SATURDAY'S SCORES
@#24 UT Martin 31, #20 Tennessee State 16
@Eastern Kentucky 24, Tennessee Tech 21
Austin Peay 27, @Murray State 7
@Eastern Illinois 19, Southeast Missouri 16
@#5 Jacksonville State 31, #16 Liberty 10
#24 UT MARTIN 31, TENNESSEE STATE 16
MARTIN, Tenn. - The No. 24 ranked University of Tennessee at Martin football team made a piece of history on Saturday night, notching the team’s first pair of victories over ranked opponents in consecutive weeks in program history with a decisive 31-16 win over No. 20 ranked Tennessee State.
The Skyhawks (3-1, 1-0 OVC) opened Ohio Valley Conference play on a high after taking care of business on their home field of Hardy M. Graham Stadium. After the team’s first home contest was hampered by a heavy downpour, the Skyhawks welcomed 6,484 fans to today’s Family Weekend contest which paired two nationally ranked opponents and a barrage of other festivities both in pregame and postgame. The win also gave the Skyhawks an early lead in the team’s quest for a fourth consecutive Sgt. York Trophy.
With a lively crowd behind them, UT Martin took advantage of its home field by controlling the tempo for much of the contest. In a game with saw two of the nation’s best defenses square off on the same field, the Skyhawks controlled possession at 33:25 minutes while slowing the tempo to feature just 67 offensive plays.
While the offensive numbers were subdued due to the matchup’s defensive dominance, the Skyhawks would still manage 240 yards of offense – including 100 yards rushing against a squad in Tennessee State which entered the game ranked 15th nationally by allowing just 67.3 rushing yards per game. Included in the day was the play of the Skyhawk defense which once again proved dynamic, holding Tennessee State to just 259 yards of total offense while forcing two turnovers and scoring on a blocked punt.
Highlighting the afternoon for the Skyhawks was junior running back Ladarius Galloway with 25 carries for 90 yards and two touchdowns while notching 118 all-purpose yards. Meanwhile senior quarterback Troy Cook completed 20-of-32 passes for 140 yards and one touchdown, a one-yard strike to Caylon Weathers – who paced the squad with four catches for 37 yards.
Defensively the Skyhawks saw senior safety Tae Martin lead the way with a game-high 13 tackles while junior Kevin Prather, Jr. notched 10 tackles – including one tackle for loss and two quarterback hurries. Flushing opposing quarterback Treon Harris out of the pocket was the name of the game as the Skyhawks tallied six quarterback hurries, two sacks and five tackles for loss. The duo of Garrett Wall and Justin Jackson both tallied sacks on the day while James Gilleylen proved dynamic with his seven tackles while also notching both a forced fumble and a recovery.
UT Martin would jump out to an early lead in the contest after scoring on the team’s opening drive with a lengthy 11-play, 76-yard drive which ate of nearly six minutes of clock. Big runs by Galloway would set up the drive before a three-yard push would give the Skyhawks an early advantage. A 32-yard field goal by Mitch Mersman would make it a two-score margin just three minutes later before a one-yard touchdown pass from Cook to Weathers right before the first quarter ended gave the squad a 17-point lead heading into the second period.
Things would slow down offensively for the Skyhawks in the second quarter after a robust start to the contest. While the offensively and defensive player makers receive much of the attention, it was UT Martin’s special team unit which gave the home squad a 24-point margin after TJ Jefferson blocked a punt inside the five-yard line and Devonte Howard recovered inside the endzone for the team’s first block returned for a touchdown since 2010.
Tennessee State would begin its comeback attempt on the next play with a big special teams play of its own. Needing a jump start, junior receiver DeVon Johnson returned the following kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown to break the team’s shutout. Another oddity would occur on the team’s following special teams stand as a botched snap by the punter resulted in a defensive safety as Brett Arkelian kicked the ball out of the endzone to make it a 24-9 contest going into the half.
