SATURDAY'S SCORES
@UT Martin 37, #21 Austin Peay 7
Tennessee State 41, @Eastern Illinois 40
@Eastern Kentucky 23, Southeast Missouri 14
@#9 Jacksonville State 48, Tennessee Tech 20
UT MARTIN 37, #21 AUSTIN PEAY 7
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin football team picked up its first win of the season in the team’s Ohio Valley Conference opener against Austin Peay behind a dominating defensive performance and a final score of 37-7.
The Skyhawks (1-3, 1-0 OVC) snapped its losing streak while serving up a bit of revenge in the opening contest of the annual Sgt. York Trophy series. After UT Martin won the annual quandrangular trophy series in three consecutive seasons from 2014-16, the Governors slipped through and won the trophy in 2017 behind a big 7-0 victory against the Skyhawks 357 days ago. Looking to take the first step in bringing the trophy back to northwest Tennessee, the Skyhawks held the Govs scoreless and to just 60 total yards for the final three quarters of play.
UT Martin would tally 368 yards of total offense but it was the team’s defense which sealed the team victory. The Skyhawks would limit the Govs to just 10 first downs on the afternoon – including six of those in the first quarter alone – while forcing the opposition into a pair of turnovers and notching 15 tackles for loss.
On the offensive side of the ball, Dresser Winn served as the game manager at quarterback, completing 21-of-28 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown. Along with his 20-yard passing touchdown to Jaylon Moore in the first quarter, Winn would break loose early in the fourth quarter for a 13-yard rushing touchdown to put distance in the final score.
Running back LaDarius Galloway posted a solid afternoon with 16 carries for 71 yards to lead the team. Meanwhile the trio of Winn, Joe Hudson and Jaimiee Bowe would notch rushing touchdowns on the afternoon. Another highlight of the day saw both Galloway (1,055) and Bowe (1,017) eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark for their respective careers.
On the defensive side the Skyhawks caused havoc throughout the rainy afternoon. Senior linebacker Garrett Wall posted arguably the best game of his career with 13 tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss along with a forced fumble and a pass breakup. Fellow senior Kevin Prather, Jr. also lived up to his billing with 11 tackles and 3.0 TFLs of his own. Junior Brandon Anderson also posted his second straight week with double-figure tackles with 10 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
As a whole, the defense notched 15 tackles for loss totaling 70 yards, three sacks, seven pass breakups and four quarterback hurries. Additionally, the secondary duo of Andrew Horton-Martindale and Wanya Moton tallied the team’s first interceptions of the season.
Sophomore specialist Ryan Courtright remained perfect on field goal attempts on the season by rounding out the day’s scoring for the Skyhawks with a 36-yard field goal late in the third quarter.
Austin Peay (2-2, 0-1 OVC) dropped its league opener after bringing consecutive victories into the contest. Heralded as a high-octane offense, the Govs were limited to just 272 yards of total offense and one touchdown after entering the game averaging 34 points per game. Quarterback Jeremiah Oatsvall tallied the team’s lone touchdown – a 37-yard scamper down the right sideline in the first quarter. Following the opening quarter, APSU would be limited to just 60 yards in the final three quarters.
TENNESSEE STATE 41, EASTERN ILLINOIS 40
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Trailing by as many as 21 points in the second quarter, the Tennessee State football team stormed all the way back to earn a hard-fought 41-40 road victory over Eastern Illinois on Saturday at O’Brien Field in the Ohio Valley Conference opener for both teams.
Saturday marked the first win for TSU (2-0, 1-0 OVC) over EIU (0-4, 0-1 OVC) since the 2011 season.
TSU took its first lead of the game with 7:31 to go in the fourth quarter when Demry Croft hit DeVon Johnson for a 49-yard touchdown pass for a 35-34 advantage.
After EIU responded with a touchdown just over a minute later, Earl Harrison capped a TSU drive with what proved to be the game-winning four-yard touchdown run with 3:06 left in the fourth.
On EIU’s final possession, Justin Culpepper blocked a 47-yard field goal attempt to preserve the victory.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 23, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 14
RICHMOND, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky University football team opened Ohio Valley Conference play with a 23-14 win over visiting Southeast Missouri on Saturday at Roy Kidd Stadium.
EKU (2-2, 1-0 OVC) forced SEMO (2-2, 0-1 OVC) into five turnovers on the night, intercepting quarterback Daniel Santacaterina four times.
Offensively, the Colonels lived up to their billing as the top rushing team in the OVC, carving out 259 yards on the ground. Junior Daryl McCleskey Jr. led the ground attack with 91 yards, while senior LJ Scott added 71 yards and a touchdown.
Junior placekicker Samuel Hayworth continued his outstanding start to the year, converting field goals of 29 yards, 41 yards and 41 yards.
