SATURDAY'S SCORES
Tennessee Tech 20, @Eastern Illinois 17
@Murray State 19, Tennessee State 3
Eastern Kentucky 28,
@#14 Southeast Missouri 23
#18 UT Martin 52, @Houston Christian 28
@Lindenwood 64, William Jewell 23
TENNESSEE TECH 20, EASTERN ILLINOIS 17
CHARLESTON, Ill. - When Eastern Illinois blocked Hayden Olsen’s field goal and returned it for a touchdown as time expired in the first half, a casual observer would probably think the Panthers would use that to build momentum.
Instead, it was Tennessee Tech that built on that miscue, answering with 17 unanswered points to break their five-game losing streak with a 20-17 victory over the Panthers on Saturday at O’Brien Field.
Tech (2-6, 1-3 Ohio Valley Conference) shut down the Panthers in the second half, ending its two-game turnover-forced drought with two big fumble recoveries – one leading to a score, the other giving the Golden Eagles the opportunity to go into victory formation as EIU was marching to give kicker Stone Galloway a chance to knot the game up. That never happened.
Instead, EIU backup quarterback Zach Weir was blindsided by Caleb Nichols for the sack, coughing up the ball for Ethan McLaurin to scoop up the ball allowing Tech to kneel and end the game.
The second half saw Eastern hold on the ball for just 9:24, rushing for 42 yards and passing for 55. The Panthers turned the ball over on downs twice and punted the ball away on their other three drives.
EIU (2-6, 1-2 OVC) scored first as the Panthers marched from their own 23 and reached the Tech 11 to get the first down. Cameron Hudson forced M.J. Flowers out of bounds at the 5, then Seth Carlisle stopped starting QB Jonah O’Brien twice – once for a gain of three, the other for a loss of two – halting EIU at the 4. Galloway lined up for the 21-yard field goal, seeing it through for the early 3-0 lead.
Tech was able to hold the Panthers back to their own 13, the punt sailing to the Golden Eagle 45 to start the next drive. The first quarter ended and the second began as Tech was able to eat up 52 yards on nine plays as Olsen’s field goal – a 20-yard shot – was good to tie the game.
After EIU went three-and-out, the Golden Eagles started building some momentum on three Jayvian Allen carries for 19 yards, but the first play after moving the chains saw Colby Smith intercept Jeremiah Oatsvall at the Tech 33, giving the Panthers a short field. EIU got to the Tech 2 facing 4th-and-1, but a personal foul gave Eastern a fresh set of downs and O’Brien pushed in for a one-yard score on the next play. Galloway’s PAT was good, making it a 10-3 lead.
Tech got the ball back with 42 seconds remaining in the first half and Oatsvall was a surgeon, slicing apart the EIU defense for four big gains and getting the Golden Eagles to the Panther 20 with just enough time for Olsen to stand in for a chipshot. As the ball went up, Jordan Vincent blocked the kick and Mark Aitken came up with the ball. Aitken ran up the right sideline and had just enough blocking to keep the Golden Eagles from stopping the play. Sixty-five yards later, he was in the end zone.
In a matter of seconds, Tech went from a potential 10-6 deficit at the half with the ball back to start the second half to suddenly down 17-3 at the half following Galloway’s PAT.
The Golden Eagles wasted no time on its first drive in the new half. Despite a fumble giving a slight scare midway through the series, Tech recovered the ball and continued to chew up 75 yards on 12 plays. The final play was a gutsy one – facing 4th-and-3 at the EIU 16, Oatsvall fired to Quinton Cross on a slant in the middle into the end zone for the score. Olsen’s PAT was good and it was a one-possession, 17-10, game once more.
O’Brien did not play for the Panthers in the second half as Weir came on under center. The first play was disastrous for Eastern as Jaelen Benefield rushed the ball for 13 yards, but Josh Reliford knocked the ball loose on the tackle with Cameron Hudson coming up with the ball on the EIU 29.
A penalty moved Tech back and not much headway built, but the position was still enough for Olsen to drill the field goal from 46 yards and inch Tech closer at 17-13, where the score stood as the third quarter came to a close.
After EIU turned the ball over on downs at the Tech 32 early in the fourth frame, the Golden Eagles pulled together a 12-play, 68-yard drive. Tech appeared to have a touchdown on a two-yard pass to Justin Pegues, but an ineligible receiver call pushed the Golden Eagles back to the 7. It didn’t matter as Oatsvall was able to get the ball to Brad Clark in the end zone for the go-ahead score with Olsen’s PAT adding the exclamation point.
Tech just had to hold on as the Panthers got the ball back with 1:12 remaining in the contest. After Weir moved the chains on the first play on a 13-yard rush, he got close to midfield with a 19-yard pickup to Benefield. With 33 seconds left, the Panthers got into Tech territory on a pass to Willman Cooper at the 49, then Weir spiked the ball after the chains moved, giving EIU 22 seconds.
