SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Kentucky 27,
Eastern Kentucky 16
@Ole Miss 45,
UT Martin 23
@Georgia Tech 37,
#5 Jacksonville State 10
@Dayton 25,
Southeast Missouri 23
@Miami (Ohio) 31,
Austin Peay 10
@Northern Illinois 38,
Eastern Illinois 10
#15 Central Arkansas 41,
@Murray State 13
@Kennesaw State 27,
Tennessee Tech 14
#23 Tennessee State 17, Jackson State 15 (Memphis, Tenn.)
KENTUCKY 27, EASTERN KENTUCKY 16
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Eastern Kentucky University led the University of Kentucky for nearly three quarters before the Wildcats came from behind to pull out a 27-16 victory on Saturday at Kroger Field in Lexington.
After UK made a field goal on its first possession of the game, Eastern scored 13 unanswered points and continued to lead until the 2:57 mark of the third quarter.
On the Colonels’ first possession of the game, Tim Boyle drove the team 75 yards on nine plays to the go-ahead score. Ryan Markush caught a seven-yard touchdown pass to polish off the drive. The extra-point from Lucas Williams made it 7-3 with 6:22 left in the first quarter.
As part of the regular game plan, Austin Scott came on to quarterback the Colonels for the first possession of the second quarter. He methodically moved EKU 66 yards on 12 plays over 6:39. A hand-off and run up the middle by newcomer LJ Scott from seven yards away finished off the drive. The extra-point was blocked and the visitors led 13-3 with 5:44 left in the second quarter.
Kentucky added a score, on a 23-yard pass from Stephen Johnson to C.J. Conrad, with 1:28 remaining before the break to set the halftime score at 13-10.
Eastern went up 16-10 with 4:08 left in the third when Williams sent a 31-yard field goal through the uprights. UK answered on its very next drive, moving 75 yards on just three plays to take the lead. Benny Snell’s 25-yard touchdown run and ensuing extra-point made it 17-16 in favor of the home team with 2:57 showing on the clock in the third.
Kentucky scored on a 21-yard run by Johnson almost five minutes into the fourth quarter to go up eight. Eastern refused to let the Cats pull away. A field goal in the final 30 seconds of the game set the final score.
EKU registered three sacks while the Colonel offensive line allowed just one by the Wildcats. Eastern turned the ball over twice, but did not force a turnover.
Two quarterbacks combined for 256 yards passing for Eastern Kentucky while UK totaled 229 yards through the air. The Wildcats ran the ball 39 times and out-gained EKU 207-62 on the ground.
Boyle finished 24-for-35 for 202 yards. He tossed one touchdown and one interception. Markush caught 10 passes for 98 yards, including one score. Neiko Creamer made eight catches for 82 yards. Scott finished with 40 yards on nine carries.
Kobie Grace had a game-best 15 tackles. Jeffrey Canady finished with 13 tackles, including 1.5 sacks. Ben Bascom and Aaron Patrick also recorded one sack each.
Scott completed 7-of-8 passes for 54 yards in one series that resulted in a touchdown.
Johnson went 15-for-22 for 224 yards and threw one touchdown pass for Kentucky. Blake Bone caught three passes for 93 yards. Snell totaled 103 yards on 19 carries.
OLE MISS 45, UT MARTIN 23
OXFORD, Miss. - The University of Tennessee at Martin football team jumped out to an early lead over Southeastern Conference foe Ole Miss on Saturday, leading by as much as nine points in the second quarter before ultimately becoming overmatched in the second half en route to a 45-23 setback.
The Skyhawks (1-1) managed 334 yards of total offense against the stingy SEC foe, including 253 yards on the ground while managing 14 first downs. UT Martin would score first in the contest, marking the quickest touchdown strike against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent since Nov. 8, 2008 against fellow SEC West member Auburn.
Needing a big spark to pull off a potential upset, the Skyhawks saw junior running back Ladarius Galloway notch yet another strong performance. After tallying 157 yards rushing against Clarion the week before, Galloway improved upon that mark by garnering 24 carries for 188 yards and a touchdown. With the strong afternoon, Galloway became the first Skyhawk to tally consecutive 150-yard rushing performances since UT Martin Hall of Famer Don Chapman accomplished the feat in a record-setting 2006 campaign.
