CHARLESTON, Ill. - Tyrell Reed, Jr. ran for 109 yards and Ohio Valley Conference leader Southeast Missouri (5-3, 3-0) did not allow a point in the second half during a 20-10 victory over Eastern Illinois (2-6, 1-2) Saturday.
SEMO outgained EIU, 219-31, on the ground with Reed, Jr. going over 100 yards for the second game in a row.
The Redhawks picked up their third-straight win and defeated the Panthers for the ninth-consecutive time in the all-time series between the schools.
SEMO and EIU exchanged field goals in the first quarter with Justin Keller making a 44-yarder and Drew Schiller connecting on a 29-yard kick.
Following an interception, the Panthers pulled ahead for their only lead when Cole LaCrue threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Samuel Gonzalez. Gonzalez's reception gave EIU a 10-3 advantage with 12:22 remaining in the second quarter.
After that, SEMO scored 17 unanswered points to claim its fifth-straight win in Charleston.
Keller's 29-yard field goal finished off a 17-play, 75-yard drive that consumed 8:45.
On fourth-and-2, Braylen Ragland completed a 27-yard pass to Khylen Harris-Norman for a first down at the EIU 11.
Two plays later, Ragland threw a 4-yard pass to Jobe Bryant who made a one-handed grab in the end zone giving the Redhawks a 13-10 edge at the intermission.
Bryant's second touchdown of the season completed a 10-play, 79-yard march.
A 73-yard kickoff return by Harris-Norman set up the only points of the third quarter, which came on a 16-yard run by Khyair Spain.
Spain crossed the goal line two plays after Harris-Norman's big return to extend the Redhawks lead to 20-10 less than a minute into the third period.
Reed, Jr. averaged 6.1 yards per carry on 18 attempts. Spain followed with 74 yards on 22 carries. Ragland also completed 19-of-27 passes for 139 yards and one touchdown.
SEMO accumulated 352 yards of total offense.
The 31 rushing yards allowed by the Redhawks defense were the fewest by an opponent in eight games this season.
LJ Minner, Jr. and DJ Delmore led SEMO with five tackles apiece. David Jones had an interception, and Ashton Jones added four tackles and a sack, as well.
Keller scored a game-high eight points on two field goals and two extra points.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 55, UT MARTIN 24
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois football gave its Homecoming crowd a win to celebrate Saturday, taking down UT Martin 55-24 at Hanson Field. The Leathernecks found the end zone throughout the afternoon, came up with key turnovers on defense and pulled away in the second half to earn a convincing victory over the Skyhawks.
Western Illinois opened its matchup against UT Martin with a strong offensive drive and carried that momentum throughout the first half, building a 21-10 lead at the break. The Leathernecks struck first with a 14-play, 80-yard drive capped by Kennedy McGill's one-yard touchdown run.
WIU added to its lead in the second quarter when Malik McKinzie intercepted UT Martin quarterback Tate Surber, setting up a 24-yard touchdown pass from McGill to David Hargro. The touchdown extended Western's advantage to 14-0.
UT Martin answered with a touchdown drive to cut the deficit to 14-10, but the Leathernecks quickly responded on special teams. Ihson Jackson-Anderson returned the ensuing kickoff 71 yards to the UT Martin 25-yard line, setting up McGill for another score on the next play. McGill broke through for a 25-yard touchdown run, giving Western a 21-10 advantage heading into halftime.
Western Illinois continued to build on its first-half performance after the break, opening the third quarter with another explosive play. McGill broke free for a 56-yard touchdown run just 1:44 into the second half, extending the Leathernecks' lead to 28-10.
UT Martin responded with a touchdown, but Western answered again as Christian Anaya connected with Israel Hiraldo for a 64-yard touchdown pass. The scoring play pushed the Leathernecks' advantage to 35-17. Western added to its lead later in the third quarter when Ronan Culkin connected on a 28-yard field goal, while the defense continued to make plays as Nick Reinicke intercepted a UT Martin pass to halt a Skyhawks drive.
UT Martin found the end zone early in the fourth quarter to cut Western's lead to 38-24, but the Leathernecks maintained control down the stretch. Culkin connected on a 51-yard field goal to extend the advantage before Western's rushing attack delivered two more touchdowns. Hargro scored on a nine-yard run with 4:13 remaining, and Ethan Bryce capped the scoring with a 53-yard touchdown run with 1:51 left to secure the 55-24 victory.
