Southeast Missouri State Redhawks at Tennessee State Tigers
· NCAA - Football
Draylen Ellis accounts for 3 TDs, Tennessee State beats SE Missouri State 28-21
The Redhawks (9-3, 6-2), No. 11 in the FCS coaches poll, and No. 25 Tennessee State (9-3, 6-2) finish the regular season tied atop the conference standings with Tennessee Tech and UT Martin. Southeast Missouri State won the tiebreaker to earn an automatic spot into the FCS playoffs — for the fifth time in program history and fourth time under coach Tom Matukewicz — while the Tigers must hope for an at-large berth.
Tennessee State has its most single-season wins since 2013 and clinched a share of its first conference title since the Tigers won the OVC crown in 1999.
Ellis was 20-of-31 passing for 232 yards with no interceptions.
CJ Evans returned the opening kickoff 47 yards to near midfield before Ellis, on third-and-5, threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jalal Dean to open the scoring. Meonta Kimbrough's strip-sack of Paxton DeLaurent was scooped up by Keandre Booker and returned 46 yards for a TD with 7:08 left in the first quarter and Evans caught a screen pass from Ellis and raced 57 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-0 with 2:35 until the second quarter.
DeLaurent threw TD passes of 31 yards to Dorian Anderson and 13 yards to Payton Brown to make it a 7-point game at halftime but Ellis ripped off a 42-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter to give SEMO a 28-14 lead.
Brown added a 1-yard TD run with about 6 minutes left to cap the scoring.
How To Watch
How can I watch Southeast Missouri State Redhawks vs. Tennessee State Tigers?
- TV Channel: Redhawks at Tigers 2021 College Football, week 13, is broadcasted on ESPN+.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Scoring Summary
 |
TD | 1st Period 9:34 | Jalal Dean 7 Yd pass from Draylen Ellis (James Lowery Kick) |
|
TD | 1st Period 7:08 | Keandre Booker 0 Yd Fumble Return (James Lowery Kick) |
|
TD | 1st Period 2:35 | CJ Evans 56 Yd pass from Draylen Ellis (James Lowery Kick) |
 |
TD | 2nd Period 7:56 | Dorian Anderson 31 Yd pass from Paxton DeLaurent (DC Pippin Kick) |
|
TD | 2nd Period 0:52 | Payton Brown 13 Yd pass from Paxton DeLaurent (DC Pippin Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 14:45 | Draylen Ellis 42 Yd Run (James Lowery Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 6:56 | Payton Brown 1 Yd Run (DC Pippin Kick) |
Statistics
 SEMO |
 TNST |
|
|---|---|---|
| 18 | 1st Downs | 19 |
| 5-16 | 3rd down efficiency | 5-14 |
| 2-3 | 4th down efficiency | 1-1 |
| 308 | Total Yards | 347 |
| 233 | Passing | 232 |
| 27/47 | Comp/Att | 20/32 |
| 5.0 | Yards per pass | 7.3 |
| 75 | Rushing | 115 |
| 24 | Rushing Attempts | 33 |
| 3.1 | Yards per rush | 3.5 |
| 7-53 | Penalties | 4-35 |
| 0 | Turnovers | 0 |
| 0 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
| 0 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
| 28:17 | Possession | 31:43 |
Game Information
Location: Nashville, TN
Attendance: 1,536 · Capacity:
College Football News
Deion Sanders' former 29,229 square foot Texas home goes up for sale
Sanders' former mansion, which includes a number of impressive amenities, sits on 5.95 acres of land in Texas.
Mel Kiper Jr.'s top players to watch for the 2026 NFL draft
Mel Kiper Jr. breaks down his top prospects to watch for the 2026 NFL draft, including Penn State quarterback Drew Allar,
Pac-12 reaches TV deals for '25 Oregon St., Washington St. games
The Pac-12 has finalized television deals for the 2025 season, with The CW, ESPN and CBS combining to show the 13 home games involving Oregon State and Washington State.
Boise State's Spencer Danielson getting 5-year deal after CFP
Boise State coach Spencer Danielson is getting a new five-year deal after taking the Broncos to the CFP in his first full season as their head coach, the school announced Tuesday.
Ranking the best NCAA football transfer portal classes for 2025
While there are still players left to commit, two whirlwind portal cycles are in the books and these teams have loaded up.