SATURDAY'S SCORES
#19 Eastern Kentucky 28, @UT Martin 16
@Eastern Illinois 65, Austin Peay 15
@Jacksonville State 31, Southeast Missouri 16
@Tennessee State 40, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 13
@Murray State 70, Tennessee Tech 35
#19 EASTERN KENTUCKY 28, UT MARTIN 16
MARTIN, Tenn. - The Eastern Kentucky University football team trailed host UT Martin midway through the third quarter, 16-7, before storming back for a 28-16 victory. The No. 19 Colonels now stand at 4-1 overall for the first time since 1999.
Senior wide receiver Tyrone Goard tied a program record with four touchdown receptions. His 78-yard scoring catch from fellow senior T.J. Pryor with 8:57 remaining gave EKU (4-1, 2-0 OVC) the lead for good, 21-16. Goard totaled career highs in receptions (seven) and receiving yards (175) to go along with the four scoring catches.
Pryor set a program record of his own as he moved into first place on Eastern Kentucky’s all-time passing list. The native of Louisville, Ky., now has 6,085 career passing yards thanks to his 211 yards passing and three touchdown tosses at UT Martin. Josh Greco (2004-07) had the previous Colonel record with 5,992 yards.
UT Martin (3-2, 1-1) used a couple of big plays on third downs to take a 13-7 lead into halftime. On the Skyhawks’ opening drive, Quentin Sims hauled in a 24-yard catch to move UTM deep into EKU territory. Running back Jason McNair capped the scoring drive with a four-yard run to put the Skyhawks ahead, 6-0.
Late in the second quarter on 3
rd-and-5, UT Martin quarterback Derek Carr found Jeremy Butler for 62 yards down to the EKU 20-yard line. Four plays later, Trent Garland rumbled into the end zone to make the score, 13-7. EKU’s only score in the first half was a Goard 14-yard touchdown catch.
Midway through the third quarter, the Skyhawks had a 1
st-and-goal situation only to see the Colonels hold UT Martin to a field goal which extended the lead to 16-7.
Eastern Kentucky’s offense finally came to life on the ensuing possession. Junior tight end Nathan Watts (29 yards) and junior wide out Ike Ariguzo (12 yards) each came away with key receptions on third down to extend the drive. Sophomore quarterback Jared McClain then found Goard in the back of the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown strike to slice the deficit to just two points, 16-14.
The play of the game came two possessions later for the Colonels. Facing a 3
rd-and-21, Pryor found Goard streaking down the left sideline for the 78-yard touchdown pass. Goard caught the pass in stride before beating two UTM defenders down the sideline for the score.
Eastern’s defense held UT Martin to minus-five yards on the following drive. The Skyhawk punter fumbled the snap on the punt attempt, allowing the Colonels to take over at the UTM 29-yard line. Three quick plays later, Pryor put an exclamation point on the day with a perfect 27-yard touchdown lob to Goard at the far pylon.
After the Skyhawks took the 16-7 lead, the Colonel defense held UT Martin to just 61 yards on the final five possessions. Senior linebacker Kevin Hamlin posted a season-high eight stops and a sack to pace EKU. Sophomore defensive back Brandon Stanley added a forced fumble while senior defensive back Brooklyn Fox totaled three pass break-ups.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 65, AUSTIN PEAY 15
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Jimmy Garoppolo had a career passing day as the Eastern Illinois offensive juggernaut continued to roll with a 65-15 win over Austin Peay on Family Weekend at O’Brien Field.
The Panthers (3-2, 2-0 OVC) defense held the Governors (0-5, 0-3 OVC) in check as EIU built a 21-0 lead and never looked back.
Garoppolo passed for 453 yards, the fourth best single game total in EIU history, as he moved into third place all-time in career touchdown passes with five added to his total on Saturday. Garoppolo now just trails Tony Romo and Sean Payton on that list as he threw five touchdowns in a game for the third time this season.
