SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 23, Eastern Kentucky 20 (OT)
@#3 Jacksonville State 59, Murray State 23
UT Martin 16, @Southeast Missouri 14
Austin Peay 35, @Tennessee Tech 28
@Tennessee State 60, Virginia University of Lynchburg 0
EASTERN ILLINOIS 23, EASTERN KENTUCKY 20 (OT)
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Eastern Illinois safety Bradley Dewberry picked off a pass from Eastern Kentucky’s Tim Boyle on the first play of EKU’s overtime drive to give EIU a 23-20 win on senior day at O’Brien Field.
It was the third win in overtime this season for Eastern Illinois as the Panthers improved to 6-4 overall, 5-2 in the OVC. The win locked up the third straight winning season for the program, the longest stretch of consecutive winnings seasons since 2005-07. EKU fell to 3-6 overall, 3-4 in the OVC.
In a game lead by solid defensive performances it was two offensive drives that provided some of the sparks on a misty afternoon. EKU started a drive at its own 46 yard line with 3:46 remaining and the score tied at 13-13. After being held in check most of the game, Daryl McCleskey ripped off a 23-yard run with 1:33 left to play giving EKU the ball at the EIU 4-yard line. McCleskey would score three plays later putting the Colonels up 20-13 with 37 seconds remaining.
Following a short kickoff that Vincent Speller returned to the EIU 33-yard line, the Panthers took over with 32 seconds remaining. Scotty Gilkey Jr. hit Dennis Turner for a 19-yard strike on the first play from scrimmage moving the ball into EKU territory. After an incomplete pass Gilkey then connected with Aaron Gooch on a crossing route. Gooch raced out of bounds at the 26-yard line with ten seconds remaining. Gilkey then hit Alexander Hollins for a 26-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone. Matt Severino hit the extra point with two seconds left to send the game to overtime.
Severino then hit from 45 yards out on EIU’s offensive possession in overtime. It was his third field goal of the game and second over 40-yards. He hit from 44 in the second quarter that tied the game at 10-10 going into the half.
Gilkey scored the Panthers opening touchdown on a 1-yard run in the first quarter. He would rush for 34 yards while passing for 213 yards and the one score. Hollins had four catches for 107 yards and the game tying score. It was his fourth 100-yard receiving game this season.
McCleskey scored the Colonels other touchdown in the first quarter on a 14-yard run. He would finish with 70 yards rushing but as a team the Colonels were held to just 64 yards rushing. Boyle passed for 216 yards but threw two interceptions on the day. Lucas Williams tacked on a pair of field goals for EKU.
The Panthers defensive effort was led by Dytarious Johnson with seven tackles including 1.5 tackles for loss. EIU had 11 total tackles for loss with Xzavier Shugars, Nick Horne and David Johnson all picking up two tackles for loss. Dewberry had five tackles and both picks for the Panthers.
Kobie Grace led EKU with 11 tackles including 3.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
#3 JACKSONVILLE STATE 59, MURRAY STATE 23
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - A record-extending 30th consecutive Ohio Valley Conference win moved No. 3 Jacksonville State another step closer to its fourth straight league championship.
Junior quarterback Bryant Horn threw a career-high three touchdown passes and ran for one more, and the Gamecocks' defense set a school record for fewest rushing yards allowed during a 59-23 rout of Murray State at Burgess-Snow Field on Saturday.
Roc Thomas added two touchdown runs in the second half and shook off an early injury to finish with 138 yards on 17 carries as the Gamecocks posted their highest point total since posting 62 against Sam Houston State in the 2015 national semifinals.
The Gamecocks (8-1, 6-0) can lock up a share of their record-tying fourth OVC title in a row with a win at UT Martin next week, and will claim the title outright if Austin Peay loses either of its final two league games. Eastern Kentucky won the OVC crown every year from 1981 to '84.
The defensive unit, which began the day No. 4 in FCS in total defense at 263.8 yards per game, allowed the Racers only 153 total yards, the sixth straight game the Gamecocks have held an opponent to less than 300 yards of total offense.
Murray State ran 28 times for minus-three yards, the fewest rushing yards allowed in JSU history, eclipsing the previous record set of zero yards set against Southeast Missouri in 2016.
Murray State was limited to 58 total yards in the opening quarter but led 13-7 by scoring off two Jacksonville State turnovers.