The second half would see all of its fire power in the third quarter as the Tigers came out of the break looking to continue chipping away at the Skyhawks advantage. Moving the ball efficiently with an 11-play, 69-yard drive, Tennessee State scored its first offensive touchdown of the day on a one-yard rush by quarterback Treon Harris. With the game back suddenly at a one-score margin, the Skyhawks would take advantage of a short field as Galloway punctuated the contest with a 12-yard scamper to make it 31-16.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 24, TENNESSEE TECH 21
RICHMOND, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky University defense forced five turnovers, stopped visiting Tennessee Tech University on a key fourth down and then put the brakes on a late attempt to win or tie the game in a 24-21 Colonel victory on Saturday at Roy Kidd Stadium.
Eastern (1-2, 1-0 OVC) forced four first half turnovers and stopped the Golden Eagles on a 4th-and-1 to start the second half. The defense forced another turnover in the second half. Tennessee Tech had the ball with 1:23 left in the game and down by three. On 1st-and-10 from the TTU 45, Aaron Patrick came up with a sack for a loss of 11 yards. On the next play with one second left on the clock, Luder Jean Louis tackled Andre Sale for a 4-yard loss to end the game.
Senior Kobie Grace had seven tackles, an interception, forced a fumble and recovered two of Tech’s three fumbles. Corey Glass also picked off a pass. Ben Bascom had 10 tackles and forced a fumble.
Eastern Kentucky turned the ball over only one time, and got it back on the same play.
Lucas Williams got the Colonels on the board with a career-long 51-yard field goal with 12:05 left in the first quarter. LJ Scott extended the lead when he broke loose for a 35-yard touchdown run to cap a 6-play, 60-yard drive. The extra-point from Williams with 1:01 left in the first quarter made it a 10-0 game.
The key defensive series of the game came on the opening possession of the second half. After beginning the drive at its own 22 yard line, Tech moved five yards into Eastern territory on five plays. On 3rd-and-1 at the EKU 45, Yeede Thaenrat was stopped for no gain. The Golden Eagles kept their offense on the field and went for it on fourth down. This time Thaenrat was stopped for a 3-yard loss by Dillon Denault.
The Colonels then took the ball 52 yards in just four plays to make it a 17-0 game. Tim Boyle completed passes for six, three and five yards before the big gainer. On 1st-and-10 from the 38, Boyle connected with Ryan Markush over the middle for six points. The senior hauled in the pass right at the goal line for his fourth touchdown of the season.
Tennessee Tech didn’t fold however. The Golden Eagles answered with a 9-play, 72-yard drive that chewed up 4:47. Thaenrat capped it with a 2-yard touchdown run. The extra-point got the game back to a 10-point margin with 5:27 left in the third quarter.
With TTU driving and trying to close within three, the defense came up big again on the first play of the fourth quarter. Grace picked off a pass at the EKU 19 yard line and returned it 39 yards to the Tech 42 yard line.
Boyle began the drive with a 21-yard pass to Neiko Creamer. Jason Lewis appeared to score on a 26-yard run, but stepped out of bounds at the 10 yard line. A pass interference was called on a fourth down incompletion kept the drive alive. With a fresh set of downs, Scott took it up the middle from two yards out for his second touchdown of the game. The extra-point from Williams extended the margin to 24-7 with 11:55 left in the game.
Tennessee Tech scored twice in the final eight minutes. Dontez Byrd caught a 57-yard touchdown pass with 7:54 to go. Hunter Coleman’s 4-yard scoring catch with 1:45 remaining got the visitors within three.
The Golden Eagles then forced a three-and-out to get the ball back with 1:23 showing on the clock. Sale got TTU to near midfield with a 20-yard completion to Byrd before the Eastern Kentucky defense stiffened and put a stop to the drive.
Scott finished with a team-best 54 yards on 10 carries for Eastern. Boyle completed 75 percent of his pass attempts (21-of-28) for 185 yards. He threw one touchdown pass and no interceptions. Dan Paul made five catches for 50 yards. Markush caught four for 57 and a touchdown reception.
Thaenrat led all players with 56 rushing yards and scored a touchdown. Sale was 26-of-40 for 304 yards and threw a pair of touchdown passes. Byrd caught nine for 169 yards.