Normally known for his strong arm, senior quarterback Troy Cook proved multi-dimensional in key situations. While completing 9-of-15 pass attempts for 92 yards on a run-friendly afternoon, Cook added a rushing touchdown to the team’s total while senior tailback Marquez Grayson also joined in the action with a mirror two-yard scamper to the left.
UT Martin’s defense saw a streak of 14 consecutive games with fewer than 300 yards of passing offense allowed - dating back to Nov. 7, 2015 against Eastern Kentucky - come to a halt on Saturday as Ole Miss tallied 489 yards through the air. Stealing the show was Shea Patterson who completed 32-of-43 passes for a school-record 489 yards and five touchdowns. The receiving duo of AJ Brown (156 yards) and DaMarkus Lodge (133 yards) would combined for three touchdowns.
Despite the rough statistical afternoon, the Skyhawks were led defensively by senior safety Kahlid Hagens with 10 tackles – the fifth double-figure tackle performance of his career. Meanwhile fellow safety Tae Martin ranked second with six tackles, including the team’s lone interception – his second of the season.
GEORGIA TECH 37, #5 JACKSONVILLE STATE 10
ATLANTA - FCS No. 5 Jacksonville State more than held its own against Atlantic Coast Conference member Georgia Tech through the first 28 minutes of Saturday's game at historic Grant Field.
Three turnovers over the next 10.5 minutes doomed the Gamecocks' upset bid, however.
The Yellow Jackets capitalized on two interceptions and a fumble recovery to pull away for a 37-10 victory before an announced crowd of 50,161 at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
The opportunistic Ramblin' Wreck defense limited Jacksonville State (1-1) to 189 yards of total offense while forcing three turnovers that directly led to 20 points. The 189 yards were the lowest total by the Gamecocks since 2000 vs. Nicholls State.
Georgia Tech - playing for the second time in five days - scored with 1:20 left in the second quarter for a 10-7 lead after intercepting Jacksonville State quarterback Bryant Horn, and put the game out of reach by piling on three touchdowns in less than seven minutes in the third.
Jacksonville State fell to 0-3 all-time against Georgia Tech.
Roc Thomas again was the workhouse for Jacksonville State's offense with a hard-fought 86 yards on 18 rushes. He also caught one pass for 19 yards and now has accounted for 295 all-purpose yards in two games.
The Gamecocks' 25th matchup against an FBS opponent began with promise.
Georgia Tech took an early 3-0 lead on Shawn Davis' 34-yard field goal midway through the first quarter, but Jacksonville State answered with a meticulous 14-play scoring drive on the next series.
Horn finished off the 75-yard march with a 5-yard TD pass to Krenwick Sanders with 12:26 left in the second quarter. Cade Stinnett added the extra point to put the Gamecocks in front 7-3.
Tech's Lawrence Austin intercepted a Horn pass in JSU territory late in the half and the Yellow Jackets quickly regained the lead. TaQuon Marshall threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Jeune on the second play of the drive to put Georgia Tech ahead 10-7 at halftime.
Marshall added touchdown passes to Jeune and J.J. Green after back-to-back Jacksonville State turnovers as the Ramblin' Wreck forged a 23-7 lead with 8:57 to go in the third. Marshall became the first Georgia Tech quarterback since 2014 with three touchdowns in a game.
Jerry Howard scored on a 65-yard run three minutes later as the Yellow Jackets pushed their lead to 30-7. It was the longest run by a Gamecock opponent since Eastern Kentucky's Matt Denham had a 73-yarder in 2012.
Stinnett kicked a 27-yard field goal as time expired in the third quarter for Jacksonville State's final points.
Marlon Bridges led Jacksonville State with seven tackles, including six solo stops.
DAYTON 25, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 23
DAYTON, Ohio - Southeast Missouri (0-2) came up a two-point conversion shy of tying the game and Dayton (1-1) hung on for a 25-23 victory Saturday afternoon at Welcome Stadium.