Following a stand by the Panthers defense to open the contest, Garoppolo hit Chris Wright for a 66-yard touchdown strike on the third EIU play of the game. Wright finished with three catches for 137 yards as three EIU receivers finished over the 100-yard mark. Garoppolo was 18-of-31 without an interception and said he thought his performance could have been better.
The Panthers owned a 21-0 lead after the first quarter on a touchdown run by Jake Walker of 28 yards and another long touchdown strike to freshman Keiondre Gober covering 66 yards. Cameron Berra tacked on a 28 yard field goal to open the second quarter as EIU was up 24-0.
EIU’s defense limited Austin Peay to negative eight rushing yards until midway through the second quarter when the Governors mustered some offense. Jake Ryan hit Devin Stark for APSU’s first score with 5:28 left to play in the second. EIU answered immediately with Garoppolo hitting the nation’s top receiver Erik Lora with a 50-yard touchdown pass.
Wesley Kitt’s then scored the Governors final points running in from 15 yards out. After a blocked kick returned for a conversion by EIU was called by due to a penalty, APSU went for two and connected with Ryan hitting Stark. EIU was able to shut down the APSU ground game for the most part as Kitts finished with 79 yards and APSU gained 124 as a team.
EIU’s defense was led by Pete Houlihan with ten tackles including a sack, forced fumble and pass break-up. EIU had eight total tackles for loss and ten pass break-ups. Artavious Dowdell had two pass break-ups at the line while adding a half sack.
After Kitts brought the score to 31-15, EIU added another quick strike as Garoppolo found Wright in the seam for a 63-yard touchdown pass. All five of Garoppolo’s passes on the day were from 50-yards or greater. He added another long TD pass to Gober in the third quarter covering 56 yards. Garoppolo also ran for a touchdown.
Gober finished with three catches for 132 yards while Lora had seven grabs for 139 yards. On the ground Jake Walker had 79 yards rushing with two scores.
The 50-point victory is the largest margin of victory for EIU over an OVC opponent. It was the eighth time in school history that EIU has scored 60 or more points, the last time was in 1991 against NCAA Division II member Lock Haven.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 31, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 16
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Fall Preview Day on the Jacksonville State campus may have been a preview of what awaits the Gamecocks' remaining opponents.
Sophomore DaMarcus James ran for 149 yards and two touchdowns and senior quarterback Marques Ivory passed for 161 yards and two TDs as Jacksonville State defeated Southeast Missouri State 31-16 before a crowd of 16,842 at Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium.
The Gamecocks improved to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Jacksonville State won with an effective, ball-control offensive game plan. All five of JSU's scoring drives took at least nine plays and all of them covered at least 60 yards.
Southeast Missouri State dropped to 2-3 and 1-1 with its fifth straight loss to the Gamecocks.
Jacksonville State averaged 5.5 yards per rushing attempt, finishing with 268 yards on the ground and 429 overall. SEMO, which went 99 yards for a touchdown on its first possession, had 303.
Jacksonville State's touchdown drives covered 84, 72, 73 and 61 yards. The Gamecocks also were an exceptional 10-of-13 on third-down conversions.
James sealed the victory with a slashing 8-yard run up the middle with just over two minutes remaining to give the Gamecocks a 31-16 lead. His 149-yard rushing effort marked a career high, topping his 120-yard output earlier this season against Chattanooga.
Ivory's second touchdown pass of the afternoon, a 20-yarder to Alan Bonner, gave JSU an eight-point cushion (24-16) with 10:57 to play. Southeast Missouri State had closed to within one on the previous drive when Renard Celestin scored on a 13-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter.
The Gamecocks did not commit a turnover, the first time that's happened since the 2010 regular-season finale at Tennessee Tech.
Jacksonville State received the opening kickoff and worked its way into SEMO territory, but the drive stalled and the Gamecocks were forced to punt. Coty Blanchard's perfect kick nestled on the 1, putting the Redhawks offense in an early predicament – which they promptly worked out of by driving 99 yards for the game's first score.
