SATURDAY'S SCORES
Eastern Illinois 21, @Miami (Ohio) 17
Tennessee Tech 41, @Austin Peay 7
@Southern Illinois 30,
Southeast Missouri 22
Missouri State 28,
@Murray State 22
Tennessee State 40, Jackson State 26 (Memphis, Tenn.)
@#21 LSU 34,
#4 Jacksonville State 13
@Hawaii 41, UT Martin 36
EASTERN ILLINOIS 21, MIAMI (OHIO) 17
OXFORD, Ohio - Following a two hour, forty-five minute weather delay Saturday’s game between Eastern Illinois and Miami came down to the final 56 seconds as the Mitch Kimble hit Devin Church for a 7-yard touchdown pass as EIU won 21-17.
It was the sixth win over an FBS program for Eastern Illinois with the last coming during the 2013 season a 40-19 win over San Diego State. EIU improved to 1-1 on the season and will play at Illinois State next Saturday afternoon in the 105th playing of the Mid-America Classic. ISU upset Northwestern earlier on Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers trailed 17-7 late in the third quarter and appeared to be running out of time after a botched snap on a 29-yard field goal attempt allowed Miami to get the ball back with a 17-7 lead.
Kimble went to work driving the Panthers down the field trimming the lead to 17-14 with 3:57 to play as he connected with Dennis Turner for a 3-yard touchdown pass. Kimble was 19-of-32 for 150 yards in the game. Seventy of those yards came in the fourth quarter on the Panthers two scoring drives after Kimble had 80 yards passing in the opening half.
The final drive was set up after the Panthers defense forced a 3-and-out accompanied by two Miami penalties that had the RedHawks punting out of their own end zone. Following the punt, EIU took over at its own 49 yard line. In the winning drive Kimble had a 14-yard rush that kept the drive alive as he finished with 49 yards rushing.
After the Panthers go ahead score, EIU was able to sit back and rely on its defense to help pick up the win. Bradley Dewberry had a tipped pass while Jarvis Williams added a sack and another tackle. Miami was unable to get a final snap off as the clock ran to 0:00.
EIU is now 6-33 all-time against FBS schools. Five of the six wins have come over current Mid-America Conference members.
A couple of first half miscues gave Miami an early 10-0 lead over Eastern Illinois. The Panthers were able to trim that lead to three points at the half.
Eastern Illinois defense came up big following an EIU turnover midway through the second half. The Panthers then gave the ball right back to the RedHawks with a penalty on the punt return. Billy Bahl found Rokeem Williams on the first play following the penalty for a 51-yard touchdown pass to put Miami up 10-0 with 7:37 to play.
The RedHawks had taken a 3-0 lead in the first quarter on a Sam Sloman 31-yard field goal after the Panthers made a defensive stand inside the red zone.
EIU’s offense cut the lead to a field goal with a long drive to end the second quarter. Kimble hit Addison Bounds for a 3-yard touchdown with 57 seconds remaining in the half. On the drive EIU converted on all four third down attempts after going 0-for-4 on their previous third down attempts in the half.
Miami quashed any momentum EIU had gained with a late second quarter score as they marched down to open the second half with a 7:09 drive that ended with a Bahl 14-yard touchdown pass to James Gardner. Bahl was 13-of-22 for 250 yards.
Pono Choy was active for the Panthers defense finishing with 15 tackles. Jarvis Williams added nine tackles with the sack. Nick Horne had a second quarter interception, the Panthers first turnover gained of the season.
Miami owned the time of possession with a 35:37 to 24:23 margin. Heath Harding and Brad Koenig led the RedHawks with eight tackles each.
TENNESSEE TECH 41, AUSTIN PEAY 7
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - 493 yards of offense. One thing was sure as Tennessee Tech opened its Ohio Valley Conference slate with a dominating 41-7 win over Austin Peay -- the Golden Eagles came out to play.
The victory marked the first in the career of head coach Marcus Satterfield and also put the Golden Eagles in an early lead in both the conference and the Sergeant York Trophy race.
It was also a record-breaking night for several Tech players. Josh Poplar had another strong game, forcing two fumbles, tying the school record with seven other players. Quarterback Michael Birdsong threw four touchdowns, tying with Tre Lamb and Robert Craft for the second-most in a game. Birdsong lit up the Governor defense, throwing for 280 yards on 19-for-27 passing.
The Tech defense also held Austin Peay to 86 rushing yards – the lowest total in two seasons by the Golden Eagle defense – and 157 yards passing.