SEMO covered 87 yards on nine plays in just 1:01 to pull to within two points when Jesse Hosket completed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Kristian Wilkerson with 46 secconds left.
On the ensuing two-point conversion, Hosket rolled to his right and threw into triple coverage. Linebacker Jack Crain intercepted Hosket's pass in the end zone allowing the Flyers to escape.
The Redhawks outgained UD, 390-292, but had their hands full with a smashmouth Flyer running game that produced 192 yards for an average of four yards per carry. SEMO also threw two interceptions and had two punts blocked in the second half, which didn't help the cause.
Tucker Yinger picked up 63 yards on his first six carries to key a 9-play, 64-yard scoring drive that ended in a 15-yard pass from Kyle Kaparos to a wide open J.P. Forcucci for the first touchdown of the game.
A 19-yard sack by Nick Surges resulted in a second SEMO punt and UD took over on downs at its own 36-yard line.
Kaparos' 16-yard completion kept the Flyers drive alive on a third-and-2, as UD moved to the SEMO 19. Three plays later, Patrick Sandler kicked a 32-yard field goal to push UD's lead to 10-0 with 47 seconds left in the first quarter.
SEMO chewed up 8:06 en route to its first touchdown of the game.
The Redhawks converted on four third-down plays to keep the drive intact. Marquis Terry took the snap in wildcat formation and dashed three yards into the end zone for his first career touchdown as a Redhawk. SEMO went 65 yards in 16 plays to dice UD's lead to 10-7 with 7:41 remaining in the second quarter.
Two long third down carries helped UD answer.
On third-and-20, Yinger ripped of a 21-yard run on a draw play to move the chains. Following a chop block penalty, the Flyers faced a third-and-16 when Sean Prophit picked up 20 yards, again on a draw. UD settled for a 25-yard field goal by Sandler to grab a 13-7 lead at the 2:02 mark.
UD later led, 13-7, at halftime after Nicholas Litang's 41-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.
Tim Simon blocked Evan Scales' punt on the opening drive of the second half and the Flyers recovered at SEMO's 12-yard line. UD managed to get to the 8-yard line before Sandler's 25-yard field goal extended the Flyers lead to 16-7 with 13:17 to go in the third quarter.
A big 52-yard return by Richie Eisenhart on the kickoff put the Redhawks in excellent field position at the UD 38-yard line. Litang kicked a 31-yard field goal to cap a 6-play, 24-yard drive as SEMO pulled to within six (16-10).
On the first play of the Redhawks next drive, Hosket and Trevon Billington hooked up on a 68-yard touchdown pass putting SEMO ahead, 17-16, with just under nine minutes left in the third quarter.
Scales' other punt deflected off Cole Kaparos and UD went to work at its 49-yard line. This time, the Flyers made the Redhawks pay when Kaparos threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Skibinski. UD regained a 22-17 lead with 12:27 in the fourth quarter following a missed two-point conversion.
On the first play of SEMO's drive after Skibinski's touchdown, Hosket was picked off by Andrew Lutgens at the Redhawks 36-yard line. Nothing came of the turnover and SEMO began its final drive at its own 13.
Sandler, who missed two kicks in UD's season-opener at Robert Morris, made his fourth field goal, this time from 38 yards out to give the Flyers a 25-17 cushion with just under three minutes remaining.
Kaparos' punt was downed at the SEMO 13-yardline and Hosket put together a nice drive to get the Redhawks within two. Hosket completed 6-of-7 passes for 81 yards during SEMO's longest scoring drive of the season to date.
Terry ran for 111 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, his first 100-yard game as a Redhawk. Billington added 135 a game-high 135 yards and a touchdown on six catches. Wilkerson matched a career-high nine receptions and finished with a touchdown and 88 receiving yards.
Hosket completed 20-of-32 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, Chad Meredith paved the way with 11 tackles, a tackle for loss and one breakup. Meredith registered double-digit tackles for the sixth time in his career. The Redhawks had three sacks and 11 tackles for loss, as well.
