SATURDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Kentucky 17, @Miami (Ohio) 10
#9 Jacksonville State 26, @#13 Chattanooga 23 (OT)
@Alabama State 27,
#14 Tennessee State 21
#25 Southern Illinois 38,
@#14 Eastern Illinois 21
@#25 Louisville 66,
Murray State 21
@Kansas 34,
Southeast Missouri 28
@Central Arkansas 26,
UT Martin 24
@Indiana State 49,
Tennessee Tech 14
EASTERN KENTUCKY 17, MIAMI (OHIO) 10
OXFORD, Ohio - Junior wide receiver Jeff Glover’s trick-play touchdown pass to junior Deno Montgomery late in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference as the Eastern Kentucky University football team stunned FBS member Miami (Ohio), 17-10, on Saturday afternoon at Yager Stadium.
With the game tied, 10-10, and both offenses sputtering in the fourth quarter, EKU (2-0) turned to trickery for the historic win. Glover took the second handoff on a backfield reverse and connected with a wide-open Montgomery downfield for a 43-yard touchdown that gave the Colonels the lead with 4:43 to play.
Junior Stanley Absanon – who had the equalizing pick six in the third quarter – sealed the victory by intercepting Miami (0-2) quarterback Andrew Hendrix on the RedHawks’ ensuing drive.
It is EKU’s first win over an FBS program since 1985 when the Colonels defeated Louisville, 45-21.
The EKU defense stifled Miami to only 60 yards rushing. Although the RedHawks threw for 359 yards, the Colonels picked off Hendrix three times and boasted a +4 turnover margin on the day.
Miami drew first blood in the game, as Hendrix connected with Jared Murphy on a 40-yard touchdown pass on the third play of the day.
The EKU defense settled down after the early score and forced two straight Miami punts.
Colonel special teams then got in on the action as senior Chris Owens recovered a muffed punt at the Miami 15-yard line. Senior Andrew Lloyd converted a 37-yard field goal to make it 7-3 with 2:05 remaining in the first quarter.
Miami threatened midway through the second quarter, driving the ball 73 yards to the EKU four-yard line. However, sophomore Devin Borders blocked a 21-yard field goal attempt by the RedHawks.
Keyed by a 43-yard catch by senior Channing Fugate, Eastern responded with a 52-yard drive of its own to the Miami 20. But, a pass by senior Jared McClain was intercepted in the end zone and returned for a touchback.
The Colonels had another chance to score with just under three minutes to play in the first half, as junior Trey Thomas sacked Hendrix and forced a fumble at the Miami 24. Junior Marquise Piton scooped up the fumble with daylight in front of him, but was hit from behind and lost a fumble at the Miami 20.
The RedHawks took the ball to the EKU 35-yard line on their ensuing drive, but senior Brandon Stanley picked off a pass by Hendrix with a minute on the clock.
The Colonels then took the ball 47 yards in less than a minute to the Miami 23, but a holding penalty with 12 seconds on the clock knocked EKU out of field goal range.
Miami chewed up clock on its opening drive of the second half, going 68 yards in just over six minutes and thirty seconds. The drive looked to culminate with a five-yard touchdown pass from Hendrix to Alex Welch, but a jarring hit by Absanon knocked the catch loose and Miami had to settle for a chip shot field goal to take a 10-3 lead.
Absanon was not done. After a three-and-out by EKU, Miami drove the ball to its own 46-yard line before Absanon jumped an out route and took the ball 55 yards up the sideline for a game-tying touchdown with 3:53 remaining in the third quarter.
#9 JACKSONVILLE STATE 26, #13 CHATTANOOGA 23 (OT)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Jacksonville State needed overtime to give John Grass his first win as its head coach.
Quarterback Eli Jenkins sprinted 13 yards for a touchdown to lift the ninth-ranked Gamecocks (1-1) to a 26-23 overtime victory over No. 13 Chattanooga before a crowd of 14,285 at Finley Stadium Saturday night. The win was Jacksonville State's sixth over the Moccasins in the last seven meetings.
