SATURDAY'S SCORES
Austin Peay 47, @Murray State 6
Tennessee State 28, @Eastern Illinois 0
@#13 UT Martin 38, Southeast Missouri 30
@Tennessee Tech 56, Virginia-Lynchburg 13
AUSTIN PEAY 47, MURRAY STATE 6
MURRAY, Ky. - Behind one of the program's most dominant rushing performances in recent history, Austin Peay State University's football team circled the wagons for a 47-6 Ohio Valley Conference victory against Murray State, Saturday, at Roy Stewart Stadium.
Ahmaad Tanner rushed for 148 yards and three touchdowns with Brian Snead adding another 132 yards and two touchdowns. Toss in quarterback Sheldon Layman's 67-yard effort and Austin Peay (3-4, 1-1 OVC) raced for 371 yards on 54 carries – their best rushing performance since 2018 at Morehead State.
Tanner's three-touchdown day included the game's first score on a 37-yard burst midway through the first quarter. He added touchdowns on back-to-back drives in the third quarter, the first of four consecutive APSU drives to end in a touchdown that broke the game open.
Snead was just as busy with a 44-yard rushing score to follow Tanner's first touchdown. He would also add the game's final touchdown to seal the 41-point victory – the Govs largest margin of victory in the series since a 49-0 shutout in 1966.
While the Governors running game was circling The Track, the defense kept the Racers offense in the gates. Austin Peay forced six turnovers – two interceptions, two fumbles, and two on downs – and five three-and-outs on 13 drives. That effort held Murray State to 289 offensive yards – the fourth time the Govs defense held an opponent to fewer than 300 offensive yards this season.
Nearly drowned out in the Govs massive rushing performance was Baniko Harley's four-reception, 48-yard performance. His 35-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter was the 20th of his career and made him the fifth Govs receiver all-time to surpass 2,000 career-receiving yards.
Murray State (3-4, 0-2 OVC) was held to a lone second-quarter touchdown. DJ Williams, who passed for 140 yards and rushed for 75 more, connected with Jake Saathoff for a two-yard scoring pass with 37 seconds left in the first half. The Racers ventured into Austin Peay territory only four times in the game.
TENNESSEE STATE 28, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Geremy Hickbottom finished with three touchdowns (two rushing and one thrown) as the Tennessee State University football team shut out Eastern Illinois, 28-0, on Saturday afternoon.
The shutout was TSU's first D1/OVC defensive blanking since 2013, a 31-0, win over SEMO. The last overall shutout was a 60-0 win over Virginia Lynchburg in 2017.
The win is also TSU's first three-game winning streak since 2017 when they defeated Georgia State, Jackson State, and Florida A&M to start the season 3-0. Within the OVC, the last time TSU won three straight league matches was in 2013 with victories over SEMO, Jacksonville St. and UT Martin.
The Tiger defense forced nine punts and had four takeaways (3 INTs and one fumble recovery), the most in the last eight games. The Tiger D shut down the Panthers to the tune of 2-for-17 on third down.
TSU finished the contest with 308 yards split between 147 rushing and 161 passing yards.
Devon Starling showed why he was named the Co-OVC Rookie of the Year as a freshman with his third 100+-yard rushing game of the season. He finished with 122 on 25 carries with one touchdown and. Had a 30yard carry which led to his seven-yard TD.
Zaire Thornton had a breakout game, as the rookie wide receiver had 76 yards on four receptions and scored his first collegiate touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers threatened on the opening drive with a 26-yard pass on the first play from scrimmage to Thornton, which moved the Tigers into scoring position, but kicker Antonio Zita missed a 52-yard field goal.
The Tiger defense held the Panthers to a quick four and out during their first try on offense and then on the next defensive sequence, Eddie Graham kept the Panthers off the board with an interception from the end zone.
The Tigers picked up their second interception of the half, a 47-yard return by James Green with 11:45 left. TSU needed two plays on the initial drive to cross the line with a one-yard plunge by Hickbottom. Zita completed the point after to give TSU a 7-0 lead.
In the second half, the TSU defense caused havoc with its third INT when Joshua Green gave his team the ball at the TSU 35.
After EIU's sixth punt of the contest, Hickbottom wasted no time with a 19-yard rush from to the outside for his second score of the day. Punt returner Zach Dodson put the Tigers in the red zone with a 19-yard return from the EIU 49.
Hickbottom unleashed fury on the EIU defense with a pair of attempts to Thornton, first a 10-yard completion and then a diving touchdown from 16 out. The duo
Tennessee State forced its fourth turnover of the contest as Davoan Hawkins forced a fumble after a four-yard rush by EIU's Kendi Rushyoug. Jahsun Bryant secured the fumble recovery for the visitors.
TSU needed five plays to return to the end zone as Starling rushed for a seven-yard touchdown. He ran three of the five plays with his longest rush of 30 yards to put the team inside the red zone.
