In what turned out to be a game of runs, Tennessee State was able to pull away with a second-half flurry to dispatch Eastern Illinois 41-17.
Draylen Ellis turned in another solid outing, completing 20 of 32 passes for 224 yards 4 touchdowns, and no interception. Karate Brenson hauled in 6 passes for 121 yards and a score.
After both teams exchanged missed field goals on early possessions, Eastern was the first to break the seal on the game’s scoring when Julian Patino connected on a 30-yard field goal that gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead at the 14:56 mark of the second quarter. Tennessee State would get on the board later in the period when Draylen Ellis found Karate Brenson in the end zone from 4 yards out to put the Tigers up 7-0.
Tennessee State also visited the end zone on their next two offensive possessions, Ellis’ second touchdown pass of the day, this one to Bryant William. CJ Evans’ 4-yard run was the third straight score that gave the Tigers a 20-3 lead with just 1:31 remaining in the first half.
Eastern Illinois responded with an impressive, 6-play, 79-yard drive that took just 45 seconds, getting in the end zone when quarterback Pierce Holley connected with MJ Flowers from 8 yards out. The successful PAT brought the halftime score to 20-10 in favor of the Tigers.
Scoring that touchdown right before the half seemed to breathe new life into the Panthers. EIU took the second-half kickoff and mounted another scoring drive, this one being a 75-yard march spread across 9 plays that ended with a Flowers 1-yard touchdown run that trimmed the TSU lead to just 3 points at 20-17.
Finding themselves on the ropes, Tennessee State responded with two touchdowns of their own.
The first one came via a 6-play, 89-yard drive that ended with a 31-yard strike from Ellis to Jalal Dean that pushed the lead to 27-17 with 4:07 left in the third quarter. After the TSU defense forced a quick EIU three-and-out TSU took over at their own 47, following a 19-yard punt by CJ Evans. Thanks to a 50-yard completion to Karate Brenson, the TSU offense needed just 4 plays to get back in the endzone when Ellis tossed another touchdown, an 8-yarder to Gerard Bullock that pushed the lead back to seventeen at 34-17.
Despite the Panthers converting 10 first downs, running 28 plays for 140 yards, and possessing the ball for 10:39 in the fourth period, the Tennessee State defense was able to shut EIU out in the fourth quarter, forcing a turnover on one drive and forcing a turnover on downs on their 4-yard line. Aided by the aforementioned turnover, which was an interception by Boogie Trotter, Tigers were able to make use of the mere 9 plays they ran in the contest’s final 15 minutes, putting together a 6 play drive that ended on Tevin Carter’s 12-yard touchdown run that brought the game to its final count of 41-17.
Up next for Tennessee State (5-2, 3-1) is a trip to Washington DC on October 19 where they are the homecoming opponent for the Bison of Howard University. The two schools last met on September 22, 2001, when Tennessee State boat raced Howard 45-0.
