SATURDAY'S SCORES
@#1 Jacksonville State 49, Mississippi Valley State 7
Eastern Illinois 40, @Austin Peay 16
@Southeast Missouri 27, Murray State 10
UT Martin 31, @Tennessee Tech 17
@Kentucky 34,
#17 Eastern Kentucky 27 (OT)
#1 JACKSONVILLE STATE 49, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 7
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - No. 1 Jacksonville State polished off the non-conference portion of its 2015 schedule with an impressive performance in less-than-ideal conditions.
Eli Jenkins and Troymaine Pope ran for two touchdowns each in limited action as the Gamecocks routed Mississippi Valley State of the Southwestern Athletic Conference 49-7 at rainy Burgess-Snow Field on Saturday.
Jenkins, Pope and most of the Jacksonville State (4-1) starters had called it a day by the time the Gamecocks built a 35-7 lead at half. JSU piled up 494 total yards, extending its school-record streak of consecutive games with at least 400 yards to 16.
Jacksonville State's defense did its part, intercepting four passes by the Delta Devils (0-5) and limiting the visitors from Itta Bena, Miss., to just 194 yards. Mississippi Valley State has now been outscored 265-49 this season.
Jenkins, last week's conference co-Offensive Player of the Week, accounted for three touchdowns - runs of 22 and 20 yards and a 14-yard TD pass to Ruben Gonzalez in the first quarter - and finished with 175 yards of total offense in only two quarters of work.
He moved into fourth place on Jacksonville State's career total offense list, passing Ryan Perrilloux (2008-09). Jenkins now has 5,573 yards for the Gamecocks.
Pope had touchdown runs of 32 and 2 yards before yielding to his backups. The senior from Anniston eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the seventh time in his career, getting an even 100 on seven carries.
The Ohio Valley Conference's leading rusher is now averaging 122 yards per game.
Josh Clemons added 98 yards on 13 rushes. He scored on a 12-yard touchdown run with 12:33 left in the third quarter and Bo Billups later ran in from the 1 for the Gamecocks' final points.
The Gamecocks' defense, which held on in a 48-41 win at Tennessee-Martin a week earlier, shattered the school mark for most tackles for losses in a game with 18. The Delta Devils were 1-of-14 on third-down conversions.
Jermaine Hough, Rashod Byers, Siran Neal and Lawon DeBardelaben each picked off an MVSU pass.
Byers also blocked a punt with less than a minute remaining before halftime that set up Jenkins' 20-yard touchdown run.
Jacksonville State has an open date next Saturday. It returns to Ohio Valley Conference action on Oct. 17 at Tennessee Tech, the start of a six-game stretch against league opponents to conclude the regular season.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 40, AUSTIN PEAY 16
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - The last three seasons Eastern Illinois has scored more than 60 points beating Austin Peay in each of those games. On a wet and rainy Saturday in Clarksville, the trend looked like it might continue as EIU led 34-10 at the half. The Panthers would go on to win 40-16.
It was the first win of the season for the Panthers as they beat Austin Peay in their Ohio Valley Conference opener for the second straight season. EIU is now 1-3 (1-0 OVC) while APSU fell to 0-5, 0-2 in the OVC.
The Panthers offense drove the length of the field on the opening drive as Devin Church scooted in for a 13-yard touchdown with 11:35 to play. That would be the only score of the opening quarter.
Following a field goal by Logan Birchfield to open the second quarter, EIU scored four second quarter touchdowns to lead 34-10 at the half. Church was in on two of the scores with a 21-yard screen pass from Jalen Whitlow at the 8:27 mark and a 1-yard plunge with 44 seconds left in the half. Church finished with 107 all-purpose yards (81 rushing and 26 receiving). Church, who entered the weekend third in the FCS in all-purpose yards did not have a kickoff return.
Shepard Little pushed the EIU lead to 14-3 with a 6-yard run with 10:36 to play in the second. Little led the Panthers rushing attack with 96 yards.
