SATURDAY'S SCORES
Murray State 40, @#15 Eastern Illinois 38
@Tennessee Tech 21, Southeast Missouri 20
#2 Jacksonville State 24, @Eastern Kentucky 7
@Georgia State 31,
UT Martin 6
Mercer 41,
@Austin Peay 34
@Vanderbilt 35,
#25 Tennessee State 17
MURRAY STATE 40, #15 EASTERN ILLINOIS 38
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Senior kicker Connor Mitchell kicked six field goals, the defense forced six turnovers and the offense had its highest rushing output of the season, as the Murray State football team overcame an 18-point deficit to knock off 15th-ranked Eastern Illinois, 40-38, Saturday at O’Brien Field in Charleston.
Down nine points in the fourth quarter, KD Humphries found Jesse Blackburn who went 87 yards to pull MSU within two, at 31-29, with just over 14 minutes to go. Two EIU turnovers later, Mareio McGraw broke off a 77-yard run to put MSU on top for the first time in the game, 35-31. On the two-point attempt, Mitch Stults found Blackburn in the end zone to extend the Racer lead to 37-31, on a play that would later prove crucial for MSU.
With 2:31 to play, Connor Mitchell made his sixth field goal of the afternoon, from 29-yards out, to give MSU a nine point lead. However, EIU answered on the next drive by going 66 yards on 10 plays in just over a minute to cut the lead to 40-38 with under a minute to play. On the ensuing onside kick, after seemingly minutes of bouncing around and touches by both teams, the Racers finally recovered the ball, sealing their first win over a ranked team since 2014.
Murray State finished the game with 236 yards rushing and 299 yards passing for 535 total yards. The Racers were also a perfect 6-for-6 inside the red zone on the day with five field goals and a touchdown.
The Panthers threw three interception and lost three fumbles, but still managed to put up 566 yards of total offense. Mitch Kimble led three EIU quarterbacks by going 16-for-19 with 200 yards and two touchdowns, while Devin Church rushed for 155 yards and two scores. Seth McDonald led the Panther defense with a game-high 13 tackles.
Senior kicker Connor Mitchell set a Murray State record by making six field goals Saturday from 37, 36, 37, 49, 25 and 29 yards. With his six field goals and three extra points gave him 21 points on the afternoon, accounting for over half of MSU’s total 40 points.
Marico Paige had a game-high 13 tackles, while Isaiah Foster had 11 with 1.5 tackles-for-loss and a pass breakup. Bishop Woods had a big game as he came up with nine tackles, the lone sack of the game, 1.5 tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry. Jonathan Jackson also played a big role with eight tackles, 1.0 tackles-for-loss, two breakups and a hurry, while Zachary Wade had nine tackles, 0.5 tackles-for-loss and a breakup.
TENNESSEE TECH 21, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 20
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Southeast Missouri threatened, but as the fourth quarter wound down, it wasn't just the Tennessee Tech football team that was opposing them.
Time was their enemy too.
The Golden Eagles put together a tremendous defensive effort to close out the game, keeping the game scoreless in the final 20 minutes to hold on to a 21-20 Homecoming victory on Saturday.
It wasn't just the defense keeping points off the scoreboard – the Tech defense also put some on. Elliott Normand snagged a Jesse Hosket pass out of the air – only his second interception of the season in 230 passes – and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown.
But Tech's defense also kept the Redhawks out of the end zone, forcing Ryan McCrum to kick a 51-yard field goal in the first quarter, then a 30-yarder in the third – the final scoring play of the contest.
McCrum also missed two touchdowns – a 35-yarder as the second quarter was expiring, then a 30-yarder with 11:53 remaining in the contest.
Josh Poplar also played his part, collecting a career-high 16 tackles, including two for-loss. Clay Davis continued his prowess, collecting 15 stops, while Deontay Wilson had 10.
Offensively, it looked like a completely different game. The Redhawks (2-5, 2-2 Ohio Valley Conference) led 379-244 on total offense, 197-170 on passing and 182-74 on rushing.
But the Golden Eagles were finding the end zone.
Trailing 10-0 after the first quarter, Tech traveled 75 yards on 12 plays, scoring as Yeedee Thaenrat scored on a two-yard run.
