SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Southeast Missouri 40, Dayton 21
@Marshall 32,
Eastern Kentucky 16
@#13 Jacksonville State 71, Mississippi Valley State 0
@#24 Austin Peay 24, Presbyterian 0
@Middle Tennessee 61,
UT Martin 37
@#17 Central Arkansas 26,
Murray State 13
@#19 Illinois State 48,
Eastern Illinois 10
Tennessee State vs. Jackson State (Memphis, Tenn.) (cancelled)
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 40, DAYTON 21
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Daniel Santacaterina threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns, Marquis Terry ran for a career-high 202 yards and a touchdown, and Southeast Missouri (1-1) scored 20 fourth-quarter points to grab a 40-21 win over Dayton (1-1) in its home-opener at Houck Field Saturday.
Santacaterina, who was cleared to play after being in concussion protocol from a hard hit he took in the second quarter against Arkansas State the previous week, completed 20-of-30 passes. Two of his touchdown passes came in the game's final period.
SEMO trailed, 14-13, when Santacaterina ran for 11 yards to pick up a big first down on a fourth-and-7 in the third quarter. Two plays later, he threw a 4-yard touchdown to Kristian Wilkerson to put the Redhawks ahead, 20-14, at the 5:40 mark.
UD regained a 21-20 edge after Tucker Yinger broke free for a 34-yard touchdown to cap a 6-play, 73-yard drive less than a minute into the fourth quarter.
The Redhawks then scored 20 unanswered points to bury the Flyers.
Wilkerson caught his second touchdown pass from Santacaterina from 18-yards out to polish off a 5-play, 72-yard march. Zack Smith sprinted 73 yards after going in motion to receive a short toss from Santacaterina. Terry ran 95 yards for SEMO's final TD of the game.
Santacaterina had a hand in four touchdowns during his first career home start at SEMO. His 9-yard rushing TD gave the Redhawks a 13-7 halftime lead.
Offensively, SEMO finished with 481 total yards as its 40 points were the most the Redhawks scored in a game since it put up 41 at home against Austin Peay on Oct. 29, 2016.
Terry averaged 12.6 yards per carry on 16 attempts. His 95-yard run matched the third-longest rushing play in school history.
Smith, meanwhile, recorded the first 100-yard receiving game of his career. He had five catches for a game-high 122 yards. Smith's 73-yard reception tied for the eighth longest in school history.
Additionally, the Redhawks did not turn the ball over for the second game in a row.
Justin Swift and Zach Hall led SEMO's defense with 11 and nine tackles, respectively. Swift's 11 tackles were a career-high. He remained in the game after a tackle he made -- initially ruled a targeting -- was overturned early on.
Newcomer Marcus Lucas notched his team-high second interception of the season, while Hall added a fumble recovery giving SEMO a +2 turnover margin. The Redhawks tallied two sacks and six tackles for loss, as well.
Yinger ran for 115 yards and a touchdown, and Jack Cook threw for 281 yards and a touchdown on 22-of-45 passes to lead Dayton.
MARSHALL 32, EASTERN KENTUCKY 16
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Eastern Kentucky University’s special teams recovered two punts and a kickoff, while blocking a field goal and a punt in a 32-16 loss at Marshall University on Saturday at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
The opening kickoff of the second half bounced off the leg of the returner for Marshall (2-0), and redshirt freshman Matthew Jackson recovered the kick for the Colonels at Marshall’s 30-yard line. LJ Scott kept the Colonels’ drive alive with a 15-yard run on third down. Two plays later, Alonzo Booth powered into the end zone to cut the lead to six points, 20-13, with 12:28 left in the third quarter.
That’s as close as EKU would get.
Eastern Kentucky (1-1) had two rushing touchdowns, courtesy of Scott and Booth. The Colonels outrushed the Thundering Herd 139-89. Leodis Moore III and Darien Tipps-Clemons both recorded blocks on special teams for EKU.