Yeedee Thaenrat opened up the scoring for Tech (1-1, 1-0 OVC) with a 25-yard run, then Birdsong threw three touchdown passes – an eight-yard strike to Andrew Goldsmith, a 23-yarder to Austin Hicks and a 39-yard bomb to Jordan Smith – to give the Golden Eagles a commanding 28-0 advantage at the intermission.
The one defensive blemish of the night was a 72-yard touchdown pass from Marvin Franklin to Timarious Mitchell for a Governors' score.
McCoin caught Birdsong's final TD of the night on a 10-yard pass, then Nick Madonia added to his his 5-for-5 night on PATs with a 27- and a 22-yard field goal.
Thaenrat led the Golden Eagles on the ground with 84 yards and a score on 14 carries, while Roderick Napper ended the game with 63 yards on eight carries, averaging 7.9 yards a carry. McCoin led Tech in receptions with seven for 52 yards, while Kip Patton led in yardage with five catches for 102 yards.
Timarious Mitchell led APSU (0-2, 0-1 OVC) with 54 yards rushing on nine carries and 128 yards passing on a 4-for-13 night.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 30, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 22
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southeast Missouri (0-2) scored 13 fourth-quarter points, but it wasn't enough to overpower rival Southern Illinois (1-1) in a 30-22 loss Saturday night at Saluki Stadium.
SEMO and SIU met for the 84th time in a game which included a combined 22 penalties for 186 yards.
The Redhawks were flagged 14 times for 94 yards and trailed, 27-9, before making their fourth-quarter push.
On the first play of the final period, Jesse Hosket threw a 22-yard pass to Kristian Wilkerson for SEMO's first touchdown of the game. A missed two-point conversion left the score at 27-15 with 14:53 left to play.
SIU countered with a 27-yard field goal by Matt Sotiropoulos to grab a 30-15 advantage at the 9:44 mark.
SEMO went to work again with good field position at its 44-yard line. A 12-yard completion from Hosket to Adrian Davis followed by a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty gave the Redhawks a first down at the Saluki-23. After Hosket was sacked for a loss of seven, SEMO faced a fourth-and-16 when Hosket hooked up with Darrius Darden-Box for a 29-yard touchdown cutting the Salukis lead to 30-22 with 5:08 left.
Still not finished, the Redhawks forced SIU to punt and had one last chance with 2:47 on the clock. SEMO's final drive came to a halt at its own 41-yard line when Hosket's pass to C.J. Curry fell incomplete on a fourth-and-3.
The Redhawk defense tallied its first fourth-down stop of the season on the opening drive of the game. The Salukis faced a fourth-and-1 at their own 34-yard line when Kendall Donnerson dropped Daquan Isom for no gain.
After an offside penalty by Jefferson Vea on fourth down extended SEMO's drive, Ryan McCrum gave the Redhawks a 3-0 cushion on a 36-yard field goal with 10:29 left to play in the first quarter.
SEMO nearly forced a turnover on SIU's ensuing possession. JJ Flye, who made his first start of the season at cornerback, stripped the ball from Darrell James after James made a 32-yard reception. The Salukis, however, recovered and used a 37-yard field goal by Sotiropoulos to tie the game at 3-3 with 6:47 remaining.
Two more field goals by McCrum, consisting of 23 and 36 yards, respectively, expanded the Redhawks lead to 9-3 before SIU scored just before the half.
Josh Straughan gave SIU a first-and-goal when he completed a 5-yard pass to Jimmy Jones on a fourth-and-3. Four plays later, Jonathan Mixon hit paydirt on a 1-yard run to give the Salukis their first lead (10-9) at the intermission.
SIU began the second half with two touchdowns in the first 7:10 of the third quarter. Straughan threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Connor Iwema, capping a 5-play, 72-yard march at the 12:39 mark.
On SEMO's next drive, Chase Allen jarred the ball loose from tailback Will Young. James Caesar scooped up the ball and dashed 47 yards for a touchdown widening SIU's lead to 24-9 with 7:50 on the clock. Sotiropoulos kicked an 18-yard field goal to end a 6-play, 82-yard drive for SIU with 1:05 remaining in the third quarter.
Statistically, both teams were evenly matched as SIU outgained SEMO, 403-395. The Redhawks finished with 33:54 mark in time of possession.