Then, just 17 seconds later, Normand returned the Hosket pass for a pick-six, the Nick Madonia PAT giving Tech a 14-10 advantage.
The Redhawks retook the lead as Hosket threw a 47-yard strike to Kristian Wilkerson for a score, but with three minutes remaining in the first half, Dontez Byrd reached out in the end zone, snatching the pass thrown by Michael Birdsong out of reach from the SEMO defender for a 10-yard touchdown.
The Golden Eagles (3-5, 3-3 OVC) led 21-17 at the intermission.
Tech didn't score in the second half, but with the way the defense was working, it didn't have to. The Golden Eagles surrendered just the lone field goal, then shrewd clock management took care of the rest.
And as time started running our for the Redhawks, the clock almost became the 12th man for the Golden Eagles.
Birdsong ended the game with 170 yards and a touchdown on a 14-for-23 passing day. Byrd caught eight of those passes for 97 yards and the touchdown. Thaenrat rushed for 51 yards on 10 carries.
For SEMO, Hosket ended his day with 197 yards on a 15-for-27 effort. Wilkerson caught four passes for 116 yards. Will Young rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown.
#2 JACKSONVILLE STATE 24, EASTERN KENTUCKY 7
RICHMOND, Ky. - The offense lost its way to the end zone, so Jacksonville State's smothering defense had to pick up the slack against Eastern Kentucky.
Reggie Hall, Joel McCandless and Jaylen Hill returned interceptions for touchdowns as the second-ranked Gamecocks escaped with a 24-7 win at Roy Kidd Stadium. It marked the first time in Jacksonville State's vaunted history that its defense scored three TDs in a game via interception returns.
Hall picked off a pass by quarterback Tyler Swofford and raced 88 yards down the Colonels' sideline with 9:34 to go to seal Jacksonville State's 20th consecutive Ohio Valley Conference victory. Hall's pick-six came after McCandless (41 yards) and Hill (60 yards) intercepted passes by EKU starter Bennie Coney and returned them for scores in the second quarter.
Hill added another interception in the fourth quarter and Marlon Bridges also picked off a Coney pass as Jacksonville State improved to 6-1, 3-0 in the OVC with its first conference road win. Eastern Kentucky dropped to 2-5 and 1-3.
Cade Stinnett kicked a 25-yard field goal midway through the third quarter for the only points generated by the normally potent offense.
Josh Clemons ran for a career-high 146 yards on 26 carries as JSU had its second-lowest offensive output of the season with 351 yards. The Colonels' defense limited Eli Jenkins – the OVC's leading rusher at 101.3 yards per game – to 25 yards on 12 carries.
Josh Barge caught six Jenkins passes for 72 yards and extended his streak of games with at least one reception to 45 games, tying the FCS record held by three others.
The Gamecocks snapped Eastern Kentucky's streak of nine straight homecoming wins with their fourth win in a row in the series. The Colonels entered the game ranked 14th nationally at 457.3 total yards per game, but mustered just 260 yards against JSU.
Jacksonville State's offense sputtered in the first half and failed to produce points.
JSU's kicking game continued to have issues as Stinnett was wide right on a 36-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter and had a 41-yard attempt blocked late in the second. The Gamecocks entered the game having converted 83 percent of their trips to the red zone, but were 0-for-2 over the first 30 minutes.
This year's senior class tied the 2012-2015 class with its 40th victory, tying it as the winningest class in Jacksonville State Division I history.
Bridges recorded a team-high eight tackles plus his interception. Hall and Ra'Shad Green had six stops each.
GEORGIA STATE 31, UT MARTIN 6
ATLANTA - The University of Tennessee at Martin football team battled but ultimately fell to its third Football Bowl Championship foe of the season with a 31-6 setback to Sun Belt member Georgia State in the Georgia Dome on Saturday afternoon.
The Skyhawks (4-4) snapped a brief two-game winning streak in the contest despite a strong defensive performance after holding Georgia State to just 285 yards of total offense, ranking as the second-best defensive performance in terms of yards allowed against a FBS squad in school history. Today’s effort trails only the 2006 UT Martin team, which allowed just 144 yards at FBS member Ohio on Sept. 2, 2006.