After the Church screen pass touchdown, Austin Peay countered with a long touchdown run by Kendall Morris. Morris cut around the end and raced 74 yards for the score with 4:48 to play in the first half. Morris finished with 141 yards for the Governors.
EIU closed out the first half with Church’s 1-yard run and a Whitlow 31-yard pass to Isaiah Nelson. Whitlow was 13-of-23 in the first half for 207 yards. The senior finished the day 15-of-30 for 266 yards.
After rushing for a school record 413 yards in last year’s win over the Governors, EIU finished Saturday’s game with 261 yards on the ground and 527 total yards.
Austin Peay had a chance to regain momentum in the third quarter on a quirky play. Mack Weaver blocked a Governors punt inside the APSU 25 yard line. The ball never crossed the line of scrimmage and Governors lineman Jule Pace picked up the ball and rushed for 50 yards, the second biggest offensive play of the season for APSU. The Panthers defense then held on four downs with Dylan Chatman making a big tackle for loss.
The Governors took advantage of two Panther turnovers in the fourth quarter. Kyran Moore had a 33-yard interception for the first turnover. EIU’s defense was able to hold a fourth and one inside the five yard line as Thomas Coronado cut through the line for a stop. The Panthers fumbled the ball on the next play after the turnover on downs. Trey Taylor scored two plays later on a short run. Vince Speller broke up the two-point conversion pass as EIU led 34-16 with seven minutes to play.
EIU’s final score of the game came in the final 30 seconds as EIU fumbled the ball and offensive lineman Scott Taylor picked up the loose ball on the rushed 12 yards to score.
Jourdan Wickliffe led the Panthers defense with nine tackles.
Austin Peay was led on defense by Damien Whitfield with nine tackles.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 27, MURRAY STATE 10
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (2-3, 1-0) held Murray State (1-4, 0-2) to only one touchdown in a 27-10 victory during its Ohio Valley Conference opener at Houck Stadium Saturday.
Southeast's defense dominated a high-powered MSU offense that entered the night averaging 467 total yards. The Redhawks stopped the Racers three times on fourth down and ended three of their drives in the red zone. In the end, that was the difference.
The Redhawks forced two turnovers, including one on MSU's opening drive of the game.
MSU moved the ball all the way to Southeast's 1-yard line before the Redhawks tackled offensive lineman Chris White short of the goal line on consecutive carries. On the next play, KD Humphries completed a pass to Drew Rutland, who fumbled the ball out of bounds inside the front left pylon for a touchback.
After MSU came up empty on fourth down again, the Racers put the game's first points on the board.
Humphries picked up a first down on a 9-yard run and then threw three-straight completions to quickly get the Racers to the Southeast 22. Three plays later, Roman Clay scored from seven yards out to cap an 8-play, 75-yard march, giving MSU a 7-0 lead with 1:59 left in the first quarter.
Southeast scored the next 10 points with a 25-yard field goal by Ryan McCrum and a 24-yard touchdown pass from Dante Vandeven to Paul McRoberts to take a 10-7 halftime lead. McRoberts' touchdown capped a 12-play, 99-yard drive, the Redhawks longest of the season.
The Redhawks quickly added to their lead on their first drive of the second half.
Tremane McCullough ran for 60 yards on four carries and hit paydirt on a 3-yard run to polish off a nice 8-play, 82-yard drive in 3:36. McCullough's second rushing touchdown of the season extended Southeast's lead to 17-7 with 11:26 left in the third quarter.
Connor Mitchell's 21-yard field goal narrowed Southeast's lead to 17-10 at the 5:10 mark, accounting for MSU's only points in the final two quarters.
Back-to-back highlight-reel catches by McRoberts led to another touchdown for Southeast with 24 seconds left in the third period. McRoberts bobbled a 44-yard pass from Vandeven downfield and made an outstanding reception as he was hitting the ground.
He then went up to grab an 8-yard pass from Vandeven and got one foot down in the back corner of the end zone to push Southeast's lead to 24-10.
McCrum's second field goal, this time from 30 yards out, put the finishing touches on the Redhawks 27-10 win.