Yinger gained 141 yards on 24 carries with an average of 5.9 yards per rush to lead UD. Prophit followed with 45 yards on eight attempts.
Meanwhile, Sandler's four field goals marked a UD single-game record.
MIAMI (OHIO) 31, AUSTIN PEAY 10
OXFORD, Ohio - For a second consecutive game, Austin Peay State University's defense held an opponent under 300 yards but the Governors could not overcome Miami in a 31-10 decision, Saturday afternoon at Yager Stadium.
After limiting Cincinnati to 248 yards in a Week 1 contest, Austin Peay (0-2) held Miami to just 295 offensive yards. It is the first time in program history the Governors defense has held back-to-back Football Bowl Subdivision opponents to under 300 yards.
Miami (1-1) scored the game's first touchdown when quarterback Gus Ragland found Kenny Young for a five-yard score to cap a 15-play, 60-yard drive. However, the Governors responded immediately as JaVaughn Craig ran 22 yards for a touchdown to cap a five-play, 71-yard drive that tied the game 7-7.
The Redhawks would score on their next two drives, opening a 21-7 lead, but the Governors defense thwarted another drive when linebacker Gunnar Scholato recovered a fumble at midfield, keeping the halftime deficit at two scores.
Austin Peay's defense put together a monster third-quarter effort, holding Miami to minus-one yard offense on eight plays. The Govs set the tone on the Redhawks opening drive, with defensive lineman Jule Pace forcing a fumble recovered by Malik Boynton. The offense converted the turnover when kicker Cole Phillips, playing his first Governors contest, connected on a 37-yard field goal to trim the deficit.
Miami could not gain traction on its next three possessions, going three and out on consecutive drives before gaining its first first down of the half to start the fourth quarter. The Redhawks would capitalize on two Governors miscues to open its lead further.
The Govs defense had one last stand in it and again Boynton was involved, recovering his second fumble of the game to kill Miami's penultimate drive at the Austin Peay 13-yard line.
Gunnar Scholato had a full day for the Governors, with 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a fumble forced and recovered and a near interception in the fourth quarter that left him with credit for a pass breakup. Boynton had two tackles but also recovered two fumbles.
Craig finished with 129 offensive yards in less than one half of action. Jeremy Oatsvall took over on the final drive of the first half and finished 52 offensive yards (17 rushing, 35 passing).
Ragland completed 11-of-23 passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns to lead Miami. James Gardner added 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 38, EASTERN ILLINOIS 10
DEKALB, Ill. - Northern Illinois converted two first half interceptions into touchdowns as the Huskies pulled away from Eastern Illinois on Saturday afternoon beating the Panthers, 38-10, at Huskie Stadium.
NIU improved to 1-1 on the season. EIU fell to 1-1.
EIU’s defense stonewalled NIU on the opening drive forcing a 3-and-out. The Panthers then marched down the field and appeared to take a 3-0 lead as Nick Wilson hit a 37-yard field goal. The points were wiped out by an EIU penalty and the Panthers came up short going for it on downs.
NIU broke through midway through the first quarter as on a third-and-long play, Daniel Santacaterina hit Spencer Tears for a 39-yard strike down the sideline at the 7:57 mark. Santacaterina would finish the half 15-of-22 for 216 yards. He ended the day passing for 252 yards.
EIU took advantage of a mishandled punt after the Panthers offense was shut down on the next drive. Ben Bergeson recovered the loose ball giving EIU the ball at the NIU 29 yard line. The Panthers would come away with a Wilson 20-yard field goal with 2:51 to play in the first quarter.
In the second quarter the Huskies defense turned two interceptions in to touchdowns as the Huskies jumped out to a 31-3 halftime lead. Mycial Allen’s interception led to a Marcus Jones 3-yard score at 14:51. Jones had a 1-yard run with 3:05 to play in the first half after Mykelti Williams had the second Huskies interception of the day. Jones rushed for 63 yards for NIU.
Christian Blake caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Santacaterina and Christian Hagan banged home a 20-yard field goal to round out the first half NIU scoring.
