NASHVILLE — Senior quarterback Ronald Butler (Tallahassee, Fla.) orchestrated the two-minute drill to perfection, delivering a nine-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Smith (Memphis, Tenn.) with 18 seconds left to give the Tennessee State football team a 34-30 victory over UT Martin at Hale Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
TSU (4-0, 1-0 OVC) trailed UT Martin (2-3, 1-1 OVC) by a 30-27 margin when Butler and the offense got the ball back with 1:54 on the clock. Butler went 4-for-4 on the final drive capped by Smith’s second touchdown catch of the day. Butler finished 17-for-24 for 223 yards and three touchdowns in his first start of the season. [lasso align=”right” cart=”y” identifier=”B018WR0G4M” locale=”US” tag=”hbcusports-20″ ref=”amzn-college-flags-and-banners-co-tennessee-state-tigers-garden-flag” type=”single” id=”72035″ link_id=”5018″]
In UT Martin’s final drive, Terrell Bonds (Miami, Fla.) came up with his third interception of the season to seal the win. On the defensive side of the ball, Trevion Duncan (Houston, Texas) and Gabe Scott (Memphis, Tenn.) also had interceptions on the day.
Junior kicker Lane Clark (Hays, Kan.) hit the two longest field goals in TSU history. He nailed a 57-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, which was the longest in Division I this season. He also hit a 54-yard field goal in the second quarter. The previous school record was 53 yards set by Seth Goodowens versus Jackson State in 1999.
TSU will return to action on Oct. 8 with a road test at Eastern Illinois in Charleston, Ill.
Courtesy: TSU Athletics