McRoberts, who had only two catches a week ago, finished with a season-high eight for 169 yards and two touchdowns. It was his first multiple touchdown game this year and he fell just four yard shy of his career-high in receiving yards.
McCullough, who has rushed for over 100 yards in three-straight games, piled up a game-high 220 yards on 27 carries, averaging 8.1 per rush. He had 146 of his yards in the second half alone, becoming the first Southeast player to rush for over 200 yards in a game since Levi Terrell coincidentally gained 215 at Murray State on Nov. 17, 2012.
Vandeven completed 16-of-221 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns en route to earning his first career win as Southeast's starting quarterback.
As a team, Southeast tallied a season-high 495 yards of total offense.
Defensively, Eriq Moore and Chad Meredith paved the way with 11 and 10 tackles, respectively. Meredith also turned in two sacks and had three quarterback hurries in his big performance.
Humphries threw for 359 yards on 36-of-58 passes, while Jeremy Harness posted a game-high 12 receptions for 117 yards to lead MSU. Clay followed with 148 yards and the Racers only touchdown on 16 attempts.
Southeast improved to 8-17 all-time in OVC-openers, starting league play with a win in back-to-back years for the first time in school history.
UT MARTIN 31, TENNESSEE TECH 17
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin football team knows that to compete for an Ohio Valley Conference championship, the Skyhawks have to take care of business on both the field and within the state of Tennessee. The Skyhawks took their first steps towards doing just that, taking an early lead in the annual Sgt. York Trophy series with a 31-17 road victory at Tennessee Tech on Saturday night.
The Skyhawks (2-2, 1-1 OVC) picked up their first OVC victory of the season despite playing through difficult playing conditions with heavy rain smattering the playing surface throughout the duration of the contest. Regardless of what Mother Nature had in store, the Skyhawks remained efficient on both sides of the ball to jump out to an early lead in the contest and eventually lead to a decisive 31-17 victory. Marking a strange trend, the Skyhawks picked up the eighth road victory in the last 10 contest against the Golden Eagles.
The visitors tallied 26 first downs in the contest while notching 476 yards of total offense. Searching for balance on the boxscore, the Skyhawks accumulated 228 yards on the ground while finding 248 yards through the air.
Jarod Neal led a steady offensive attack, directing traffic while completing 25-of-43 pass attempts for 248 yards and four touchdowns. Neal currently ranks eighth in total offense in program history with 4,785 yards along with 46 career touchdowns.
The ground attack was led by the two-headed monster of Ladevin Fair and Trent Garland. Both running backs tallied 18 carries in the contest with Fair picking up a team-best 99 net rushing yards. Garland wrapped up his day with 91 yards despite battling an injury.
Senior wide receiver Rod Wright caught nine passes for 112 yards while averaging 12.4 yards per catch. Along with his nine receptions, Wright tallied a pair of touchdowns, ranking as the first Skyhawks to record back-to-back multi-touchdown reception performances since Jeremy Butler notched consecutive games against Austin Peay and Murray State in 2012. William Tanner also joined in the action, catching seven balls for 63 yards and two touchdowns.
For as successful as the offense was, the defense was even more dominant. The Skyhawks held the Golden Eagles to 17 points while holding their opponent to 199 yards, just 12 first downs and 76 passing yards. The defense tallied one interception while recording eight total sacks, tying the most sacks by any FCS team in a single game this season, joining Alcorn State (twice), Montana and New Hampshire. The total ranked as the most sacks in a game since the Skyhawks had nine against Concordia on Sept. 11, 2008 and most in an OVC game since Oct. 4, 2003 against Tennessee Tech.
Redshirt-freshman James Gilleylen led the team with seven tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss, along with an interception. Damani Taylor recorded 2.5 sacks for 17 yards while totaling five tackles in the contest. His 2.5 sacks ranks as the highest individual sack performance since Tony Bell notched a single-game record of 4.5 against Murray State in 2013.