Young ran for 100 yards on 22 carries, posting his second 100-yard game in as many starts this season. Hosket completed 17-of-39 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns, while Davis had a career-high six receptions for 103 yards to lead SEMO. Defensively, Roper Garrett paved the way with nine tackles. Donnerson added six tackles and 1.5 sacks, as well. The Redhawks recorded three sacks in a game for the second time this year. In addition, McCrum moved to fifth all-time in career field goals at SEMO.
Straughan threw for 265 yards and a touchdown on 16-of-34 attempts to lead SIU, which won its first game under head coach Nick Hill.
MISSOURI STATE 28, MURRAY STATE 22
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State football team found itself in an early 13-3 hole and was never able to recover, falling to Missouri State, 28-22, at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray. Despite throwing for 356 yards and two touchdowns, senior quarterback KD Humphries committed an uncharacteristic four turnovers, including three interceptions. The Bears were able to turn two of the four turnovers into touchdowns, helping to seal their first win over the Racers since 2009.
The Racers closed the gap late in the third quarter and trailed, just 21-19. However, despite pinning Missouri State deep in their own end zone in the fourth quarter on a muffed punt return, the Bears scored with just over six minutes to play, extending the lead to 28-19. With under two minutes to go, Murray State cut the lead to just six on a Connor Mitchell field goal, but couldn’t recover the ensuing onside kick, allowing Missouri State to hold on for the win.
Connor Mitchell was perfect 3-for-3, a career high, on field goals in the game with kicks of 31, 36 and 37 yards and was 1-for-1 on PAT attempts. He also notched another career-high of two touchbacks on five kickoffs with an average of 60.8 yards per kick.
Jordon Gandy also had a career night with career-highs of five catches for a total 104 yards and two touchdowns. His first was a 55-yarders, while his second was quick one-yard strike.
Lamont Crittendon finished the game with 12 tackles, including a game-high 3.0 for a total loss of eight yards. He also blocked a field goal in the second quarter and came up with a tackle on fourth and three in the first quarter that forced a turnover on downs. Zachary Wade led Murray State in the game with 13 total tackles, including a team-high five solo. Meanwhile, D’Montre Wade, no relation, came up with Murray State’s only interception of the game, as well as a pass breakup and a tackle.
Breck Ruddick completed 21 of 37 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns to lead Missouri State. Malik Earl led the receiving corps for the Bears with four catches for 98 yards, while Deion Holliman had 66 yards on five receptions. Calan Crowder rushed for 99 yards and a score to lead the 174 yard rushing attack for Missouri State. Defensively, Dylan Cole racked up a game-high 14 tackles, forced a fumble and intercepted a pass, while McNeese Egbim followed with 12 tackles.
TENNESSEE STATE 40, JACKSON STATE 26
MEMPHIS - Southern Heritage Classic Player of the Game O’Shay Ackerman-Carter lifted the Tennessee State football team to a 40-26 victory over Jackson State at the Liberty Bowl on Saturday night. The victory helps TSU improve to 2-0 and drops Jackson State to 0-2.
Ackerman-Carter finished 14-for-18 for 227 yards and two passing touchdowns, while also recording his first career rushing touchdown. Defensively, Ebenezer Ogundeko posted a team-best 11 tackles with Ezra Robinson adding six tackles and an interception, which he returned for a touchdown.
TSU trailed Jackson State 23-19 at the half before outscoring JSU by a 21-3 margin in the second half to pull away.
#21 LSU 34, #4 JACKSONVILLE STATE 13
BATON ROUGE, La. - Death Valley on a Saturday night. Many of college football's marquee programs have ventured into the LSU Tigers' den and emerged with a loss.
FCS No. 5 Jacksonville State took the fight to 21st-ranked LSU early, but the hosts relied on big plays and the arm of reserve quarterback Danny Etling to claim a 34-13 win before 98,389 at Tiger Stadium, the largest crowd ever to watch the Gamecocks.
Jacksonville State drops to 1-1. The Gamecocks are now 1-7 all-time against Southeastern Conference opponents.
Senior quarterback Eli Jenkins accounted for 330 yards against LSU to move past the 9,000-yard mark for his storied career.
The Birmingham native hit on 17-of-35 passes for 248 yards with one touchdown and one interception while leading the Gamecocks' run game with 82 yards.
The opening kickoff was pushed back almost an hour when lightning moved into the Baton Rouge area. JSU didn't seem affected by delay or the big stage and dominated the game's first 15 minutes, limiting LSU – which played without injured star running back Leonard Fournette – to only 12 total yards.
