NASHVILLE — Looking for its first Ohio Valley Conference win under head coach
Eddie George, the Tennessee State football team travels up I-24 for a rare non-conference matchup with OVC member Austin Peay on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT. The game can be seen live on ESPN+ and on the Nashville airwaves on 102.1 FM The Ville.
The Tigers and Governors will meet again in Nashville on November 13 in the final OVC meeting before AP departs for the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2022.
THAT'S MY QB — Senior quarterback
Geremy Hickbottom threw for 252 yards with a short touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against SEMO. Through four games, Hickbottom has found the end zone five times for 719 yards passed.
ENERGY EFFICIENT — Tennessee State leads the Ohio Valley Conference on the defensive side with a 134.6 defensive passing efficiency. The Tigers have allowed five passing touchdowns while holding the opposition to a 56.2 passing percentage. Austin Peay is third with a 132.1 efficiency.
| PASS EFFICIENCY |
G |
Comp |
Att |
Int |
Pct. |
Yards |
TD |
Effic. |
| 1. |
Tennessee State |
4 |
59 |
105 |
2 |
56.2 |
831 |
5 |
134.6 |
| 2. |
UT Martin |
4 |
73 |
120 |
4 |
60.8 |
851 |
7 |
133.0 |
| 3. |
Austin Peay |
4 |
97 |
171 |
5 |
56.7 |
1261 |
10 |
132.1 |
PAYDIRT — Through four games, the Tigers are third in kickoff returns, averaging 21.3 yards per opportunity. Sophomore
Dayron Johnson is the lone OVC returner to find paydirt after a 90-yard touchdown against SEMO. Johnson has gained for 287 yards this year on 13 returns. He also leads the OVC in all-purpose yards (562).
| KICKOFF RETURNS |
G |
No. |
Yards |
TD |
Avg. |
| 1. |
Southeast Missouri |
4 |
12 |
291 |
0 |
24.2 |
| 2. |
Murray State |
3 |
5 |
115 |
0 |
23.0 |
| 3. |
Tennessee State |
4 |
17 |
362 |
1 |
21.3 |
DELIVERING THE BOOM – Junior linebacker
Jahsun Bryant is third in the OVC with 33 tackles, averaging 8.2 per game. He is one behind Tennessee Tech's Joshn Reliford and 11 way from Eastern Illinois' Jason Johnson. Bryant finished with a team-high 14 tackles against the RedHawks.
| TACKLES (All positions) |
Cl |
G |
Pos. |
Solo |
Ast. |
Total |
Avg/G |
Sacks |
| 1. |
JOHNSON, Jason-EIU |
SO |
5 |
LB |
24 |
20 |
44 |
8.8 |
0.0 |
| 2. |
RELIFORD, Josh-TTU |
JR |
4 |
DB |
17 |
17 |
34 |
8.5 |
0.0 |
| 3. |
BRYANT, Jahsun-TSU |
JR |
4 |
LB |
19 |
14 |
33 |
8.2 |
0.0 |
STARLING'S A RISING STAR — Sophomore running back
Devon Starling's stock is rising under Coach George with 66 carries for 299 net yards. Starling is averaging 74.8 yards per game with his best carry of 25 yards in the season opener vs. Grambling. In the home opener against Kentucky State, Starling ran for 142 yards on 23 attempts.
BYE, BYE , BYE — The Tigers will get a breather next week before returning to Nissan Stadium host Tennessee Tech on Saturday, October 16 at 2 p.m.