With the victory, Simpson picked up his 60th career victory to improve to 60-47 overall. Simpson now sits tied for ninth on the OVC all-time wins leaderboard, joining Murray State’s Bill Furgerson on the list.
Tennessee Tech (2-3, 1-1 OVC) was paced offensively by running back Ladari Vanlier who tallied nine carries for 118 yards. Quarterback Jared Davis was 8-of-34 with 76 yards and two touchdowns, finding Brock McCoin for both touchdowns and 62 yards.
After receiving the opening kickoff, the Skyhawks would get on the board first, using a methodical 15 play, 75-yard scoring drive to give the visitor an early lead. The battery partnership of Neal and his receiving core proved to be potent on the opening drive as Weathers, Wright, Tanner and Thompson all tallied receptions as the squad drove the length of the field. The quartet mixture of receivers and Garland on the ground attack moved the ball with fluidity before Neal connected with Wright for a seven-yard touchdown reception.
Beginning its next drive with prime field position, UT Martin saw its drive stumble with a failed fourth down conversion close to the redzone. Despite the failed drive, the Skyhawk defense would respond just two plays later as Justin Jackson tipped a pass in the air and James Gilleylen snared the ball for an interception, returning the ball for 19 yards to the TTU 12. With fresh life, the Skyhawks would capitalize on the field position as Neal hit Tanner for a fade route to the left corner of the endzone for the game’s second touchdown, this one from three yards out to give the Skyhawks a 14-0 lead.
Tennessee Tech would respond on its following possession, not only cutting the lead in half, but ultimately tying the game on back-to-back possessions. After driving the length of the field, the Golden Eagles would get on the board with a 20-yard touchdown completion from Davis to McCoin.
Following the quick answer by Tennessee Tech, UT Martin would gift the ball back to the hosts after a big hit leveled the kickoff returner and the ball squirted into the hands of the Golden Eagles on the Skyhawk 25. Sitting just outside of the redzone, the Golden Eagles would capitalize on a pair of penalties before ultimately seeing Davis and McCoin connect for another touchdown reception, this one from eight yards to tie the game at 14-14.
With the game back to a tie game, the Skyhawks would quickly march down the field to break the slim margin once again. The Skyhawks would string together a nine play drive, chewing up only 3:17 minutes of the clock while traveling 74 yards. Neal would get the Skyhawks in prime scoring position, moving into Tech territory following a 25-yard keeper down the middle. Sitting just outside the redzone, Neal would hit Tanner for the second time, this time for a 22-yard strike to take a seven point advantage in the opening minutes of the second quarter.
The score would stay the same going into halftime as the Skyhawks picked up a big defensive stop, stalling Tennessee Tech’s offense at the UTM one yard line as time expired, taking a 21-14 lead into the break.
Tennessee Tech would come out of the second half looking to get some points on the board. Vanlier would get the Golden Eagles in scoring distance, breaking a 57-yard rush up the middle and into the redzone. The Skyhawks would come up strong on the defensive side, holding their counterparts to a 32-yard field goal by John Arnold to cut the margin to 21-17.
Both teams would see their following drives fall short, exchanging punts and a failed field goal attempt before the Skyhawks found the endzone once again. Garland would rip a pair of rushes, totaling 25 yards before Neal alternated pass completions to Wright and Tanner to move down the field. With the ball in the redzone, Neal would find Wright for a 12-yard touchdown, their second connection of the game.
UT Martin would seal the victory in the fourth quarter as Redditt booted his second field goal of the game, pushing the margin to its final resting place of 31-17.
KENTUCKY 34, #17 EASTERN KENTUCKY 27 (OT)
LEXINGTON, Ky. - A 15-yard touchdown catch over the middle by Devin Borders gave Eastern Kentucky University’s football team a 14-point lead at the University of Kentucky with 7:39 left in the game, but the Wildcats scored two late fourth quarter touchdowns and won 34-27 in overtime.
EKU (2-2) out-rushed UK 180-55 and averaged 3.5 yards per carry. The success on the ground allowed the Colonels to control the ball for 31:15.