Defensively it was junior Kahlid Hagens who once again paced the Skyhawks with 10 total tackles – including eight solo stops – marking the third double-digit tackle performance of the season. Senior Caleb Counce pushed his team-leading sack total to four with five tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack in the contest. While the defense forced a pair of turnovers with interceptions by Joseph Este and Kevin Prather, Jr., the offense was limited throughout the game.
The Skyhawks tallied just 15 first downs on the afternoon while tallying 320 yards of total offense. The ground attack featured 31 carries for 110 net yards while the pass game completed 20-of-40 passes for 210 yards and no touchdowns. Along with the ability to break through with a touchdown, a pair of critical turnovers via a fumble and interception return led to 14 of the Panthers 31 points in the contest.
Georgia State (2-5) posted its second victory of the game behind a Homecoming crowd which totaled 15,223 fans. The Panthers benefited from reserve quarterback who was thrust into action by completing 8-of-16 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown through the air while leading the team with 16 rush attempts for 75 yards on the ground. The duo of Darius Stubbs and Glenn Smith each tallied touchdowns in the contest while Marterious Allen (23-yard fumble recovery) and B.J. Clay (38-yard interception return) scored on the defensive side of the ball.
UT Martin started the game in unfamiliar territory. After beginning six of the team’s first seven games with an early lead, it was Georgia State who got on the scoreboard first in the contest late in the first period. After stringing together a long drive on their opening possession, Georgia State could not punch it in as the Skyhawks stalled the drive with a defensive stop on the two. After falling short, the Panthers would respond on their ensuing drive. The Panthers would tally three first downs to move inside the redzone before a seven-yard completion from Winchester to Smith would break the scoreless tie.
Georgia State would push its lead out to 10 points midway through the second quarter. With a prime field position out of the gates, the Panthers would ultimately get all the way down to the six-yard line before the Skyhawks tallied three consecutive defensive stops. Forced to attempt a field goal, Rogier Ten Lohuis would split the uprights with a 23-yard field goal to make it a 10-0 contest.
UT Martin would look to string together its best drive of the first half in the final minutes of the second period. The Skyhawks would nearly see the drive stall on the first set of downs but a big third-down conversion from Troy Cook to freshman Rod Williams for 37 yards would not only give the Skyhawks a first down but reverse the field. The Skyhawks would need another big conversion, this time on fourth-and-six as Cook found senior Greg McKillion for a 17-yard pass to breathe new life. Set up just outside of the redzone, Mitch Mersman would post a new career-long by booting a 44-yard field goal to make it a one-possession game heading into the break.
Georgia State looked to pad its lead in the third quarter but it was the team’s defense which left its mark. With UT Martin driving down the field, the Panthers’ Kaleb Ringer would force a fumble by Najee Ray before Allen returned the ball 23 yards into the endzone. The defense would make another stand on the following drive as Clay tallied his first of two interceptions while returning the pick-six 38 yards for the team’s second defensive touchdown of the third quarter to take a 24-3 lead.
The Skyhawks would finally put some more points on the board in the fourth quarter. With Cook re-entering the game, he would string together a scoring drive which featured 10 plays for 54 yards. Cook would find Ben Axline for an 11-yard completion before Marquez Grayson ripped off a 19-yard carry. With the drive stalling just outside of the redzone, the Skyhawks would turn to Mersman once again where he made a 39-yard field goal to trim the deficit to 24-6.
With the Skyhawks’ first team defense taking the rest of the afternoon off, Georgia State pounced on the opportunity to pad the team’s lead. After a pair of carries by Stubbs would tally a first down, the ball-carrier would break loose for a 35-yard touchdown scamper down the right sideline to put the finishing touches on the 31-6 victory.
MERCER 41, AUSTIN PEAY 34
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - The Austin Peay State University football team totaled 500 yards of offense for the first time since 2006, but came seven points short, 41-34, of completing a comeback against Mercer, Saturday, at Fortera Stadium.
The Governors scored twice in 33 seconds late in the fourth quarter, both cutting the deficit to a touchdown. Freshman Kentel Williams led the offense with three rushing touchdowns, while junior receiver Jared Beard (181 receiving yards) and redshirt senior Timarious Mitchell (22-for-33, 261 yards) each had career-high performances.