#13 UT MARTIN 38, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 30
MARTIN, Tenn. - On the same day in which he eclipsed 2,000 rushing yards for his career, senior running back Peyton Logan’s 75-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference as the No. 13 University of Tennessee at Martin football team extended its winning streak to six games after knocking off Southeast Missouri, 38-30, at Hardy M. Graham Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Skyhawks improved their record to 6-1 on the season after picking up a non-conference win against their Ohio Valley Conference foe Southeast Missouri. The win snapped a three-game losing streak to the Redhawks – including back-to-back loses at Graham Stadium to the Redhawks in 2018 and back in April of this year. UT Martin now holds a slight 19-18 series advantage while the two programs will meet for their regularly schedule conference matchup on Saturday, Nov. 20 in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
With the victory UT Martin recorded its fourth non-conference win of the season – marking the most in a single campaign since 1988. The Skyhawks also stretched their winning streak out to six games which ranks as the second-longest of its kind in program history, only trailing a pair of eight-game winning streaks during championship campaigns in 1988 and 2006.
Along the road to today’s victory was a career milestone for Logan. Entering the contest, the senior running back needed just 12 yards to eclipse 2,000 rushing yards for his career. That total was met and then some as he rattled off 159 yards on 15 carries while tallying one touchdown. With his sixth career 100-yard rushing performance, Logan became the ninth member to join the 2,000-yard rushing list at UT Martin while jumping all the way up to fifth place with 2,147 yards. While he was highly efficient on the day by totaling 174 all-purpose yards and averaging 10.2 yards per touch, it was his 75-yard touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter which marked the team’s longest play from scrimmage this season and proved to be the game-winner.
Quarterback Keon Howard did a nice job of leading the offensive unit to 457 yards of total offense on the day while keeping the defense off the field as the Skyhawks controlled the time of possession for nearly 35 minutes of the contest. Howard completed 17-of-25 pass attempt for 221 yards while throwing for two touchdowns. He also had 10 carries for 20 net yards while scoring two rushing touchdowns. With his work on the ground, Howard set a pair of single-season records by a quarterback for multiple rushing touchdown performances (three) and rushing touchdowns (eight).
Six different receivers were involved in the pass game which caught a pair of touchdown passes and tallied 221 yards through the air. Tight end Rodney Williams II led the group with four receptions and a season-high 92 yards while hauling in a 51-yard touchdown reception. The senior duo of Donnell Williams and Marqwell Odom both caught three balls each tallying 40 and 34 yards, respectively, while freshman Zoe Roberts tallied his fourth touchdown reception of the season on an eight-yard strike at the end of the first half.
Not to be lost in the team’s success is the key play of the Skyhawks’ offensive line. The foursome of Michael Shanahan (left tackle), Chris Jackson (left guard), Matthan Hatchie (center) and Gavin Olson (right guard) have started all seven games and nearly every snap. Newcomer Lamar Morgan (right tackle) started the first six games of the season before being slowed down by an injury with Malcolm Miller and Cru Birdyshaw filling in nicely. The group affectionately known as the “Boss Hogs” lead the OVC and rank seventh nationally in sacks allowed (six) while blocking and protecting for the league’s top scoring offense (33.9 ppg) and rushing attack (228.7 ypg).
On the defensive side of the ball, the Skyhawks had a tough matchup on their hands with one of the nation’s top running backs in Southeast Missouri’s Geno Hess across the line. Entering today’s game, Hess led the nation in rushing touchdowns (11) and ranked fourth in rushing yards (762). Outside of a 66-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, he was held in check for much of the contest – finishing with 71 yards on his other 17 carries for an average of 4.1 yards per attempt.
The Skyhawks also forced a pair of turnovers in the contest for the fourth time this season. Senior transfer Shawn Shamburger tallied his first interception of his Skyhawk career in the first quarter which later set up a scoring drive. Then during a span in which the defense kept the Redhawks off the scoreboard for over 21 minutes, the Skyhawks forced another turnover on the opening kickoff of the second half as Tevin Shipp tripped up the returner and Carson Evans jumped on a loose ball for the fumble recovery.
Senior safety Deven Sims led the team with eight tackles on the day while classmates Takeem Young and JaQuez Akins both tallied six tackles each. Seven players contributed to the team’s 7.0 tackles for loss while Jay Rogers paced the squad with 2.0 individual TFLs. Meanwhile in the secondary, Oshae Baker led the unit with two pass breakups while both Shamburger and Young notched breakups of their own.
Southeast Missouri jumped on the board less than three minutes into the game on a 31-yard field goal by Kenny Doak to take an early lead. The score would remain the same until a lengthy 13-play, 73-yard scoring drive which eclipsed 6 minutes and 44 seconds was capped off by a one-yard rushing touchdown by Howard to give the
Skyhawks their first lead with 11:25 to play in the second quarter.