David Johnson turned away an earlier Hagan field goal attempt in the half as the senior blocked a 39-yard attempt. Levi Watson gave the Panthers a second blocked field goal in the third quarter as he was credited for knocking down a 30-yard attempt by Hagan. It was the first blocked field goal by the Panthers since Oct. 13, 2012 when Pat Wertz had a blocked field goal against Jacksonville State.
NIU added a short touchdown reception by Shane Wilmann with 1:34 to go in the third quarter to increase the lead to 38-3. The score came on a long Huskies drive following a missed field goal by the Panthers.
EIU broke through with a touchdown with 8:01 in the fourth quarter as redshirt freshman Scotty Gilkey Jr scored on a 1-yard run. Gilkey carried the ball eight times for 20 yards on the day.
Tray Mitchell, Nick Horne and Bradley Dewberry led EIU with seven tackles each. Joe Caputo had an interception the third quarter for the EIU defense. Antonio Jones-Davis had eight tackles to lead NIU.
#15 CENTRAL ARKANSAS 41, MURRAY STATE 13
MURRAY, Ky. (AP) - Hayden Hildebrand threw for three touchdowns and Central Arkansas beat Murray State 41-13 on Saturday night.
Hildebrand finished 19 of 25 for 286 yards passing and an interception, throwing scoring passes to Jakari Dillard, Brandon Myers and Joe Hampton. Brandon Cox had 102 yards receiving. Carlos Blackman added two rushing touchdowns and Matt Cummins and Hayden Ray a field goal each.
Murray State's Gabriel Vicente kicked a pair of field goals in the final 1:11 of the first half but in between, Hampton scored on 74-yard pass play with the half ending 31-6.
The Bears (1-1) lost to Kansas State 55-19 last week but had 421 yards offense against the Big 12 Wildcats. Against the Racers (1-1), they rolled up 486 yards, including a 312-58 advantage in the first half when they held Murray State to minus-19 yards rushing.
Murray State's lone touchdown came on Shuler Bentley's 25-yard pass to L.J. Gainey with 1:20 left.
KENNESAW STATE 27, TENNESSEE TECH 14
KENNESAW, Ga. (AP) - Darnell Holland broke away for an 84-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and Kennesaw State rolled to a 27-14 win over Tennessee Tech on Saturday night.
Holland, who averaged 37.5 yards per game last season, finished with a career-high 129 yards on four carries. His touchdown run began from his own 16, where he got a pitch out as he swept left and charged down the sideline, breaking a tackle around midfield, and then eluding more defenders around the Tennessee Tech 30 with a stagger step before cutting back toward the center as he slanted into the end zone.
Trey Chivers also had a rushing TD for Kennesaw State (1-1) and Chandler Burks, who was 5 of 8 passing for 88 yards, connected with Justin Sumpter on a 3-yard TD throw with four seconds left in the opening half to take 24-0 advantage into the break. Justin Thompson had a 19-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 21-yarder in the third.
Tennessee Tech (0-2) had four turnovers, three of which Kennesaw State converted for points, and was held scoreless until the fourth quarter.
Andre Sale was 31 of 42 passing for 297 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Both of Sale's TD throws were hauled in by Dantae Wilkes. Dontez Byrd had 109 yards on 10 receptions for the Golden Eagles.
#23 TENNESSEE STATE 17, JACKSON STATE 15
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The 2017 Southern Heritage Classic went down the final second as the Tennessee State football team topped Jackson State, 17-15, on Saturday Night at the Liberty Bowl. A fourth-quarter 58-yard punt return for a touchdown by Patrick Smith proved to be the difference in the game.
Smith’s touchdown with just over five minutes remaining put TSU up 17-9.
Jackson State was able to cut the lead down to 17-15 when Terrell Kennedy returned the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown. Laquarius Cook broke up a pass on the two-point try to preserve TSU’s slight edge.
With two seconds showing on the clock, JSU’s field goal from 47 yards out was wide right giving TSU the two-point victory. The Tigers improved to 2-0 on the season, while Jackson State fell to 0-2.