- The Lindenwood football team (5-4, 4-1 OVC) picked up its fourth straight win after defeating Gardner-Webb (3-7, 2-3 OVC) by a score of 34-21 on Saturday afternoon in Boiling Springs, N.C.
Lindenwood opened the game with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that was capped off by a connection between Pops Battle and Elijah Roy, which put the Lions up 7-0 with 10:55 to play in the first. After a Gardner-Webb three-and-out, the Runnin' Bulldogs defense forced a strip sack, which set them up in Lindenwood territory. GWU took advantage, finding the end zone, but missed the extra point, and the Lions remained in front, 7-6.
The Lions put another solid drive together midway through the first quarter, but missed a field goal, and the score remained 7-6 after one.
Early in the second quarter, Lindenwood stalled in the red zone and had to settle for a 21-yard field goal from Will Graham, growing the lead to 10-6. Gardner-Webb answered with a field goal of its own later in the frame, cutting the deficit to 10-9 with 6:16 to play. Near the end of the quarter, the Lions jumped on a muffed punt, earning good field position and took advantage. Battle would use his legs, scoring up the middle from 11 yards out, extending the lead to 17-9 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Lindenwood jumped on another GWU muffed punt and got the ball inside the red zone. However, they had to settle for another field goal from Graham, making the score 20-9 with 7:23 to play. Gardner-Webb scored before the end of the frame, cutting the deficit to 20-15 after three.
A 38-yard strike from Battle to Drew Krobath to begin the fourth grew the lead to 27-15. On the next GWU possession, DeVonta Owens picked off a pass, which gave the Lions good field position. Two plays later, Jared Rhodes found pay dirt, making the score 34-15. The Runnin' Bulldogs scored late to cut into the lead but couldn't get any closer as the Lions earned a 34-21 win, their fourth straight victory.
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The University of Tennessee at Martin football team used a strong defensive performance, an early defensive touchdown and a pair of clutch fourth-quarter field goals to secure a 20-10 road victory over Charleston Southern on Saturday afternoon.
The Skyhawks (4-6, 3-2 OVC) jumped out to a 14-3 first-quarter advantage before relying on a stingy defensive unit to keep the Buccaneers (4-6, 1-4) off the scoreboard throughout the second half. UT Martin limited Charleston Southern to just 57 rushing yards and held the hosts to a 2-of-13 conversion rate on third down while controlling the football for more than 34 minutes.
The victory was highlighted by a 57-yard interception return for a touchdown by senior defensive back LaMarion Pierce, a rushing score from freshman quarterback Tate Surber and two fourth-quarter field goals from sophomore kicker Brandon Sims from 43 and 41 yards, respectively.
With the win, UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson moves into a tie for second on the OVC's all-time wins list – tying former Austin Peay and Middle Tennessee head coach Boots Donnelly with 102 conference victories.
Offensively, UT Martin leaned heavily on its rushing attack, totaling 157 yards on 44 attempts. Freshman running back Jaydon Peete paced the Skyhawks with 79 yards on 20 carries, while junior Chris Franklin added 70 yards on 18 attempts.
Surber turned in an efficient performance under center, completing 14 of his 16 pass attempts for 88 yards without an interception while adding 10 rushing yards and a touchdown. The freshman signal caller distributed the football to nine different receivers, including senior Makhia Sherrard, who led the team with three receptions for 15 yards.
The Skyhawk defense played a pivotal role in the victory, holding Charleston Southern to just 248 yards of total offense while forcing six punts and a turnover on downs in the final minutes. Junior Joel Castleberry and sophomore Zamaryion Farmer-McCray tied for the team lead with six tackles apiece, while Jamarcus Smith, Quincy Hamilton and Chris Wilson each contributed four stops.
UT Martin's defensive front also made its presence felt, recording a sack and multiple quarterback pressures while limiting Charleston Southern's rushing attack to an average of just 2.5 yards per carry.
In addition to Pierce's interception return, the Skyhawks received a strong performance from their special teams unit. Oliver's 55-yard punt return set up the game's opening touchdown, while Sims finished a perfect 2-for-2 on field goal attempts and converted both extra-point opportunities. Sophomore punter Max Zuluaga averaged 45.8 yards on four punts, placing two inside the Charleston Southern 20-yard line.
