COOKEVILLE, Tenn.– Tennessee State was held in check on Saturday afternoon in Cookeville as they dropped a 24-10 decision to Tennessee Tech.
The Tigers’ offense was limited to 159 yards on the day. The total was the lowest offensive output since finishing with 97 yards in 2017 at Jacksonville State.
Tennessee Tech jumped out to a 14-0 advantage before Antonio Zita put the Tigers on the board with a 51-yard field goal with just over a minute remaining before the break.
TSU began the second half with a 40-yard kickoff return by Jalen Rouse. The offense moved to within field goal range, but a Zita 34-yard attempt sailed wide left.
Also read: Kicker Antonio Zita went from Tennessee State transfer to ESPN highlight in one historic boot
The Golden Eagles built a 24-3 lead early in the fourth quarter before TSU could find the end zone. Deveon Bryant found Cam Wyche for a nine-yard pass play and used his legs over to move the Tigers back within two possessions.
Bryant ended the game with 42 yards on seven carries, including a 13-yard touchdown run. The quarterback added41 yards passing, completing 5-of-15 passes.
Isaiah Green passed for 48 yards on 8-of-10 attempts.
Defensively, the Big Blue recorded 13 tackles for loss, including three sacks. Freshman Chris Walker led the way with 4.0 TFLs and one sack. Nyle Love made one stop behind the line of scrimmage as he finished with a game-high 10 tackles.
The loss drops TSU to 1-2 in the Sgt. York Trophy standings. This marks just the second time in six years the Tigers do not share a piece of the four-team traveling trophy.
Courtesy: Tennessee State Athletics
