SATURDAY'S SCORES
Murray State 13, @#25 UT Martin 10
#4 Jacksonville State 34, @Austin Peay 14
Tennessee State 45, @Eastern Kentucky 21
@Eastern Illinois 24, Tennessee Tech 23
MURRAY STATE 13, #25 UT MARTIN 10
MARTIN, Tenn. - The Murray State football team scored 10 points in the final five minutes of Saturday’s game at 25th-ranked UT Martin, including a Gabriel Vicente field goal as time expired, to rally and knock off the Skyhawks, 13-10, at Hardy M. Graham Stadium in Martin, Tennessee.
In a game where neither team garnered over 300 yards of total offense, points were hard to come by in the contest. Despite both teams having chances in the first 30 minutes of the ball game, at halftime the only points on the board were a field goal for each team. In the third quarter, again each offense had its moments, but both defenses stepped up, leading to another scoreless quarter for both teams.
However, the fourth quarter was about as exciting as one could imagine with a wild series of events leading to the Murray State win. After Murray State’s first drive of the stanza stalled at the 50, Khalid Hagens returned the Racers’ punt 67 yards for touchdown, to put his team on top 10-3 with 11:19 to play. On the ensuing Murray State drive, Hagens came up big for UT Martin again by picking off Shuler Bentley and returning the ball to the MSU 43-yard line to give the Skyhawks the ball with 10:09 remaining.
On the next drive, UT Martin used up 4:09 of clock time only to come up empty after a missed Mitch Mersman field goal. With the following MSU drive starting at the Racer 20-yard line, Bentley jump started the possession with a 33-yard pass to Jensen Feggins, followed by a four-yard rush of his own to put Murray State at the UTM 43. On the next play, despite Bentley finding Rodney Castille for 11 yards, the play was called back due to holding on the Racers, giving MSU a second-and-16 from their own 47-yard line.
Facing a second-and-long situation with time slipping away, Bentley found Austin Thomas who went 48 yards down the field, only to fumble at the five-yard line. With the game on the line and the ball loose, MSU’s DeQuan Dallas fell on the fumble for the touchdown to tie the game at 10, after a Vicente extra point that was made in the driving rain.
After James Sappington kicked the ball into the UT Martin end zone on the ensuing kickoff, the Skyhawks took over on their own 25-yard line with 4:34 to go in regulation. On the very first play of the drive, Lamont Crittendon forced and recovered a fumble by the Skyhawks’ Marquez Grayson to give MSU a shot at the win with 4:27 on the clock.
With just 31 yards separating MSU from the goal line, the Racers needed positive yardage and solid clock management in order to pick up the victory. After a 17-yard rush by Nolan Nichols put Murray State at the Skyhawk 17-yard line, a fumble by the Racers backed them up to the 24-yard line. Facing a third-and-19 with 2:10 to go, UT Martin was charged with a facemask penalty which gave MSU at first-and-10 at the Skyhawk 12-yard line.
After the next two plays pushed Murray State back to the 17-yard line, head coach Mitch Stewart took a timeout with six seconds left in order to give Vicente a chance at a 32-yarder. On the heels of the first miss of his career in the third quarter, a 41-yarder into the wind, and the rain still coming down, Vicente sent the ball through the uprights as time expired for the 13-10 win.
Troy Cook was 16-for-23 for 125 yards on the day for UT Martin offensively, while Grayson and Ladarius Galloway combined for 98 yards on the ground. Defensively, Hagens had five tackles, two pass breakups and a forced fumble to go along with his punt return touchdown and interception. James Gilleylen led all players with a game-high 12 tackles, including seven solo, as well as forcing a fumble of his own and breaking up as pass.
Bentley was 15-for-25 for 243 yards with a touchdown and an interception Saturday, while Castille led the MSU receiving corps with 92 yards on four catches. Nolan Nichols ended the game as MSU’s leading rusher with 47 yards on 11 carries, but none was bigger than his 17-yard run on the game winning drive. The Racers finished the game with a season-high 250 passing yards and 267 yards of total offense.