The Gamecocks struck quickly by forcing a Murray State punt after receiving the opening kickoff.
Thomas had a 19-yard run and Horn carried for 17 more on the next play as Jacksonville State drove deep into Racers territory. Horn ran untouched for the final nine yards to finish off the five-play scoring drive and Cade Stinnett tacked on the extra point for a 7-0 lead with 12:25 left in the first.
Horn, however, was picked off on JSU's next possession and the Racers capitalized. Shuler Bentley hit Jordan Gandy with a 22-yard TD pass and the extra point tied it at 7-7 at the 10:06 mark in the first quarter.
Another offensive miscue just before the first quarter ended gave Murray State its only lead. Horn fumbled on a read-option and Racers linebacker Sean Rodriguez scooped it up and ran 47 yards for a touchdown, giving the visitors a fleeting 13-7 lead with 20 seconds remaining.
Demontrez Terry hauled in the first of Horn's three touchdown passes as Jacksonville State regained the lead for good, 14-13, with 13:24 to go in the second quarter.
Terry's 45-yard TD reception was the second for the junior receiver from Birmingham, Ala. He accounted for 162 total yards, catching four passes for 64 yards and adding his two longest punt returns of the season, 42 and 41 yards, to set up the Gamecocks' last two touchdowns of the first half.
JSU needed four plays to score after Terry's 42-yard punt runback. Horn found Jamari Hester on third down from the 15 and Stinnett's kick made it 21-13.
The Horn-to-Hester combo connected again after Terry returned another Racer punt 41 yards into Murray State territory. Horn tossed an eight-yard touchdown pass to Hester to cap the six-play, 43-yard drive and stretch the Gamecocks lead to 28-13 with eight seconds left before intermission.
Thomas scored on runs of four and nine yards and Tramel Terry and De'Marcus Flowers contributed touchdown runs of five and 15 yards, respectively, as the Gamecocks exploded for 31 points in the game's final 22.5 minutes.
Gamecocks senior Darius Jackson had his streak of games with at least one tackle for loss snapped at 11.
Charles Crawford had an interception for JSU and Jonathan Hagler led with six tackles.
Jacksonville State takes its final regular-season road trip when it travels to Martin, Tenn., to battle the Skyhawks (5-4, 3-3) next Saturday.
UT MARTIN 16, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 14
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - A 22-yard field goal by Mitch Mersman with one second remaining on the clock proved to be the difference as the University of Tennessee at Martin football team pulled out a 16-14 road victory at Ohio Valley Conference foe Southeast Missouri.
The Skyhawks (5-4, 3-3 OVC) received a big afternoon from their specialists with Mersman scoring over half of the team’s points with three field goals on the day. While he converted on a trio of attempts, none was bigger in his career than his final attempt from 22 yards out in the final moments.
UT Martin posted its best offensive output of the season statistically, tallying 420 yards of total offense – including 196 yards rushing and 224 yards through the air. The Skyhawks were led by freshman quarterback Dresser Winn in his third collegiate start, completing 12-of-23 passes for 224 yards and one touchdown. The dynamic playmaker flirted with 300 yards of total offense with 61 net rushing yards.
Pacing the team’s playmakers was Ladarius Galloway who tallied 66 rushing yards and 80 receiving yards to tally 148 all-purpose yards. Londell Lee, Sr. joined in the action by hauling in five receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown.
Keying yet another strong defensive performance was junior Kevin Prather, Jr. with eight tackles – including six – while notching a tackle for loss. As a whole, the Skyhawks forced three turnovers as Brandon Anderson and Chase Joy notched forced fumbles while Porter Streator III and Donald Cofield, Jr. tallied fumble recoveries. Joseph Este joined in the action with seven tackles while notching his fourth career interception while Mike Turner blocked a critical field goal attempt in the fourth quarter.
Things would look in doubt during the fourth quarter. A touchdown by Southeast Missouri on the first play of the fourth quarter would give the Redhawks a one-point advantage. The Skyhawks nearly took the game’s lead late in the game but a 35-yard field goal attempt would narrowly sail wide. Still trailing by one, UT Martin would need a big defensive stand with under three minutes on the clock to have another shot to win the contest. The defense provided just that, forcing a three-and-out to give the Skyhawks the ball back with 1:52 to play.
