defensively the Skyhawks relied on the standout play of All-American candidate Tony Bell who led the team with nine tackles – including one sack and two tackles for loss. Kahlid Hagens made the most of his increase in workload, tallying six tackles on the day.
No. 1 ranked Mississippi State remained perfect on the season, moving to 9-0 on the season. Heisman candidate Dak Prescott was just as advertised, going 14-for-23 with 206 yards and two touchdowns through the air to go along with six carries for 62 yards and one touchdown.
The ground attack for the Bulldogs tallied 254 yards as three players broke free for touchdowns, led by the play of Ashton Shumpert who posted 82 yards and one touchdown on four carries.
The Bulldog defensive unit was anchored by Christian Holmes who tallied nine total tackles while Richie Brown notched seven tackles on the day.
UT Martin would hold strong on defense on Mississippi State’s first possession of the ballgame, forcing a three-and-out before beginning a drive of their own on the 30. The Skyhawks would tally two first downs on the drive, with Toure getting the drive started with an 11-yard rush up the gut. A 17-yard completion from Neal to Tanner would give the Skyhawks another first down before seeing the drive stall on the MSU 39.
The Bulldogs would make quick work on their second drive of the game, beginning on their own four yard line. Stringing together a methodical 13 play drive, MSU ate up 96 yards en route to the endzone. Prescott would push the drive down the field, connecting with his receivers for 38 yards and picking up 13 yards on the ground before finding Brown for a touchdown into the corner of the endzone to put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard.
The Skyhawks would look to respond quickly on the following possession. Favre returned to where he began his career as he opened the second drive under center. Favre would connect with Kyle Kerrick for six yards on the first play of the drive before turning to Toure on the following three plays. Facing third and one, Trent Garland would scamper to the left for 34 yards, moving the Skyhawks into the redzone for the first time in the ballgame. The Skyhawks would capitalize on the redzone opportunity with a 32-yard field goal from Jackson Redditt. With the three points, UT Martin became just the fourth team this season to score on the top-ranked Bulldogs in the first quarter, joining the likes of UAB, Kentucky and Arkansas.
Mississippi State would begin their following drive on their own 13 before marching the length of the field for their second score of the afternoon. Prescott would connect on three consecutive passes totaling 38 yards before turning on the jets with a 48-yard rush down the left sideline for a touchdown, giving the Bulldogs the 14-3 lead just 11 seconds into the second quarter.
The next three combined drives would prove scoreless, resulting in a trio of punts before the Bulldogs punched in their third touchdown of the afternoon. Beginning their drive on their own 48 yard line, Brandon Holloway would prove to be all the Skyhawks could handle. After ripping off a 17-yard carry to the UTM 35, Holloway would cap off the drive with a 35-yard strike down the right sideline and into the endzone to push the margin out to 21-3.
The Bulldogs would get on the board once again in the final minutes of the first half, capping off an 11-play, 60 yard drive with a 27-yard field goal by Evan Sobiesk. With the field goal, Mississippi State would take a 24-3 lead into the break.
Mississippi State would register another big play on their first drive of the second half. After beginning the possession on their own 18, the Bulldogs would meticulously move the ball down the field with small chunks of yardage. The Bulldogs would put a cap on Prescott’s evening as he found Joe Morrow for a 55-yard touchdown reception over the top of the secondary, making the score 31-3.
The home squad would waste little time stretching their lead out further on their next possession. On the first play of the drive on their own 41, Shumpert would break free for a 59-yard scamper up the gut for a touchdown.
The Skyhawks would tally their first touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter. With the drive beginning on the UTM 47, the Skyhawks put together a five-play, 53 yard drive to get back on the scoreboard. The scoring play was capitalized by a 31-yard touchdown from Neal to Matt Axline, serving as his first career receiving touchdown to trim the margin to 38-10.
Down but not out, the Skyhawk defensive unit would come up with a big stop to give the offensive unit prime field position following a recovered fumble on the MSU 18 by Deantae Glover. The Skyhawks would push the ball the final 18 yards over the course of five plays before being capped off with a one-yard quarterback keeper from Neal. Following a blocked PAT, the Skyhawks trailed 38-16 with 7:28 to play.
Mississippi State would cap off the evening’s scoring with 3:37 to play in the game as Damian Williams connected with Jarmoral Graham for a 44-yard touchdown reception.
The Skyhawks would get as close as the MSU 13, driving 71 yards on the final drive of the game but the clock would run out following a completion to Rod Wright on the nine yard line.