SATURDAY'S SCORES
@#15 Tennessee State 58, Edward Waters 6
@Memphis 63,
Austin Peay 0
@Kentucky 59,
UT Martin 14
#15 TENNESSEE STATE 58, EDWARD WATERS 6
NASHVILLE - Junior running back Tom Smith found solid footing on a soggy opening night, leading Tennessee State past Edward Waters, 58-6, in the 16th annual John Merritt Classic on Saturday night.
Smith had 151 yards on 12 carries and added four touchdowns en route to being named the Offensive MVP. Smith’s four rushing scores were the most for a Tiger since Trabis Ward’s four against Southeast Missouri on Oct. 13, 2012.
Anthony Bass was named the game’s Defensive MVP after recording four stops, two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and an interception. Bass anchored a defensive unit that only allowed 76 yards of total offense, five first downs and did not give up any points.
The Tennessee State offense got off to a slow start, fumbling on the first play from scrimmage and then committing three straight false start penalties.
TSU finally found the end zone at the 5:31 mark, as German hit fellow senior Je-Marc Sears with a short pass and then the tight end ran the rest of the way for a 24-yard touchdown. The rain soaked turf caused a bad hold on the point after, so TSU was forced to settle with a 6-0 lead.
A Bernell Brooks interception later in the first set up a 23-yard Carter field goal, and the Tigers held a 9-0 lead with only a minute to go in the first.
Tennessee State’s special teams produced a big play to kick off the second period as De’Ante Saunders ran back a punt for a score, making the score 16-0 with just over 12 minutes to play before halftime. Saunders’s punt return for a touchdown was TSU’s first since Oct. 8, 2011 when Weldon Garlington scampered 91 yards against Southeast Missouri.
Javon Brandon and reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Year Bass each recorded their first career interceptions in the second quarter - two of the eight combined first half turnovers.
Smith and Stephen Hopkins combined for 127 yards on 10 carries and two scores in the second quarter, and TSU led EWC 30-6 at the break.
The TSU defense was impregnable in the opening 30 minutes, only allowing 18 yards of total offense, including negative-one on the ground, and only one first down.
Smith scored two more touchdowns within the first five minutes of the second half to put TSU up by 38 and the Tigers forced their fifth turnover to close out the third quarter. After another turnover late in the stanza, Martine Stevenson took the first play of the fourth period 17 yards for a touchdown and finished the contest with 92 yards on 10 carries.
Running back Greg White added a late score as part of his 98-yard day and the Tigers walked away with a 52-point victory.
There were a total of 11 turnovers in the contest and TSU committed 18 penalties for 102 yards.
MEMPHIS 63, AUSTIN PEAY 0
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Memphis scored on its first six offensive possessions, including five rushing touchdowns, as Austin Peay State University lost its season opener, 63-0, a contest played Saturday night at the Liberty Bowl.
It was APSU's fourth straight season-opening loss—all to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. The Govs last season-opening win was a 38-6 home victory against Cumberland in the 2010 season.
Memphis fashioned impressive drives of 60, 56, 66 and 69 in the first half mixed in with ones of 15 and 24 to command the contest. Memphis only first-half punt come with five seconds left in the half.
The Govs mustered just three first-half first down and crossed midfield just once. APSU was outgained 329 to 47 in the first 30 minutes and 545 to 146 for the game. The Governors ended with eight first downs on the rainy night.
Memphis sophomore quarterback Paxton Lynch threw for 188 first-half yards and a TD while rushing for two more TDs and 29 yards. He finished 20 of 27 for 242 yards and two TDs. He was the only Tiger to throw a pass on the night.
APSU junior quarterback Trey Taylor, taking his first career snaps, completed just one pass (six attempts) for nine first half yards while freshman Darrien Boone, also making his first college appearance, completed just one of three passes for five yards. For the game, the Govs completed 6-of-16 passes for 30 yards.
The Govs' lone offensive first-half bright spot was Justin Roberson, who had 50 yards rushing on eight attempts, although it was Boone who had the Govs' longest offensive play—a 39-yard second-half run.
Defensively, safeties Johnathan Shuler and Damien Whitfield combined for 15 first-half tackles, meaning the secondary was involved in many of the plays. Sophomore corner Rod Owens had an interception, a pass breakup and forced a fumble.
Boone helped engineer APSU deepest penetration into Memphis territory as two Rashaan Coleman runs—plus a 15-yard personal foul penalty—and a Boone 19-yard run helped the Govs get to the Memphis 36. But that is where the drive stalled as APSU was shutout for the second straight game dating back to the 2013 finale.
KENTUCKY 59, UT MARTIN 14
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The University of Tennessee at Martin football team piled up nearly 400 yards of offense but big plays by Kentucky resulted in a 59-14 Skyhawk loss at Commonwealth Stadium in the 2014 season opener today.
