SATURDAY'S SCORES
@Indiana State 19,
Eastern Kentucky 7
#12 Illinois State 21,
@Eastern Illinois 3
@#16 Jacksonville State 49. #4 Eastern Washington 45
@Tennessee Tech 31, UVa-Wise 14
@Southern Illinois 28,
UT Martin 14
@Toledo 45,
Murray State 0
Austin Peay 48, @Mercer 34
Jackson State 49,
Tennessee State 44 (Memphis, Tenn.)
@Missouri 50,
#19 Southeast Missouri 0
EASTERN KENTUCKY 19, INDIANA STATE 7
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Despite a strong defensive effort, the Eastern Kentucky University football team lost at Indiana State University, 19-7, on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
The Colonels (1-2), trailing 10-0 at the break, got the ball to start the second half, but turned it over on downs at their own 34 yard line. The defense came up big in response, limiting the Sycamores to a 25-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide left.
Eastern strung together a long scoring drive on its second possession of the third quarter. Alonzo Booth carried three times for 11 yards. After an incomplete pass, quarterback Conor Blount picked up 14 yards on the ground to the EKU 45. Moments later, facing a 4th-and-2 at the Indiana State 47, Booth caught a pass out of the backfield and rumbled seven yards for the first down.
A pass interference call helped Eastern get to the 25 yard line. A 3rd-and-4 completion to Jerome Gross from Blount made it 1st-and-goal at the eight. Booth covered the rest on three carries, the final coming from a yard out to reach the end zone. The kick made it a three-point game, 10-7, with 2:45 left in the third. The 15-play drive covered 80 yards in 6:07.
ISU answered right back with a 58-yard scoring drive that resulted in a 31-yard field goal with 14:55 remaining in the fourth quarter. On the ensuing possession, Eastern drove deep into Indiana State territory. A 17-yard pass to Keyion Dixon from Blount was initially ruled a game-tying touchdown, but the call was reversed on review. The Colonels went for it on 4th-and-2 and turned the ball over at the eight yard line.
A 9-yard Peterson Kerlegrand touchdown run with 2:29 to play in the game sealed it for the Sycamores.
Indiana State (1-2) converted a field goal on their first possession of the game and a touchdown midway through the second quarter to build a 10-0 halftime advantage.
Daryl McCleskey Jr. led the Eastern Kentucky ground game with 103 yards on 13 carries. Booth finished with 33 yards on nine carries with the touchdown. Blount was 15-for-23 for 83 yards. Ben Bascom led the team with nine tackles. Aaron Patrick had seven stops and a sack.
Kerlegrand totaled 132 yards on 23 touches for Indiana State. Sycamore quarterback Ryan Boyle finished 11-for-18 for 133 yards.
#12 ILLINOIS STATE 21, EASTERN ILLINOIS 3
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Illinois State had a six-yard run by James Robinson cap the opening drive of the game as the Redbirds were able to use that score to beat Eastern Illinois, 21-3, on Saturday afternoon in the 108th playing of the Mid-America Classic.
EIU fell to 0-3 on the season. Illinois State, ranked 12th, improved to 2-1 as they have now won three straight in the rivalry series.
The Redbirds marched 59 yards in seven plays to open the game with the first of three Robinson touchdown runs on the day.
EIU was forced to punt on its opening drive after going 29 yards on eight plays. The Panthers were held to 3-and-outs on their next three series.
Robinson’s second score came at the 10:41 mark of the second quarter to push the Redbirds out to a 14-0 lead. Robinson would finish with 146 yards on the ground as Illinois State rushed for 254.
The Panthers cracked the scoreboard in the final minute of the opening half as Josh Delgado knocked home a 34-yard field goal. Johnathan Brantley hit Jaelin Benefield on a swing pass the freshman back took to the ten yard line. The Panthers then had a rush for loss and sack that pushed them back to the 24-yard line. A penalty on third down gave EIU new life, but a sack on the next series forced EIU to settle for the Delgado kick. Illinois State applied pressure in the backfield all day finishing with eight sacks. Romeo McKnight picked up 2.5 of them.
EIU’s own defense was able to apply some pressure as Dytarious Johnson collected the Panthers first sack of the season while Charlie Brooks and Terrell Greer combined on the other. Johnson finished with nine tackles including three for loss.
Robinson’s final score came midway through the third quarter as he broke around the right side and raced for a 52-yard touchdown. EIU had two other drives into ISU territory missing a field goal in the third quarter and turning the ball over on downs in the fourth.
