OPENING DRIVE: The Tennessee State football team will look to make it three wins in a row and two Ohio Valley Conference wins in a row as they are set to host Eastern Illinois at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday at Nissan Stadium. The Tigers enter Saturday's matchup at 2-4 (1-0 OVC) while the Panthers are 2-4 (1-0 OVC). TSU is coming off its first OVC win over Tennessee Tech, while EIU picked up its first conference win over Murray State on September 24.
 
WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN: TSU expanded its partnership with Cromwell Media naming 94.9 FM The Fan as the flagship station for TSU Football. "The Voice of the Tigers" Greg Pogue returns for his 11th season behind the mic and will be joined by newcomer analysts to the booth former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Chris Sanders and left tackle, Brad Hopkins. The action can also be heard on the TSU Tigers app.
 
Tennessee State (2-4, 1-0) vs. Eastern Illinois (2-4, 1-0)
Date: Sat., October 22
Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Venue: Nissan Stadium (69,143)

TV: ESPN+
Dan Laing (pxp), Keith Bulluck (analyst)

Local Radio: 94.9 FM The Fan
Satellite Radio: Sirius XM 388, XM App 978
Greg Pogue (pxp) and Chris Sanders (analyst)

Social: @TSU_Tigers | @TSUTigersFB
Game Notes: TSU | EIU
Game Day Information: Watch | Live Stats
 
SERIES INFORMATION: TSU is 10-15 against EIU all-time. The Tigers and the Eagles first met in 1982 with TSU getting the 20-19 victory. After meeting in 1982, the two schools did not meet again until 1998 and have played every year since. TSU lost six straight from 2012-2017. The Tigers won last fall's matchup 28-0 as Devon Starling rushed for 122 yards and a score, while Zaire Thornton hauled in four passes for 76 yards and a score.
 
SCOUTING EIU: The Panthers come into Saturday's matchup after falling to Lindenwood in double overtime 37-34. EIU is averaging 330.7 yards per game to TSU's 334.7. The Panthers average 181.0 yards on the ground per game with 149.7 passing yards per contest. Jonah O'Brien leads the EIU passing attack with 740 yards and seven scores through the air, while Nile Hill (20 catches, 176 yards) and Justin Thomas (17 catches, 210 yards) are O'Brien's top targets. Markenzy Pierre paces the Panther ground game with 347 yards, followed by Dom Shoffner who has tallied 264 yards and four scores. The Panther defense is allowing 410.0 yards per game (278.0 passing, 132.0 rushing).
 
WEEK 7: BY THE NUMBERS
 
50: The number of yards quarterback Draylen Ellis ran for on his touchdown run. Ellis showed his dual-threat ability as he took off on a quarterback draw and bounced it outside to the right hash, splitting two TTU defenders for the 50-yard score. The quarterback finished with 61 yards on the ground while passing for 247 yards and two scores.
 
24: The number of first downs the Tiger offense picked up against TTU. TSU's 24 first downs are a new season high, surpassing the 23 first downs picked up against Eastern Washington. The Tigers finished with 11 first downs on the ground and through the air, while the other two came from penalties.
 
3: The number of turnovers TSU forced against TTU. Jahsun Bryant and Marcellious Lockett both recovered fumbles, while Josh Green came away with an interception, all of which happened in the first half. The Tigers won the turnover battle 3-0, as they did not give away the ball all contest.

2: The number of times the TSU offense has finished with 450+ yards in a single game this season. The Tigers accounted for 469 yards in Saturday's win over TTU. TSU posted 547 yards in its season opener against Eastern Washington which stands as the season high.
 
TE TOUCHDOWNS: For the first time this season, the TSU offense saw a tight end catch a touchdown pass. The coaches loved it so much that they drew up another play, this time a jump pass that was caught by a tight end for a score. Benjamin Johnson II caught a 30-yard TD pass from Draylen Ellis for the first TD of the game against TTU in the second quarter. The second tight end touchdown came on a jump pass from Deveon Bryant to Jytireus Smith on a 3-yard pass in the third quarter.
 
HOLLOMAN HAULS IT IN: Transfer wide receiver JJ Holloman caught his first touchdown pass as a Tiger in Saturday's win over TTU. The senior hauled in a 21-yard pass from Draylen Ellis on a post route over the middle in the middle of the third quarter. Holloman finished the game with three catches for 49 yards and a score, while two of his three receptions went for 20+ yards. He is tied for the team lead in catches with 12, while he is third on the team with 131 yards.
 
OFFENSIVE MILESTONES: After posting 469 total yards in the win against TTU (250 passing, 219 rushing) the Tiger offense surpassed two season milestones. The Tigers have gone over the 2000-yard mark in total offense as they have 2,008 on the season. TSU also went over 1000 in the passing game as they have tallied 1,051 on the season. TSU totaled 3,502 yards in 2021 during head coach Eddie George's first season.
 
GREEN GETS 200: Junior safety Josh Green collected his 200^th career tackle in Saturday's win over TTU. The Floridian finished with four tackles and an interception in the victory to give him 201 career tackles. Green is the active leader in tackles among current TSU players. He notched one tackle in 2018, 66 in 2019, 39 in the spring of 2021, 63 in the fall of 2021, and 32 so far this season. Green's 32 tackles this season ranks second on the team. 
 
PASS DEFENSE: Through six games, the TSU defense is leading the OVC in pass defense. The Tigers have allowed the least yards (1,382), yards per game (230.3), shortest yards per pass (6.5), and are tied for first in fewest passing touchdowns allowed with 11. The Tiger defense has broken up 23 passes this season, while also intercepting three passes.