The Skyhawks came away with 398 total yards (215 passing, 183 rushing) but turned the ball over five times against the Southeastern Conference foe.
Jarod Neal and Dylan Favre split time at quarterback today. Neal earned the start, completing 18 of his 25 pass attempts for 173 yards and a touchdown while Favre went 5-for-9 for 42 yards and two interceptions.
The UT Martin quarterback duo found 13 different receivers today. William Tanner, who walked on at Kentucky for three years before joining the Skyhawk program this spring, led the team with four catches for 61 yards. Corey Jordan also caught a team-high four passes for 59 yards while redshirt freshman Caylon Weathers hauled in a touchdown catch in his first career game.
Abou Toure led the Skyhawk rushing attack today, gaining 81 yards on 17 carries. Trent Garland had the longest rush of the day for UT Martin (22 yards) while Najee Ray scored the Skyhawks’ first touchdown of the game.
Defensively, Taino Fears-Perez had a team-high seven tackles for UT Martin while Deilouse Jackson had two of the team’s six tackles for loss. Fears-Perez and Devontay Barnett each had a pass breakup as well for the Skyhawks.
James Satterfield had four punts for 167 yards (41.8 average) this afternoon for UT Martin, tallying a pair of punts inside the Kentucky 20-yard line. Jackson Redditt was a perfect 2-for-2 in extra point opportunities.
For Kentucky, Patrick Towles passed for 377 yards and had two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing). Braylon Heard (116 yards) and Mikel Horton (45 yards) each had two rushing touchdowns while Jojo Kemp (rushing) and Blake Bone (receiving) also scored touchdowns today.
The Skyhawks came out strong defensively, forcing a turnover on downs when Kentucky failed to convert a fourth down on the UT Martin 36-yard line.
Kentucky got on the scoreboard first, scoring on a two-yard touchdown rush by Kemp at the 7:02 mark of the first quarter.
On its ensuing possession, UT Martin would march the ball down to the Kentucky 39-yard line before being forced to punt.
The Wildcats then scored again on their next possession as Heard found the endzone on a 73 yard rush with 1:44 left to play in the first quarter.
A 43-yard rushing touchdown by Heard made the score 21-0 in Kentucky’s favor. UT Martin would answer back with an impressive drive, as Favre connected with Rod Wright for an 18-yard gain on 3rd-and-7. Favre would also hit Kyle Kerrick for a five-yard pass on 4th-and-3 to extend the drive to the Kentucky 32-yard line. However, the Skyhawks couldn’t advance the ball any further.
Kentucky scored on a 3rd-and-10 on its next possession. UT Martin brought an all-out blitz and just before the Skyhawks could bring down Towles, he found Bone for a 29-yard screen pass for a touchdown to make the score 28-0.
Toure provided back-to-back first downs on UT Martin’s next possession. He rushed for 10 yards on second down and hauled in a 12-yard pass from Favre on the next play. Unfortunately, the Skyhawk drive would stall and UT Martin was forced to punt. Satterfield’s 50-yard punt pinned Kentucky all the way back to its own 9-yard line.
The Wildcats would add one more score on an 18-yard rush by Horton with 54 seconds left before halftime to take a 35-0 lead into the locker room.
UT Martin’s defense started off well in the second half, keeping Kentucky off the scoreboard on their first drive thanks to a missed field goal.
The Skyhawks picked up a pair of first downs on the ground on their ensuing possession, highlighted by a 22-yard rush by Garland. However, the drive ended on an interception and the Wildcats would take advantage, as Towles scrambled in from 23 yards out to give Kentucky a 42-0 lead with 12:02 to play in the third quarter.
Satterfield pinned another punt inside the Kentucky 15-yard line but the Wildcats responded with a 79-yard pass to set up another score. The Skyhawks held Kentucky to a field goal after Nick Dance and Ryan Isom combined for a tackle for loss on a 3rd-and-goal rush attempt from the 2-yard line.
UT Martin then moved into the red zone for the first time in the game, as Neal guided the Skyhawks down the field for 64 yards in 10 plays before Kentucky recovered a fumble and took it 89 yards for a touchdown to make the score 52-0.
The Skyhawks responded with a long scoring drive of their own to start the fourth quarter. Neal converted on three long passes during the drive, including a 22-yard toss to Jordan and a 20-yard strike to Tanner on fourth down plays. A 2-yard touchdown rush by Ray capped off a 14-play, 75-yard drive that took 4:06 off the clock.
The UT Martin defense then forced another Kentucky punt after a three-and-out. Neal then led the Skyhawks to another scoring drive, this time going 12 plays for 76 yards in a span of 5:01. Tanner hauled in another 20-yard grab on the drive before Neal tossed a perfectly-placed pass to Weathers for a 15-yard touchdown with 5:49 to play in the contest.
Kentucky would add a touchdown on a 14-yard rush by Horton with 4:13 remaining.