A 19-yard punt return by Stanley Absanon with 14:40 left in the game gave Eastern Kentucky the ball at the UK 26 yard line. Dy’Shawn Mobley rushed four times on the short drive for 20 yards. His final carry went up the middle from six yards out for a touchdown. The extra-point put the visitors on top 20-13 with 12:38 left to play.
The Colonel defense held on Kentucky’s next possession. Bennie Coney marched EKU down the field for another touchdown to make it a 14-pont lead. Coney connected with Ben Madon for 27 yards to the UK 37, found Joel Brown for 12 yards to the 22 and then finished it off with the 15-yarder to Borders for six.
Kentucky put together two late scoring drives to tie the game. JoJo Kemp’s 7-yard touchdown run with 4:59 left capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive that took just 2:40 off the clock. Dorian Baker’s 5-yard touchdown reception in the right corner of the end zone completed the comeback with 52 seconds left in regulation. The point-after tied it 27-27.
The Wildcats (4-1) opened overtime with a Patrick Towles to Baker touchdown toss from three yards out. A pass interference call helped Eastern get to the 11 yard line on its possession, but Mobley was gobbled up in the backfield for a 12-yard loss. On 4th-and-12 from the 13, Arien Beasley was sacked on a wide receiver pass play.
Freshman Ethan Thomas carried for 84 yards. Mobley finished with 74 yards and a touchdown. Towles went 29-for-42 for 329 yards for Kentucky. He tossed two interceptions but also had three touchdown throws.
The Colonels got off to a good start when Trey Thomas forced a fumble that Kobie Grace recovered and returned 24 yards into UK territory. A 13-yard pass from Coney to Thomas set up a 4th-and-2 for the Colonels at Kentucky’s 20 yard line. The Wildcats stopped Thomas for no gain on the next play to end the scoring threat.
EKU kept Kentucky off the scoreboard until the final minute of the first quarter when Towles capped a 10-play, 81-yard drive with a 1-yard quarterback sneak.
Eastern’s second quarter fumble was just its second turnover of the season and gave UK the ball at the 50 yard line. However, after a 9-yard pass completion by Towles, Absanon picked off a pass down the right sideline and returned it 22 yards.
EKU took advantage of the turnover, marching down to the UK six yard line. Coney got it started with a 13-yard pass to Thomas. Thomas picked up 34 yards on seven carries, including an 11-yard gainer on 3rd-and-1 from the 20 yard line. On 3rd-and-goal from the six, Coney hooked up with Borders in the left corner for a touchdown. The point-after attempt to tie, hit the right upright to leave the score 7-6.
On the ensuing drive, Noah Spence took Towles down for a 6-yard loss on 3rd-and-11 to force a Wildcat punt. Coney connected on a screen pass to Mobley to get Eastern back in UK territory. Mobley eluded a tackle and then raced down the right sideline for a gain of 31 yards to the 43. On 3rd-and-8 from the 41, Coney kept the drive alive by scampering nine yards for a first down at the 32 yard line. EKU’s attempt to take the lead, on a 47-yard field goal, was blocked.
Kiante Northington’s interception of a Towles pass down the right sideline in the final minute of the first half allowed Eastern Kentucky to stay within one at the break.
Absanon’s 42-yard kickoff return to open the third quarter fueled Eastern’s go-ahead scoring drive. Thomas chewed up 18 yards on three carries, but the drive appeared to stall when Coney couldn’t find an open receiver on a 4th-and-6 at the UK 35 yard line. He slipped out of a sack and ran off the left side to pick up seven yards and a first down. Thomas and Mobley followed with 10 and 13 yard runs to get to the five yard line. After a pair of carries by Mobley got the ball down to the one, Coney rushed to the right to score. Lucas Williams added the point-after for a 13-7 Colonel lead.
Towles kept Kentucky’s next drive alive with a 4-yard run on 4th-and-2 and then put the Wildcats back on top with a 36-yard touchdown pass over the middle to Jeff Badet. UK missed the extra-point, leaving the score tied 13-13.