NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Behind a crushing defensive effort that forced four turnovers, Tennessee State took down Bethune-Cookman 41-17 at home Saturday night to pick up their first win of the season.
The win improved Tennessee State’s record to 1-4 on the season while the BCU fell to 1-4.
Jalen Rouse paced the TSU rushing attack by accumulating 87 yards and one touchdown over the course of the game, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Devon Starling also added 43 yards on the ground.
Karate Brenson reeled in three catches for 64 yards.
Josh Green showed out for the Tennessee State defense, collecting four tackles, 1.0 TFL, and one interception for a score. Tre Boone III added one recovered fumble and Cameron Stewart had 1.0 TFL and one recovered fumble in the win.
The TSU won the turnover battle in Saturday’s game, forcing four turnovers while coughing the ball up three times, with Tennessee State turning those takeaways into 14 points. Tennessee State converted on 60 percent of third-down attempts on the day.
Tennessee State’s defense held up fairly well against the run, limiting Bethune-Cookman to 185 yards on the ground. The TSU defense lived in Bethune-Cookman’s backfield all game, collecting four sacks and 10 total tackles for loss.
TSU found itself down early 3-0 but responded to take a 7-3 lead with 3:28 left in the first quarter. The Tigers then extended their lead to 14-3 with another score.
Tennessee State kept Bethune-Cookman off the scoreboard and extended its lead to 24-3 with 3:09 remaining in the second quarter. The TSU continued to add to their advantage after Bethune-Cookman closed the gap to 31-10, scoring again to go up 34-10.
Source: Tennessee State Athletics