At halftime, the Moccasins had more touchdowns (2) than first downs (0) after Dee Virgin intercepted Jenkins and returned it 55 yards to the end zone in the first quarter and Lucas Webb picked off a deflected pass by Max Shortell and ran 37 yards for another score in the second.
Chattanooga ran only 18 plays in the first half and failed to make a first down. The Gamecocks had 265 total yards at halftime, while UTC's offense netted minus-5.
Grass' first career victory as a college head coach didn't come easy.
The Gamecocks led 17-14 at halftime, then sputtered offensively during the second half. The game was tied 20-20 at the end of regulation, and UTC took its only lead on the first series in overtime as Henrique Ribeiro kicked a 29-yard field goal to put the Mocs ahead 23-20.
But Jacksonville State didn't waste any time scoring on its overtime possession.
Two runs by DeMarcus James moved the Gamecocks to the UTC 13, and Jenkins finished off the winning drive by racing 13 yards up the middle on a called quarterback draw.
Chattanooga (0-2) was limited to 111 total yards, the fewest allowed by a Jacksonville State defense since moving to Division I. The previous low was 114 yards by Eastern Kentucky in 2006.
The Mocs' initial first down came with under 11 minutes left in the third quarter on a 9-yard run by Keon Williams.
Jenkins led JSU on a six-play, 67-yard scoring drive on its first possession. He completed passes of 10 yards to Markis Merrill and 28 yards to Josh Barge and Miles Jones finished things off with a 12-yard run over right tackle for a 7-0 lead.
James ran four yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to cap an 88-yard, 11-play Gamecocks drive. Connor Rouleau's extra point made it 14-7 with 10:06 left in the second.
Rouleau added a 42-yard field goal - his first as a collegian - later in the quarter for a 17-7 JSU lead. He would later add a 21-yard field goal early in the third.
Jacksonville State out-gained the Mocs 409-111 and had 22 first downs to UTC's 9. JSU dominated time of possession, 46:27 to 28:33.
Saturday night's crowd at Finley Stadium was the fifth-highest in UTC's history.
ALABAMA STATE 27, TENNESSEE STATE 21
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - A furious fourth-quarter rally came up one play short, and Tennessee State dropped its first game of the season, 27-21, at Alabama State.
The Tigers scored 13 points in the fourth stanza and had 207 of their 432 yards in the final frame.
The TSU defense only surrendered 49 yards on 14 plays in last 30 minutes, but gave up 444 in the game.
Quarterback Mike German finished 26-of-61 for 340 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. German’s 61 attempts shattered the old school record of 55 attempts in a game set by Brian Ransom in 1981.
Daniel Fitzpatrick and Nick Thrasher led the defense with 11 tackles apiece.
The Tennessee State offense was completely stagnant for the game’s first 13 minutes and did not even have a first down. Luckily for the Tigers, the defense bailed out the unit by scoring the game’s first points via a safety.
Anthony Bass recorded his second sack in as many plays, and his hit caused ASU quarterback Daniel Duhart to fumble. Both sides tried to pick up the ball, but it squirted into the end zone and then out for two points for the visitors.
After the score, lightning in the area stopped play for nearly an hour. The TSU offense looked as though it found its stride after the delay, as German completed three straight passes for 37 yards. However, Cameron Carter’s 38-yard field goal try went wide left and the first quarter ended with TSU up, 2-0.
German was sharp to start Big Blue’s next series, connecting on five straight routes for 55 yards. Again, the TSU drive sputtered on the ASU side of the field, setting up another Carter field goal attempt. Carter’s try was blocked and ran back 85 yards for an Alabama State touchdown, giving the Hornets a 7-2 advantage with 7:36 to go before halftime.
