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Tennessee State University

Led by QB Hickbottom, Tennessee State wins big over Kentucky State 
7
Kentucky State Univ KSU 1-2
41
Winner Tennessee State Univ TSU 1-2
Kentucky State Univ KSU
1-2
7
Final
41
Tennessee State Univ TSU
1-2
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
KSU Kentucky State Univ 0 0 0 7 7
TSU Tennessee State Univ 10 21 3 7 41

Game Recap: FOOTBALL | | Erin Exum

Eddie George Wins First Game as Head Coach in Home Opener

Hickbottom leads Tigers to victory over Kentucky State

NASHVILLE. – It has been 18 years since Eddie George played in Nissan stadium as a Titan, and Saturday he got his first win there as the head coach of the Tigers.

TSU played a complete game, with success on offense, defense and special teams. The Tigers also won the time of possession and turnover battles in the 41-7 victory over Kentucky State.

On offense, senior transfer QB Geremy Hickbottom finished the game with four touchdowns, including a 12-yard rushing TD in the rout of the Thorobreds. On the day, Hickbottom threw for 264 yards and rushed for 24, to cement his role as starting quarterback. RB Devon Starling bolstered the run game with a season-high 144 yards Saturday, averaging 6.2 yards per carry.

"We knew that Geremy would be the guy," George said. "We just had to get him used to getting the reps in at practice. He had a great week last week. I could sense that he was going to have a breakout game. He was making the right calls, he was making the right decisions, he was throwing the ball with accuracy and certainty and that was exciting to see."

The Tiger defense held Kentucky State to 132 yards of offense, led by junior LB Jahsun Bryant with 5 tackles.

Kicker Antonio Zita started TSU's first half scoring frenzy with a 22-yard field goal in the first quarter. Senior TE Rodell Rahmann scored back-to-back touchdowns to end the first quarter and start the second quarter and finished the day 65 yards. Hickbottom threw an 18-yard TD pass to sophomore WR Dayton Johnson, his first TD as a Tiger, and rushed for another touchdown to finish the first half 31-0.

Zita started the second half with another field goal, this time for 34 yards, to extend the Tigers lead to 34-0. KSU did get on the board in the second half, with a touchdown late in the fourth quarter but it was too late, TSU dominated the game from start to finish. 

As his retired #27 jersey hung in the rafters, coach George celebrated his first win at TSU. "Getting that first win feels good as a head coach," George said. "You can never say I didn't win, so that feels good."

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