The Murray State defense forced three turnovers Saturday, including a fourth quarter fumble that led directly to the game-winning field goal. The three points allowed by the Murray State defense in the game is the fewest since Chris Boone took over as defensive coordinator in 2015 and by any Racer defense since Austin Peay in 2013. In addition, the 229 total yards allowed is the fewest the Racers have given up against an FBS or FCS opponent this season. Bishop Woods led Murray State in the game with eight tackles, while Crittendon followed with seven, as well as a sack, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. Kenney Wooten had MSU’s other sack in the game, while Marico Paige forced the other fumble and Zach Shipley recovered it. Marquez Sanford had the Racers’ lone interception of the game, as well as racking up 95 all-purpose yards on kick and punt returns.
The win over UT Martin was the first for Murray State since 2010 and the first in Martin since 2003. Prior to Saturday, the Skyhawks had won six consecutive games in the series and six straight at home.
#4 JACKSONVILLE STATE 34, AUSTIN PEAY 14
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Jacksonville State tied the Ohio Valley Conference record for consecutive league wins on Saturday evening, thanks to a convincing 34-14 win over Austin Peay at Fortera Stadium.
The fourth-ranked Gamecocks (4-1, 2-0 OVC) won their 26th consecutive OVC game, tying Eastern Kentucky's conference record that ended in 1995, while also tying the Colonels and Appalachian State for the second-longest streak in FCS history.
JSU matched the record with a dominant performance against a red-hot Governors (3-3, 2-1 OVC) team that entered the game riding its first three-game win streak in 31 years. The Gamecocks built an early 20-0 lead and never looked back in snapping EKU streak and extending their own.
The Gamecocks ran for 296 yards against a defense that hadn't allowed more than 165 so far this season behind a 135-yard, two-touchdown performance from Roc Thomas. The senior from Oxford, Ala., scored JSU's first touchdown and then another right before the half that put his team up by three scores.
Quarterback Bryant Horn ran for 71 yards and a score, while throwing for 52 yards and another touchdown in a game that saw him go 5-for-9 passing. Freshman Trae Barry
JSU's defense held the Govs to a season-low 234 yards of total offense and 54 yards below their previous season low in rushing yards. Peay managed just 106 yards on 30 carries and didn't score a rushing touchdown for the first time this season. Senior Jonathan Hagler led that charge, recording a career-best 11 tackles. It was JSU's first double-digit tackle performance this season.
The Gamecocks special teams also showed out in the game, one that was highlighted by De'Marcus Flowers' 87-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter that quieted the announced crowd of 7,102 after their team scored a late touchdown to make it a 13-point game. JSU's first kickoff return for a score since 2011 put the final seven points on the board and the deciding 34-14 score on the board.
The Gamecocks took control of the game early, scoring on their first two possessions to post an early lead. The first drive was an impressive one that spanned 17 plays, went 91 yards and took almost eight minutes off of the clock. Barry's second scoring catch of the year, a six-yard strike from Horn over the middle, capped the drive and gave the Gamecocks the early lead.
A quick stop put the ball back in the JSU offense's hands and the Gamecocks made that one count, too. This time, a Thomas 23-yard run off left tackle made it a 14-0 game with just 38 seconds left in the quarter. JSU's second scoring drive took just three plays and went 49 yards in 76 seconds.
Thomas scored his second touchdown of the game just within the two-minute mark of the second quarter, pushing multiple Govs defenders the entire three yards of his scoring run to put the Gamecocks up 20-0.
Peay did manage to get on the board just before the half on a 21-yard scoring pass from JaVaughn Craig to Kyran Moore, but JSU would take the 20-7 lead into the half.
JSU took the first drive of the third quarter and stretched its lead back to 20 points, thanks to a nine-play, 77-yard drive that ended with Horn's first rushing score of the season from four yards out.
Austin Peay scored again early in the fourth to make it a 27-14 game, but Flowers put the game away on the ensuing kickoff. The junior from Daleville, Ala., took the kick 87 yards for a touchdown, JSU's first score on a kickoff return since 2011, when Gabriel Chambers took one 99 yards at Kentucky.