Jenkins quieted the rain-soaked crowd by leading Jacksonville State on a 33-yard drive for the game's first points. Cade Stinnett converted on a 30-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter as the Gamecocks jumped out to a 3-0 lead.
Etling, a transfer from Purdue, took over for embattled starter Brandon Harris on the third LSU series and immediately infused some spark in the Tigers' struggling offense. Etling directed touchdown drives of 70, 79 and 64 yards as LSU turned an early deficit into a 20-10 lead.
Jenkins trimmed LSU's cushion to 13-10 on a 76-yard scoring pass to Krenwick Sanders at the 3:55 mark in the second quarter. Sanders' touchdown reception came on the first play after LSU (1-1) had scored on a four-yard run by Derrius Guice, Fournette's replacement.
A pair of LSU touchdowns in 47 seconds before halftime put the Gamecocks in a hole they could not dig out of.
The backbreaker came with 20 seconds left as Tre'Davious White fielded Dean Kelly's punt at the LSU 40, backpedaled 20 yards, then shook free from numerous JSU pursuers and raced to the end zone. Colby Delahoussaye added the extra point as the Tigers carried a 27-10 lead to the locker room at halftime.
Stinnett tacked on a 33-yard field goal with 4:30 left in the fourth to narrow JSU's deficit to 34-13.
Marlon Bridges recorded a game-high 11 tackles to lead the Gamecocks defense. LSU had 371 total yards to JSU's 368.
Guice finished with 155 yards on 19 carries.
HAWAII 41, UT MARTIN 36
HONOLULU - The University of Tennessee at Martin football team went toe-to-toe with a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent for the second consecutive week, holding several leads in the contest and in the final quarter of play. Despite the team’s resilience, the Skyhawks fell just short against Mountain West foe Hawai’i on Saturday evening, 41-36.
The Skyhawks (0-2) battled throughout the contest, scoring first against their FBS opponent for the second consecutive week and for the fifth time in school history. While the defense forced three turnovers once again while the offense found its rhythm, the Skyhawks final possession on both sides of the ball determined the final outcome.
After jumping out to an early lead which reached as high as 10 points early in the third quarter, UT Martin allowed 21 unanswered points to the Rainbow Warriors, flipping the momentum onto the side of the home squad. Resilient in their approach, the Skyhawks battled back in the contest, scoring back-to-back touchdowns to take a slim lead midway through the fourth quarter. Needing a stop, UT Martin would allow the eventual game-winning touchdown to score while watching the team’s final opportunity end with an interception with just over a minute to play.
As a team the Skyhawks won nearly every statistical category. The team produced 22 first downs while tallying 214 yards on the ground and 204 yards through the air to combined for 418 yards of total offense. The team’s 214 yards on the ground marked the first time that UT Martin had rushed for at least 200 yards on a FBS opponent since the Skyhawks ran for 269 yards at Mississippi State on Nov. 5, 2011.
Leading the Skyhawk rushing attack was sophomore running back Jaimiee Bowe who notched his second straight 100-yard rushing performance. Bowe tallied 18 carries for 113 yards and one touchdown while averaging 6.3 yards per carry. Senior tailback Ladevin Fair also joined in the action, tallying 12 carries for 81 yards while also notching 41 yards receiving.
Thrust into action following an injury in the season opener, junior quarterback Troy Cook made the most of his first career start by posting several personal-best marks. Cook completed 12-of-26 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns. Cook connected with senior receiver Ben Axline three times for 104 yards and one touchdown – including a 65-yard completion in the fourth quarter.
Senior safety Tae Martin and sophomore linebacker Kevin Prather, Jr. paced the team with six tackles each while freshman James Gilleylen tallied the team’s lone sack of the evening. The trio of Kahlid Hagens, Chris Williams-Hall and Sheldon Dawson each posted an interception in the contest.
Hawai’i (1-2) picked up its first win of the season in its home opener. The Rainbow Warriors were led offensively by the play of quarterback Ikaika Woolsey who completed 9-of-18 passes for 205 yards and four touchdowns despite his three interceptions. Woolsey’s main target was Marcus Kemp who he connected with three times for 103 yards and three touchdowns. Diocemy Saint Juste also posted a strong performance with 16 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, the Rainbow Warriors were led by Jalen Rogers who tallied seven tackles, one tackle for loss and an interception.