The Colonels’ opening drive of the game ended with a punt, but the ball bounced off a Marshall player and Jaelin Carter recovered it. The offense could not sustain a drive and the Thundering Herd went on to score 13 unanswered points in the first quarter.
Eastern experienced déjà vu when its first drive of the second quarter ended with a punt that was touched by a Marshall player, allowing Booth to recover the ball. Starting at Marshall’s 19-yard line, EKU only needed three plays for Scott to find the end zone for a two-yard touchdown.
After an interception late in the second quarter led to a quick Marshall touchdown, Dakota Allen marched the Colonels down the field. A field goal attempt with :04 remaining would be denied, allowing the Thundering Herd to take a 20-6 lead into the locker room.
Marshall wasted no time responding to Booth’s touchdown, using a quick five play, 55-yard drive to extend their lead 27-13. A field goal with 7:27 left in the fourth quarter put the Thundering Herd ahead by 17 points.
Special teams managed to make one last big play when Tipps-Clemons blocked a punt with 5:18 left in the game. EKU’s offense went three-and-out, settling for a field goal to make it a 30-16 game. On a third down with 3:06 remaining, Allen was sacked in the endzone for a safety to extend the Thundering Herd lead to 32-16.
Marshall’s Isaiah Green threw for a game-high 278 yards, completing 23-of-39 attempts. Obi Obialo attributed two receiving touchdowns for the Thundering Herd, while Tyre Brad had one.
#13 JACKSONVILLE STATE 71, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 0
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - No. 12 Jacksonville State tied a school record with eight rushing touchdowns and allowed the fewest rushing yards in history in its 71-0 rout of Mississippi Valley State Saturday night.
The Gamecocks (1-1) dominated the Southwestern Athletic Conference visitors from the opening series.
Jacksonville State recorded the second-highest total yardage in school history (654) and limited the Delta Devils to minus-8 yards rushing on 24 attempts to establish a new school mark before a Band Day crowd of 21,864 at Burgess-Snow Field.
The 71-point margin of victory was the largest of the school's modern football era; the 1928 Gamecocks defeated Bowdon 75-0.
The Gamecocks' eight rushing TDs equaled the record set in 2001 in a 72-10 win over Cumberland.
Jacksonville State scored touchdowns on 10 of its 14 possessions. Backup running back Uriah West ran for three second-half TDs, quarterback Zerrick Cooper continued his hot start with a pair of long touchdown passes to Josh Pearson, and Michael Matthews added two rushing TDs.
The Gamecocks' 654 total yards came with one of tying the most productive outing in JSU history.
MVSU (0-2) was limited to 133 total yards. The minus-8 yards allowed by Jacksonville State's defense eclipsed the previous mark of minus-3 set in 2017 versus Murray State.
Cooper - one of three JSU quarterbacks to see action - completed 12 of 17 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns while running four times for 27 yards, including a 1-yard quarterback sneak into the end zone just before halftime.
Pearson was on the receiving end of Cooper's two touchdown passes, a 75-yard strike midway through the second quarter and a 38-yard TD reception late in the first quarter. The junior receiver from Decatur now has three touchdowns and 260 yards through two games.
Backup quarterback Zion Webb saw extensive playing time as well. He completed four of nine throws for 73 yards and added another 59 yards on seven carries. Third-stringer QB Chappelle Wade got in the game in the fourth and attempted two passes, completing one.
Jaelen Greene led the Gamecocks' ground attack with 87 yards on 11 rushes. Eight different players ran it as Jacksonville State rolled up 368 rushing yards on 55 carries (6.7 yards per run).
Linebacker Jalen Choice recorded six tackles to lead Jacksonville State's defense in that category for the second straight game.
Traco Williams had the Gamecocks' only interception, returning it 45 yards to set up JSU's third touchdown.
#24 AUSTIN PEAY 24, PRESBYTERIAN 0
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Two weather delays did nothing to slow down Austin Peay State University's football team in a 24-0 home-opening win against Presbyterian.
