Saturday Tennessee State returns home to face the Buccaneers of Charleston Southern. Last season, in the first meeting, the Tigers were able to battle back to tie the contest after falling behind 21-7. However Charleston Southern was able to score two touchdowns late in the fourth quarter to secure a 35-21 victory.
Tennessee State (2-2, 0-1) enters the conference matchup coming off a loss to instate and conference foe Tennessee Tech 24-14 in their Big South-OVC opener. TSU fell behind early 14-0 before battling back to tie the game in the second quarter. After TTU took a 17-14 lead the potential TSU game-tying or go-ahead drive late in the contest came to a quick end when Ty Moss picked off a Draylen Ellis pass and took it 56 yards to the house, which secured the win for the Eagles.
Charleston Southern enters the contest fresh from a 38-0 starching at the hands of Richmond. After a slow start, the Spiders took a 21-0 lead into halftime, tacking on an additional 17 points in the second half for good measure. Buccaneers starting quarterback, Sacred Heart transfer Rob McCoy Jr left the game and both he and backup Zolten Osborne, who replaced him, statuses for this week’s game are listed as questionable.
Our prediction
After posting 0 net yards last week against Tennessee Tech, Tennessee State will look to establish the run with a healthy dose of Jalen Rouse, Jordan Gant, Jaden McGill, and CJ Evans. The Buccaneers, on average, are allowing 168 yards per contest; there will be opportunities in the run game on which TSU can capitalize.
Draylen Ellis will comfortably have time to survey the field to find Karate Benson and other receivers, as the Buccaneers rarely lay a fingernail, on opposing quarterbacks. On the season, Charleston Southern has only 3 sacks, which is the second-fewest in the Big South-OVC.
A Tennessee State lead of even 10 points could be problematic for the Buccaneers, as they are the second-most anemic offense in the Big South-OVC, averaging just 15.0 points per contest. Charleston Southern has yet to have a 100-yard rusher, 100-yard receiver, or a signal caller top 290 yards, nor have they scored more than 21 points on the season.
Tennessee State will be able to generate offense and Charleston Southern won’t be able to keep pace.
Final Score Tennessee State: 27 Charleston Southern: 14