Following a German interception, ASU got the ball in the waning seconds of the half and a 44-yard scamper by Malcolm Cyrus gave the Hornets a shot at a field goal. The chance was well short, but TSU was flagged for too many men on the field. ASU took advantage of the un-timed down and nailed the 32-yarder to make the score 10-2 at the break.
The second half started with another lightning delay, and then ASU’s Duhart flashed his arm, completing a 70-yard bomb to Cyrus on the wheel route for a touchdown. With only two minutes gone in the third, the Hornets upped their lead to 17-2.
German threw his second interception of the game on TSU’s next series and Duhart made TSU pay by completing a pair of passes for 33 yards and then running into the end zone from 30 yards out on a read-option. With the score, ASU led by 22 at the 10:32 mark.
The Tennessee State offense finally found the end zone seven minutes later when German hit Ryan Mitchell on a crossing route for the six-yard score. The toss capped off a 13-play, 72 yard drive.
ASU countered with a field goal and then German was intercepted for the third time on TSU’s next series.
German cut into the lead with a little over 10 minutes to play in the game, this time with his legs. His one-yard sneak put TSU down by just two scores, 27-14.
ASU was content to run down the clock on its next possession, and TSU took over with just over six minutes left. Dantwaun O’Neal converted a 4th-and-15 later in the drive and then German found Garlington with an 18-yard strike with 4:30 left. Garlington raced towards the end zone but fumbled at the goal line. Mitchell was the right place and recovered Garlington’s fumble to make the score 27-21 in favor of the home team.
The TSU defense forced a three-and-out and German found Tom Smith on a delayed route that went for 26 yards to the ASU 32-yard line. The Tigers later converted another first down by running the ball, but that was the last they could manage. A holding call set up a 4th-and-20 and German’s pass deflected off of O’Neal and hit the turf.
#25 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 38, #14 EASTERN ILLINOIS 21
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois led 21-14 at the half before Southern Illinois scored 17 unanswered points in the third quarter to pull away for a 38-21 win in a match-up of two nationally ranked teams.
SIU, ranked No. 25, improved to 2-0. EIU, ranked No. 14, dropped to 0-2 and will play at Illinois State next Saturday in the 103rd playing of the Mid-America Classic.
Malcolm Agnew rushed for three touchdowns and 147 yards to carry the Saluki offense. Agnew scored on a two-yard run with 5:06 to go in the first to put SIU up 7-0. He would add a 32-yard run with 6 minutes to go in the second half that broke a 7-7 tie. On that run, Agnew rolled off an EIU tackler as he appeared to be down, but continued to run towards the end zone for the score.
Despite the production by Agnew in the first half, EIU was able to go into the locker room with a 21-14 lead. Andrew Manley hit Anthony Taylor with a 6-yard pass with 28-seconds left in the first quarter which tied the contest. Manley passed for 240 yards going 19-of-30 with the one touchdown. He did throw two interceptions, one inside the EIU red zone.
Taylor Duncan tied the game for EIU with a 4-yard run with 3:13 left in the first half and Manley scrambled for a 7-yard score with 32 seconds left in the half to put EIU in the lead.
SIU tied the contest to open the second half going 75-yards on nine plays as LaSteven McKinney caught a 19-yard touchdown from Mark Iannotti. Agnew broke the tie with his third touchdown coming with 5:44 left in the third.
SIU closed out its scoring with a 50-yard field goal by Thomas Kinney and a 2-yard Hans Carmien touchdown reception from Iannotti.
For the second straight week EIU’s offense outgained its opponent finishing with 451 yards of total offense compared to 379 for SIU. Shepard Little rushed for 76 yards for EIU while Adam Drake caught nine passes for 139 yards.
MyCole Pruitt was SIU’s top pass receiver with seven catches for 61 yards. Iannotti finished 25-of-34 for 233 yards with one interception.
Adam Gristick led EIU’s defense with nine tackles. Anthony Standifer had five tackles with one interception. SIU’s defense was led by Tyler Williamson with 11 tackles and one sack.