The Govs committed four turnovers in the contest, all four occurring in Mercer territory. The Bears were able to turn the takeaways into seven points, proving to be the difference in the end.
For Williams, he becomes the first freshman running back to score three times in a single game since Rashaan Coleman did so in 2013 vs. SEMO, tying the APSU freshman record.
Freshman quarterback JaVaughn Craig made his collegiate debut, providing a dual-threat weapon in the backfield. Craig finished the night with 137 total yards (84 rushing, 53 passing).
The freshman duo of Craig and Williams combined for 140 yards on 29 carrries and three scores in the backfield for the Govs.
Beard’s 181 yards is the third time this season the receiver has topped the 100-yard mark. He moves to seventh all-time in both receptions (116) and career yardage (1,444).
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Gunnar Scholato finished with 13 tackles, the fifth time to record double-digits this season.
The APSU defense held Mercer to 0-for-12 on third down.
VANDERBILT 35, #25 TENNESSEE STATE 17
NASHVILLE - Tennessee State jumped out to a 14-7 first quarter lead, but was not able to keep the pace as they dropped a 35-17 contest to Vanderbilt on Saturday evening. The two teams, playing for just the second time and the first time since 2006, played in front of 31,084 at Vanderbilt Stadium, as well as in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPNU.
Ronald Butler totaled 325 yards as he rushed for 40 yards, while throwing for 285 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers fell to 5-2 on the season.
Khari Blasingame ran for 100 yards and scored three touchdowns for Vanderbilt, as they improved to 4-4. Blasingame was one of two Commodores who went over 100 yards on the ground. As a team, Vandy rushed for 385 yards, which helped the SEC opponent outgain the Tigers 501-410.
Patrick Smith was on the other end of both of Butler’s scoring passes. The first came on the second play of the game as Smith caught the Butler pass in stride at his own 38 yard line and out ran the Vandy defense to the end zone. The scoring play tied for the second longest in the FCS this season and the longest in the Ohio Valley Conference.
The play also tied for the second longest in school history, matching a Joe Gilliam, Jr. to Joe Sweet connection which was set Nov. 22, 1969.
After Vanderbilt evened the score at 7-7, The Memphis, Tenn., native hauled in his second touchdown of the game on a two-yard reception to put the Tigers on top, 14-7. Smith now has eight touchdowns on the season and 18 in 17-games over two years.
Smith finished with seven receptions for 170 yards, averaging 24.3 yards per catch.
Vanderbilt answered midway through the second quarter making the score 14-14. The Tigers came right back behind the running of running back Erick Evans. The redshirt junior busted through the Commodore defense for back-to-back runs of 23 and 21 yards, respectively. The second of the two carries moved the Tigers down to the Vanderbilt with six minutes to go in the half.
The drive stalled, making the Tigers settle for a 37 yard field goal, which put the Big Blue back on top, 17-14.
The lead was the last for TSU as Vanderbilt needed less than three minutes to move 78 yards in five plays to enter the end zone for a 21-17 advantage with 1:46 remaining in the half.
The Tigers tried to respond after receiving the ball at their own 35 after the Commodores kicked the ball out of bounds. Butler opened the drive with a 17 yard pass to Steven Newbold crossing into Vandy territory. TSU continued the attack as Evans ran for three yards and caught a ball out of the backfield for another 17, moving down to the 28. Two plays later, the Tigers last minute push ended as Butler was intercepted with 35 seconds remaining on the clock.
The second half was controlled by the Vanderbilt running game as the scored on the opening drive of the fourth quarter extending the lead to 11 at 28-17. The Commodores added the insurance score midway through the fourth quarter to close out TSU.
Evans finished the game with 98 all-purpose yards, earning 69 on the ground and 29 through the air. Newbold added to the Tigers pass attack with five catches for 62 yards.
Defensively, Antonio Justice, Jr. tallied a team-high eight tackles, while fellow linebacker Chris Collins added seven solo tackles. David Kamara collected six tackles and earned a pair of pass breakups.
In his first game back, after missing two due to injury, Ebenezer (Ebo) Ogundeko had two tackles, including a sack and a quarterback hurry. The sack gives the defensive end 5.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss in five games played this season.