CANTON, Ohio – Running back Devon Starling rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown and wide receiver/returner Dayron Johnson had 137 all-purpose yards, but it wasn't enough for Tennessee State to pick up a victory in head coach Eddie George's debut. 

TSU fell to Grambling State, 16-10, on Sunday night in the second annual Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. 

Tennessee State outgained Grambling 230 to 184, but committed 18 penalties for 150 yards. 

"To come here and play against a historic program like Grambling State, I had to pinch myself a couple times," said George, who rushed for more than 10,000 yards for the Tennessee Titans and won the 1995 Heisman Trophy at Ohio State. "Coach (Broderick) Fobbs and Grambling State did a fantastic job. I can't thank the people here at the Hall of Fame enough for making this a wonderful experience for myself and my kids. 

"I couldn't be prouder of our men. We overcame a lot the last couple of weeks. They were resilient. A lot of the things that cost us the game are definitely correctable. We will keep our head down and keep going." 

The Big Blue played three different quarterbacks in the game with freshman Tucker Pope getting the start under center. Geremy Hickbottom entered in the second quarter and completed 8-of-10 passes for 65 yards, while fellow signal-caller Deveon Bryant played the bulk of the second half and finished with 24 yards rushing and 22 yards passing. 

Starling, the Ohio Valley Conference's leading rusher last season, had 18 carries for 88 yards and scored a 3-yard touchdown in the second quarter. 

Johnson had 83 punt return yards, including returns of 47 yards and 36 yards. He added three receptions for 37 yards. 

"We want to be explosive in the return game," George said. "(Johnson) is an explosive returner for us. We feel like we can have one of the better special teams units in the country giving the amount of talent we have. We are excited to see where we grow from that. I'm really excited about where we can go from here in the return game."

Special teams gave Tennessee State a chance late in the game. Trailing 16-10, TSU punter Kaleb Mosley had a pair of outstanding punts in the final six minutes, pinning Grambling State down at the 3-yard line on one possession and at the 6-yard line with just over two minutes left in the game. 

A 36-yard punt return by Johnson gave TSU the ball 30 yards from the end zone with 3:58 remaining but back-to-back penalties pushed the Tigers back to the Grambling State 45-yard line and forced a punt that gave GSU the ball back with two minutes left in the contest. 

GSU was able to get a first down on third-and-3 to seal the game and run out the clock. 

Kicker Anthony Zita drilled a 39-yard field goal, but missed a 57-yard attempt. 

Led by linebacker Jashun Bryant's nine tackles, the TSU defense held Grambling State quarterback Elijah Walker to 4-of-11 passing for just 43 yards and safety Cory Rahman had an interception in the second quarter. 

Walker did most of his damage on the ground, though, rushing 17 times for 77 yards and a touchdown. 

Johnson sparked Tennessee State in the first quarter returning a punt 47 yards to give the Big Blue the ball at the 42-yard line. Pope found Vincent Perry for a 31-yard completion a few players to convert a 3rd-and-21 to set up a 39-yard Zita field goal that gave TSU a 3-0 lead 10 minutes into the game.  

Grambling State took a 7-3 lead into halftime after Walker found Patrick Jaye for an 18-yard score to cap a 17-play drive that ate more than seven minutes off the clock midway through the second quarter. 

Tennessee State had a chance to score at the end of the first half. An errant Grambling State punt gave TSU the ball at midfield with 34 seconds left in the first half. A face mask penalty by Grambling State and a 24-yard run by Deveon Bryant gave TSU the ball at the GSU 25 with 16 seconds remaining before the break. However, penalties moved TSU back 15 yards and Zita's 57-yard field goal attempt was short to end the half. 

Deveon Bryant played most of the second half at quarterback for TSU. He completed a 10-yard pass to Vincent Perry on 4th-and-3 to keep TSU's first drive of the second half alive and a few moments later Starling scored Tennessee State's first touchdown of the 2021 season on a 3-yard plunge up the middle at the 7:03 mark in the third quarter to give Tennessee State a 10-7 lead. 

Grambling State took the lead back after Lewis Matthews blocked Tennessee State's punt at the 3:47 mark in the third quarter giving Grambling State the ball at the TSU 15. Walker scored a 4-yard touchdown with 2:22 remaining in the third quarter, but kicker Garrett Urban missed the ensuing extra point. Still, Grambling State led 13-10 at the end of the third quarter. 

GSU moved in front 16-10 on a 24-yard field goal from Urban with 10 minutes remaining in the game. 

Tennessee State had chances down the stretch but was unable to find the end zone again. 

Next Up: TSU has a short week to prepare for its next opponent, Jackson State. TSU and JSU will meet in the Southern Heritage Classic on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT in Memphis, Tenn.