#25 LOUISVILLE 66, MURRAY STATE 21
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Despite scoring the most points against an FBS program in nearly 15 years, No. 25 Louisville proved to be too much for Murray State on Saturday evening, as the Cardinals topped the Racers, 66-21, at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in Louisville.
The Racers’ 21 points were the most against an FBS opponent since scoring 28 in a loss to Middle Tennessee in 2000, the Raiders’ first season in the Sun Belt. It was also the most points MSU has scored against Louisville, or any team currently in a power five conference, since topping the Cards, 26-23, in 1984.
Both teams went three and out in their opening drives, but in the Cardinals’ next drive they would score on three plays for 43 yards to take an early 7-0 lead. Louisville (2-0) would continue that trend for the next nine drives as they scored on each one tallying eight touchdowns and one field goal over the span. The Cards were finally forced to punt with 2:13 left in the third quarter for the first time since the opening drive.
With the score at 14-0 in the first, Murray State (1-1) did get on the board with a CJ Bennett pass to Janawski Davis, who took the ball 57 yards for the score. In the third quarter, KD Humphries found Davis, who this time took the ball nine yards for his second touchdown of the night, cutting the lead to 59-14. Just minutes later, in the early moments of the fourth quarter, Humphries tossed a slant pass to Jeremy Harness, who cut the lead to 59-21 with the 16 yard reception. The Cardinals would go on to score one more touchdown in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring at 66-21.
Davis finished the contest with 100 yards receiving and two touchdowns, both of which were game and career highs. It was not only the first 100-yard receiving game of his career for Davis, it also marked first time that a Racer had registered between 100-149 yards in game since Walter Powell did so against Eastern Kentucky in 2012.
Bennett finished the game at 13-for-19 for 158 yards with two touchdowns, while Humphries was 8-for-19 with one touchdown and an interception. In other receiving, Harness ended his night with seven catches for 50 yards, while Jesse Blackburn had six catches for 57 yards and Nevar Griffin had 3 for 44.
Defensively, Travis Taylor stole the show for the Racers with a game-high 12 total tackles, seven of which were solo, both of which were also career highs. He also had 2.0 tackles for loss for a total of 13 yards including a seven-yard sack. Jonathan Jackson followed Taylor on the night with seven total tackles, including four solo, and a hurry.
KANSAS 34, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 28
LAWRENCE, Kan. - Southeast Missouri (1-1) nearly pulled off a monumental comeback when it scored 28 second-half points, including 21 in the fourth quarter during a 34-28 loss to Kansas (1-0) Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.
Southeast trailed, 24-0, at halftime before outscoring KU 28-10 in the final two quarters.
Paul McRoberts caught six passes for a career-high 173 yards and accounted for two of the Redhawks fourth-quarter touchdowns. McRoberts' 173 yards were the most by a Southeast receiver since Miles Edwards had 208 vs. Southwest Baptist on Aug. 28, 2008.
KU scored 24 points in the first quarter and appeared to be on its way to a lopsided victory, but Southeast stormed back.
The ferocious comeback started when the Redhawks capitalized on a wild play to gain momentum early in the third quarter.
Tim Hamm-Bey blocked a 49-yard field goal attempt by Matthew Wyman. Reggie Jennings picked up the ball and pitched it to Eriq Moore. Ron Davis then wound up with the ball after it went off Moore's hands and ran 18 yards to the KU 37-yardline.
KU was flagged for a personal foul which tacked an extra 15 yards onto the end of the play, giving Southeast excellent field position at the Jayhawks-22.
Four-straight rushing plays followed and DeMichael Jackson scored the Redhawks first touchdown of the game on a 7-yard run to narrow KU's lead to 24-7 with 10:34 remaining in the third quarter.
Southeast's Darrius Darden-Box recovered an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, but the Redhawks were forced to re-kick after being ruled offside. Immediately after the re-kick, Montell Cozart threw a 67-yard touchdown pass to Tony Pierson widening the Jayhawks lead to 31-7 just 17 seconds later.
