NASHVILLE — Riding a four-game winning streak, the Tennessee State University football team travels to Western Tennessee for its toughest test of the season against 11th-ranked UT Martin on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
Where: Martin, Tenn.
Stadium: Hardy Graham Stadium (7,500)
Surface: FieldTurf
Forecast: 63, Sunny Skies
TV: ESPN+ — UT Martin will provide play-by-play and analysis live on ESPN3.
RADIO: 102.1 FM The Ville, Sirius XM 993 (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 Skyhawks. Tennessee State leads the season series 18-12. TSU has won three of the last five meetings, including a 26-24 win last season at Hale Stadium. The first meeting took place on November 6, 1976, a 26-21 victory for UT Martin. Home field advantage has been very important for both squads, as the Skyhawks are 9-5 in Western Tennessee while the Tigers are 13-3 in RoarCity. Since 1992, these squads have place in every season except 2006.
MADDEN RATING INCREASE — Quarterback Geremy Hickbottom tied his career-best with three rushing touchdowns and threw a touchdown to lead TSU over Murray last Saturday. His performance while heroic, was not his career-best, as he finished with six total touchdowns against Oklahoma Panhandle State while with Grambling. His D1 career-best outing came against Texas Southern (the other TSU) when he had three rushing touchdowns and two thrown TDs.
Hickbottom Games with 3+ TDS
Date Opponent
Total TD Passing Rushing
10/6/2018 vs. Oklahoma Panhandle St.
6TDs // 29-44—297…3 TDs, 6-71…3 TDs
11/2/2019 vs. Texas Southern
5TDs // 16-23—268…2TDs, 15-185…3TDs
10/30/2021 vs. Murray State
4TDS // 17-29—159 …1TD, 8-87…3TDs
10/13/2018 vs. Texas Southern
3TDs // 29-44—345…3TD
10/27/2018 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
3TDs //18-26—217…3TD
10/26/2019 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
3TDs // 19-33—248 … 2TD, 14-21…1TD
10/2/2021 vs. Austin Peay
3TDS // 18-34—301…2TDS, 10-66…1 TD
10/23/2021 vs. Eastern Illinois
3TDs // 14-24—161…1TD, 8-34…2TDs
MORE RECORDS — TSU enters Saturday's contest on a four-game winning streak, its largest since 2016, when the Tigers started the season 4-0 with wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (John Merritt Classic, 44-0), Jackson State (Southern Heritage Classic, 40-26), Bethune-Cookman (31-24) and UT Martin (34-30).
The streak is also at four-game in the OVC, the first time since the 2013 season, with wins over Tennessee Tech (41-21), SEMO (40-16), Jacksonville State (31-15), and UT Martin (29-15).
WHAT A WIN MEANS…
- A positive outcome
- The first five-game winning streak since 2013
- The first five-game OVC winning streak since 1999 when L.C. Cole led the Tigers to a perfect 7-0 mark in the OVC and a berth to the I-AA Playoffs.
- Sets up a magical Saturday at Nissan Stadium against Austin Peay on Nov. 13 as the Tigers could have a chance a either an outright win of the OVC Championship or a share of the trophy. TSU would need to win defeat UT Martin on Saturday and then scoreboard watch as Martin faces SEMO next week.
KINGS OF THE FIRST-YEAR JUNGLE — Head coach Eddie George sits among six other TSU head football coaches to win at least five games in their first season as leader of the Tigers. Below is a list of the best first-year performances by a TSU head football coach.
Lawrence Simmons (1938) — 6-1-0
Harry Kean (1944) —8-2-1
Howard Gentry (1955) — 7-2-0
John Merritt (1963) — 6-3-0
William Thompson (1984) — 11-0-0
Joe Gilliam Sr. (1989) — 5-5-1
Eddie George (2021) — 5-3-0
TOP DEFENSES BATTLE — Saturday will feature the top defenses in the OVC as the Tigers lead the conference allowing a low 20.5 points per game while the Skyhawks are at 26.8 points allowed per contest. Tennessee State has allowed the least amount of total yard (2,623). UTM is fourth in that category at 2,871. The Tigers could have a tough time on the ground as UTM allows an average of 118.6 yards per contest, but struggle in the air allowing 240.2 yards per completion. On the opposite side, TSU allows just 155.9 yards on the ground and 172.0 yards in the air.
NASHVILLE IS TRUE TO HIS HEART — Josh Trueheart scored his second career touchdown on Saturday against Murray State. It was his best performance of the season with two receptions for 46 yards. Trueheart's touchdown came in the third quarter, a 24-yard pass from Hickbottom with 8:04 left in the frame.
