NASHVILLE — Draylen Ellis threw for 312 yards and Jalal Dean churned out 118 receiving yards, but Tennessee State fell to UT Martin 28-21 at Nisssan Stadium Saturday night.

TSU drops to 6-3 overall and 3-2 in conference matchups.

Ellis went 33-for-53 on the way to the 312-yard, two-touchdown outing with two interceptions.

Ellis totaled 29 yards to lead the Tigers' ground attack in the game, picking up 5.8 yards per carry along the way. CJ Evans also tacked on seven yards on the ground.

Dean's 118-yard, one-touchdown performance led the Tennessee State receiving corps. Karate Brenson also hauled in 11 passes for 86 yards and Bryant Williams chipped in with four grabs for 66 yards and one touchdown as well.

Tyler Jones led the Tennessee State defensive effort, totaling one interception. Tyler Moore added 1.0 TFL and one sack. 

Tennessee State converted on 50 percent of third-down attempts on the day.

Defensively, Tennessee State held up fairly well against the UT Martin rushing attack, holding the Skyhawks to 104 yards on the ground.

Tennessee State responded to an early 21-0 UT Martin lead with a first quarter to narrow the deficit to 21-14.UT Martin extended its lead to 28-14, but the Tigers answered with a touchdown to cut into the lead to 28-21. Neither team scored again in the game.

» UT Martin outgained Tennessee State 370-354 in the contest.
» Tennessee State tallied 14 points in the first quarter, accounting for 66.7% of their total score.
» Tennessee State converted 6 of 12 third downs while UT Martin was successful on 5 of 12.
» Mark Shenouda punted five times for the Tigers with an average of 46.8 yards per punt while pinning the Skyhawks inside their own 20 two times.
» The Tigers collected nine tackles for loss.
» Kinkead Dent led the Skyhawks passing attack, completing 18 of his 27 attempts for 266 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.
» Tyler Dostin was UT Martin's leading receiver with 87 yards.

Game Notes

» TSU travels to Western Illinois next Saturday at 1 p.m.