SUNDAY'S SCORES
@Eastern Illinois 28,Tennessee Tech 20
UT Martin 37, @Austin Peay 34
@#8 Jacksonville State 21, Southeast Missouri 3
@#24 Murray State 35,
Tennessee State 13
EASTERN ILLINOIS 28, TENNESSEE TECH 20
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Colin Bohanek had a crucial interception in the final minutes that helped Eastern Illinois seal a 28-20 win over Tennessee Tech on Sunday afternoon at O'Brien Field.
Bohanek's was the third interception of the day for the Panthers defense as Mark Williams and Anthony Shockey also had picks for EIU.
A big special teams play on the first series of the game helped EIU get started as DeAirious Smith blocked a Tennessee Tech punt that Marcus Bornslater would recover in the end zone to put EIU up 7-0.
EIU added a short Jaelin Benefield touchdown run midway through the first quarter to build a 14-0 lead. The Panthers held the lead for the day taking a 21-10 lead to the half.
D.J. Worthy had a 30-yard touchdown reception for TTU in the second quarter while Hayden Olsen knocked home a 51-yard field goal.
EIU added a pair of Arron Foulkes touchdown receptions to close out the second quarter (17-yards) and midway through the third quarter (36-yards).
Tennessee Tech closed the scoring in the fourth quarter with another Olson field goal and Willie Miller 2-yard run.
Jason Johnson led an active EIU defense with 15 tackles and a sack. Tim Varga and Bohanek each had eight tackles.
Chris Tucker led TTU with seven tackles.
In his second career start Otto Kuhns passed for 153 yards and two touchdowns.
UT MARTIN 37, AUSTIN PEAY 34
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin football team turned to redshirt-freshman Tyler Larco and he cashed in for the third time in the contest, this time with a 46-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Skyhawks to a 37-34 road victory over Ohio Valley Conference rival Austin Peay on Sunday afternoon at Fortera Stadium.
The Skyhawks (2-2, 2-2 OVC) picked up their first win in Clarksville since 2015 on the steady leg of Larco who was perfect on the afternoon, booting three field goals from 30, 41 and most importantly from 46 yards to take an early advantage in the Sgt. York Trophy series.
In a contest which saw the lead become either tied or change hands 11 times, UT Martin outlasted Austin Peay on its home turf. The Skyhawks got on the board first as running back Peyton Logan found the endzone for the first time this season with a six-yard rushing touchdown late in the first quarter for his seventh career score. Austin Peay wasted very little time responding however, as Draylen Ellis found Eugene Minter for a 51-yard touchdown strike just 98 seconds later to tie up the contest right before the end of the quarter.
The second quarter saw plenty of offense with both teams combining for 26 points. Ellis would lead the Govs down the field for a pair of touchdowns – finding Jay Parker for a 13-yard strike on the first drive of the period before hitting Minter again for a 27-yard pass in the final minutes. UT Martin scratched together some scoring drives of its own as John Bachus III found Donnell Williams in the corner of the endzone for a 16-yard touchdown for their second scoring connection this season while Larco added a pair of field goals from 30 and 41 yards. When everything was said and done, both teams would head into halftime tied at 20 points apiece.
Austin Peay struck quickly coming out of the half in the first 69 seconds on a 12-yard rush by Ahmaad Tanner. The Skyhawks later responded as Bachus found Rodney Williams II for their third touchdown completion of the season – this time a 19-yard strike – to tie the contest as 27-all. That equalizer would be short-lived however as the Govs found the endzone once again just 32 seconds later as Ellis hit Deangelo Wilson for a 45-yard pass to give the home squad a 34-27 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
UT Martin would still trail by seven until midway through the fourth when the Skyhawks marched down the field and overcame a devastating series of events. Quarterback Dresser Winn moved the Skyhawks into the redzone before suffering a severe injury and was carted off the field, bringing Bachus back into the game after being dinged up after an earlier hit. Needing a big play after the emotional sequence, Bachus found Richie Griglione III for a three-yard touchdown to tie the game at 34-34.
Following a big three-and-out stand by the Skyhawk defense, UT Martin got the ball back with 5:55 to play and the length of the field to go. The Skyhawks would put together a methodical 11-play, 41-yard drive to march down the field to take up every second under the direction of third-string quarterback Stewart Howell who made his collegiate debut. UT Martin got the ball down to the Austin Peay 29-yard line to set up the 46-yard field goal attempt as Larco split the uprights as time expired to give the Skyhawks the 37-34 victory.
UT Martin tallied 362 yards of total offense on the afternoon which ranked as a season-high. Bachus completed 19-of-36 attempts for 259 yards and three touchdowns. Logan tallied 17 carries for 82 yards and one touchdown to pace the ground attack. Colton Dowell and Marqwell Odom both notched six receptions to lead the receiving core while Donnell Williams (85), Rodney Williams II (76) and Dowell (77) each eclipsed 75 receiving yards.
