Tag: Tennessee state football

Tennessee State was named the HBCU+National Team of the Week

Brandon King

title image via Tennessee State Athletics Eddie George and the Tennessee State Tigers were named the HBCU+ FCS National Team of the Week. In their most recent and most important game of the season, TSU defeated Big South-OVC leader Southeast Missouri to earn a share of the conference crown. It marked the first time since 1999 that Tennessee State hoisted conference hardware.  The 9-3 overall record is the best finish to a regular season since 2013.  The win also helped vault the Tigers into the FCS Playoffs, a feat not…

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Tennessee State’s Jalen McClendon named to HBCU+ Player of the Year Watchlist

Brandon King

Tennessee State defensive back Jalen McClendon was named to the HBCU+ Player of the Year Watchlist. The award will bestowed upon the most outstanding player from the nation’s 21 Division I HBCU programs.  Providing steady, and many times stellar play in the TSU secondary, McClendon has recorded 53 tackles (45 solo) , 12 pass breakups and 1 interception in 12 games this season, several of which he has played with a broken hand.  The winner will be announced December 9 and will be invited to the Stats Perform FCS National…

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Tennessee State’s Jalen McClendon named finalist for Buck Buchanan Award

Staff

Courtesy of Tennessee State Athletics  Tennessee State senior defensive back Jalen McClendon has been named one of 35 finalists for the 2024 Buck Buchanan Award, presented to the national defensive player of the year in Division I FCS football. The award, celebrating its 30th anniversary, was announced by Stats Perform. The honor is named after legendary defensive lineman Junious “Buck” Buchanan, who starred at Grambling State during his Hall of Fame career. Past recipients include Dexter Coakley, Rashean Mathis, Jared Allen, and Arthur Moats. McClendon, playing this season despite an upper-body injury…

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Eddie George named Big South-OVC Coach of the Year

Brandon King

title image via Tennessee State Football In a season rife with accomplishments for the Tennessee State football program, the accolades continue to rain down on TSU.  Head coach Eddie George was named Big South-OVC Coach of the Year.  In his fourth season at the helm of Tennessee State football, the NFL legend has led th Tigers to their most successful season in a quarter century. Tennessee State was able to lay claim to the conference championship for the first time since L.C. Cole led the Tigers to the OVC crown…

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Sanders Ellis once again named Big South-OVC Freshman of the Week

Brandon King

For the fifth time this season, Tennessee State linebacker Sanders Ellis was named the Big South-OVC Freshman of the Week.  In TSU’s 28-21 win over no.11/12 Southeast Missouri that secured a portion of the conference crown for Tennessee State, Ellis recorded a team-high tackles ( 7 solo) and a pass breakup. The Nashville, TN product also posted 0.5 tackles for loss in helping the Tigers defense stand tall in helping the TSU defense hold SEMO’s offense to 21 points and 308 yards of offense, numbers which are well below their…

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Tennessee State defeats SEMO 28-21, wins share of Big South-OVC crown

Brandon King

title image via Tennessee State Athletics The last time Tennessee State claimed the OVC Championship in 1999, the world had not yet been introduced to the PlayStation 2, basketball shorts ended at or below the knees and snake was the pinnacle cellular phone entertainment.  For the first since coach L.C. Cole led TSU to the conference-promised land, the Tigers laid claim to a share of the Big South-OVC Championship with a 28-21 defeat of Southeast Missouri, their first victory over the RedHawks since 2017. In addition to securing a portion…

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Sanders Ellis named Big South-OVC Freshman of the Week

Brandon King

Tennessee State linebacker Sanders Ellis was named Big South-OVC Freshman of the Week for the fourth time this season. In the Tigers’ 23-20 win over defending conference champion Gardner-Webb, Ellis recorded 5 tackles ( 3 solo, 2 assisted) and 1.5 tackles for loss  On the season, Ellis is Tennessee State’s second-leading tackler, with 64 total stops ( 22 assisted), and ranks 11th in the Big South-OVC, averaging 5.8 tackles per game. The Jerry Rice Award Watchlist member is 6th in the conference in tackles for loss with 11.0. That also…

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Tennessee State withstands Gardner Webb rally , wins 23-20

Brandon King

ttle image Tennessee State Athletics It appeared early that Tennessee State may run away with the game early but Gardner Webb nearly fought back before critical late scores from Tennessee State proved to be the difference as the Tigers were able to defeat the Bulldogs 23-20.  In so many of our previews this season, it has been stressed for the need for Tennessee State to get off to a good start. In this game, the offense did just that. Gardner-Webb seemed to shy away from kicking  to CJ Evans, opting…

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Eddie George calls this year’s team “resilient”

Brandon King

title image via The Tennessean After working to rebuild the Tennessee State football program for the past three seasons, year 4 for Coach Eddie George has seemingly begun to bear fruit. The Tigers currently sit a 7-3, their highest win total since 2016, with two games left in the season. TSU is also still in the Big South-OVC title picture this late in the season, a posiition that the program has not found itself since 2013 when then-coach Rod Reed led the Tigers to a second-place finish in the conference.…

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Tennessee State v Gardner-Webb: Preview and Prediction

Brandon King

title image via ESPN Saturday Tennessee State takes on Gardner-Webb in Big South-OVC play. For the Tigers, a win not only keeps them in the hunt to play for the Big South-OVC Championship game but also keeps alive the potential for a postseason berth.  In their most recent outing, Tennessee State defeated Western Illinois 45-20, in the first meeting between the two schools. Scoring on their first four offensive possessions, the Tigers roared to a 28-3 lead in the first half. The Leathernecks built some momentum, scoring on a 4-play,…

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