Tennessee State captured its first postseason victory in 27 years with a 31-0 victory against Butler Saturday in Indianapolis in the first round of the FCS playoffs.
The shutout was the first for the 17th-ranked Tigers (10-3) since 2006 when they blanked Southeast Missouri 31-0. The Big Blue held Butler (9-4) to 257 yards total offense and forced three turnovers.
Quarterback Michael Germain, who missed the previous five games with a collarbone injury, directed Tennessee State’s offense to 415 total yards. Germain completed 14 of 24 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Tim Burroughs rushed for 80 yards on just nine carries.
Tennessee State didn’t score its first points until 1:38 remained in the first period. Germain threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Raymond Mitchell. The play culminated a 17-play, 82-yard drive, during which Germain was 6-for-9 passing. The touchdown pass moved Germain into sixth-place on the Tennessee State career list with 43.
Tennessee State led 17-0 at the half after limiting Butler to 97 total yards and five first downs.
Butler threatened to score in the third period after returning a Tennessee State fumble to the Big Blue’s 20-yard line. The Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs after failing to convert a fourth-down-and-one play. Later in the quarter, defensive back Daniel Fitzpatrick the FCS interception leader, picked of his seventh pass of the season and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown that put the game away.
Tennessee State will play second-ranked Eastern Illinois, the OVC champion, in the second round. Eastern Illinois won the regular season match up 34-16 in Nashville on Oct.26.
“We have 10 wins and we’re going to second round of the playoffs,’’ Tennessee State coach Rod Reed said. “This is the goal the kids set. Our first goal was to win the OVC championship. That didn’t happen. We were fortunate enough to get a bid to the playoffs. Now we get a chance to play for a different kind of ring. It’s going to be pretty cool going back up to Eastern Illinois and facing (Coach) Dino (Babers) again.’’
Other Key Results
Shepherd 7, Winston-Salem State 0 – The injury-depleted Rams had their 10-game winning streak halted with a road loss in the second round of the Division II playoffs. The Rams (10-2), the 2012 Division II National runner-up, played most of the game without All-CIAA quarterback Rudy Johnson, who suffered a collarbone injury in the first period and sat out the rest of the game. Backup DeShean Townsend was ineffective playing behind an offensive line that was nicked up. Guard Robert Kearney sat out with an injury and tackle Nate Hartung played three quarters on banged up ankle before heading to the sidelines. The Rams only generated159 yards total offense; they punted a season-high nine times only had 10 yards rushing. Shepherd controlled the game and the clock with its running game and held the ball for nearly 49 minutes. Allen Cross scored the game’s only touchdown on a 29-yard run with 4:06 remaining in the third quarter.
Furman 30, South Carolina State 20 – The Bulldogs were victimized by big plays in home loss in the first round of the FCS playoffs. The Bulldogs (9-4), co-champions of the MEAC, played Furman (8-5) to virtual standoff statistically with 287 total yards to 283 for the Paladins. However, Furman, the Southern Conference champion, scored touchdowns on plays that covered 90, 50 and 34 yards. South Carolina State scored first on a 15-yard pass from quarterback Richard Cue to Temarrick Hemingway in the first quarter. Furman countered with 90-yard punt return for a touchdown by Jairus Hollman that made the score 7-6. South Carolina State’s coverage team relaxed on the play when it appeared that Hollman was going to call for a fair catch. Hollman fielded the ball and set sail for the end zone. After Nick Belcher hit a 45-yard field for South Carolina State, Paladins quarterback Reese Hannon connected with Ryan Culbreath on a 50-yard scoring pass for a 13-10 Furman lead. Hannon scored on a one-yard run and Hollman returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to build Furman’s lead to 27-13. Backup quarterback Adrian Kollock tossed a four-yard touchdown pass to Austin Smith with 13:22 remaining in the fourth quarter to pull South Carolina State closer. Ray Early tacked on a 32-yard field goal at the 8:28 mark to extend Furman’s lead to the final margin. MEAC teams have now lost 18 consecutive playoff games.