Southeast Missouri State covered the distance in 13 plays, with Levi Terrell picking up 43 yards on seven carries.
Brandon Beck completed the length-of-the-field march by running in from the 5 with 5:30 left in the first quarter. Drew Gelbach's extra point made it 7-0 SEMO.
The Gamecocks answered with a long drive of their own to pull even at 7-7.
James ran 23 yards on the drive's second play and then Marques Ivory connected with Bonner for a 25-yard gain into Redhawks territory. Runs by Washaun Ealey, James and Blanchard moved JSU deep into Southeast Missouri State territory.
Facing third-and-4 late in the first quarter, Ivory hooked up with Kevyn Cooper for a 14-yard touchdown. Griffin Thomas' PAT tied it at 7-7 with 1:12 left.
Southeast Missouri State regained the lead with another time-consuming drive after again being pinned at the 1, this time on a 55-yard punt by JSU's Hamish MacInnes .
Terrell's 37-yard run on second down quickly got the Redhawks out of the hole. SEMO moved to the Gamecocks 12, but an 11-yard quarterback sack by JSU's Caleb Lawrence and DiMetrio Tyson halted the momentum and Drew Geldbach came in to kick a 42-yard field goal with 6:21 left in first half.
Jacksonville State gained its first lead with a 72-yard, 12-play drive on the ensuing possession.
The Ivory-to-Bonner combo clicked on a pair of short completions and James finished off the scoring drive with a 1-yard run with 1:24 left. Thomas' PAT gave Jacksonville State the 14-10 lead it took to the locker room at halftime.
TENNESSEE STATE 40, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 13
NASHVILLE - Tennessee State used a 28-0 run in the second half to defeat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 40-13 to improve to 5-0 on the season in front of a record crowd of 31,765 during the 82nd homecoming at LP Field.
UAPB (3-2, 2-1 SWAC) wasted no time striking first on offense as quarterback Benjamin Anderson connected with Ladarius Eckwood on a 42-yard pass on their first offensive play of the game. The Golden Lions settled for a 29-yard field goal from Tyler Strickland to take an early 3-0 lead.
Anderson and Eckwood would hook up again on the next UAPB drive, this time on a 55-yard touchdown to extend their lead to 10-0 with 6:03 left in the first quarter.
Eckwood finished with a game-high five catches for 117 yards and a score. Anderson threw for 182 yards on 11-of-24 passing with a touchdown and a pair of interceptions.
Tennessee State (5-0, 1-0 OVC) turned the momentum in its favor momentarily as Andrew Taylor got to Anderson on a blitz and deflect his pass up in the air. Defensive End Antonio Harper snatched the ball out of the air for his first career interception and gave the Tigers great field position at the UAPB five-yard line. TSU could not capitalize on the turnover as Jer-ryan Harris forced a Trabis Ward fumble on the very next play.
The Tigers finally got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter behind a 15-yard touchdown run from Telvin Hooks, the first of his career. UAPB's lead was cut to 10-6 after a blocked PAT.
Jamin Godfrey connected on a pair of 40-plus yard field goals in the final five minutes of the half. The junior from Englewood, Tenn., made a 46 yarder with 4:09 left and closed the half with a 42-yard field goal as time expired to give the Tigers a 12-10 edge heading into the locker room.
The Golden Lions started the second half just like they did the first half, with a field goal. This one from 30 yards out to regain the lead 13-12 with 9:57 left in the third quarter.
The Tigers responded on their next drive and take the lead for good. Quarterback Michael German found Travis James on a 50-yard pass on the drive to set up the second Hooks touchdown of the game, this time from two yards out, to give TSU a 19-13 advantage.
Hooks had a career best 108 yards on 14 carries along with the first two touchdowns of his career. James led the Tigers with four catches for 95 yards.