Linebacker John Ford led the team with nine tackles on the afternoon while Deven Sims registered eight stops. Defensive back Jay Woods paced the team with four pass breakups while Daylan Dotson blocked a point after attempt.
Prior to his injury, Winn enjoyed a nice afternoon in the punt game, tallying seven punts totaling 301 yards for an average of 43.0. He pinned two inside the 20 while booting one 67 yards which ranked tied for the 10th longest punt in school history.
Austin Peay’s Ellis completed 16-of-31 attempts for 305 yards and four touchdowns. Tanner rushed 14 times for 105 yards and one score while Wilson and Minter combined for eight receptions, 214 yards and three touchdowns in the receiving core.
#8 JACKSONVILLE STATE 21, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - A new offensive wrinkle and the welcome return from injury of All-American tight end Trae Barry sparked No. 8 Jacksonville State to a 21-3 victory over Southeast Missouri on Sunday in the 400th all-time game played at Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium.
SEMO, which entered the game averaging more than 335 yards and 31 points per game, struggled for most of the afternoon offensively against the Gamecocks' stout defense. The Redhawks were held to only nine rushing yards as Jacksonville State (7-1, 4-0 in Ohio Valley Conference) built a 14-3 lead at halftime and JSU kept up the pressure in the second half for its seventh consecutive win.
SEMO, which stopped Jacksonville State's 32-game regular-season home winning streak on its last visit to Burgess-Snow Field in 2019 after halting the Gamecocks' 36-game Ohio Valley Conference win streak the previous season, fell to 1-4 and 1-3.
JSU has not lost three in a row to any OVC opponent since Eastern Kentucky (2010-12).
The Gamecock offense at times operated from a three-back formation featuring Uriah West, Josh Samuel and Pat Jackson and the new triple-threat look kept the SEMO defense on its heels all day.
West ran for a five-yard touchdown in the second quarter - his fourth straight game with a rushing TD - and led the Gamecocks with 71 yards on a team-high 16 carries. Samuel added 62 yards and also caught a 54-yard touchdown pass from Zion Webb in the third quarter.
Webb completed 11-of-19 passes for 190 yards and scored his first rushing touchdown of the 2020-21 season on a nine-yard scamper in the first quarter. He also ran for 53 yards.
Barry, making his first appearance since the spring opener vs. Tennessee Tech on Feb. 28, caught three first-half passes from Webb for 58 yards. Mike Pettway was the leading receiver with 60 yards on four receptions.
Jacksonville State outgained SEMO 374-144. The Redhawks were limited to 24 yards on 25 carries, the fewest rushing yards allowed by the Gamecocks since 2018.
Cornerback Jacquez Payton intercepted Redhawks quarterback Andrew Bunch in the third quarter - his second pickoff in three games - while Jeremiah Harris and Marshall Clark were JSU's leading tacklers with nine and eight stops, respectively.
The Gamecocks sacked SEMO's Bunch four times and were credited with a season-high 11 tackles for loss. It was the fewest points a Jacksonville State defense had allowed since shutting out Mississippi Valley State 71-0 on Sept. 8, 2018.
SEMO was a combined 2-for-18 on third-down or fourth-down conversions.
#24 MURRAY STATE 35, TENNESSEE STATE 13
MURRAY, Ky. - On a day when one of its most revered alumni was honored, the 24th-ranked Murray State football team cruised past Tennessee State, 35-13, at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray Kentucky. The win moves the Racers to 4-0 on the season for the first time since 1995.
The day began with dedication of the new Dennis Jackson Racer Room which honored the life and legacy of the former two-sport star at Murray State. Jackson broke the color barrier for Murray State athletics in 1960 and went on to be inducted into the Murray State Hall of Fame in 2007. A life-long supporter of Racer athletics, Jackson was joined by family and friends Sunday as Murray State honored one of the very best to ever represent the blue and gold, both on and off the field.
Tennessee State actually struck first in the game with a touchdown that capped a seven play, 72-yard drive with a two-yard rush from Shawn Colley to give them an early 7-0 advantage late in the first quarter. However, that was TSU’s only touchdown of the game, as Murray State held the Tigers to just two field goals for the remainder of the contest and outscored TSU, 35-6, down the stretch.
Defense once again played a huge role in the game as Murray State stopped Tennessee State three times on fourth down including two goal line stands and a missed field goal. The Racers also notched their 11th interception and fifth pick-6 of the season when Marvin Pierre picked off Isaiah Green in the fourth quarter and took it 41 yards for the score. Alec Long led the defense on the day with 13 tackles, marking the third time this season he has led Murray State in stops and the second consecutive game in which he registered double-digit tackles.
Offensively, Jacob Bell had a big day for Murray State catching four balls for 55 yards, while also rushing the ball twice for 35 yards. Preston rice threw touchdown strikes to DeQuan Dallas and Malik Honeycutt Sunday, while also rushing for one himself. Rodney Castille also got in on the action as he had a five-yard rush for a touchdown in the third quarter.