AUSTIN PEAY 27, MURRAY STATE 7
MURRAY, Ky. - In one of the most dominant defensive performance in Austin Peay State University football history, the Governors held rival Murray State to just 88 offensive yards en route to a 27-7 victory on Saturday afternoon at Roy Stewart Stadium.
The win was the first in Murray since 2007 and propelled the Govs to 1-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference for the first time since 2011.
The Governors could not have asked for a better start, as the defense forced a quick three-and-out, followed by a 10-play 67-yard drive from the APSU offense on the opening possession to give the visiting squad a quick 7-0 lead. JaVaughn Craig was 3-4 for 24 yards on the drive that was capped off by a four-yard run to pay dirt by wide receiver Kyran Moore.
Another strong defensive stand by the Govs, followed by an errant punt from the Racers, gave Austin Peay the ball on the Murray State 29-yard line. Logan Birchfield was the hero on the second drive, knocking home a career-best 45 yard field goal to give APSU the 10-0 lead midway through the first.
Gunnar Scholato picked up two quick tackles leading to another three-and-done for the Racers. From there Javaughn Craig stole the show, capping off an efficient six-play, 71-yard drive with a pitch-and-catch to backfield mate Kentel Williams from 14-yards out to give the Govs a 17-0 lead. In total, Austin Peay outgained the Racers 173 to minus-two in the first quarter.
Logan Birchfield converted a Gunnar Scholato interception into three more points at the 11:47 mark of the second stanza. His 22-yard boot improved his total to 2-2 on the night and gave Austin Peay a 20-0 advantage.
From there it was all Governors defense as the stranglehold of the Murray State offense continued throughout the first half. The Racers were limited to zero first downs and just eight total yards of offense through one half of play.
The home team had its best surge of the contest in the third quarter. Racer signal caller Corey Newble connected with D.J Penick to trim the Governor lead to 20-7 with 5:20 left in the period.
It was a strong running game and sound defense that ultimately put the game away for APSU. Craig capped off an impressive 14-play, 57-yard drive, that ate up 7:13 off the clock, with a three-yard keeper into the end zone to salt away a 27-7 victory. Ahmaad Tanner, Tre Nation, Kentel Williams and Prince Momondu all helped seal the victory with touches on the decisive drive.
Craig finished the contest with 111 yards rushing, followed by Williams (80) and Tanner (71) as the Govs piled up 297 to build on their OVC-best rushing attack.
Malik Boynton tallied seven stops in the win, followed by Gunnar Scholato with six and Juantarius Bryant with five. The miniscule 88-yard allowed for Austin Peay marked the first time since 2012 the Govs have held an opponent to under 100 yards.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 19, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 16
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Bradley Dewberry intercepted a pass at the one yard line with just under 20 seconds remaining on Saturday night helping Eastern Illinois hold on for a 19-16 win over Southeast Missouri in the Ohio Valley Conference opener for both schools.
EIU improved to 2-2 on the season, 1-0 in the OVC while SEMO fell to 0-4 on the year, 0-1 in the OVC.
The Panthers took the ball with 5:19 remaining in the game holding a three point lead but could not move the ball going three and out. Senior punter Cody Edwards kicking from his own end zone boomed a punt 62 yards which flipped the field and gave SEMO possession at its own 30-yard line with 3:01 left in the game.
Jesse Hosket drove the Redhawks down the field twice converting on fourth downs to keep the drive alive. Hosket hit Trevon Billington for both fourth down conversion catches. With 23 seconds remaining and the ball at the EIU 16-yard line, Hosket rolled around in the pocket and locked eyes with a receiver in the end zone. Dewberry stepped in front of the pass intercepting the ball for the Panthers second interception of the day. Dewberry ran the ball back to the SEMO 50-yard before Logan Larson made a touchdown saving tackle. EIU would take a knee on the next play to clinch the victory.
EIU built a 12-0 halftime lead behind the solid play of redshirt freshman quarterback Scotty Gilkey Jr., who started in place of injured senior Mitch Kimble. Gilkey scored his third rushing touchdown of the season on a 1-yard scamper with 7:48 to play in the first quarter. He would then connect with Alexander Hollins for a 32-yard strike with 6:25 to play in the second quarter. EIU missed on both extra point opportunities.