The Redhawks quickly responded just 78 seconds later as they moved down the field before a three-play drive ended with a 66-yard touchdown as Hess broke through a loaded box and raced down the middle of the field and into the endzone to take a 10-7 advantage.
Once the Skyhawks tied the game with 3:31 to play in the second quarter off a 26-yard field goal by Tyler Larco, it kick-started a stretch of 24 unanswered points for UT Martin which ran through the final minutes of the third quarter. Wanting to take a lead into halftime, the home team found it’s go-ahead score with 34 seconds to play on an eight-yard pass from Howard to Roberts to give the Skyhawks a 17-10 advantage at the break.
After the fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half gave UT Martin starting position on SEMO’s end of the field, the squad quickly found the endzone five plays later on a five-yard touchdown run by Howard for his eighth of the season. The Skyhawks then added their final touchdown of their 24-point run just under four minutes later when Howard found Rodney Williams II who tip-toed down the sideline and into the endzone for a 51-yard score to give the home squad a 31-10 lead.
Southeast Missouri did not throw in the towel however after facing the 21-point deficit as the Redhawks scored 10 points in the final minutes of the third quarter off a 37-yard field goal by Doak followed by a 31-yard touchdown completion from CJ Ogbonna to Johnny King – making it 31-20 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Redhawks cut the margin down to single-digits in the opening minutes of the fourth when Doak booted his third field goal of the day – this time from 38 yards – to make it 31-23. That margin would be short-lived however as Logan responded by ripping a 75-yard rushing touchdown on the first play of the following drive to push the lead back out to 15.
SEMO found one final strike in the fourth quarter on a 29-yard connection from Ogbonna to King again to make it 38-30, but that would be as close as the Redhawks would get as time ran out on their comeback attempt.
TENNESSEE TECH 56, VIRGINIA-LYNCHBURG 0
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - It was a big day for the Tennessee Tech football team as the Golden Eagles won their third game in the last four outings, putting a 56-13 effort onto the scoreboard against visiting Virginia-Lynchburg on Saturday.
The Golden Eagles (3-5) put together 404 yards of total offense, 299 of those coming on the ground. David Gist recorded 127 yards rushing for his fourth straight game over the century mark, becoming the first Tech rusher since Derek White in 2007 to do that. Jordan Brown also rushed for a career-high 110 yards – his first century game – to give the Golden Eagles two 100-yard rushers in a single game for the first time since 2015 against Austin Peay as Ladarius Vanlier and Brock McCoin accomplished that.
The Golden Eagles ran for five touchdowns in the game, Gist and Brown both picking up a pair of rushing scores. Quarterback Willie Miller had the other rushing score.
Through the air, Tech’s offense compiled 105 yards on a 5-for-9 passing day. Miller was 4-for-6 for 90 yards and a touchdown, while also throwing an interception. Freshman Lem Wash saw his first action under center, completing one of his four passes. He did have an interception – Kentavious Williams returned it 40 yards for a touchdown – but Wash made up for that with his first completion, a 15-yard connection to Cookeville native Ben Baugh for his first career catch in the end zone for their first touchdown.
The Golden Eagle defense also had its share of production. The Golden Eagles sacked Dragons starting quarterback Darrius Sample as Devin Squires and Chris Tucker combined for the wrap-up. In the process of trying to get rid of the ball, Sample fumbled it with Jack Warwick scooping it up. It was knocked away from him, but Squires was there. The freshman returned the loose ball 19 yards for the touchdown.
After holding off VUL’s first drive, the Golden Eagles struck first as Gist rushed for a four-yard score to cap off a six-play, 55-yard drive. Brown followed up with his five-yard touchdown run to end an eight-play, 43-yard drive. Squires’ fumble recovery closed out the scoring in the first quarter with Tech leading 21-0.
Sample was injured on the play and did not return. In his place, backup quarterback Chacai Campbell had a solid outing, completing 13 of his 24 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown – the final score of the afternoon on a 13-yard pass to Cinsere Clark with 2:05 remaining in the contest.
Tech put another 21-spot on the scoreboard in the second quarter as Gist ran for a two-yard touchdown run, Hunter Barnhart caught a 46-yard TD pass from Miller, then the QB got his own rushing score on a four-yard run. Those scores gave Tech a 42-0 lead at the half.
VUL broke up the shutout on the interception return, but Tech got the points back as Brown ended a 52-yard drive with a one-yard rush. The fourth quarter saw Baugh’s touchdown catch as well as Clark’s catch for the visitors.
Hayden Olsen was 8-for-8 on PATs to increase his career tally to a perfect 37-for-37.
Defensively, Tech held the visitors to 156 yards of offense, holding the Dragons to 23 rushing yards – the fewest allowed since holding Murray State to 43 in 2016. VUL ended the day with 133 passing yards.
Myles Ratliff led VUL (0-8) with 31 yards on 12 carries. Joshua Gray had the best receiving day for the Dragons, hauling in five catches for 56 yards.