- The Western Illinois football team put together a dominant performance Saturday evening, defeating Morehead State 59-2 at Hanson Field.
Western Illinois took control early Saturday evening, taking a 31-0 lead over Morehead State at halftime.
The Leathernecks struck first on their opening possession, with Kennedy McGill breaking loose for a 28-yard rushing touchdown to give Western Illinois a 7-0 advantage with 12:49 remaining in the first quarter. McGill and the Leathernecks' offense continued to move the ball effectively, adding another touchdown later in the quarter when McGill connected with Tanner Zolnosky for a five-yard score.
Western Illinois added to its lead in the second quarter. Ronan Culkin connected on a 37-yard field goal early in the period before Jackson-Anderson broke free for a 66-yard run that set up his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon, pushing the lead to 24-0. The Leathernecks added one more score before halftime, with McGill connecting with Jackson-Anderson on a 35-yard touchdown pass with 33 seconds remaining in the half.
Defensively, Western Illinois held Morehead State scoreless through the opening 30 minutes, forcing several punts while DonPaul Keith added an interception late in the second quarter. The Leathernecks went into the locker room with a 31-0 advantage.
Western Illinois picked up right where it left off after halftime, putting together a pair of touchdown drives in the third quarter. McGill connected with Israel Hiraldo for a nine-yard score before finding Lukas Gilland for a 20-yard touchdown later in the period. Morehead State got on the board following a punt return that resulted in a safety, but Western Illinois maintained a 45-2 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
The Leathernecks continued to control the game in the fourth, with Cason Carswell leading a 92-yard touchdown drive that featured a 41-yard completion to Sage Yazzie before ending with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Jamarion Davis.
Western Illinois added one final score late in the game when Gage Sturgill connected with Sasha Summers for a six-yard touchdown, closing out a dominant 59-2 victory over Morehead State.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Daylin Lee found Brenton Paul for a 20-yard touchdown with 51 seconds remaining, completing a nine-play, 75-yard drive that lifted Tennessee State to a 29-26 victory over Florida A&M on Saturday night at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
Tennessee State improved to 1-3, while Florida A&M fell to 1-3. The victory was the Tigers' seventh consecutive win over the Rattlers and increased their all-time series lead to 32-24.
Daylin Lee completed 18 of 27 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He also rushed for 10 yards as Tennessee State finished with 390 yards of offense.
Brenton Paul accounted for all three of Tennessee State's offensive touchdowns. He rushed 26 times for 92 yards and one score while catching four passes for 36 yards and two touchdowns. Trevor Pearson added 15 rushing yards.
Cam Bulluck led the receiving corps with four catches for 84 yards, including a 63-yard reception. Jayden Guy caught four passes for 62 yards, and Aaron Duncan II added two receptions for 49 yards. Duncan's 42-yard catch helped set up the winning touchdown.
Matthew Wilson led the Tennessee State defense with seven tackles. Jalen LaBranche recorded three tackles and returned an interception 61 yards for a touchdown. Epoki Fakaosi forced a fourth-quarter fumble that Sammy Taylor recovered, while Brandon Collins and Jaylon Price recorded sacks.
Special teams provided another pivotal play after Florida A&M took a 26-20 lead with 5:12 remaining. Rymen Mosley blocked the extra-point attempt, and Syncere Safeeullah returned it 97 yards for two points to pull Tennessee State within 26-22.
The Tigers won the turnover battle 2-0 and scored seven points off those takeaways. Tennessee State held the ball for 36:04, converted 6 of 15 third downs and went 1 for 1 on fourth down.
Florida A&M finished with a 449-390 advantage in total offense, but Tennessee State limited the Rattlers to 134 rushing yards.
Florida A&M opened the scoring on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Dustin Fletcher to Maliek Denmark with 10:30 remaining in the first quarter.
Tennessee State answered with a 13-play, 65-yard drive that consumed 6:48. Lee completed the possession with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Paul, and Preston Hurless tied the score at 7 with the extra point.
Paul gave Tennessee State a 13-7 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run with 3:33 remaining in the second quarter. Denmark responded with an 18-yard touchdown run, but Florida A&M missed the extra point and the teams entered halftime tied at 13.
LaBranche put Tennessee State back in front when he intercepted Armond Parker and returned the pass 61 yards for a touchdown with 11:58 left in the third quarter. Florida A&M tied the score at 20 on Parker's 32-yard touchdown pass to Jamal Hailey.
Fakaosi forced a fumble early in the fourth quarter, and Taylor recovered at the Florida A&M 40. The Tigers drove to the 7-yard line before a 24-yard field-goal attempt was blocked.