TENNESSEE STATE 45, EASTERN KENTUCKY 21
RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) - Freshman Vincent Sellers returned two interceptions for touchdowns and Terrell Bonds added another pick-six -- all in the fourth quarter -- to help Tennessee State beat Eastern Kentucky 45-21 on Saturday.
Michael Hughes threw for two touchdowns and ran for another for Tennessee State (4-2, 1-2 Ohio Valley). Hughes scored on a 1-yard run to cap a 13-play, 88-yard drive and gave the Tigers a 24-21 lead with 6:53 to play.
On Eastern Kentucky's next play from scrimmage, Sellers returned his first interception 34 yards for a score and, after the teams traded punts, his 44-yard pick-six made it 38-21 with 3:47 left. Bonds capped the scoring 38 seconds later with a 36-yard interception return off a pass by Austin Scott.
Lane Clark kicked a 49-yard field goal, Patrick Smith scored on a 11-yard reception and Hughes hit Steven Newbold for an 8-yard touchdown as the Tigers took a 17-0 lead into halftime but Eastern Kentucky's Tim Boyle had a 1-yard scoring run and then threw touchdown passes of 10 and 6 yards to Ryan Markush to make it 21-17 with 13:27 to play.
Boyle was 18-of-27 passing for 212 yards with three interceptions for Eastern Kentucky (1-4, 1-2) before being replaced by Scott.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 24, TENNESSEE TECH 23
CHARLESTON, Ill. - They say cats have nine lives, if so, the Eastern Illinois Panthers might have used their fourth of the season as they beat Tennessee Tech 24-23 on Saturday night to remain unbeaten in the Ohio Valley Conference.
EIU improved to 4-2 overall, 3-0 in the OVC. TTU fell to 0-6 on the season, 0-3 in the OVC.
For the fourth time this season the game came down to a final couple of plays as EIU led 24-23 with just under two minutes remaining. On a second and ten play redshirt freshman Mark Williams picked off his third pass of the season snatching the ball right out of the TTU wide receivers hands with 1:27 to play.
EIU was unable to run the clock out and had to punt with 24 seconds remaining. TTU quickly moved the ball into field goal range setting up a Nick Madonia attempt from 48 yards out. His attempt sailed just right and the Panthers took a knee to seal the win. Madonia had provided a good deal of the Golden Eagles offense on the day hitting field goals from 51, 32 and 33 yards out.
TTU built a 14-3 lead at the half as the Golden Eagles scored two first quarter touchdowns on a 6-yard run by Yeedee Thaenrat and a 2-yard plunge by Adam Browner. EIU twice had big plays that put the ball inside the ten yard line in the first half with a 76-yard run by Darshon McCullough and a 47-yard reception by Dennis Turner. EIU was only able to come away with three points on a field goal by Matt Severino as the Panthers trailed 14-3 at the break.
Back-up quarterback Bud Martin was placed in the line-up to open the second half and quickly responded driving EIU down the field with the drive culminating in a 43-yard touchdown pass to Alexander Hollins. It was one of three times in the game that Martin and Hollins connected as Hollins became the first EIU wide receiver since Adam Drake in 2014 to catch three touchdown passes in a game. Hollins finished with five catches for 125 yards as both he and Turner finished with over 100-yards receiving. Turner caught four passes for 103 yards.
While EIU was putting touchdowns on the board in the second half, the Panthers defense clamped down and only allowed three field goals. On one drive during the fourth quarter the defense put together three straight sacks by Taylon Shepard, Tray Mitchell and Mack Weaver. It was part of a five sack day for the EIU defensive unit. Nick Horne led the defense with nine tackles. Williams had six tackles with the interception and one pass break-up.
Martin finished the night 10-of-14 for 204 yards with the three scores.
TTU was led offensively by Andrew Goldsmith with 121 yards on the ground. Dontez Byrd hauled in ten passes for 126 yards. Tim Collins led the defense with seven tackles.
EIU has now won its three OVC games by a combined seven points. The Panthers four victories this year are by a combined ten points.