The Panthers defense held SEMO to six yards passing in the first quarter and four yards passing in the second quarter. For the game the Redhawks were held to just 106 yards on the ground.
SEMO cut into the lead in the third quarter as Marquis Terry scored on a four-yard run. EIU then had a fumble inside its own five yard line that was eventually recovered by Aaron Gooch to prevent a Redhawks touchdown, but the team did record a safety to make it 12-9 EIU with 44 seconds left in the third quarter. Kendall Donnerson recorded the safety as part of his 12 tackle day to lead SEMO’s defense.
The Panthers pushed the lead back to two scores on their next offensive drive as Gilkey again connected with Hollins for a touchdown throw and catch, this one covering 38 yards. Gilkey would finish the day 9-of-20 passing for 142 yards. He added 98 yards on the ground on 26 rushes. Hollins had seven catches for 118 yards and the two scores.
SEMO answered right back on the next kickoff as Cameron Sanders broke through a gap and raced 93-yards for the score to make it a 19-16 game.
Tray Mitchell led EIU with nine tackles. Dewberry added seven tackles with the interception and another pass break-up. Mark Williams had a first half interception that ended a SEMO drive right before the half as he had six tackles.
Hosket passes for 249 yards for SEMO going 22-of-43 with the two interceptions and no touchdowns.
#5 JACKSONVILLE STATE 31, #16 LIBERTY 10
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Neither Mother Nature or No. 16 Liberty could put a damper on fifth-ranked Jacksonville State's home opener.
The Gamecocks (2-1) shook off a slow start offensively to knock off the Flames 31-10 before a record crowd of 23,944 at Burgess-Snow Field Saturday night. The opening kickoff was delayed for nearly one hour when lightning was detected in the vicinity of the stadium.
Roc Thomas ran for two touchdowns and Trae Barry caught an 80-yard touchdown pass – JSU's longest in three years – as Jacksonville State wrapped up its non-conference schedule with a decisive win against a Flames team that stunned FBS member Baylor in the season opener.
The Gamecocks extended their regular season winning streak against non-FBS to 33 games.
Jacksonville State, coming off its second open date, trailed 3-0 after the first quarter, then reeled off 24 points to take control.
Quarterbacks Bryant Horn and backup Kendrick Doss had success at the helm of the Gamecock offense, combining to throw for 245 yards. Horn went 9-for-19 for 181 yards with a touchdown.
Doss, who entered the game after JSU's offense had sputtered on its first two series, was 8-for-10 for 64 yards and ran three times for 32 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The TD was Doss' first as a college quarterback.
Liberty (3-1) came into the Top 20 clash averaging 536 yards and almost 50 points per game.
The Flames finished with just 316 yards against Jax State's stout defense. Liberty managed only 31 yards on 27 rushing attempts.
The teams traded punts early with Liberty finally getting a 28-yard field goal after a 12-play, 57-yard drive late in the first quarter.
But the Gamecocks answered when Horn connected with Barry for the seventh-longest touchdown pass in JSU history and the longest since Markis Merrill's 88-yard reception in 2014 vs. West Alabama. Cade Stinnett's extra point put the hosts in front 7-3 with 11:02 left in the second.
Stinnett kicked a career-long 49-yard field goal at the 1:20 mark to send the Gamecocks to the locker room with a 10-3 cushion.
Jacksonville State scored touchdowns on its first two series after halftime to put the game out of reach.
Thomas, who finished with 87 yards on 18 carries, capped an 81-yard march by carrying six Liberty defenders into the end zone on an 11-yard TD run just three minutes into the third quarter.
Marlon Bridges' interception of Liberty quarterback Stephen "Buckshot" Calvert set up Doss' 15-yard scamper 3½ minutes later.
Thomas's second touchdown run, and his third of the season, was a 13-yard dash with 5:04 remaining in the game.
Jonathan Hagler recorded a game-high nine tackles to lead the Gamecocks defense.