Down, 34-7, Southeast opened the final quarter with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Snyder to Spencer Davis five plays into its drive. Davis made a nice catch in the back corner of the end zone in heavy coverage for his first TD reception of the season. Snyder also threw a 41-yard completion to McRoberts earlier in the drive to set up the score.
After Wyman missed a 49-yard field goal, Snyder threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to McRoberts on the very next play to slice KU's lead to 34-21 with 10:39 left in the game.
Southeast forced the Jayhawks to punt and took over on downs at its own 11-yardline.
Lennies McFerren made some big runs, including a 29-yard carry on a 2nd-and-11, helping get the Redhawks into KU territory. On 4th-and-1 at the Jayhawks-41, Snyder picked up a first down to keep the drive alive.
Following a false start penalty by Southeast, Snyder completed a 12-yard pass to McRoberts to give the Redhawks a 1st-and-10 at the KU-29.
Southeast later faced a 4th-and-7 at the Jayhawks 26-yardline after two more false start penalties. McRoberts then made a spectacular catch in between two defenders in the end zone, as the Redhawks pulled to within six (34-28) with 1:33 on the clock. McRoberts' TD closed out a 14-play, 89-yard march that consumed 6:36.
Nick Harwell recovered Southeast's onside kick and KU managed to escape.
KU got on the board first with a 43-yard field goal by Wyman. On the second play of the drive, Tony Pierson ran 39 yards down the near sideline to move the Jayhawks in field goal range before Wyman's kick gave KU a 3-0 lead.
Matthew Boateng intercepted Snyder's third-down pass on Southeast's next possession and KU had the ball at the Redhawks 36-yardline.
Three plays later, Corey Avery ran Montell Cozart's pitch 10 yards into the end zone, pushing the Jayhawks lead to 10-0 with 9:45 left to play.
KU added another score, this time on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Cozart to Harwell. The play polished off a 9-play, 81-yard drive as the Jayhawks went ahead 17-0 at the 4:06 mark.
After Southeast punted for the fourth time, KU started at its own 34-yardline. Harwell scored his second touchdown of the game when he caught a 10-yard pass from Cozart on a 3rd-and-6, grabbing the Jayhawks a 24-0 advantage.
Southeast did not have a first down and gained only 42 yards in the first quarter. The Redhawks also averaged 3.2 yards per play on its first four drives of the game.
Despite their slow start, the Redhawks (421) nearly caught up with the Jayhawks (457) in total yards.
Snyder completed 12-of-27 passes for a career-high 269 yards and three touchdowns. He had three interceptions, as well.
Along with his game-high 173 receiving yards, McRoberts completed the first pass of his career. He took a lateral from Jackson on a reverse and threw the ball 28 yards to Peter Lloyd.
McFerren finished as Southeast's leading rusher with 47 yards on six carries. He averaged just under eight yards (7.8) per carry.
Defensively, Roper Garrett registered double-digit tackles for the second-straight game. Garrett had a game-high 14 tackles with 13 solo stops. He added one sack, a tackle for loss and forced a fumble.
De'Andre Mann rushed for 121 yards on 15 carries to lead KU.
Additionally, Southeast committed 14 penalties for 174 yards.
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 26, UT MARTIN 24
CONWAY, Ark. - The University of Tennessee at Martin football team trailed for only 4:29 of clock time this evening at Southland Conference power Central Arkansas but the Bears scored 12 unanswered points to close out the game in a 26-24 Skyhawk loss at Estes Stadium.
UT Martin (0-2) took the lead with 8:55 remaining in the second quarter and carried a 21-7 lead into the locker room at the half. However, the Bears outscored the Skyhawks by a 19-3 margin in the last 30 minutes of play.
