Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at Eastern Illinois Panthers
· NCAA - Football
Gaines' fumble return highlights Tennessee Tech's 21-9 win over Eastern Illinois
Gaines scooped up a fumble from quarterback Cole LaCrue and returned it for a 10-yard touchdown to put the FCS No. 5 Golden Eagles (10-0, 7-0 OVC-Big South) up 21-3 with 3:50 remaining.
Q’Daryius Jennings opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 5-yard rushing score. Maury Sullivan doubled that tally with a 48-yard receiving touchdown from Kekoa Visperas late in the first quarter.
Visperas was 17-of-23 passing for 151 yards with an interception.
Tennessee Tech entered the game allowing 3.92 yards per play, the fewest in FCS, but allowed 137 rushing yards to the Panthers (3-7, 2-5). It's their second consecutive week allowing more than 100 rushing yards, after allowing none in the previous eight games.
The Golden Eagles allowed an 18-yard touchdown from LaCrue to DeAirious Smith with 1:16 remaining for the final margin. LaCrue was 15-of-31 passing for 174 yards and an interception.
How To Watch
How can I watch Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles vs. Eastern Illinois Panthers?
- TV Channel: Golden Eagles at Panthers 2021 College Football, week 11, is broadcasted on ESPN+.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Scoring Summary
 |
TD | 1st Period 6:13 | Q'Daryius Jennings 5 Yd Run (Dom LeBlanc Kick) |
|
TD | 1st Period 0:37 | Maury Sullivan 48 Yd pass from Kekoa Visperas (Dom LeBlanc Kick) |
 |
FG | 2nd Period 5:03 | Drew Schiller 20 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 4th Period 3:50 | Theron Gaines 10 Yd Fumble Return (Dom LeBlanc Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 1:16 | DeAirious Smith 18 Yd pass from Cole LaCrue (Drew Schiller PAT failed) |
Statistics
 TNTC |
 EIU |
|
|---|---|---|
| 17 | 1st Downs | 20 |
| 5-12 | 3rd down efficiency | 4-13 |
| 1-1 | 4th down efficiency | 1-4 |
| 308 | Total Yards | 326 |
| 151 | Passing | 189 |
| 17/23 | Comp/Att | 17/34 |
| 6.6 | Yards per pass | 5.6 |
| 157 | Rushing | 137 |
| 35 | Rushing Attempts | 31 |
| 4.5 | Yards per rush | 4.4 |
| 2-20 | Penalties | 4-35 |
| 2 | Turnovers | 2 |
| 1 | Fumbles lost | 1 |
| 1 | Interceptions thrown | 1 |
| 30:07 | Possession | 29:53 |
Game Information
Location: Charleston, IL
Attendance: 2,266 · Capacity:
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