On the next play, Caleb Nichols found an opening as Weir looked for a receiver. Nichols sacked the Panther QB and McLaurin was there for Tech to end the threat, allowing Oatsvall to kneel and run the clock out.
Oatsvall ended the day with 181 yards on 20-of-31 passing with two touchdowns, while David Gist led the team in rushing – 99 yards on 13 carries – and receiving – four catches for 37 yards. Weir was 6-for-15 passing for 63 yards, after O’Brien was 1-for-4 for 10 yards. EIU picked up 161 yards on the ground, led by Benefield with 79 yards on 14 carries.
Hudson and Carlisle led Tech with seven tackles and a pass breakup each, while Hudson also had an 11-yard fumble recovery. Colin Bohanek led the Panthers with 15 tackles, including one for-loss, with two fumbles forced.
MURRAY STATE 19, TENNESSEE STATE 3
MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State football team scored 19 unanswered points Saturday to beat Tennessee State on Homecoming, 19-3, at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray, Kentucky.
After giving up a field goal midway through the second quarter to Tennessee State, the Racers reeled off 19 unanswered points on touchdowns from LaMartez Brooks and Cortezz Jones and two field goals by Aaron Baum.
A record crowd was on-hand to witness Saturday’s win, as the game drew an attendance of 15,122, the largest for a Murray State homecoming in recorded history. The game was also the highest attended game overall for the Racers since 1995.
The win was the first of the season for Murray State, putting an end to an eight-game skid. The win is also the fourth in a row for the Racers over the Tigers in Murray and the fifth in the last six meetings overall.
Damonta Witherspoon and Cortezz Jones combined for 187 of Murray State’s 194 rushing yards in the game. Witherspoon finished just shy of 100 at 99 yards, while Jones added 88.
For the second consecutive game, Aaron Baum made two field goals, playing a key role in the win. While he missed his first attempt of the day from 47-yards out, he bounced back with makes from 47 and 41.
The 13 second half points were the most by the Racers this season, while the three total points scored by the Tigers were the fewest allowed by the Racer defense overall this season.
Cody Goatley led Murray State in tackles in the game with 10, while Eric Samuta and Justus Johnson followed with nine and seven, respectively. Quinaz Turner had MSU’s only interception of the game, while Johnson also broke up two passes.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 28, #14 SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 23
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo - Wide receiver Ryan Flournoy turned in a career-best outing as #15 Southeast Missouri (6-2, 2-0 OVC) dropped their Homecoming contest to Eastern Kentucky (5-3, 1-1 ASUN), 28-23, Saturday afternoon at Houck Field.
Flournoy, a junior from Hazelcrest, Illinois, finished with a personal-best 256 receiving yards on 15 receptions with a touchdown. His performance ranks second all-time in SEMO program history behind Kristian Wilkerson's 263 yards in 2018 at UT Martin (Oct. 27, 2018).
Flournoy has now hauled in a touchdown pass in each of the past five games he has played in at SEMO.
Eastern Kentucky scored 22 points in the third quarter to win their fifth game of the season and move to 5-3 on the year.
Paxton DeLaurent led a drive in the final minutes of the game down to the EKU 36-yard line trailing by five. A 2nd-and-3 pass resulted in an interception by defensive back Deonta Bembry to end the Redhawks comeback and halt their win streak at six.
DeLaurent finished the contest 27-for-46 with 375 yards through the air, resulting in a touchdown and two interceptions. He also added 45 yards on the ground on five attempts, and a touchdown. His longest run of the day was 20 yards resulting in a rushing touchdown with 5:17 left in the fourth quarter.
SEMO's defense was stout against the rush, allowing only 61 yards on the ground to the Colonels.
DC Pippin continued his scoring ways with the game's first points. With 12:42 left in the first quarter, Pippin converted a 28-yard field goal to give the Redhawks an early 3-0 lead.
Flournoy then recorded the game's first touchdown after the Redhawks defense forced a missed field goal from Patrick Nations (37-yard). Flournoy caught a four-yard pass from DeLaurent to give the Redhawks a 10-0 advantage.
SEMO turned in three more points after another 28-yard field goal with 11 seconds left in the first quarter and had a 13-0 lead at the break.
EKU would finally get on the board with a pass from quarterback Parker McKinney. McKinney, who finished 35-for-42 for 398 yards and a touchdown, found wide receiver Jayden Higgins for a 13-yard score.
EKU's succeeding possession resulted in a touchdown. This time an eight-yard scamper by McKinney with 8:35 left on the clock in the third quarter, providing the Colonels a 14-13 edge.
Another Pippin field goal three-minutes later (5:08) regained the lead for the home side. Pippin booted his third 28-yard field goal of the contest to make the score 16-14. Pippin was 3-for-3 on field goals and 2-for-2 on extra points Saturday.
10 unanswered points from EKU gave the Colonels a 25-16 advantage with 8:04 left in the fourth.
EKU tacked on a touchdown as time expired in the third quarter with McKinney's second rushing touchdown of the day (22-16), this one from three yards out. SEMO trailed for the first time in 16 quarters as the Redhawks previously last saw a deficit against Central Arkansas with 8:33 left to play in the second quarter on Sept. 24.