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Kyle Kerrick had a breakout day offensively, hauling in career-highs of 150 yards receiving on nine catches, including the Skyhawks’ go-ahead touchdown in the second quarter. Corey Jordan also was on the receiving end of a UT Martin score and came up just shy of the century mark for receiving yards (99 yards on five catches).
Jarod Neal earned the start at quarterback, throwing for 276 yards on 20-of-28 passing. The redshirt junior added a team-high 34 yards of rushing, accounted for three touchdowns overall (two passing, one rushing).
Defensively, Taino Fears-Perez piled up a career-best 14 tackles (eight solo) while Deilouse Jackson also registered a career-high 11 tackles.
Taylor Reed passed for 157 yards and a touchdown while rushing for a game-high 66 yards on the ground for Central Arkansas, who improves to 1-1 after a narrow seven-point loss at Football Bowl Subdivision member Texas Tech last weekend. Ryan Howard also saw time at quarterback, passing for 94 yards – including the go-ahead 14-yard touchdown pass with 1:11 remaining in the contest.
Both teams were held off the scoreboard on their first offensive possessions. Central Arkansas would strike first after Reed found Blake Veasley to give the Bears a 7-0 advantage at the 8:40 to go in the first quarter.
The Skyhawks would answer right back to tie the game on the ensuing drive. Neal went 3-for-3 passing – completing passes for 14, 29 and 26 yards – and put an exclamation point on the drive with a four-yard rushing touchdown to make the score 7-7 at the 5:22 mark.
UT Martin then forced Central Arkansas to punt on its next possession and Neal took advantage. He hit Jordan for a 32-yard strike down the middle on the second play of the drive and later added a 25-yard rush on 3rd-and-11 to extend the drive. After the run, Neal was on target for his next three pass attempts – including a four-yard rocket in the back of the end zone for Kerrick. After Jackson Redditt’s successful PAT, the Skyhawks claimed a 14-7 lead with 8:55 to go in the second quarter.
Central Arkansas was then limited to a three-and-out on its next offensive possession, as a Bear punt placed the ball at the Central Arkansas 48-yard line. Dylan Favre then took over at quarterback and helped march the ball to the Bears’ 27-yard line but the Skyhawks came up empty in the scoring column.
The Skyhawk defense once again tallied a three-and-out on Central Arkansas’ next possession. Trent Garland accounted for rushes of five and 12 yards on the first two carries of the UT Martin drive while Neal then went 3-of-5 passing to close out the drive. Neal connected with Ronald Carswell (seven yards) and Kerrick (21 yards) before finding Jordan over the middle for a 14-yard scoring strike to cap off a seven-play, 59-yard drive that lasted 2:03.
The Bears then took over with 51 seconds left in the first half and UT Martin stood its ground, as Fears-Perez batted down a last-second hail mary pass attempt to close out the second quarter and ensure the Skyhawks would take a 21-7 lead into the halftime break.
Central Arkansas would score on its first possession of the second half, as a Willie Matthews seven-yard touchdown at the 11:25 mark of the third quarter made the game a one-score contest.
UT Martin then pieced together a prolonged nine-play, 67-yard drive that lasted 4:36. The possession concluded when Redditt split the uprights on a 34-yard field goal attempt to pad the Skyhawk lead to 24-14.
The Skyhawk defense then came up with a couple of big plays. After Central Arkansas crossed into the red zone, Marquis Clemons broke through for a solo tackle for no gain and Deantae Glover followed with a sack for a loss of eight yards on the next play. That would result in a 34-yard field goal for the Bears, who made the score 24-17 with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter.
After UT Martin’s next offensive drive stalled, Central Arkansas went 16 plays for 71 yards before settling for a 20-yard field goal to make the score 24-20 with 10:15 to go.
On the Skyhawks’ ensuing possession, Neal would target Kerrick for gains of 20, 10 and 25 yards. UT Martin would advance the ball down to the Central Arkansas 35-yard line before punting for a touchback, giving the Bears the ball at the 20-yard line with 3:20 remaining.
