NASHVILLE — After a rain-soaked victory over Charleston Southern last week, the Tennessee State football team will travel to St. Charles, Missouri, to face Lindenwood on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Tennessee State (3-2) at Lindenwood (2-3)
Date: Sat., October 5, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Venue: Hunter Stadium (7,450)
 
TV: ESPN+ 
Radio: WNSR — 560 AM, 95.9 FM (Nashville), 107.9 FM (Smyrna)
Sirius XM: Ch. 389 / 979 (app)
Stream: TSU Tigers App, WNSR.com, Alexa (Play WNSR)
Greg Pogue (pxp)
Nick Guerriero (analyst)
 
Social: @TSU_Tigers | @TSUTigersFB
Game Notes: TSU | LIN
Game Day Information:  Watch | Live Stats

SERIES INFORMATION: This marks the second all-time meeting between Tennessee State and Lindenwood. In last season's matchup, TSU built a 40-7 halftime lead en route to a 43-20 victory. Draylen Ellis passed for 236 yards, throwing for one touchdown and rushing for another. Jordan Gant added two rushing touchdowns, while Da'Shon Davis caught Ellis' touchdown pass and finished with 200 receiving yards. On defense, Terrell Allen recorded 10 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and forced two fumbles. Eriq George contributed 1.5 tackles for loss and recovered a fumble, and Tyler Jones had an interception.

WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN: TSU Football can be heard on WNSR's flagship stations: 560 AM, 95.9 FM (Nashville), and 107.9 FM (Smyrna), and streamed online at WNSR.com. The broadcast is also available globally on Sirius XM. WNSR will provide comprehensive pregame and postgame analysis, exclusive interviews with coaches and players, and behind-the-scenes content for enhanced fan engagement. "The Voice of the Tigers," Greg Pogue, returns for his 13th season behind the mic and will be joined by Dean Cokinos, head coach of the Nashville Kats of the Arena Football League, for home games and former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Chris Sanders for road games. The action can also be streamed on the TSU Tigers app.

SEASONAL NUMBERS:

38: Leading the rushing corps is CJ Evans, who has amassed 139 net yards on 33 carries, averaging 4.2 yards per attempt. Evans has also recorded one touchdown, with a long run of 38 yards, and is averaging 27.8 rushing yards per game. Jaden McGill and Jordan Gant have also provided strong support, averaging 25.4 and 24.2 yards per game, respectively, while Jalen Rouse leads the team in rushing touchdowns with two.

43: The TSU defense has recorded 43 tackles for loss (TFL) for a total of 174 yards. Leading the charge is Keandre Booker, who has tallied 7.0 TFLs for 30 yards, including 3.5 sacks. Eriq George and Sanders Ellis have been key contributors as well, each recording 6.0 TFLs. George has also been a disruptive force with 1.5 sacks and five quarterback hurries, while Ellis has added 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Jalen Bell has made an impact with 5.0 TFLs for 27 yards, including 2.5 sacks.

500+: Karate Brenson leads the team with 260 receiving yards on 19 receptions, averaging 52 yards per game. His deep-threat ability is evident with a season-long catch of 55 yards and two touchdowns. Jalal Dean has also been a standout, matching Brenson with 19 receptions for 249 yards and a team-high three touchdowns, averaging 49.8 yards per game. Bryant Williams has been another consistent target, recording 216 yards on 19 catches and one touchdown, including a 51-yard reception. Additionally, Da'Shon Davis has proven to be a big-play receiver, averaging 25.5 yards per catch, highlighted by a 72-yard reception despite limited action in three games.

1,000+: Tennessee State's quarterback tandem is led by Draylen Ellis, who has been the primary signal-caller through five games. Ellis boasts a passer rating of 130.97, completing 59.7% of his passes for 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns. His longest completion this season is 72 yards, and he is averaging 212.6 passing yards per game. Tevin Carter has made limited appearances, completing 1 of 2 pass attempts for one yard across three games. Together, the duo has combined for 1,064 yards and eight touchdowns, maintaining a solid 129.98 passer rating for the season.

T.O.P: In terms of time of possession, TSU averages approximately 27:09, significantly lower than their opponents' average of 31:15. This disparity is particularly pronounced against Charleston Southern, where TSU held the ball for only 18:31  compared to their opponent's 41:29.

3D: TSU has exhibited a mixed performance in third down conversions this season, achieving an overall conversion rate of 35.8% with 24 of 67 attempts. This rate reflects their struggle in several games, particularly against Tennessee Tech and Charleston Southern, where they converted only 25% and 27.3% of their attempts, respectively. In contrast, their opponents have converted 37.1% of their third down attempts, with North Dakota State posting the highest conversion rate at 61.5%.

WEEK 5 BY THE NUMBERS:

2: The Tigers forced two fumbles during the game. Chris Walker and Spencer Roof each forced a fumble, with Sanders Ellis recovering one and returning it for 3 yards. Boogie Trotter also contributed by recovering another fumble.

11: The Tigers recorded 2 sacks for 11 yards in the game. Chris Walker was responsible for 1.5 sacks, racking up 8 yards, while Eriq George added half a sack for 3 yards. Their consistent pressure on the quarterback helped disrupt Charleston Southern's offensive game plan.

19: TSU's run game ran for 101 net yards on 20 carries, averaging 5.1 yards per attempt. Jordan Gant led the charge, racking up 40 yards on just five carries, including a crucial 19-yard touchdown run late in the game that sealed the victory for TSU. CJ Evans added 31 yards on eight carries, while Jaden McGill contributed 15 yards on four attempts. Tevin Carter and Draylen Ellis also chipped in with a combined 15 yards on the ground.

22: Ahmad Nelson and Sanders Ellis led the team in tackles, each recording 11 total tackles, with Nelson adding 2.0 tackles for loss (TFL). Chris Walker was a standout performer, registering 7 tackles, including 2.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks. The defense's pressure limited Charleston Southern's offensive rhythm, playing a significant role in the victory.

32: TSU's defense tallied an impressive 10 tackles for loss for a combined 32 yards. Chris Walker led the way with 2.5 TFLs for 11 yards, while Keandre Booker and Eriq George each added 2.0 TFLs. Ahmad Nelson also contributed with 2.0 TFLs for 4 yards, showing the defense's ability to penetrate Charleston Southern's backfield.

50%: In last week's rain-soaked game against Charleston Southern, Draylen Ellis displayed poise despite challenging weather conditions. He completed 12 of 24 passes for 105 yards, throwing one touchdown and avoiding any interceptions. His longest completion of the day was a 24-yard pass, and notably, Ellis was not sacked throughout the game.

105: Bryant Williams led the group with five catches for 49 yards, including a 24-yard reception and a touchdown. Karate Brenson added three receptions for 29 yards, while CJ Evans had a 12-yard catch to contribute to the effort. Jaden McGill and Jalal Dean also made plays, recording 10 and 5 yards, respectively.