Brantley was the Panthers leading rusher on the day with 49 yards. He complete ten passes with seven to Benefield.
#16 JACKSONVILLE STATE 49, #4 EASTERN WASHINGTON 45
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - No. 16 Jacksonville State appeared all but done. Finished. Game over.
Except the showdown against No. 4 Eastern Washington wasn't and the resilient Gamecocks weren't.
Jacksonville State overcame a 21-point deficit for the first time since the historic 2010 Ole Miss upset to claim a 49-45 win over the Eagles before a Band Day crowd of 20,901 at Burgess-Snow Field.
Michael Matthews' 1-yard touchdown plunge with a tick under one minute remaining gave the Gamecocks their first and only lead, and cornerback Yul Gowdy sealed the win moments later with an interception that set off a raucous celebration throughout the stadium. Eastern Washington was the highest-ranked opponent Jacksonville State defeated since 2002.
The Gamecocks (2-1) marched 73 yards in 11 plays in the final minutes to complete the comeback. Zerrick Cooper had crucial completions to Josh Pearson for 29 yards and Trae Berry for 19 more into the red zone. Cooper then scrambled seven yards to the EWU 3 and Matthews plunged in behind the right side of the line two plays later. Bryant Wallace's seventh and final PAT made it 49-45.
Jacksonville State scored the game's last 21 points, with Cooper sprinting in from 15 yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter to ignite the rally.
Matthews then ran in from the 3 with 5:55 to go to pull the Gamecocks to within 45-42. That drive was set up by a partially-blocked punt, giving JSU possession at Eastern Washington's 13.
The Eagles (1-2) led 35-21 at halftime as quarterback Eric Barriere had his way against the Gamecocks' secondary with four touchdown passes.
Dre' Sonte Dorton had staked Eastern Washington to a quick lead by returning the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown - the first time a JSU opponent had scored on the opening kickoff since Pittsburg (Kan.) State did so in the 1992 NCAA Division II National Championship Game.
Zerrick Cooper accounted for four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) and senior safety Marlon Bridges returned an interception 67 yards for a touchdown after EWU had opened a 28-7 lead through one quarter. The pick-six was the third of Bridges' storied career.
Jamari Hester, Josh Pearson and Matthews each had a touchdown catch. Hester and Pearson moved into a third-place tie on JSU's all-time career touchdown reception list at 19.
Hester was the Gamecocks' top receiver with 133 yards on five catches. Cooper completed 14-of-31 passes for 249 yards and was intercepted once.
Traco Williams was Jacksonville State's leading tackler with 10 stops. Bridges added nine tackles in addition to his interception.
TENNESSEE TECH 31, UVA-WISE 14
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee Tech collected its 149th win in Tucker Stadium on Saturday night as the Golden Eagles used defensive and special teams plays to top visiting UVa-Wise 31-14 and improve to 2-1 on the season.
With the victory, Tech equals its wins from 2017 and 2018 combined and equals its best start since going 2-1 in the 2013 season.
True freshman Metrius Fleming got the fireworks started with a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to knot the game at 7-all.
Cookeville product David Gist capped a nine-play, 57-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run, then Tai Carter ended the visiting Cavaliers' next drive early as he scooped up a fumble and took it back to the house for a 12-yard touchdown.
Before the end of the first half, sophomore QB Bailey Fisher kept the ball on second and goal at the Wise 1 and converted it into six more points, with Devin Parker's PAT putting Tech up 28-7 at the intermission.
The second half didn't see a lot of scoring, but UVa-Wise added a scored on a Tanner Bernard 31-yard pass to Markel Harrison to add to Darrien Newton's first-quarter, seven-yard touchdown.
Parker wrapped up Tech's scoring with a 24-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 28, UT MARTIN 14
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The University of Tennessee at Martin football team scored on the first two drives of the game before allowing 28 unanswered points to Southern Illinois, dropping the road decision 28-14 on Saturday night.
The Skyhawks (1-2) jumped out to an early lead as the offense looked like a well-oiled machine, tallying 136 yards on the first two drives of the contest which capping the possessions with rushing touchdowns by the tandem of Jaimiee Bowe and Peyton Logan.
Despite holding a 14-point lead early in the contest, UT Martin struggled down the stretch, totaling just 276 yards of total offense while the defense failed to contain a wildcat-based offense, allowing 28 unanswered points and 363 yards of total offense.