In fact, as the weather progressively worsened, the Govs seemed to become more aggressive, breaking off big runs the later the game went on—and it went on pretty late, with the final gun firing at 11:06 p.m. Defensively, the Govs held Presbyterian to less 200 yards total offense as the inclement weather turned the second half into a slugfest in the trenches.
The start of the game was delayed 1:14 by myriad lightning strikes in the area and when the game finally got underway, a mere one minute, 59 seconds elapsed off the clock before another 1:07 delay. All that transpired over that almost two-minute span was a Presbyterian punt, which hit a Governor on the bounce and was pounced on inside the Austin Peay 40-yard line.
Presbyterian's second chance would have to wait; after the next delay passed, the Blue Hose posted a three-and-out and pooched a punt down inside the Governors 10-yard line. Austin Peay's only sustained march of the first quarter, which featured three of DJ Montgomery's career-high 10 catches, stalled near midfield and forced a punt.
The Govs next possession ended with a bad snap on a punt attempt and Presbyterian inside Austin Peay's 20-yard line. However, on the Blue Hose first play in the red zone, freshman Rashon Davis stepped in front of a John Walker pass near the goal line to collect his first career interception—the Blue Hose would only run two more plays inside Austin Peay territory for the rest of the game.
Austin Peay finally broke through in the second quarter. After taking over inside their own 10-yard line, sophomore Jeremiah Oatsvall marched the Govs 91 yards, using his arm—for a crucial 11-yard strike to Baniko Harley on third-and-eight—and his legs for an additional 57 yards, including the final 13 for Austin Peay's first score of the night. Junior Logan Birchfield added a 24-yard field goal late in the half to send the Govs into the locker room with a 10-point advantage.
Sophomore tailback Ahmaad Tanner showcased his big-play ability on both first-half scoring drives—he kicked off the touchdown drive with a 35-yard scamper, then put the Govs deep into Presbyterian territory by taking a pass from junior JaVaughn Craig 40 yards to flip the field. The bruising back from Dalton, Georgia finished his night with 17 carries for 98 yards.
Meanwhile the defense, which showcased myriad bright spots against third-ranked Georgia a week ago, stifled the Blue Hose at every turn. Presbyterian managed just 77 first-half yards and four first downs as the Govs were able to effectively keep the Blue Hose in third-and-long situations by bottling up the running game (15 carries for 18 first-half yards).
Craig again orchestrated a scoring drive to open the third quarter, needing just 4:08 to take the Govs 65 yards. He picked up two 10-yard gains with his feet and found Montgomery—again—for nine yards on third-and-four. Junior tailback Prince Momodu punched it in from three yards out for his third career rushing touchdown.
Austin Peay's final scoring drive of the night featured another steady diet of Craig, including a 49-yard scamper down to the Presbyterian 16-yard line. Craig took it the final eight yards himself for his 10th career rushing touchdown. He finished the night with a team-high 108 yards rushing on just eight carries and added an efficient 11-for-18 passing night for 127 yards. A favored target of both Craig and Oatsvall was Montgomery, who finished with 10 catches for 114 yards.
The Blue Hose never threatened in the second half—Presbyterian's only play in Austin Peay territory in the second half was the game's final play from scrimmage, and ended with a seven-yard loss.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 61, UT MARTIN 37
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin football team put up a strong showing against Football Championship Subdivision foe Middle Tennessee on Saturday night but could not overcome the high-octane Blue Raiders offense, ultimately falling 61-37.
The Skyhawks (0-2) would score first in the contest and even trimmed the margin against the FBS foe to as close as 10 points in the final quarter but allowed two late touchdowns which sealed the game’s fate. UT Martin ran a season-high 94 plays – ranking as the most plays in a single game for the Skyhawks since running 95 against Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 22, 2008. The offensive night featured 460 yards of total offense for the Skyhawks, including 358 yards through the air.
