Courtesy of Tennessee State Athleticss
With the bye week behind them, the Tennessee State football team is set for its second straight Big South-OVC contest as they will take on the UT Martin Skyhawks on the road this Saturday. Both teams come into Saturday night’s matchup having received votes in the Top 25.
Tennessee State (2-1, 1-0) vs. UT Martin (3-1, 0-0)
Date: Sat., September 30
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Martin, Tenn.
Venue: Hardy M. Graham Stadium (7,500)
TV: ESPN+
TBA (pxp)
TBA (analyst)
Radio: WNSR — 560 AM, 95.9 FM (Nashville), 107.9 FM (Smyrna)
Sirius XM: Ch. TBA
Stream: TSU Tigers App, WNSR.com, Alexa (Play WNSR)
Greg Pogue (pxp)
Chris Sanders (analyst)
Social:@TSU_Tigers | @TSUTigersFB
Game Notes: TSU | UTM
Game Day Information:Watch | Live Stats
SERIES INFORMATION: This will be the 32nd matchup between TSU and UTM with the Tigers holding an 18-14 advantage. The Skyhawks have won both matchups against George after defeating the Tigers 20-3 last season, and 41-20 in 2021. TSU last took down the Skyhawks in the spring of 2021 in a 26-24 win.
WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN: TSU Football can be heard on WNSR’s flagship network, 560 AM, 95.9 FM (Nashville), 107.9 FM (Smyrna), and WNSR.com. Globally, the broadcast can be heard on Sirius XM. Additionally, WNSR will offer in-depth pregame and postgame analysis, exclusive interviews with coaches and players, and behind-the-scenes content to engage fans on a deeper level. “The Voice of the Tigers” Greg Pogue returns for his 12th season behind the mic and will be joined by former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Chris Sanders. Nashville broadcasting legend Albert Dawson will fill in for Sanders. The action can also be heard on the TSU Tigers app.
TSU BY THE NUMBERS
48: The number of rushing yards Jalen Rouse needs to reach the 1,000-yard mark for his career. The fourth-year back scampered for 53 yards and a score in the win against Gardner-Webb.
10.0: The number of tackles that transfer linebacker Monroe Beard III is averaging per game through three contests. The UAPB transfer leads TSU with 30 tackles and his 10.0 tackles per outing leads the league. He tallied back-to-back 10 tackle games after recording 11 against UAPB and 12 against GWU.
10: The number of Tigers players that have a reception of 10+ yards or more. TSU backs and receivers have shown their ability to tack on yards after catch this season, with three of the 10 having caught passes for 20+ yards. Da’Shon Davis leads the team with a 55-yard TD reception, followed by Dayron Johson who hauled in a 35-yard grab, and Trenton Gillison (20 yards).
9: The number of punts that Tiger punter Jackson Foster has landed inside of the 20-yard line. Forster is in a three-way tie in the Big South-OVC with his nine punts inside the 20. Foster has punted 22 times for 832 yards and has a long of 51.
1: The number of career touchdown receptions Da’Shon Davis now has in his career. The 5th year senior caught his first career TD on a 55-yard pass from Draylen Ellis in the win over GWU. Davis has four catches for 86 yards this season.
TIED AT THE TOP: Just two teams sit at 1-0 in the newly formed Big South-OVC as TSU and SEMO both have 1-0 records in the league. Just four teams have played a league matchup thus far, while six teams have yet to play, including UTM who will open its conference slate against the Tigers.
STAYING READY: After starting 10 games at QB last season, senior quarterback Draylen Ellis who entered this season as the backup was thrust into action against GWU after Deveon Bryant exited the game in the second quarter due to injury. The second-year TSU QB finished the game 16-of-28 through the air with one touchdown pass. The TD pass marked his first since he threw three against EIU on October 22nd of last season. Ellis put TSU in a position to kick a game-winning field goal to take down GWU.
OFF THE BYE: The Tigers are 3-5 coming off their bye week since the 2014 season. TSU is 1-1 in their last two contests coming off a bye week. The Tigers fell to Lane College in OT after last season by week.
CAREER DAY: TSU kicker James Lowery had a career day in the win against GWU. Lowery entered the day with a career-long FG of 43 yards that he set against Mississippi State in 2021 and would go on to break that record not once, but twice in the win. Lowery connected on a 49-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter followed by his 50-yard game-winning FG with nine seconds left. The Florida native finished with nine points, while also being named the MVP of the game, and the Big South-OVC Special Teams Player of the Week.
TAKING THE OVER: Known for his explosive ability in the return game, TSU wide receiver Dayron Johnsonhas also shown the consistent ability to rack up receptions and receiving yards from his slot position. With four catches for 46 yards against GWU, the fourth-year WR has now gone over 100 receiving yards in each season he has played. He has hauled in nine passes for 107 yards through three games. The Tennessee native finished with 118 yards in 2019, 263 in the spring of 2021, and 311 in the fall of 2021. Johnson’s 58 career receptions for 799 yards lead the TSU WR room.
ROAD WARRIORS: Saturday’s game against UTM will be the first of two straight-away games for the Tigers. TSU will head to Kennesaw, Ga., to take on Kennesaw next Saturday after traveling to Martin this week. The Tigers will have one more set of back-to-back road games late in the season as they will travel to Charleston, S.C., and Charleston, Ill., on November 4th and 11th for games against Charleston Southern and Eastern Illinois.
MEET YOU IN THE BACKFIELD: The Tiger defense has recorded 5.0 tackles for loss or more in each of their first three games to start the season. TSU finished with 6.0 against Notre Dame, followed by a season-high 8.0 against Arkansas Pine Bluff. Brandon Fisher‘s defense logged 5.0 in their last game against GWU. Terrell Allen leads the team with 3.0 TFLs, followed by Chris Walker with 2.0 and Jalen Bell with 2.0.