Redshirt-freshman quarterback John Bachus III completed 18-of-28 passes for 212 yards and one interception. Senior receiver Jaylon Moore paced the core with four catches for 79 yards. Meanwhile the rushing tandem of Logan (65 yards) and Bowe (20 yards) both rattled off touchdowns. The one-yard score by Bowe was especially memorable, as it marked his 18th career rushing touchdown to move into a tie for fifth place in program history.
The defensive tandem of JaQuez Akins and TJ Jefferson each tallied 12 tackles to lead all defenders. Senior DaVonte Maura notched the team’s lone tackle for loss while the pair of Jefferson and Tamel McCall both tallied forced fumbles. The highlight on the defensive end came on D’Carrious Stephens’ first career interception in the first quarter.
Southern Illinois (2-1) recorded its first home victory since 2017 while putting its strength behind running back Javon Williams, Jr. who tallied 22 carries for 138 yards and two touchdowns – primarily out of the wildcat set while fellow back D.J. Davis also notched 23 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown scamper.
TOLEDO 45, MURRAY STATE 0
TOLEDO, Ohio - The Murray State football team had over 300 yards of offense Saturday night at Toledo, however it just could not find the end zone, as the Rockets shutout the Racers, 45-0 at the Glass Bowl in Toledo.
The Racers went toe-to-toe with the Rockets for the first half trailing just 3-0 after the first quarter and just 17-0 at the break. Murray State actually outgained the Rockets, 238-237 in the first half, however Toledo scored four touchdowns and held the Racers to less than 100 yards in the second half to seal the shutout win.
Despite two interceptions, quarterback Preston Rice once again turned in a very gritty performance going 26-for-36 for 180 yards with 87 additional yards on the ground. Defensively Davonta Wilson led Murray State on the night with 11 tackles, while Anthony Koclanakis followed with 10.
AUSTIN PEAY 48, MERCER 34
MACON, Ga. - Austin Peay dominated up front, got timely turnovers and an all-world performance from Kordell Jackson in a 48-34 win against Mercer that showcased some of the best performances in recent Austin Peay history.
At the open, it was Mercer that struck first, taking the opening kick-off 77 yards back inside the Austin Peay 20. That led to a field goal and an early lead.
The Govs needed just nine plays and 65 yards to get on the board for the first time, with a Kentel Williams 16-yard run and JaVaughn Craig 13-yarder chewing up chunks of yardage. Williams eventually punched it in from five yards out to give Austin Peay its first lead.
The back-and-forth continued from there. Mercer countered with a 20-yard strike from Robert Riddle to David Durden for their first touchdown, then the Govs responded with a lengthy drive that ate up the first quarter's remainder and the early second, leading to a Logan Birchfield field goal to tie it at 10.
The teams traded punts, with Mercer tacking on a field goal to lead 13-10 when the Govs took over with 1:19 to play in the first half. Craig scampered for 16 yards on 2nd and 14 for a first, then delivered a strike to Keenan Barnes for 38 yards to put the Govs on the doorstep. While Mercer's defense bent, the Bears didn't break at the goal line, and the Govs closed the half with another Birchfield field goal to take a 13-13 tie into the locker room.
Coming out of the locker room, the Govs were forced to punt on their first drive, then held the Bears to a three-and-out on their first second-half possession.
And that's when the game turned.
Prince Momodu snuck through Mercer's punt protection and blocked Grant Goupil's punt, giving the Govs excellent field position at the Mercer 24. Five plays later, Craig hit Baniko Harley for the score that would put Austin Peay ahead for good.
With momentum firmly against them following the blocked punt, the first Mercer play from scrimmage on the following drive couldn't have gone worse for the Bears. That's when Kordell Jackson read Riddle like a book and stepped in front of his pass attempt and took it back 29 yards for a pick six. 27-13 Govs. The makings of a rout were coming together.
To its credit, Mercer responded with a seven-play, 65-yard march that saw Riddle hit Chris Ellington for a touchdown to make it a one-possession game, which it remained until early in the fourth quarter. That's when Austin Peay completed a seven-play, 62-yard march capped by Williams' second score of the night, a three-yard plunge that served as his fourth career two-score performance on the ground.
The Govs never let Mercer get going in the running game. As a team, the Bears picked up 43 yards on 31 carries--Austin Peay's fourth straight opponent to rush for less than 100 yards--with John Wesley Whiteside picking up 10 tackles in the middle of the defensive front.