On Florida A&M's next play, Parker connected with Jaquan Lee for an 80-yard touchdown. Mosley blocked the extra point, and Safeeullah returned it 97 yards to cut the deficit to 26-22.
Tennessee State took possession at its 25 with 5:12 remaining. Lee converted fourth-and-2 with a 7-yard pass to Duncan before finding him for 42 yards to the Florida A&M 5. After a penalty and a sack pushed the Tigers back to the 20, Lee connected with Paul for the winning touchdown with 51 seconds left.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 27, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 9
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - - Payton Brown ran for 81 yards and two touchdowns, and Southeast Missouri (2-2) scored 17 fourth-quarter points in a 27-9 victory over Central Arkansas (2-2) Saturday night.
SEMO outscored UCA, 17-3, in the game's final 15 minutes and held a 20-3 second-half advantage to pick up its first home win of the season.
The game started off with a big play when Khylen Harris-Norman returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. Harris-Norman's score was the only touchdown by either team in the first half. Harris-Norman tied Cameron Sanders (at Jacksonville State, Nov. 14, 2015) for the longest kickoff return for a touchdown in program history. It was also SEMO's first kickoff return for a touchdown in four years since Dalyn McDonald scored on a 97-yard return also vs. Central Arkansas (Sept. 24, 2022).
A pair of Caleb Jones field goals, including a 37-yarder in the first quarter (3:56) and a 46-yarder in the second quarter (7:15) moved the Bears within a point, 7-6, at halftime.
David Jones intercepted a pass and that turnover led to a 5-yard touchdown run by Brown early in the fourth quarter with 14:55 left to play. After a 37-yard field goal by Jones made it a one-score game (17-9), the Redhawks answered with the last 10 points to put the Bears away for good. Justin Keller kicked a 42-yard field goal and Jones scored his second touchdown of the game on an 8-yard run to polish off the 27-9 win.
SEMO improved to 8-4 in home-openers under Head Coach Tom Matukewicz. It was the Redhawks' fifth-straight home-opening win, as well.
Brown ran the ball 18 times and averaged 4.5 yards per rush. SEMO finished with 293 total yards for the night. Braylen Ragland completed 19-of-29 passes for 170 yards and completed a pass to eight different receivers. Defensively, Cyler Christmas paved the way with nine tackles, six solo stops, one tackle for loss and an interception.
MEMPHIS 45, UT MARTIN 21
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin football team scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns but could not overcome an early deficit as Memphis claimed a 45-21 victory on Saturday evening at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
Playing in front of 30,840 fans, UT Martin (1-3) finished with 291 yards of total offense and converted seven of its 13 third-down opportunities. The Skyhawks were particularly effective inside the 20-yard line, scoring touchdowns on all three of their red-zone possessions.
In his first career start, freshman quarterback Tate Surber posted a solid performance by completing 17 of 29 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns while committing no turnovers. The tandem of Deuce Oliver and Makhia Sherrard paced the team with four receptions. Oliver paced the team with 69 receiving yards on the night – including a 46-yard over the shoulder catch to set up a scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Sherrard scored the Skyhawks first receiving touchdown of the season by tip-toeing the endzone for a second quarter touchdown snag.
The offensive production continued in the fourth quarter for the Skyhawks as the team punched a pair of touchdowns into the endzone. A dazzling reception by Kaleb Washington resulted in a seven-yard touchdown while running back Tommy Ansley punctuated another scoring drive with a one-yard rush up the middle.
Defensively, Joel Castleberry recorded his second career interception and capped it off with a 33-yard return to set up a scoring drive in the fourth quarter while sharing the team-lead with eight tackles on the night. Sophomore safety Trey Cotton also recorded eight tackles in the contest – including a tackle for loss in the first quarter. Another highlight play came in the second quarter when Rasheen Duncan bull rushed the opposing center and sacked Memphis quarterback Marcus Stokes for an 11-yard loss.
A big play on special teams also flashed on the stat sheet when Max Zuluaga booted a 74-yard punt in the first quarter. The punt marked the third-longest punt in program history, trailing only an 80-yard blast by Jade Stillings in 1997 and a 75-yard punt by Tyler Larco in 2022.
Memphis (3-1) racked up 572 yards of total offense on the night with a balanced attack – including 299 yards on the ground and 273 yards through the air. Stokes provided stability under center, completing 26-of-32 pass attempts for 258 yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile Jordan Thompson tallied 110 yards and a touchdown on the ground.