NASHVILLE — Daylin Lee connected with Brenton Paul for an 8-yard touchdown with 2:21 remaining, completing a nine-play, 75-yard drive, and Tennessee State held on for a 13-12 victory over Eastern Illinois on Saturday afternoon at Nissan Stadium.
The Tigers improved to 3-8 overall and 1-5 in conference play, while the Panthers fell to 3-8 and 2-4.
Lee completed 20 of 34 passes for 211 yards and one touchdown without an interception. He also rushed for 27 yards and scored Tennessee State's first touchdown on a 3-yard run.
Paul led the Tigers with 41 rushing yards on eight carries. He added three receptions for 26 yards, including the winning touchdown, and finished with 67 yards from scrimmage.
Jerimiah Treadaway added 35 rushing yards and 26 receiving yards. Brock Montgomery led the receiving corps with five catches for 61 yards, while Cam Bulluck caught four passes for 47 yards.
Tennessee State's defense limited Eastern Illinois to 190 total yards, including 101 passing and 89 rushing. The Tigers recorded six sacks, 10 tackles for loss and two takeaways.
Brendan Hale led Tennessee State with eight tackles and one tackle for loss. DeShawn Carter recorded three tackles, two tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.
Bryce Gray finished with four tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Sammy Taylor, Jaylon Price and Xavier Byars also recorded sacks.
Rymen Mosley intercepted Eastern Illinois quarterback Cole LaCrue with 1:46 remaining to stop the Panthers' final possession.
How It Happened
Eastern Illinois opened the scoring with 11:54 remaining in the second quarter when LaCrue connected with Jeremy Reeves for a 40-yard touchdown, completing a five-play, 75-yard drive.
Tennessee State moved inside the Eastern Illinois 10 later in the quarter, but a 24-yard field-goal attempt was unsuccessful. The Panthers carried a 7-0 lead into halftime.
The Tigers' defense created the first scoring opportunity of the second half. Carter sacked LaCrue for a 10-yard loss and forced a fumble, which Gray recovered at the Eastern Illinois 20.
Tennessee State converted the takeaway into seven points. Lee completed a fourth-and-1 conversion before scoring on a 3-yard run with 6:36 remaining in the third quarter. Britton Watts added the extra point to tie the game at 7.
Eastern Illinois regained the lead on a 37-yard field goal by Drew Schiller with 7:42 left in the fourth quarter.
Tennessee State answered with the decisive drive. After consecutive sacks left the Tigers facing third-and-22 from their 34, Lee completed an 11-yard pass to Anthony Taylor. On fourth-and-11, Lee found Dylan Rodd for 21 yards and a first down at the Eastern Illinois 34.
Paul followed with a 17-yard run, and a face-mask penalty moved the ball to the 9. Two plays later, Lee connected with Paul for the 8-yard touchdown that gave Tennessee State a 13-10 lead.
Eastern Illinois blocked the extra-point attempt, and Jerry Addo-Boateng returned it 63 yards for two points, cutting Tennessee State's lead to 13-12.
The Panthers began their final possession at their 10-yard line. Gray opened the series with a sack before Mosley intercepted LaCrue on the fourth play of the drive.
Paul gained 14 yards on Tennessee State's next play, allowing the Tigers to close out the victory.
Game Notes
» Tennessee State outgained Eastern Illinois 319-190, including a 211-101 advantage through the air.
» The Tigers earned their first conference victory of the season.
» Tennessee State won the turnover battle 2-0 with one interception and one fumble recovery.
» The Tigers converted their first takeaway into seven points.
» Tennessee State recorded six sacks and 10 tackles for loss.
» The Tigers held Eastern Illinois to 89 rushing yards and 101 passing yards.
» Eastern Illinois converted 2 of 11 third downs and went 0-for-1 on fourth down.
» Tennessee State converted 4 of 14 third downs and 2 of 4 fourth downs.
» Lee completed 20 of 34 passes for 211 yards and one touchdown without an interception.
» Paul finished with 41 rushing yards, 26 receiving yards and the winning touchdown.
» Montgomery led the Tigers with five receptions for 61 yards.
» Hale led Tennessee State with eight tackles.
» Carter recorded two of Tennessee State's six sacks.
» Gray registered a sack, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble.
» Mosley's fourth-quarter interception ended Eastern Illinois' final possession.
» LaCrue completed 10 of 19 passes for 101 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
» Reeves led Eastern Illinois with 65 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Up Next
Tennessee State will conclude the regular season at Gardner-Webb at 12:30 p.m. CT Saturday in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast on 102.1 FM The Ville.