Much like the week before, UT Martin wasted little time looking to prove its worth against its FBS opponent. After beginning the team’s opening drive on its own 24-yard line, the Skyhawks would march down the field by stringing together a 10-play, 64-yard drive. Bowe would be explosive, ripping rushes of 14, 11 and 20 yards to push the ball into striking distance. The strong opening possession would set up a 27-yard field goal attempt by Mitch Mersman who converted his first career field goal to give the Skyhawks an early 3-0 lead.
Hawai’i would respond on the following possession, stringing together an 11-play, 81-yard drive to take its first lead of the contest. Looking to move the ball through the air, Woolsey would tally three first downs on the drive, completing passes of 10, 16 and 37 yards to set up first and goal. He would complete the scoring opportunity with a seven-yard completion to Kemp, giving the home squad a 7-3 advantage.
The Skyhawks next drive would stall before the defense gave the squad new life. Following a three-and-out for the Skyhawks, the defense proved dynamic as Dawson intercepted Woolsey before returning the ball 22 yards into Hawai’i territory. With a new life, the Skyhawks would turn to the air with a 29-yard completion from Cook to Fair before finding Kyle Kerrick for a 12-yard touchdown. The touchdown served as the first of the season for both players while giving the Skyhawks a 10-7 lead heading into the second quarter.
UT Martin would stay on the offensive on the following possession. Taking over on the team’s own 15, the Skyhawks turned to Fair who ripped a 46-yard carry down the right sideline to flip the field and move the guests into enemy territory. Faced with a fourth and short, Bowe would continue the drive with another first down. With the ball inside the redzone, Cook would look to the air to find CJ McElrath for a wide open 16-yard touchdown into the left corner of the endzone – giving the Skyhawks a 17-7 advantage.
A costly fumble by the Skyhawks would give the Rainbow Warriors prime field position to start its next scoring drive. Taking over on the UTM 19, a pair of rushes by Steven Lakalaka would be punctuated by a 15-yard touchdown run to trim the margin to 17-14.
After taking a lead into halftime against a FBS opponent for the second straight week, UT Martin would look to pad its advantage on the team’s first drive of the second half. Three consecutive carries would result in a first down before seeing the drive seemingly stall. Faced with fourth and two, Bowe would rip off a 26-yard touchdown up the middle to pad the team’s lead to 24-14.
Hawai’i would mount its comeback attempt in the third quarter and into the fourth, scoring 21 unanswered points. A muffed punt return resulted in the Rainbow Warriors starting their next possession on the Skyhawk 25. Following a short rush, Saint Juste broke loose over the right side for a 24-yard touchdown to trim the margin to single digits. Another three-and-out for the Skyhawks would result in another scoring chance for the home squad. In Skyhawk territory, Hawai’i would go through the air for a 33-yard completion from Woolsey to Kemp for their second connection of the night, giving the Rainbow Warriors a 28-24 lead.
The Rainbow Warriors would stay on a roll to open the fourth quarter, stringing together an eight-play, 80-yard drive to extent the margin. Hawai’i would rush the ball six times on to start the drive, moving into Skyhawk territory before Woolsey found Metuisela Unga for a 36-yard touchdown over the middle. With the big 21 points swing, the hosts erased a 10-point deficit and held an 11-point advantage.
Needing a spark of the offense, UT Martin found just what it was looking for early in the fourth. With the ball on the 35-yard line, Cook connected with Axline over the middle for a 65-yard strike to make it a 35-30 contest following a failed two-point conversion attempt.
Still trailing by five in the fourth, the Skyhawks looked to their special teams’ unit to get the squad back on top. After not returning a punt for a touchdown since the 2011 season, newcomer Londell Lee snapped that drought with a 79-yard return down the Skyhawk sideline and into the endzone to give the guests a narrow 36-35 lead.
Trailing once again, Hawai’i made a push to quickly regain the lead and slow the Skyhawks momentum. The Rainbow Warriors would convert on a long third down situation following a 14-yard quarterback scramble by Woolsey to move towards midfield and keep the drive going. With a fresh set of downs, Woolsey would rely on his strong arm by connecting with Kemp down the sideline for their second touchdown of the night, this time of the 63-yard variety which proved to be the game-winning score of 41-36.
UT Martin would string together one final push on its last drive of the game. Pinned on their own 11, the Skyhawks converted on a third and 16 with a 16-yard completion from Cook to Caylon Weathers extending the drive. The squad would continue down the field before the duo of Cook and Weathers found each other once again, this time for a six-yard completion on fourth and four. Despite having new life, back to back sacks would later lead to an interception on fourth and 29 to seal the game’s fate.