By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
Week 3 game notes vs. UVa-Wise (PDF)
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Just because a team is a lower-division program, that doesn't make the contest any less of a challenge.
The Tennessee Tech football team has fallen into the trap before, last falling to a Division II team in 1988.
That said, that Division II team was Liberty and they're now in the Football Bowl Subdivision, as is Troy, who beat the Golden Eagles in 1978 and 1980. Then there's also Jacksonville State (victors in 1979 and 1980) and Abilene Christian (the winner in 1987) who are now among the Football Championship Subdivision ranks.
The Golden Eagles are 29-9-1 in the I-AA/Football Championship Subdivision era (1976 and onward) against Division II, Division III or NAIA opponents, and they'll try to avoid falling into double-digit losses to their little brothers on Saturday as they entertain UVa-Wise.
Kickoff from Tucker Stadium is scheduled for a 6:05 p.m. start.
Roger Ealey and Buddy Pearson will provide the radio broadcast on 98.5 KISS FM, while Dylan Vazzano and Sam Brooks will provide some visual flair on ESPN+ (subscription required).
The Golden Eagles have won its last 20 matchups in a row against non-Division I competition and have outscored them 954-208. Still, Tech (1-1) can't go into the contest expecting a win.
Case-in-point: In 2000, Harding came within two points of knocking off the Golden Eagles and that was against a Mike Hennigan-led squad that produced five all-Americans. Seven years later, Cumberland, led by current Tech head coach Dewayne Alexander, rallied its troops and kept it within a 45-21 decision.
Alexander, meanwhile, is no stranger to the Cavaliers, going 2-2 against them during his tenure at Cumberland. UVa-Wise won 59-42 in 2006 and 27-14 in 2008, before winning the last two meetings 27-20 in 2009 and 24-17 in 2012.
Now, in his second year with the Golden Eagles, 2019 appears to be a different story. The Golden Eagles opened their slate with a thrilling 59-58 win over Samford in double overtime and Tech is looking for its first 2-1 start since 2013. Even with last week's loss at Football Bowl Subdivision foe Miami (Ohio), the Golden Eagles rallied for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make the 48-17 loss a little more respectable.
The Cavaliers (1-0) opened their season last week with a 40-22 victory over Chowan. UVa-Wise forced two turnovers and was able to hold on to three fumbles of their own. The Cavaliers also used defensive and special teams scores to pad their efforts as Keishoen Jarett returned a fumble 84 yards for a score, then Demetrius Mann returned a punt 91 yards for a touchdown. Mann also intercepted a pass for five yards as he was named the South Atlantic Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.
Quarterback Tanner Bernard passed for 142 yards and two touchdowns in the win, while Terrence Lambert rushed for 99 yards and a score on 12 carries. J'Quan Anderson also rushed the ball 16 times for 51 yards and a touchdown. Jamal Fisher (four catches for 47 yards) was the top receiver in the contest.
Defensively, Marcus Tarrer led UVa-Wise with 10 tackles.
The Golden Eagles, however, saw their season averages return back down to earth a little bit following the first week, rushing for an average of 160 yards and passing for an average of 316.5 per game. Tech is allowing an average of 455.5 yards of total offense a game thus far, but it has been to one of the top FCS offenses in Samford and a Miami (Ohio) team that boasts perhaps one of the best offensive and defensive lines in the Division I level.
In two games this season, sophomore Bailey Fisher, a week past his selection as STATS FCS National Offensive Player of the Week, has thrown for 502 yards on 40-60-1 passing, averaging 251.0 yards per game.
Fisher has 2,183 yards passing and 2,573 yards of total offense as he is inching closer to the top 10 career marks after just 12 games in his career. Darian Stone (2,753) is 10th in career passing and Andre Caballero (3,196) is 10th in total offense. A good game this weekend and Fisher could be well within reach before September ends.
Senior Andrew Goldsmith is averaging 50 yards a game on the ground, collecting 100 on 27 carries with a touchdown. Senior receiver Austin Hicks – one of three players in Saturday's game with that name as UVa-Wise has two defensive players with the same moniker – leads Tech's receivers with nine catches for 152 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, senior linebacker Aderick Moore leads the way with 19 stops, while sophomore linebacker Seth Carlisle has 15.
Saturday's game is part of the University's Family Weekend. The game will be preceded by the annual Running of the Freshmen as the Tech Class of 2023 is joined by the Tech cheerleaders, as well as Tech President and First Lady Phil and Kari Oldham in leading out the Golden Eagle team.
The 98.5 KISS FM Tailgate Park opens up at 3 p.m., while the Eagle Walk starts at 3:45 p.m. The pregame festivities at the 98.5 KISS FM Tailgate Park will include performances by the Tech cheerleaders and Golden Girls dance team, as well as the Pride of Tennessee Tech, the Golden Eagle Marching Band.
Performing on the stage Saturday is Shattered, a country, classic rock and southern rock band out of Sparta that has performed all over the mid-state.
Tickets – as well as season tickets – are on sale now. Call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or visit TTUsports.com to order now.
Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