Coastal Carolina 48, Bethune-Cookman 24 – The Wildcats had no answer of Alex Ross’ pinpoint passing in their first-round FCS playoff loss in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Ross completed 13 of 18 attempts for 256 yards and four touchdowns as the No. 11 Chanticleers (11-2), champions of the Big South Conference, rolled to victory. The 12th-ranked Wildcats (10-3), co-champs of the MEAC, fell behind 21-0 in the second quarter before rallying to make the score 27-10 at the half. The Chanticleers increased their advantage to 41-18. Bethune-Cookman quarterback Quentin Williams and Brodrick Waters combined to pass for 304 yards, but the Wildcats were unable to sustain their offense and are winless in five playoff appearances. MEAC teams have now lost 18 consecutive playoff games.
Southern 40, Grambling State 17 – The Jaguars tuned up for the SWAC Championship Game with a lopsided victory in the 40th Bayou Classic at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The Jaguars (8-4, 7-2 SWAC) piled up 405 total yards as they defeated their arch-rivals for the second consecutive year. Quarterback Dray Joseph completed 15 of 26 passes for 226 yards, and he threw three touchdown passes to Lee Doss. Doss had six receptions for 117 yards to surpass the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the season. Running back Lenard Tillery rushed for 104 yards on 19 carries, and he scored a touchdown on a four-yard run. Joseph’s three touchdown passes gives him 70 for his career and ties Bryant Lee’s school record. Southern led 27-3 at the half. Grambling made the game somewhat interesting in the third quarter as quarterback Jonathan Williams threw touchdown passes of 11 yards to Robert Bailey and eight yards to Anthony McGhee to make the score 27-17. Southern will play Jackson State in the SWAC Championship Game Saturday in Houston. Jackson State defeated the Jaguars 19-14 in Jackson on Sept. 28.
Alabama State 41, Stillman 28 – The Hornets turned to their fourth- and fifth-string running backups to pull out a more difficult expected victory in the 90th Turkey Day Classic in Montgomery, Ala. Hornets junior running back Isaiah Crowell, the second-leading rusher in the SWAC, checked out of the game with an undisclosed injury in the first quarter after playing 10 snaps and gaining 32 yards on seven carries and didn’t return. Crowell ended the season with 1,188 yards. Alabama State coach Reggie Barlow said Crowell will declare for the 2014 NFL Draft. Crowell was the SEC Freshman of the Year at the University of Georgia in 2010. He was dismissed from the team after he was arrested on multiple felony gun charges that were later dropped. Crowell transferred to Alabama State, where he salvaged his career and kept his hopes for an NFL career alive. Crowell is ranked as the No. 13 draft eligible running back and the 167th prospect overall. With Crowell’s backup Malcolm Cyrus already sidelined with a shoulder injury, Alabama State called on Jahaad Coleman and Khalid Thomas, and both responded with career-high rushing games. Coleman ran for 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 17 carries. Thomas chipped in with 82 yards on 18 carries. Alabama State (8-4) piled up 492 yards total offense, including 386 on the ground. But the Hornets were to take command of game. Stillman (6-5), which replaced Tuskegee, Alabama State’s traditional Thanksgiving Day opponent after the Golden Tigers opted to make themselves available for the Division II playoffs, led 28-21 early in the third quarter after Greg Adams returned an interception 33 yards for a touchdown. Bobby Wenzig booted a pair of field goals to put the Hornets ahead 34-28. Stillman’s offense was ineffective after quarterback Torrance Moise left the game with an injury in the fourth quarter. The Hornets finally put the game away when Coleman sprinted 78 yards for a touchdown with 1:32 remaining in the contest. The victory gave Alabama State its second eight-win season in the past three years. They have won 30 games over last four seasons, the third best four-year run in school history.
