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
Michigan adds depth with transfer QB Jake Garcia
Michigan added depth to its quarterback room on Monday, adding well-traveled transfer Jake Garcia.
Vols earn 2027 commitment from Phillip Fulmer's grandson
Linebacker prospect JP Peace, grandson of national champion head coach and former Vols athletic director Phillip Fulmer, announced his commitment to the Tennessee program on Monday.
College realignment intel: Texas State, cryptic posts and the Pac-12's next move
Texas State looms as the favorite to join the Pac-12. Why could that happen? What would come next? And what about Memphis?
ESPN 300 linebacker Talanoa Ili chooses USC over UCLA
Four-star linebacker Talanoa Ili, No. 53 in the 2026 ESPN 300, has committed to USC over UCLA, he told ESPN on Sunday, the latest high-profile addition in the Trojans' class, as coach Lincoln Riley prepares for the program's second season in the Big Ten.
Bill Connelly's 2025 college football conference previews
Bill Connelly looks at the top players and prospects, and makes his 2025 projections for every FBS team.