Overwhelmed by the Eastern Illinois run game and saddled with an inept offensive performance, Tennessee State fell in defeat to Eastern Illinois 30-17.
Following a TSU punt that traveled 29 yards, set the EIU offense up at the Tennessee State 39-yard line. The Panthers needed three plays to capitalize on the field position, taking the lead on MJ Flowers’ 8-yard romp that put EIU up 7-0.
The next TSU drive ended in a quick three-and-out and another bad punt, which set the EIU offense up at the Tennessee State 5-yard line. Two plays later, Flowers’ second scoring run of the day, this one coming from 2 yards out, gave EIU a 14-0 lead.
Tennessee State got on the board in the second quarter with Daveon Bryant’s 8-yard toss to Dayron Johnson, cutting the score to 14-7. The Tigers tied the game on their next possession, mounting a 7-play, 65-yard drive that ended with second TSU quarterback Draylen Ellis connecting with Karate Benson from 7 yards out to even the score at 14.
Tenessee State took their first lead of the afternoon in the third quarter at 17-14 via a 43-yard field goal off the foot of James Lowery. Boogie Trotter fumbled the subsequent punt after EIU was stopped on third down, setting the EIU offense up at the Tennessee State yard line. Flowers’ third touchdown put the Panthers up 20-17. EIU added another score, a 34-yard Julian Patino 34-yard field goal, extending their lead to 23-17.
The Panthers tacked on another score in the fourth quarter, finishing an 8-play, 54-yard drive with an MJ Flowers one-yard plunge for his fourth score of the day, pushing the lead to 30-17. Tennessee State could not produce anything, preserving the victory for Eastern Illinois.
Here is what led to the continuation of Tennessee State’s losing streak:
Tigers’ defense could not slow down MJ Flowers
MJ Flowers was a problem the Tennessee State defense proved to have no answer for. The Redshirt freshman carried the ball 31 times for 201 yards and four touchdowns. The 201 yards was his second most prolific output on the season, only outpaced by the 272 he racked up against McNeese on September 23.
Special teams and turnovers was Achilles’ heel
Although the Tigers did not turn the ball over with the frequency of last week’s game against Charleston Southern, their two turnovers on the afternoon proved costly, as one led to the go-ahead score for Eastern Illinois. Additionally, Tennessee State’s special teams issues, specifically the punt game, facilitated 14 Eastern Illinois points.
Lackluster offense
Against the top-ranked-scoring defense in the Big South-OVC in Eastern Illinois, Tennessee State could only generate 17 points and 260 yards of total offense, far below the 20.3 points and 363.2 yards of offense EIU typically allows. Tennessee State averaged just 2.7 yards per rush on 39 attempts and 154 yards through the air. The two quarterback rotations Coach Eddie George has utilized for most of the season bore little fruit on the afternoon, with neither Daveon Bryant nor Draylen Ellis topping more than 90 yards passing.