Looking for a little magic down the stretch, UT Martin saw Winn find Lee for a 25-yard completion to move the Skyhawks into enemy territory. Looking to keep the ball moving, a handoff to Galloway resulted in a 24-yard carry down to the SEMO five-yard line. With the clock stopped with five seconds to play, Mersman would boot a 22-yard field goal that split the uprights to seal the 16-14 victory.
AUSTIN PEAY 35, TENNESSEE TECH 28
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - With a chance to claim the first Sgt. York Trophy in program history, the Austin Peay State University football team picked up a 35-28 victory over in-state rival Tennessee Tech to improve to 3-0 in the series and capture the title, Saturday in Cookeville.
The Governors (6-4, 5-1 OVC) rushing attack was once again dominant, racking up 423 yards – the most in any contest between two Ohio Valley Conference teams this season – en route to 522 yards of total offense. Freshman Ahmaad Tanner led the way, eclipsing the 100-yard mark for the first time in his career. The Dalton, Ga. native piled up a career-best 105 yards against the Golden Eagles.
While freshman signal caller Jeremiah Oatsvall took a small step back in efficiency, he was extremely effective. The Brentwood standout piled up 157 total yards, including his first collegiate touchdown reception on a 27-yard pitch from fellow freshman Baniko Harley in the third quarter.
The Governors defense was stout against the Golden Eagles, limiting them to 271 yards of total offense. Jaison Williams picked up his OVC-leading 9.5 sack late in the fourth quarter to help salt away the victory.
Austin Peay kicked the game off in style, forcing a fumble on the very first offensive play of the game. Emerging defensive leader Juantarious Bryant ripped a ball away from Tech quarterback Luke Ward allowing Malik Davis to recover and set the Governors up in prime field position.
Oatsvall and company capitalized with a quick six-play drive, capped off by a Tanner one-yard run to put APSU out in front 7-0. The Golden Eagles responded quickly with a 9-play, 75-yard drive to square the game 7-7 after one quarter.
The two teams traded possessions in the second, before the Governors put together their longest drive of the game. Oatsvall connected with DJ Montgomery on a 35-yard play down to the TTU five-yard line. The freshman quarterback scampered into the endzone two plays later to reclaim the lead 14-7.
The Govs carried that lead into the locker room, notching the third-straight OVC game that Austin Peay has held the lead at the half. A crafty play out of the locker room ignited the Governors offense early in the second stanza. JaVaughn Craig handed off to fellow quarterback Harley who then tossed it to the final quarterback in the lineup Oatsvall on an option pass. The back-to-back OVC Newcomer of the Week took it to the house from 27-yards out and gave the Govs the 21-7 lead.
Tech refused to go away, putting together a four-play, 54-yard drive with six minutes remaining in the third to trim the Governors lead to 21-14.
Austin Peay refused to relinquish control and responded with a score of its own. Tanner broke off a 52-yard run, before Tre Nation capped off the ensuing drive with a two-yard score extending the lead to 28-14.
Tennessee Tech’s leading receiver Dontez Byrd caught a 23-yard pass in the back of the Austin Peay endzone on the following drive to bring his squad closer, 28-21.
Reigning STATS FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week Kyran Moore took over from there. The senior ripped off 40-yards on the next drive including his one-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep to extend the lead back out to 14.
Austin Peay seemed to be in control until a funny bounce resulted in a fumble recovery for a touchdown for Tech. However, that was all the home team could manage as the Govs held on for the 35-28 victory.
It was Austin Peay’s first win in Cookeville since 2007 and first win in the series since 2012. The win also secured the Governors an OVC-winning record for just the second time since returning to the league in 2007.
TENNESSEE STATE 60, VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY OF LYNCHBURG 0
NASHVILLE - Playing at Hale Stadium for the first time this season, the Tennessee State football team put on a dominating performance in a 60-0 victory over Virginia University of Lynchburg on Saturday.
TSU (5-4) scored early and often putting up the most since posting a 73-6 win over Central State on Sept. 28, 2013. TSU's defense registered its first shutout since Sept. 3, 2016 – a 44-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the 2016 John Merritt Classic.
Sophomore quarterback Michael Hughes passed for six touchdowns and 262 yards. For the second week in a row, senior receiver Patrick Smith caught three touchdown passes, finishing with 118 yards receiving. Steven Newbold caught two touchdowns, while Ronnie Killings added one.
The Tigers finished with 448 yards and held VUL to just 58 yards on the day.