Nations would add a field goal (26 yards) before SEMO looked to make a comeback. A late score from DeLaurent brought the Redhawks to within two as the SEMO signal caller ran in from 13 yards out to cut the EKU lead to 25-23.
SEMO's defense, led in tackles by linebacker Bryce Norman, held the Colonels to a crucial field goal with 1:23 left in regulation (28-23). Norman, a Jackson, Missouri, native, finished the game with 16 total tackles, and eight solo stops. Lawrence Johnson added five total tackles and a tackle for loss in the Redhawk secondary.
The Redhawks took over following the EKU field goal (28-23) at their own 27-yard line. A 12-yard completion from DeLaurent to Flournoy put the Redhawks on the SEMO 39-yard line. After two-straight incompletions, DeLaurent found his number one target Flournoy on third and 10, completing a 12-yard pass to the EKU 49-yard line. Geno Hess then registered a 13-yard reception, followed by a seven-yard strike to Pervis Frazier, to put the Redhawks on the EKU 29-yard line. DeLaurent's final pass was intercepted in the endzone and a kneel-down by McKinney sealed it for the Colonels.
Johnny King had seven catches for 87 yards to add to SEMO's passing attack that finished with 375 yards as a unit. Hess rushed the ball 19 times for 81 yards. He averaged 4.3 yards per carry, with his longest carry going for 16 yards.
#18 UT MARTIN 52, HOUSTON CHRISTIAN 28
HOUSTON - The No. 18 ranked University of Tennessee at Martin football team showcased its explosive offense and opportunistic defense by forcing seven turnovers en route to a 52-28 road victory at Southland Conference foe Houston Baptist.
The Skyhawks (5-3) pushed their winning streak against FCS opponents to four games behind an offensive unit which racked up 517 yards of total offense. Meanwhile the defensive unit had sticky fingers with seven forced turnovers in the runaway victory.
UT Martin pounded the ground with 346 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Sophomore Zak Wallace had a monster game with 15 carries for 155 yards and four touchdowns.
His performance marked the first four-touchdown performance by a Skyhawk since Brandyn Young accomplished the feat in 2008. Freshman tailback Sam Franklin also posted a nice game with eight carries for 139 yards and a touchdown.
The Skyhawks also moved the ball through the air as quarterback Dresser Winn threw for 171 yards and one touchdown. Graduate receiver Colton Dowell carried a big load in the pass game with 141 receiving yards on six catches. Along with leading the team in receptions, Dowell cemented himself in UT Martin’s record book by becoming the program’s all-time leading receiver with 2,594 yards – surpassing the previous record of 2,494 set by William Mackall (1985-88).
The fireworks weren’t contained to the offensive side of the ball as UT Martin’s defense recorded seven forced turnovers with four fumbles and three interceptions. Giovanni Davis had a big day with both a forced fumble and an interception in the win while Rob Hicks and Carson Evans also registered picks. Tyler Gore and Deven Sims also forced fumbles while Daylan Dotson tallied a pair of recoveries – including jumping on one in the endzone while John H. Ford II and Evans also tallied recoveries.
Houston Christian (2-6) racked up 447 yards of total offense despite the team’s turnover issues. Quarterback Justin Fomby threw for 394 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Ismail Mahdi had a big day with 187 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Vernon Harrell had 155 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
LINDENWOOD 64, WILLIAM JEWELL 23
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood football team (6-2, 1-2 OVC) rolled to a 63-24 win over William Jewell (1-8) on Saturday afternoon from Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Mo.
Lindenwood opened the scoring on the first drive of the game, as Cade Brister found Payton Rose over the middle for a 16-yard strike, giving the Lions an early 6-0 lead. William Jewell responded on its next drive with a 49 yard field goal, cutting the lead to 6-3. Brister and Rose kept the strong connection going, hooking up for a 41 yard connection on the next drive, which was finished off by a five yard score again by Rose. The defense settled in and created some havoc as David Whitmore forced a fumble, which was picked up by Tayvian Weary who bullied his way into the endzone for six, growing the Lindenwood lead to 20-3 after one quarter.
Rose and Brister connected for the third time in the half to begin the second quarter. With the score, Rose became Lindenwood's all-time receiving touchdown leader with 33 career scores. William Jewel kept battling, rattling off the next 14 points in the game to make it 26-17. With under a minute to go, Brister scrambled for a 53-yard score, making it 33-17. Theh Cardinals answered right back with a late score before halftime.
The defense started to settle in during the second half, allowing Lindenwood to extend its lead as they allowed just six points for the remainder of the game. Brister found Jeff Caldwell at the 7:41 mark of the third frame. Caldwell nabbed two more touchdown grabs in the second half, as he and Cole Dugger developed a connection
Logan Seibert nailed a 40-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, while Duggar threw for three touchdowns, including one to Aiden Jones for his first career score. Lindenwood cruised to a 63-24 victory, and its fourth-consecutive overall.