On Southeast Missouri’s opening drive, junior Ben Bascom ignited the Colonels by picking off a 3rd-and-11 pass at the SEMO 43-yard line. Freshman quarterback Dakota Allen and the EKU offense responded by marching into the red zone and setting up a 29-yard field goal by Hayworth.
SEMO promptly answered the EKU score by driving 75 yards on six plays, capped by an 18-yard touchdown pass from Santacaterina to Zack Smith with 6:43 remaining in the first quarter.
In the waning seconds of the first quarter, LJ Scott ripped off a 46-yard run to the SEMO six-yard line. On the very first play of the second quarter, Scott took it in from two yards out to give the Colonels a 10-7 lead.
Scott’s touchdown proved to be the lone score of second quarter. Senior Cornelius Floyd and junior Leodis Moore III both picked off Santacaternia over the final 15 minutes of the first half; however, the Colonel offense could convert neither turnover into points.
EKU went into the locker room at halftime up 10-7.
On Southeast Missouri’s first drive of the second half, the Redhawks went for it on 4th-and-6 at the EKU 36; however, senior linebacker Gavin Bryant stuffed SEMO wideout Richie Eisenhart one yard shy of the first down.
The Colonels took advantage of the turnover on downs, thanks to a bit of trickery. After driving to the SEMO 14-yard line, EKU ran out Hayworth to attempt a 31-yard field goal on 4th-and-3. The holder, however, was sophomore quarterback Austin Scott, who took the snap, rolled out and found senior tight end Dan Paul wide open for a 14-yard touchdown. The fake field goal gave EKU a 17-7 advantage with 5:59 left in the third quarter.
Southeast Missouri got its own turnover on downs with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter, and the Redhawks capitalized, marching 54 yards on 10 plays and punching it in from one yard out to cut EKU’s lead to 17-14 early in the fourth quarter.
On the Colonels’ next possession, sophomore quarterback Alphonso Howard busted a 31 yard run to help set up a 41-yard field goal by Hayworth, giving Eastern a 20-14 lead with 9:11 on the clock.
SEMO drove deep into EKU territory on its ensuing drive; however, Floyd came up with another big interception at the Colonel 16-yard line to swing the momentum with 6:28 remaining.
Eastern punted with 3:34 on the clock, but SEMO returner Zack Smith fumbled and sophomore Alex Cabrera pounced on the ball to give the Colonels new life. They capitalized by driving to the SEMO 24, where Hayworth split the uprights on another 41-yard field goal, making it 23-14, EKU, with 1:05 left.
#9 JACKSONVILLE STATE 48, TENNESSEE TECH 20
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Zerrick Cooper has quickly found a favorite target in junior wide receiver Josh Pearson.
The Cooper-to-Pearson combination struck for two long touchdowns Saturday as No. 9 Jacksonville State defeated Tennessee Tech 48-20 in its Ohio Valley Conference opener at Burgess-Snow Field. The Gamecocks (2-1, 1-0) extended their OVC win streak to 33 games, the longest active conference winning streak in NCAA Division I.
Pearson snagged his fourth and fifth touchdowns of the season, covering 50 and 32 yards, respectively, and Jamari Hester hauled in a 40-yard touchdown from backup quarterback Zion Webb in the first quarter as Jacksonville State improved to 5-0 in league openers under head coach John Grass.
Ten Gamecocks were credited with rushing attempts as JSU rolled up 302 yards on the ground. Jacksonville State ran 74 plays and finished with 544 total yards.
The Gamecocks' offense is averaging 533.7 yards per game this season.
Cooper finished with 190 passing yards, completing 14 of 24 attempts without an interception. He also ran for 18 yards on five carries.
Webb was equally efficient directing Jacksonville State's attack. In addition to the touchdown pass to Hester, he ran nine times for 59 yards, including touchdowns of 20 and five yards in the fourth quarter as JSU pulled away.
Tennessee Tech (0-4, 0-1) started quickly, taking the opening kickoff and moving into Gamecock territory on its first possession. Nick Madonia finished off the drive with a 53-yard field goal to give the Golden Eagles their only lead at 3-0 with 11:53 in the first quarter.
Cade Stinnett kicked a 30-yard field goal as Jacksonville State evened it at 3-3 with 6:26 to go in the first. JSU then gained the lead for good following a short Tennessee Tech punt as Webb hit Hester with a 40-yard TD for a 10-3 advantage at the 4:52 mark.
Tennessee Tech fought back to within 10-6 on Madonia's 39-yard field goal with 6:15 left before halftime.
But JSU wasted no time extending its lead after the ensuing kickoff went out of bounds. Starting from their 35, the Gamecocks scored on first down when Jalen Greene burst up the middle for a 65-yard touchdown at the 6:04 mark. Greene finished as the team's leading rusher with 68 yards on just two carries.
Pearson had five catches for 102 yards, giving the Decatur native 362 yards through three games. He entered the contest ranked ninth nationally in receiving yards per game.
Jalen Choice was the Gamecocks' leading tackler for the third consecutive game with nine stops in limited action.