TENNESSEE TECH AT SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
Oct. 12 | 3 p.m. | Houck Field | Cape Girardeau, Mo.
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By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – It's still early in the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference slate, but Saturday will be a battle for sole possession of first place in the league as Tennessee Tech heads to Southeast Missouri for an important battle in league play.
Kickoff Saturday is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ (subscription required) while Roger Ealey and Dylan Vazzano will have the call locally on 106.1 The Eagle.
Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Tech both have identical 2-0 marks in conference play with the No. 9-ranked Redhawks (5-1 overall) taking down UT Martin 45-42 in double-overtime back on Sept. 7, then put on a 38-27 roadshow victory at Eastern Illinois.
The Redhawks' lone loss of the season came at Football Bowl Subdivision foe New Mexico State with a 23-16 decision on August 31. With decisive wins over North Alabama, No. 7 Southern Illinois and Northwestern State, SEMO is looking like a contender.
The numbers are certainly backing that up as the Redhawks are averaging 32.2 points on offense and 21.3 points on defense with nearly 400 yards a game generated by the offense. SEMO has already thrown for 1,769 yards on the season with 16 passing scores.
Paxton DeLaurent, who was injured last season against the Golden Eagles, has come back in a big way, throwing for 1,669 yards on 151-of-251 passing with 16 touchdowns to four interceptions. The offensive line has protected him well, allowing 1.3 sacks per game. His top target has been Dorian Anderson, who has caught 39 passes for 572 yards and six touchdowns – averaging 95.3 yards per game. Mitchell Sellers is fourth in the total yardage chart, but stands second in touchdown catches with five to his credit among 21 catches for 174 yards.
While Geno Hess had been a big producer for SEMO on the ground in recent years, without him, the Redhawks are averaging just 102.3 yards on the turf for a total of 614 yards after six games. That being said, SEMO is certainly not toothless on the ground as Payton Brown has rushed for 256 yards and four touchdowns.
The Redhawks are led in scoring by kicker D.C. Pippin, who is 11-for-16 on field goals with a season-long of 53 at New Mexico State, while he is 18-for-19 on point-after tries for a total of 51 points.
Defensively, SEMO will put pressure on quarterback and rushers with 18 total sacks – three per game – for 113 yards and 37 total tackles-for-loss for 164 yards – an average drop of 4.4 yards. Jeremy Walton and Nasim Cairo each have 3.5 sacks, while McCoy Casey leads the team in TFLs with six. Bryce Norman continues to be a defensive threat with 53 total tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, a pass breakup, four quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. Justus Johnson has two of the Redhawks' three interceptions on the season.
The Golden Eagles (2-3 overall) look to put last Saturday's 22-20 loss to non-conference South Carolina State in the rearview mirror. Missed opportunities proved costly, but it's just one game as the Tech squad find itself still very much in the hunt for the title.
Through five games this season, Tech is averaging 24.8 points on offense and 27.4 on defense – both numbers skewed by the Golden Eagles' matchups against FBS foes Middle Tennessee and then-No. 1 Georgia. The offense is tallying 319.0 yards per game, while the defense is allowing 373.2 yards.
Jordyn Potts saw a big boost to his passing numbers last week as he flirted with a 300-yard game against South Carolina State. For the season, he has thrown for 734 yards on 71-of-124 passing with six touchdowns and three interceptions. His top receiver has been D.J. Linkins with 18 catches for 183 yards and a score, as well as Tremel Jones with 12 catches for 136 yards. Ashton Maples has caught the most touchdown passes with three among nine catches for 97 yards.
Tech has rushed for 825 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground with seven different players finding the end zone – Jalen Mitchell, Aidan Littles, Obie Sanni, Torin Baker, Jordan Yates, Jones and Potts. Mitchell leads the team in yardage with 250 yards on 55 carries.
Kicker Dom LeBlanc leads the team in scoring with a 4-for-6 mark on field goals with a season-long of 42 made against Tennessee State. He is also 12-for-12 on PATs for 24 total points.
On defense, the Golden Eagles have 13 sacks for 96 yards and 33 tackles-for-loss for 140 yards, slowing down offenses with long yardage to make up. Theron Gaines leads the team in sacks with 3.5 for 39 yards, while Kanstin Brooks and Gaines both have five sacks – Brooks for 20 yards and Gaines for 42. Cayman Spaulding has a team-best 26 tackles, while Omari Philyaw has 23. Tim Coutras has a team-best five pass breakups and Caldra Williford has two interceptions, while Hudson Tucker leads the way in quarterback hurries with four. Tech has also blocked four kicks with Williford, Daniel Rickert, Devin Hunter and Torin Baker all deflecting kicking attempts.
Following Saturday's action in Cape Girardeau, the Golden Eagles will hit the road again next week to take on Western Illinois, the other Big South-OVC team with an unblemished conference mark entering this week. Tech returns home on October 26 to host Charleston Southern for the first of back-to-back home games.
Tickets for Tennessee Tech Football are on sale now – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or order online at TTUsports.com.
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