17
Bethune-Cookman 1-4 , 1-1
41
Tennessee St. 1-4 , 0-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BCU | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| TSU | 7 | 24 | 3 | 7 | 41 |
Powered by a defensive unit that forced four turnovers, Tennessee State has removed itself from the rolls of the winless with a 41-17 homecoming win over Bethune-Cookman.
It was Bethune that struck first. After Tsu’s opening drive ended in a quick three-and-out, B-CU drove 63 yards in 8 plays, ending in a 22-yard field goal off the foot of Dylan Moghaddam to give the Wildcats an early 3-0 lead. Kemari Averett’s interception of Draylen Ellis on Tennessee State’s next offensive possession set up B-CU on the TSU 40-yard line. The drive stalled out, forcing the Wildcats to attempt a field goal, which was blocked by Michael Crawford, leaving the score at 3-0.
Tennessee took the lead on the ensuing drive on a 22- yard scoring scampercourtesy of Jalen Rouse to make the score 7-3. The Tigers extended their lead to 14-3 when Ellis found John Roberts IV on a 5-yard touchdown toss.
Special teams provided the next score. The Tigers’ defense forced a Bethune three-and-out and punter Ben Lennon bobbled and fumbled the snap, and Tre Boone III scooped it up and scooted 32 yards for the touchdown that pushed the lead to 21-3. Kaleb Mosley’s 45-yard field goal handed Tenssessee state a 24-3 lead with 3:09 left in the first half.
The defense got in on the scoring on Bethune’s very next possession when Josh Green intercepted a Jalon Jones pass and took it 48 yards to the house for a 31-3 Tennessee State lead heading into halftime.
Bethune got their first touchdown of the evening in the third quarter after Cam Wyche fumbled deep in TSU territory it was recovered by Akeem Hayes at the 23-yard line. Five plays later Que’ Shaun Byrd punched it in from one yard out to make the score 31-10. Tennessee State responded with 31- a yard Kaleb Mosley field goal on their next possession to make the count 34-10 and that is where it remained to head into the fourth quarter.
Jalon Jones’ 67 -yard touchdown gallop cut the lead to 34-17 with 11:26 remaining in the ball game. When Mike Mitchell fumbled the ensuing kickoff it gave the football back to Bethune at the 6-yard line. The Wildcats pushed the ball to the 1-yard line, but the TSU defense stood tall on a 4th and 1 from the one-yard line when defensive captain Gleason Sprewell stopped Byrd from getting in the end zone and giving the ball back to the Tennessee State offense. With the wind taken out of their sails, Bethune was unable to stop the10-play-98-yard march down the field from Tennessee State that ended on a 27-yard touchdown run from Draylen Ellis, putting the game completely out of reach at 41-17.
Draylen Ellis who missed the last game against Lane completed 10 of his 18 pass attempts for138 yards a tunchdown and an interception. While the numbers were not eye-popping this return to the line up at least infused the threat of the passing game back into the Tennessee State offense, leading them to be for less one-dimensional than they were last week. Fellow returning offensive stud Devon Starling carried the ball 10 times for 43 yards, as he was worked back into a running game that produced 169 yards on the evening.
Tennessee heads into the Onio Valley Conference portion of their schedule, commencing league play with a trip to Cookeville to take on Tennessee Tech.
Next Game: at Tennessee Tech 10/15/2022 | 6:00 PM ESPN+ 94.9 FM The Fan
Team Statistics
| Game Stats | BCU | TSU |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 381 | 307 |
| Pass Yards | 196 | 138 |
| Rushing Yards | 185 | 169 |
| Penalty Yards | 8-94 | 7-44 |
| 1st Downs | 19 | 18 |
| 3rd Downs | 6-17 | 6-10 |
| 4th Downs | 1-6 | 0-0 |
| TOP | 31:48 | 28:12 |
| 1ST QUARTER | ||
|---|---|---|
 10:00 – BCU – 22 yd field goal 8 plays, 63 yards, TOP 03:38 | 3 | 0 |
 03:28 – TSU – Rouse,Jalen 22 yd run (Mosley,Kaleb kick), 6 plays, 42 yards, TOP 03:10 | 3 | 7 |
| 2ND QUARTER | ||
| 11:14 – TSU – Roberts IV,John 5 yd pass from Ellis,Draylen (Mosley,Kaleb kick) 10 plays, 82 yards, TOP 03:46 | 3 | 14 |
| 09:01 – TSU – Boone III,Tre 32 yd fumble recovery (Mosley,Kaleb kick) | 3 | 21 |
| 03:09 – TSU – Mosley,Kaleb 45 yd field goal 10 plays, 45 yards, TOP 03:46 | 3 | 24 |
| 02:08 – TSU – 0 yd interception (Mosley,Kaleb kick) | 3 | 31 |
| 3RD QUARTER | ||
| 10:51 – BCU – Byrd,Que’Shaun 1 yd run (Moghaddam,Dylan kick), 5 plays, 23 yards, TOP 02:12 | 10 | 31 |
| 06:59 – TSU – Mosley,Kaleb 31 yd field goal 8 plays, 30 yards, TOP 03:45 | 10 | 34 |
| 4TH QUARTER | ||
| 11:26 – BCU – Jones,Jalon 67 yd run (Moghaddam,Dylan kick), 3 plays, 73 yards, TOP 01:21 | 17 | 34 |
| 04:09 – TSU – Ellis,Draylen 27 yd run (Mosley,Kaleb kick), 10 plays, 98 yards, TOP 06:25 | 17 | 4 |