The second touchdown by Hooks was the first of four TSU touchdowns over the next nine minutes, 42 seconds.
A 34-yard sprint by Hooks set up a one yard touchdown for Ward to make it 26-13 in favor of TSU at the end of the third quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, quarterback Michael German threw a 16-yard touchdown to Devin Wilson. German followed that up with a 41-yard touchdown to A.C. Leonard a minute-and-a-half later to put the TSU's 40th point of the game with 12:23 remaining.
German finished 18-of-35 for 262 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
MURRAY STATE 70, TENNESSEE TECH 35
MURRAY, Ky. - Murray State junior wide receiver Walter Powell scored on a reception and a punt return in the first quarter as the Racers scored 35 unanswered points over a 13:46 span in the first half to spark the Racers to a 70-35 victory over Tennessee Tech Saturday evening in front of 9,794 fans at The Track.
Powell single handily pushed the Racers to big advantage as he had seven catches for 140 yards in the first half alone. He also had the 70-yard punt return and a 34-yard kickoff return. He went on to finish the day with 10 catches for 162 yards, while returning four punts for 83 yards and the 34-yard kickoff return.
The Racers (2-3, 1-1 OVC) got off to a fast start as they forced a three-and-out on the first TTU possession. MSU needed only three plays to cash in as Powell caught two passes on the drive, the second being a 14-yard touchdown from Casey Brockman.
The Golden Eagles (2-3, 0-2 OVC) responded on their next possession as they drove 67 yards and got an 18-yard touchdown pass from Tre Lamb to Cody Matthews.
MSU continued to move the ball on offense as they put together their first of two-straight 10-play scoring drives. On the first drive, Brockman found Nevar Griffin for what looked to be a touchdown, but was later reversed and marked out at the one. On the next play, Brockman went over right guard for a one-yard touchdown run.
The Racer defense forced another three-and-out as Ayo Ojolola and Tyler Evans made back-to-back stops for no gain to force a punt. Jaamal Berry sparked the next drive with a 21-yard burst up the middle, and Brockman completed a pair of passes to Griffin for 15 yards. Facing a 3rd-and-6, the Racers went to the revers and Jeremy Harness took the pitch around the left side for a seven-yard touchdown.
Another three-and-out by the defense set up the next touchdown as Powell fielded the punt on his own 30, and returned it 70 yards for the touchdown.
The Brockman to Powell show continued early in the second quarter as the duo connected on three-straight plays, covering 88 yards. Two plays later, Duane Brady went up the middle for a three-yard touchdown.
The Racer offense got the ball back a couple minutes later and turned it into six points as Berry broke up the middle for a 25-yard touchdown run.
The Golden Eagles bounced back with a scoring drive of their own, but Brockman and Racers came back with a 51-yard touchdown pass to Dontel Watkins.
TTU closed out the first-half scoring with a 94-yard kickoff return from Ladarius Vanlier.
The second half started with the Racer offense punting for the first time, but the defense had their back as Julian Whitehead returned an interception 18 yards for a touchdown on TTU's first play from scrimmage.
After the Golden Eagles offense found the endzone for the first time in the second half, it was Brady's turn to take the spotlight as he scored from 12 yards out in the third quarter, and then bounced off tackles and high stepped into the endzone from 25 yards out in the fourth quarter.
Brockman went quietly about his business to the tune of 32-for-38 for 381 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Other than Powell's big game, Griffin added five catches for 55 yards, while Watkins chipped in four catches for 92 yards and a score.
The Racer ground attack rushed for 211 yards and six touchdowns. Berry led the way with 142 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries. Brady finished with 12 carries for 72 yards and three scores.
Defensively, Qua Huzzie had nine tackles, two tackles-for-loss and a pass break-up, while freshman T-Ray Malone had a career-high nine tackles.
Jordan Benton set a school record as he was a perfect 10-for-10 on extra points.