NASHVILLE — The Tennessee State football team hosts Murray State on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Nissan Stadium in the Annual Homecoming Game.
Where: Nashville, Tenn.
Stadium: Nissan Stadium (69,143)
Surface: Tifsport Bermuda Sod (Natural Grass)
Forecast: 65, Sunny Skies
Television: ESPN+ — Big Blue Sports Network will carry the game live with Alex Gould (play-by-play), Derek Fleming (analyst) and Sami Kinkaid (sideline). Pregame will begin at 5:00 p.m. Central Time
Radio: 102.1 FM The Ville, Sirius XM 390 (car), 980 (app) — Big Blue Sports Network will carry the game live with Greg Pogue (play-by-play) and Will Brown (analyst). Pregame show starts at 1:30 p.m. Central Time
SERIES INFORMATION — This is the 31st all-time meeting between with the Tigers and Racers. Murray St. leads the season series 18-13 and are currently on a five-game winning streak over the Tigers. The last TSU win came during the 2014 season, a 48-33 win on the road. Entering Saturday's contest, TSU is 7-5 in Nashville against the Racers, but have struggled in Kentucky with a 6-12 mark. The series, which dates back to 1988 has seen these two teams play every season except 2005 and 2017.
IT'S A BIRD...IT'S A PLANE..IT'S HICKBOTTOM RUNNING IT IN — Quarterback Geremy Hickbottom once again showed why he is one of the top QBs in the OVC with his abilities to move the ball in the air and on the ground. In the 28-0 win over Eastern Illinois, Hickbottom threw for 161 yards and ran for 38. Within those numbers, he found Zaire Thornton for his lone TD pass of the game, and rushed for 38 yards with two touchdowns. In total, Hickbottom has 14 touchdowns (10 pass, 4 rush) this season.
D-FENSE... CLAP...CLAP — The Tennessee State defense led by defensive coordinator Brandon Fisher have not allowed a point on the board in the last six quarters. The Tigers are the top defensive team in the OVC allowing an average of 20.4 points per game and 320.7 yards per contest. The Tigers also top the OVC in pass defense efficiency (105.1), punt return average (11.4) and kick off coverage (41.7).
STARDUST — Devon Starling turned on the jets for his third 100+ yards rushing game of the season. Starling picked up 122 yards on 25 attempts, his second best of the season and scored a touchdown late in the contest. His 30-yard rush was his longest of the season.
IS YOUR RECEIVER RUNNING … THEN YOU BETTER GO CATCH 'EM — TSU receivers made 14 catches for 161 yards and one score last Saturday. Zaire Thornton was the top receiver with 76 yards on four receptions. His third quarter touchdown put the Tigers up 21-0 but it was the way he played that showed the coaching staff that he will be a valuable wide receiver the rest of the way.
MEAN GREEN — James Green as named last week's OVC Football Co-Defender of the Week. Green tallied six tackles (5 solo), a tackle for loss and an interception in Tennessee State's 28-0 win at Eastern Illinois. Green's interception came in the second quarter and he returned the pick 47 yards to the EIU 2-yard line, which led to a Tigers touchdown two plays later that put TSU ahead 7-0. His brother Josh also had an interception in the game.
THE GREEN BROTHERS — James and Joshua Green became the first set of brothers to record an interception in the same game in recent memory. James secured his INT in the second quarter and returned the ball 47 yards to the EIU 49. Joshua secured his pick in the third quarter.
RECORDS GALORE — The shutout was TSU's first D1/OVC defensive blanking since 2013, a 31-0, win over SEMO. The last overall shutout was a 60-0 win over Virginia Lynchburg in 2017.
The win is also TSU's first three-game winning streak since 2017 when they defeated Georgia State, Jackson State, and Florida A&M to start the season 3-0. Within the OVC, the last time TSU won three straight league matches was in 2013 with victories over SEMO, Jacksonville St. and UT Martin.
HONORARY COACHES — On Saturday, TSU football is proud to welcome Dr. Charles Brown, College of Health Sciences and Professor Rita Fleming, College of Agriculture as honorary game coaches.