The Leathernecks' defense added one final takeaway late in the contest, recovering a fumble through Anthony Stribling as Western closed out the win. After taking a 21-10 lead into halftime, Western Illinois outscored UT Martin 34-14 in the second half to finish with a 31-point victory.
CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 20, TENNESSEE STATE 7
NASHVILLE - Charleston Southern collected their first conference win of the 2026 season on Saturday night at Tennessee State by a final score of 20-7. The Buccaneers defense forced three turnovers from the Tigers and they tallied 17 points in the second quarter to pave the way for the victory.
Charleston Southern scored a touchdown on their second possession of the day with them starting in the redzone following a blocked punt. On the fifth play, Jared Echols connected with KD Dorsey from 18 yards out for the score, the first of Dorsey's collegiate career. On the ensuing possession by the Tigers, Daylin Lee was intercepted by Tristan Lennon which he returned for a touchdown, pushing the Bucs ahead at 14-0. To conclude the half, Matt Rolader hit from 45 yards out to push CSU up 17-0.
Near the end of the third quarter, the Bucs cashed in on a 13 play, 40 yard drive with Rolader drilling a 26 yard field goal. This boosted the edge to 20-0 with one quarter left to play.
The Charleston Southern defense kept Tennessee State at bay all evening. In total, they had just one touchdown drive which came midday through the fourth quarter. Excluding that, they had just two other drives that went for 10 or more yards with their first for 22 yards and their last for 11 yards. In total, they were limited to just 136 yards of total offense on 54 plays with 17 rushing yards off 24 carries as well.
Echols continued to grow in his third career start as he went 19-27 through the air for 199 yards and a touchdown. Caden Clay went 2-2 and Quay Kindell completed a pass on a trick play for 14 yards. Hakeem Watters led the team with 46 yards rushing while Dwayne Wright added 37 yards. Dorsey finished as the leading receiver with 46 yards off three catches to go with his touchdown. Mekhi Campfield was close behind with four receptions for 44 yards with Kindell adding four receptions as well.
Tristan Lennon led the team in tackles with 10 on the day with Steve Zayachkowsky adding eight. Zayachkowsky and Joshua Modupe led the team in tackles for loss with two on the day with each of Modupe's for a sack. In total, they finished with six sacks with Modupe's team-lead of two, while Zayachkowsky, Josiah Wyatt, Mylan Bowen and Angel Miles each had six. Anthony Carter and Tristan Lennon each had an interception as well while Champ Brantley had a forced fumble.
LINDENWOOD 44, CHICAGO STATE 6
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood football team (3-4, 2-1 OVC) picked up a dominant 44-9 win over Chicago State on Homecoming inside Steward Field at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Mo.
After getting a stop to begin the game, the Lindenwood offense wasted no time getting on the board, going on a seven-play 56-yard drive, which was capped off by a 25-yard touchdown strike from Pops Batlle to Drew Krobath, putting the Lions up 7-0. The Chicago State defense settled in and kept the Black and Gold off the board for the remainder of the frame but trailed by a score after one.
The Cougars added a field goal to begin the second quarter to cut the deficit to 7-3. Lindenwood took no time to answer as Lindenwood needed just three plays to find paydirt. Battle connected with Jared Rhodes and then found Jalen Smith for a 30-yard score, extending the lead to 14-3. On the ensuing CSU possession, Brayon Crawford tallied one of two interceptions by the Lions, and it set the offense up with good field position. The Black and Gold had to settle for a 37-yard field goal from Will Graham making the score 17-3. Lindenwood continued to pour it on offensively with another score by Steve Hall. Just before the end of the half, special teams made a big play, as Andrew Baumgart blocked a punt and two plays later, Battle connected with Smith again to grow the lead to 31-3 at the break.
In the third quarter, Graham added another early field goal, putting the Lions up 34-3. A few possessions later, Lindenwood finally got the ground game going with Robert Giamaio who went 81 yards to the house, growing the lead to 41-3 with just over six minutes to go in the third.
Graham accounted for the only Lindenwood score in the fourth and Carter Johnson tallied a pick as the Lions went on to earn a 44-9 win over Chicago State on Saturday.