Dresser Winn had a career performance against the FBS foe, completing 34-of-53 passes for 355 yards and four touchdowns. His 355-yards and four-touchdown performance ranked as the most passing yards by a Skyhawks since the 2015 season.
Running back Jaimiee Bowe tallied a game-high 66 rushing yards on eight carries, including a 37-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, LaDarius Galloway paced the Skyhawks with 12 carries while notching 48 rushing yards along with 61 receiving yards to tally 109 yards of total offense – highlighted by a 51-yard touchdown.
Wide receiver Terry Williams put on a show in his second game in a Skyhawk uniform, tallying a game-high 10 receptions for 70 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Devonte Howard was right behind him with eight catches for 56 yards and touchdown while junior Jaylon Moore eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the first time in his career with seven catches for 117 yards.
Defensively the Skyhawks were led by senior James Gilleylen with 10 tackles – including eight solos – while notching one sack for an 11-yard loss. Hometown boy Kevin Prather, Jr. also put on a show in the middle of the field with nine tackles and one sack. Graduate student Porter Streator III led the secondary with seven tackles.
Middle Tennessee (1-1) picked up its first win of the season behind a strong offensive performance of its own. The Blue Raiders tallied 484 yards of total offense behind a strong game from graduate quarterback Brent Stockstill as he completed 23-of-32 passes for 396 yards and five touchdowns. Brad Anderson led the receiving core with six catches for 141 yards while the duo of Patrick Smith and CJ Windham combined for five touchdown receptions. Meanwhile, Chaton Mobley notched 14 carries for 70 yards and two scores on the ground.
#17 CENTRAL ARKANSAS 26, MURRAY STATE 13
CONWAY, Ark. - Recap coming soon.
#19 ILLINOIS STATE 48, EASTERN ILLINOIS 10
NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State gained momentum on two key back-to-back plays in the second quarter as the Redbirds won the 107th Mid-America Classic on Saturday evening 48-10. It marked the first time in four years that the home team has won the rivalry game.
EIU fell to 0-2 while Illinois State, ranked 19th this week in the FCS, improved to 2-0.
Leading 14-0, Illinois State defense was able to make a stop on a 4th and one play at the Redbirds three yard line to end the Panthers chances of cutting the lead in half with 8:38 to play in the half. Harry Woodbery had connected with Alexander Hollins for a 45-yard strike to put the Panthers in the red zone.
On the next play of offense for ISU, quarterback Brady Davis connected with Spencer Schnell for a 97-yard touchdown pass to put the Redbirds up 21-0. Davis and Schnell would connect one more time in the second quarter on a 33-yard pass and catch to put ISU up 28-0 at the half. Davis passed for 243 yards in the first half finishing the game with 317 yards. Schnell had eight catches for 174 yards.
ISU scored its first touchdown on a 42-yard pass from Davis to Andrew Edgar with 2:31 to play in the first quarter. Davis would score the second Redbirds touchdown with 11:35 to play in the second quarter.
Joe Caputo made nine of his team high 13 tackles in the first half for EIU.
Illinois State added to its lead in the early minutes of the second half as Sam Fenlason knocked home a 37-yard field goal to make it 31-0 with 10:50 to play in the third quarter. The score was set up by a Ty DeForest interception. Fenlason connected on a 38-yard field goal later in the fourth quarter.
The Panthers got on the board with 8:26 to play in the third quarter on a Matt Severino 39-yard field goal. The Redbirds answered right back with the fourth touchdown pass of the day by Davis as he hit Robert Gillum for a three-yard strike. ISU finished the game with 582 yards of total offense. James Robinson tacked on a short touchdown early in the fourth quarter to make it 45-10. Robinson finished with 153 yards on the ground.
Jamal Scott scored EIU's first touchdown of the game late in the third quarter with a 6-yard scamper with 1:18 to play in the quarter. Scott rushed for 96 yards for EIU.