OPENING DRIVE: Still searching for their first win of the season, the Tennessee State University football team will welcome Lane College to Hale Stadium on October 1, as they are set to play in the John Merritt Classic. The Tigers, who are coming off their bye week come into this matchup with an 0-3 record after facing three teams that either played in a bowl game or made the FCS playoffs to open the year. The Dragons carry a 2-2 record into Saturday afternoon's matchup.
 
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 (0-3, 0-0) vs. Lane College (2-2, 0-0)
Date: Sat., October 1
Time: 1:00 p.m. CT
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Venue: Hale Stadium (15,000)

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

Local Radio: Big Blue Sports Network (94.9 FM in Nashville) and (95.1 FM in Rutherford County)
Satelite Radio: Sirius XM 383, XM App 973
Greg Pogue (pxp) and Chris Sanders (analyst)

Social: @TSU_Tigers | @TSUTigersFB
Game Notes: TSU | Lane
Game Day Information: Watch | Live Stats
 
2022 CAPTAINS: Head coach Eddie George announced the 2022 team captains before the start of the season. Leading the Tigers will be Gleson Sprewell, Davoan Hawkins, JJ Holloman, and Kaleb Mosley. The captains were selected by the players.

THE JOHN MERRITT CLASSIC: It's the annual game that brings out the barbecue grills, fish fries, and fellowship. It's a community revival of sorts and a North Nashville family reunion wrapped in one — the John Merritt Classic. Though it brings thousands from across the city and region to Tennessee State University, it all started years ago with one man, John Merritt, the coach who took Tennessee State to its highest level of football in the program's history. Affectionately known as "Big John", Merritt dominated and revolutionized the game of football during his coaching career, compiling a record of 172-33-7 at TSU and 232-65-11 overall. His former players and the Big Blue Nation still remember Merritt's signature cigar smoke after wins.
 
TSU IN THE JOHN MERRITT: The Tigers have played in the John Merritt Classic 22 times dating back to the first event in 1999. The Tigers are 16-6 in ht event TSU won the first six John Merritt Classics from 1999-2004. The Tigers took down Alabama A&M three years in a row, followed by wins over Prairie View A&M, South Carolina State, and AAMU. TSU's first loss in the classic came in 2005 to AAMU, as they would drop three in a row to AAMU from 2005-2007.
 
SERIES INFORMATION: TSU is 5-0-4 against Lane College all time. The two programs first met in 1916, ending in a 0-0 tie, followed by a 7-7 tie in 1927, and a 6-6 tie in 1929. TSU's first win against Lane came in 1933 as they won 37-6. The two schools last met in 1996 as TSU won 43-26.   

SCOUTING LANE: The Dragons picked up a 20-9 win over Edward Waters this past Saturday to move to 2-2 on the year. Lane is averaging 25.0 ppg while holding opponents to 19.25 ppg. Lane has tallied 1,384 yards on the year, including 860 yards through the air and 524 on the ground. Michael Huntley leads Lane with 774 passing yards and seven touchdowns, while Ike Brown leads the team on the ground with 226 yards and three touchdowns. This will be Lane's second DI game of the season, as they opened the year with a 48-42 loss to Grambling State.
 
WEEK 5: BY THE NUMBERS

16: The number of wins that TSU has in the John Merritt Classic. TSU won the first event in 1999, as they beat Alabama State 41-8.

17: The number of tackles for loss that the TSU defense has collected. The Tigers have 10 players with at least 1+ TFL. Tadarrius Patterson and Detoye Adewole lead the defense with 3.0 TFLs apiece. Davion Nash and Michael Crawford both have collected 1.5.
 
573: The number of days it will have been since TSU last played at Hale Stadium. TSU's last game at Hale was on March 7, 2021, as they fell to Jacksonville State 38-16 during the shortened covid spring. It will have been 1,057 days since the Tigers have played a game during the fall at Hale Stadium, with the last coming in a 49-38 loss to Eastern Illinois on November 9, 2019.

425,283: The number of the combined attendance from all 22 John Merritt Classics. The Classic has drawn 20,00+ fans on 11 separate occasions. 31,119 fans watched the first John Merritt Classic in 1999, which is the highest amount among John Merritt Classics.

DO IT ALL: After three weeks of play, TSU has the number one and two all-purpose yardage leaders among OVC players. After three games, Devon Starling leads the league with 343 all-purpose yards, while Zack Dobson has totaled 321 all-purpose yards. Starling has tallied 292 rushing yards and 51 receiving yards to average 114.3 yards per game. Dobson has 181 receiving yards and 321 kick return yards to average 107.0 yards per game.

OFF THE BYE: TSU returns to action this Saturday after having their bye weekend last Saturday. The Tigers are 3-4 the following week after their bye since 2014. TSU took down Tennessee Tech last year 20-13 after their bye week.
 
NO FLY ZONE: After appearing in just two games throughout three seasons at Memphis, former East Nashville Magnet standout Jashon Watkins decided to return to his home city and make a name for himself as a defensive back at TSU. Watkins grabbed the first interception of the season for the TSU defense in the loss to MTSU, as the lengthy corner made an incredible gain in front of an MTSU receiver on the sideline while managing to get his foot in bounds. The interception was also the first of his collegiate career. Watkins has 10 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and two pass breakups to go along with his interception through the first three games.

RUNNING THROUGH HALE: Junior running back Devon Starling knows a thing or two about playing in Hale Stadium. Starling's freshman season in the spring of 2021 saw all TSU home games moved to Hale Stadium due to Nissan being closed. Starling was named OVC Co-Freshman of the year after rushing for 648 yards and three touchdowns. More than half of Starling's yards on the ground came on the grass at Hale Stadium, as the freshman accounted for 413 rushing yards and all three of his touchdowns in the Hole. Starling's best game at Hale Stadium came against UT Martin, as he rushed for 134 yards and a score.

HOMECOMING: The Tigers will host Bethune-Cookman next Saturday at Nissan Stadium at 5 p.m. for the 2022 edition of Homecoming. For the first time in TSU history, ESPN Radio 102.5 FM The Game will carry the broadcast over the airwaves and ESPN+ will have the game online.