With the game on the line, Central Arkansas connected on a 17-yard pass on 4th-and-15 after the Skyhawk defense had forced three straight incompletions. Two plays later, Howard hit Courtney Whitehead for a 14-yard touchdown pass but the PAT failed to give the Bears a 26-24 lead with 1:11 left to play.
On UT Martin’s ensuing possession, Central Arkansas came away with an interception – UT Martin’s first turnover of the game – with 55 seconds left to essentially end the game.
INDIANA STATE 49, TENNESSEE TECH 14
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Ladarius Vanlier raced 72 yards with a punt return for his touchdown. Jordan Patrick merely had to pick up a bouncing ball in the end zone.
Tennessee Tech scored touchdowns on back-to-back punts by Indiana State in the third quarter to try and ignite a second-half comeback, but the Golden Eagles (1-1) had simply too much ground to make up.
Indiana State (1-1) took advantage of three first half Tennessee Tech turnovers and one huge missed tackle to claim an early 28-0 lead and finish with a 49-14 non-conference victory over the Golden Eagles Saturday afternoon in Memorial Stadium.
The Sycamores turned an interception and two fumble recoveries into a 21-0 lead at the intermission. They also converted a third-and-45 with a pass over the middle and a missed tackled that turned a 15-yard gain into a 63-yard pickup to the one-yard line, setting up the first score of the afternoon.
ISU quarterback Mike Perish threw for 383 yards and three touchdowns, and had three long connections, one for a touchdown and two that set up easy scores.
Down 28-0 after an early Sycamore TD in the third quarter, Tech got on the scoreboard midway in the period when Patrick bulled through the line and blocked a punt out of the ISU end zone. He picked up the bouncing ball for a Golden Eagle touchdown to cut the margin to 28-7.
A minute-and-a-half later, Tech scored another touchdown on a punt, this time when Vanlier received an ISU kick at Tech 28 along the right sideline. He spun around and reversed field, picked up blocks, and returned the kick all the way for a 72-yard touchdown.
But those two highlights were about it for Golden Eagle fans, who watched as ISU added three more touchdowns. The first came on a 31-yard pass into the corner of the end zone from Perish to Gary Owens, who piled up 199 receiving yards on six catches. That came with 4:54 left in the third quarter.
In the final minute of the third, Perish heaved one deep down the right sidelines that Owens hauled in for a 79-yard gain, getting tripped up at the nine. On the next play, Perish hit Jamar Brown for a TD and a 42-14 lead to open the fourth.
Four minutes later, LaMonte Booker broke through the middle for a 20-yard touchdown and the final score.
Monte scored the first touchdown on the final play of the first quarter, despite Tech dominating play for most of the first 15 minute. It was Perish and Owens again, this time pulling the Sycamores out of a huge hole. Beginning with a first-and-55 following three penalties, ISU subsequently faced third-and-41 from its own 36.
Perish hit Owens over the middle, but he bounced off two Golden Eagle tacklers and turned a 15-yard completion into a 63-yard gain to the Tech one, setting up Booker's TD.
Taking over after recovering a fumble at the Tech 27 late in the second, ISU moved 27 yards in six plays for a 14-0 lead as Perish backed into the end zone behind his offensive line.
Tech lost another fumble on the next possession, setting ISU in motion at the Tech 39. Four plays later, Perish hit Brown for a six-yard score to make it 21-0 at the half.
With 383 yards through the air, ISU finished with 543 yards of offense on 71 plays. Tech had 72 plays but managed just 166 total yards, with 61 on the ground and 105 through the air.
Vanlier finished with 200 all-purpose yards. In addition to his 72-yard punt return, he also had a 46-yard kickoff return among his credits. Darian Stone was Tech's leading rusher with 37 yards on eight tries. He also caught a career-high eight passes for 57 yards.
Marty Jones led the Tech defense with eight tackles, while Austin Tallant had seven tackles and broke up two passes.