Any hopes Mercer may have harbored of erasing the two-score deficit were ended by Jackson on the next drive. That's when the Birmingham, Alabama native stepped in front of another Riddle pass and saw nothing but wide-open field for the next 69 yards as he raced untouched back to the house for his second pick-six of the night—the first Ohio Valley Conference player with two interceptions returned for a touchdown in the same game since Vincent Sellers (Oct. 7, 2017) against Eastern Kentucky.
The Bears got a couple of late scores from Riddle's right arm—a seven-yarder to Mays and 12 yarder to Durden—to keep it close. Following an onside kick recovered by the Govs, the Prince Momodu Show took the field—he accounted for all 45 yards on a four-play drive, chewing up the final 22 with his first rushing score of the season.
JACKSON STATE 49, TENNESSEE STATE 44
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Despite a fourth-quarter, 21-point rally, the Tennessee State Tigers fell 49-44 to Jackson State in the 30th annual Southern Heritage Classic Saturday evening at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee.
Cameron Rosendahl led the passing effort finishing the night with 384 yards, three touchdown passes and a 56-yard touchdown pass to Chris Rowland. Rowland, who's led the receiving effort over the first two weekends of play, averaged 19.9 yards per reception, 139 yards.
Southern Heritage Classic Most Valuable Player Steven Newbold had two touchdowns on the night, both toe-dragging end zone catches. The senior finished with 196 yards on 10 receptions.
Terry Straughter led the defense with seven total tackles, with Ronnie Killings finishing with six, one for loss.
Rounding out the night was kicker Antonio Zita, who finished the night with four kickoffs. The sophomore also kicked a career-long 49-yard field goal to break TSU's scoring drought, adding five extra points.
MISSOURI 50, #19 SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Junior Jake Reynolds broke a single-game school record with 14 punts as #19 Southeast Missouri (1-2) was shutout by Southeastern Conference member Missouri (2-1), 50-0, Saturday night in the 500th game played at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium.
Reynolds, who hails from Wildwood, Missouri, broke his own previous record of 11 punts in SEMO's Football Championship Subdivision Playoff win over Stony Brook a year ago. His 14 punts sailed 576 yards for an average of 41.1 yards per attempt against the Tigers.
Missouri put the game out of reach early scoring 27 points in first 8:19 of the contest.
The Tigers went 75 yards in seven plays on the opening drive of the game and scored the first touchdown on a 3-yard run by Larry Rountree III less than three minutes in.
On SEMO's third play from scrimmage, Daniel Santacaterina was intercepted by Cale Garrett. Garrett returned his pick 27 yards to the end zone. Tucker McCann's point after attempt was blocked.
After the Redhawks went three-and-out, Missouri began its next drive with a 54-yard completion from Kelly Bryant to Jalen Knox moving the Tigers to the SEMO 6-yard line. Two plays later, Bryan hit Albert Okwuegbunam on a 3-yard touchdown pass to give the Tigers a 20-0 advantage at the 8:41 mark of the first quarter.
Two minutes later, Missouri scored again, this time on a 71-yard punt return by Richaud Floyd to make it a 27-0 game.
The Tigers added 10 more points in the second quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run by Rountree III and a 44-yard field goal by Tucker McCann to grab a 37-0 lead at the half.
After a 10-point third quarter, Missouri polished off its shutout with a 52-yard field goal by McCann at the 12:32 mark of the fourth period.
SEMO had scored in 90-straight games prior to being shutout tonight. It was the first time the Redhawks went scoreless since a 59-0 loss at Purdue on Sept. 17, 2011.
The Redhawks punted on all but two of their 16 drives and went three-and-out on nine occasions. SEMO made it into Missouri territory just once and was outgained, 501-94. The 94 total yards were the Redhawks third-fewest in a game during their NCAA Division I era.
Santacaterina completed 7-of-22 passes for 45 yards as one of three SEMO quarterbacks who played against Missouri. Joe Pyle threw for 13 yards on 2-of-6 passes and redshirt-freshman Jacob Buie attempted four passes in his first career college game.
Mark Robinson picked up 19 of SEMO's 40 rushing yards and nine different Redhawk receivers had a catch.
Defensively, Al Young led SEMO with five tackles and one interception.
Rountree III ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns, Bryant completed 15-of-20 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown, and Knox caught two passes for 104 yards to lead Missouri.