GAMEDAY CENTRAL: Following bye week, Golden Eagles rested and ready for OVC opener at Tennessee State
With the open date on their schedule falling last weekend, the Tennessee Tech football team appears to be rested and ready to jump back into action Saturday when the Golden Eagles visit Hale Stadium to challenge the 20th ranked Tennessee State Tigers.
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- With the open date on their schedule falling
last weekend, the Tennessee Tech football team appears to be rested
and ready to jump back into action Saturday when the Golden Eagles
visit Hale Stadium to challenge the 20th ranked Tennessee State
Tigers.
|
The early forecast for the weekend suggest a warm afternoon
Saturday, with |
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (1-1, 0-0
OVC)
at No. 20 Tennessee State Tigers (2-1, 0-0
MVC)
Saturday, Sept. 20 • 2 p.m. CT
Hale Stadium (15,000) • Nashville, Tenn.
| TV: | None |
| Radio: | Golden Eagle Sports Network (98.5 Kiss
FM) Roger Ealey (play-by-play) Buddy Pearson (analyst) Dylan Vazzano (sidelines) |
| Series Record: | TSU leads, 17-10 |
| Last Meeting: | Tennessee State 41, Tech 21 (2013) |
| Ron Reed at Tennessee State: | 28-22 (sixth year) |
| Rob Reed Overall: | 28-22 (sixth year) |
| Watson Brown at Tennessee Tech: | 33-48 (eighth year) |
| Watson Brown Overall: | 128-198-1 (30th year) |
| Tennessee State Last Week: | Beat Jackson State, 35-7 |
| Tennessee Tech Last Week: | Open Date |
The chore will not be easy, considering the game is in Hale
Stadium on the TSU campus and the Tigers have won eight the last 10
meetings between the two, including a 41-21 decision last year in
Cookeville.
Tech is coming off a 49-14 loss at Indiana State two weeks earlier
(Sept. 6), while Tennessee State rebounded from a loss on Sept. 6
and claimed a 35-7 victory last week over Jackson State to improve
to 2-1. The Tigers are ranked 20th in this week's FCS poll.
Tech held Tennessee State to just 95 rushing yards in the last
meeting a year ago, but the Tigers took advantage through the air,
with quarterbacks Ronald Butler and Michael German combining to
pass for 343 yards and four touchdowns. A.C Leonard had five
catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yard
strike in the third quarter.
The Golden Eagles scored on a 79-yard, 12-play drive from the
opening kickoff for a 7-0 lead but made numerous critical mistakes
including losing three turnovers and being whistled for nine
penalties for 65 yards.
The bright spot for Tech two weeks ago was the special teams,
scoring both touchdowns against the Sycamores via the punting game.
Jordan
Patrick blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for the
first score, and Ladarius
Vanlier returned ISU's next punt attempt 72 yards for a
touchdown. It was his second career punt return tpuchdown and third
career touchdown overall on kick returns.
Vanlier, last week's OVC Special Teams Player of the Week, ranks
sixth nationally in punt returns, 19th nationally in kickoff
returns and 11th nationally in all-purpose yards.
The last time these teams met in Hale Stadium, TSU ralied to score
on the final play of the game to claim a 21-20 victory in the 2012
season. Two days later, the OVC released a statement announcing the
game officials had blown the final play, and the touchdown should
not have been allowed, but a penalty assessed instead. By then, of
course, Tech had no recourse but to absorb the loss.
In their last outing, the Golden Eagles rushed for just 61 yards
and had 105 passing yards, finishing the contest against the
Sycamores with 161 yards of total offense.
One milestone likely to fall Saturday is senior Darian Stone
surpassing the 2,000-yard mark for career passing. He comes into
the game with 1,999 career yards. While he's filling a new position
(W) this season, Stone will still have the ball in his hands plenty
to take advantage of his passing, running and receiving skills.
Stone has appeared in 22 games over the past three-plus seasons,
accounting for 1,831 passing yards and 1,233 rushing yards for a
total of 3,064 yards in total offense.
Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. In addition to the Golden Eagle
gridiron performance against the Tigers, the Tennessee Tech
Marching Band will also be in town to partiipate in the contest.
The Tech band will be performing at halftime.
Fans who cannot attend in person can listen to the game on the
Golden Eagle Sports Network with Roger Ealey and Buddy Pearson in
the press box and Dylan Vazzano reporting from the sidelines. The
broadcast begins at 1:30 p.m. on 98.5 KISS FM. The game will also
be streamed live on the OVC Digital Network, with TSU producing the
show.
GAME NOTES: After an open date Tennessee Tech will travel
to Tennessee State to open OVC play against nationally-ranked
Tennessee State. The game is the first of the 2014 Sgt. York Trophy
series presented by Delta Dental. The series is contested between
the four football-playing schools from the state of Tennessee; TSU
has won the trophy each of the past three years (although TTU
shared the title with them in 2011 but lost a tiebreaker to bring
home the actual hardware). Saturday’s game is the 28th
all-time meeting between the two teams; Tennessee State has won the
last three and eight of the last 10 in the all-time series. Last
year the Tigers led 17-7 at halftime on its way to a 41-21 victory
in Cookeville. Michael German passed for 204 yards and three
touchdowns for TSU while Tim Broughton added 86 yards on the
ground. TTU quarterbacks Darian Stone and Jared Davis combined for
165 passing yards and a score. Saturday’s game is the first
of three this season at Hale Stadium on the TSU campus.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: Tennessee Tech is coming
off an open date that followed its road loss at Indiana State on
Sept. 6. In that contest the Golden Eagles fell behind 28-0 before
scoring on back-to-back special teams plays in the third quarter.
The first score came when Jordan Patrick blocked a punt which he
recovered for a touchdown. Less than two minutes later Ladarius
Vanlier returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown to trim the
Sycamore advantage in half. Vanlier would be named OVC Specialist
of the Week for his play in the contest; Vanlier finished the day
with 200 all-purpose yards (his second career 200-plus yard
all-purpose game), gaining 112 yards on kickoffs, 74 yards on
punts, nine rushing yards and five receiving yards. The junior
currently ranks first in the OVC and 11th nationally in all-purpose
yards (178.5/game) and is sixth in punt returns (20.4
yards/return). Darian Stone, playing the new QW hybrid position,
had 37 rushing yards against ISU and is the team’s leading
rusher (79 yards) through two games.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE: After a six-point road
loss to Alabama State in Week 2 of the season, Tennessee State
rebounded with a 35-7 victory over rival Jackson State in the 25th
annual Southern Heritage Classic played in front of 46,914 fans at
the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. The TSU defense continued to play
stout, allowing just 138 yards of total offense on the night,
including -1 net rushing yards on 26 total attempts. Tennessee
State is currently first nationally in third down conversion
defense (14.3%) and fourth down conversion defense (0.0%), second
in turnovers gained (9), passes intercepted (6) and pass efficiency
defense (68.84), fourth in total defense (221.0 yards/game), sixth
in sacks/game (4.0) and tackles-for-loss (10.0/game), seventh in
pass defense (126.3 yards/game) and 10th in scoring offense (38.0
points/game). Individually reigning OVC Defensive Player of the
Year Anthony Bass is fifth in tackles-for-loss (2.8/game) and sixth
in sacks (1.67/game). Senior De’Ante Saunders was named OVC
Defensive Player of the Week after picking off two Jackson State
passes including returning one 45 yards for a touchdown. Saunders
currently ranks first nationally in interceptions (1.0) and 11th in
passes defended (1.7/game). Offensively newcomer Tom Smith scored
two touchdowns against JSU to increase his season total to six (the
second-most nationally). Starting quarterback Michael German left
the game with an injury but is expected back this week; in his
place Ronald Butler passed for 125 yards and a touchdown.
For more, please view the complete game notes (click here)