Charleston Southern totaled 248 yards of offense, with 191 coming through the air. The Buccaneers completed just 13 of their 37 pass attempts as the Skyhawk secondary consistently disrupted the passing attack.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 44, EASTERN ILLINOIS 23
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Western Illinois football put together a dominant performance on Saturday, defeating Eastern Illinois 44-23 in the annual rivalry matchup. After allowing an early touchdown, the Leathernecks responded with 37 unanswered points to take control of the game and secure the victory.
Eastern Illinois opened the scoring with a 36-yard passing touchdown with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first quarter. Western Illinois answered on its next scoring opportunity, as Kennedy McGill found the end zone on an eight-yard rushing touchdown with 7:31 left in the opening quarter.
McGill added his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon on a four-yard score, giving the Leathernecks a 14-7 advantage. Western's defense then made a big play late in the first half, as Jouvenson Romulus returned an interception for a touchdown with 44 seconds remaining before halftime. The pick-six extended the Leatherneck lead to 21-7.
Western Illinois carried its momentum into the second half. Ronan Culkin opened the scoring after the break with a 22-yard field goal with 7:01 remaining in the third quarter. Just over two minutes later, McGill connected with Israel Hiraldo for a 76-yard touchdown pass, pushing the Leatherneck advantage to 31-7.
The Leathernecks continued to build their lead in the fourth quarter, as Ihson Jackson-Anderson scored on a five-yard rushing touchdown with 14:55 remaining. Eastern Illinois added two touchdowns late in the contest, but Western Illinois answered with another special teams score. Following an Eastern Illinois onside kick attempt, Rodney McNeil Jr. returned the ball for a touchdown, helping the Leathernecks put the finishing touches on the 44-23 victory.
McGill led the Leatherneck offense with 215 passing yards on 14 attempts while adding 106 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns. Hiraldo paced Western Illinois through the air with 153 receiving yards, including the 76-yard touchdown reception. Defensively, Lebron Morgan led the Leathernecks with eight total tackles, while Romulus provided a key momentum swing with his first-half interception return for a touchdown.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 33, TENNESSEE STATE 14
NASHVILLE - Khyair Spain ran for 160 yards and two touchdowns and Chance Wilson rushed for 140 yards and one score to lead Southeast Missouri (6-4, 4-1) to a 33-14 win over Tennessee State (2-8, 0-5) Saturday at Nissan Stadium.
SEMO put together its best rushing performance of the season outgaining TSU, 362-47. The 362 yards were the most in a road game since the Redhawks finished with 372 at Lindenwood on Oct. 1, 2022.
SEMO seized the momentum with a 14-point third quarter and didn't look back.
Down, 7-3, after Daylin Lee completed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Duncan II, the Redhawks countered with an 11-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 1-yard run by Spain to get a 10-7 advantage with 4:50 left to play.
On TSU's next possession, DJ Delmore intercepted Lee's pass and sprinted 45 yards to the end zone to extend SEMO's lead to 17-7 just 1:31 later. For Delmore, it was his fourth interception of the season.
Two more rushing touchdowns, including a 23-yard scamper by Wilson and an 11-yard run by Spain pushed the Redhawks margin to 30-14. Spain's second touchdown came with 9:34 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Justin Keller's 35-yard field goal put the finishing touches on SEMO's 19-point victory.
A 38-yard field goal by Keller was the only scoring in the first half.
Keller gave SEMO a 3-0 edge with 14:48 remaining the second quarter.
SEMO outscored TSU, 30-14, in its decisive second half.
Spain averaged 7.3 yards on 22 carries, while Wilson averaged 7.4 on 19 attempts. Tyrell Reed, Jr. also had 58 rushing yards on 14 touches. Wilson is the first SEMO quarterback to rush for over 100 yards in a game since Andrew Bunch gained 115 yards at Southern Illinois on Nov. 30, 2020.
The Redhawks registered 420 yards of total offense.
Nehemiah Scott paced SEMO's defense with eight tackles. The Redhawks added three sacks and five tackles for loss.