OPENING DRIVE: Tennessee State returns from its open date looking to carry the momentum of a 29-26 victory at Florida A&M into Saturday's OVC opener at Western Illinois. Daylin Lee connected with Brenton Paul for a 20-yard touchdown with 51 seconds remaining to complete a nine-play, 75-yard drive and give TSU its first win of the season. Paul accounted for all three of the Tigers' offensive touchdowns and finished with 128 yards from scrimmage, while Lee passed for 259 yards and two scores without an interception. Western Illinois enters the conference opener with a 2-3 record following a 23-20 loss at North Alabama. The Leathernecks held a 20-16 lead with less than two minutes remaining before North Alabama scored the winning touchdown with 51 seconds left. Saturday's game presents TSU with an opportunity to open conference play with a victory and improve to 2-0 all-time at Hanson Field.

Game Information
Tennessee State (1-3, 0-0 OVC) at Western Illinois (2-3, 0-0 OVC)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 3
Time: 3 p.m. CT
Location: Macomb, Ill.
Venue: Hanson Field
Series: Tied, 1-1
Radio: 102.1 FM The Ville
Online Audio: 1021TheVille.com
Satilite Radio: SiriusXM Satellite Radio: SiriusXM 984 and on the SiriusXM app984 and on the SiriusXM app
TSU Radio Broadcasters: Greg Pogue, play-by-play; Nick Guerriero, analyst
TV/Stream: ESPN+
ESPN+ Talent: Josh Dillon, play-by-play); Redrick Terry, analyst

SERIES INFORMATION: Saturday marks the third meeting between Tennessee State and Western Illinois, with the series tied 1-1. The road team has won each of the first two meetings, and TSU holds a 61-37 scoring advantage in the series. Tennessee State won the inaugural meeting 45-20 at Hanson Field on Nov. 9, 2024. The Tigers scored the game's first 14 points, led 28-13 at halftime and finished with six touchdowns. Draylen Ellis passed for 197 yards and three touchdowns, while TSU rushed for 194 yards and three scores. Western Illinois evened the series with a 17-16 victory at Nissan Stadium on Oct. 25, 2025. Tennessee State took a 16-14 lead on Freddy Perez's 41-yard field goal with 3:14 remaining in the third quarter, but Antonio Chadha answered with a 51-yard field goal 2:27 later for the final points. TSU outgained Western Illinois 351-196, held a 164-63 advantage in rushing yards and controlled possession for 39:13.

PLAYER NOTES AFTER WEEK 3

LEE-DING THE OFFENSE: Daylin Lee has completed 71 of 128 passes for 773 yards and three touchdowns through four games. He has added 50 rushing yards and one touchdown, giving him 823 yards of total offense and four scores. Lee completed 18 of 27 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns without an interception at Florida A&M. He directed the nine-play, 75-yard drive that produced the winning touchdown with 51 seconds remaining.

PAUL DOES IT ALL: Freshman running back Brenton Paul leads TSU with 165 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 53 carries. He has added seven receptions for 57 yards and two scores, giving him 222 yards from scrimmage and a team-leading four touchdowns. Paul recorded season highs with 92 rushing yards, 36 receiving yards and three touchdowns at Florida A&M. He has twice been named OVC Rookie of the Week and earned Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors following the win in Tallahassee.

THAT GUY: Jayden Guy leads Tennessee State with 264 receiving yards and shares the team lead with 19 receptions. The sophomore averages 13.9 yards per catch and opened the season with career highs of nine receptions and 148 yards against Jackson State. Guy caught four passes for 62 yards at Florida A&M and added a 14-yard rush.

BULLUCK BREAKS LOOSE: Cam Bulluck shares the team lead with 19 receptions and ranks second with 215 receiving yards. He led TSU with 84 yards on four catches at Florida A&M, highlighted by a season-long 63-yard reception that helped set up Paul's 1-yard touchdown run. Bulluck is averaging 11.3 yards per reception.

HALE AND BAKER SET THE PACE: Brendan Hale leads the TSU defense with 25 tackles and shares the team lead with three pass breakups. He established a season high with 10 tackles against Jackson State. Kaiki Baker ranks second with 21 tackles and leads the Tigers with 17 solo stops.

CHAOS BY COLLINS: Brandon Collins leads Tennessee State with 3.5 tackles for loss and shares the team lead with 1.5 sacks. The defensive lineman has recorded 10 tackles, one forced fumble and one quarterback hurry. Collins registered a sack during the victory at Florida A&M.

LABRANCHE TO THE HOUSE: Jalen LaBranche has recorded 12 tackles, three pass breakups and one interception through four games. He returned his interception 61 yards for a touchdown at Florida A&M, giving TSU a 20-13 lead in the third quarter.

STEADY SPECIALISTS: Preston Hurless has converted three of four field-goal attempts and six of seven extra points for 15 points. His season long is a 45-yard field goal against Jackson State. Truette Tumey has punted 24 times for 987 yards, averaging 41.1 yards per attempt with six punts of at least 50 yards and three placed inside the 20.

WEEK 3 BY THE NUMBERS VS FLORIDA A&M

0: Tennessee State did not commit a turnover in its 29-26 victory at Florida A&M. The Tigers finished plus-2 in turnover margin.

2: TSU forced two turnovers. Jalen LaBranche returned an interception for a touchdown, while Epoki Fakaosi forced a fourth-quarter fumble that Sammy Taylor recovered.

3: Brenton Paul accounted for all three of TSU's offensive touchdowns. The freshman rushed for one score and caught two touchdown passes while finishing with 128 yards from scrimmage.

7: Tennessee State has won seven consecutive meetings with Florida A&M and leads the all-time series 32-24.

20: Paul caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Daylin Lee with 51 seconds remaining to give TSU the victory.

36:04: Tennessee State controlled possession for 36 minutes, 4 seconds. The Tigers ran 73 offensive plays compared with 58 for Florida A&M.

61: LaBranche returned an interception 61 yards for a touchdown to give TSU a 20-13 lead early in the third quarter.

97: Syncere Safeeullah returned a blocked extra-point attempt 97 yards for two points after Rymen Mosley blocked the kick. The play pulled TSU within 26-22 with 5:12 remaining.

390: Tennessee State produced a season-high 390 yards of offense, finishing with 259 passing yards and 131 rushing yards.