2021 Tennessee State Tigers football team

American college football season

2021 Tennessee State Tigers football

Conference| Ohio Valley Conference
Record| 5–6 (3–3 OVC)
Head coach|

* Eddie George (1st season)

Offensive coordinator| Hue Jackson (1st season)
Defensive coordinator| Brandon Fisher (1st season)
Home stadium| Nissan Stadium

Seasons

<- 2020

2022 ->

2021 Ohio Valley Conference football standings

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| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team |  | W |  | L |  |  |  |  | W |  | L |
No. 13 UT Martin $^  |  | 5  | - | 1  |  |  |  |  | 10  | - | 3  |
Southeast Missouri State |  | 4  | - | 2  |  |  |  |  | 4  | - | 7  |
Austin Peay |  | 4  | - | 2  |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 5  |
Tennessee State |  | 3  | - | 3  |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 6  |
Murray State |  | 3  | - | 3  |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 5  |
Eastern Illinois |  | 1  | - | 5  |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 10  |
Tennessee Tech |  | 1  | - | 5  |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 8  |

* $ - Conference champion
* ^ - FCS playoff participant

Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2021 Tennessee State Tigers football team represented Tennessee State University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). They were led by first-year head coach Eddie George and played their games at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.

On April 12, 2021, Southern University announced that Rod Reed would not return as head coach. The following day, Southern hired George to replace him.[1][2] It was revealed by The Tennessean that George's deal was a five-year deal with an annual salary of US$400,000.[3]

## Schedule[edit]

Date| Time| Opponent| Site| TV| Result| Attendance

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September 5| 3:00 p.m.| vs. Grambling State*|

* Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
* Canton, OH (Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic)

| NFLN| L 10–16| 14,682
September 11| 6:00 p.m.| vs. Jackson State*|

* Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
* Memphis, TN (Southern Heritage Classic)

| ESPN3/ESPNU| L 16–38| 46,171
September 18| 4:00 p.m.| Kentucky State*|

* Nissan Stadium
* Nashville, TN

| ESPN+| W 41–7| 2,513
September 25| 2:00 p.m.| at Southeast Missouri State|

* Houck Stadium
* Cape Girardeau, MO

| ESPN+| L 14–47| 3,896
October 2| 7:00 p.m.| at Austin Peay*|

* Fortera Stadium
* Clarksville, TN

| ESPN+| W 24–22| 7,211
October 16| 2:00 p.m.| Tennessee Tech|

* Nissan Stadium
* Nashville, TN (Sgt. York Trophy)

| ESPN+| W 20–13 OT| 2,420
October 23| 2:00 p.m.| at Eastern Illinois|

* O'Brien Field
* Charleston, IL

| ESPN+| W 28–0| 6,300
October 30| 5:00 p.m.| Murray State|

* Nissan Stadium
* Nashville, TN

| ESPN+| W 27–21| 8,627
November 6| 2:00 p.m.| at No. 15 UT Martin|

* Graham Stadium
* Martin, TN (Sgt. York Trophy)

| ESPN3| L 20–41| 3,712
November 13| 2:00 p.m.| Austin Peay|

* Nissan Stadium
* Nashville, TN (Sgt. York Trophy)

| ESPN+| L 7–36| 2,531
November 20| 11:00 a.m.| at No. 25 (FBS) Mississippi State*|

* Davis Wade Stadium
* Starkville, MS

| ESPN+/SECN+| L 10–55| 46,770

* *Non-conference game
* Homecoming
* Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game
* All times are in Central time

Source:[4]

## Game summaries[edit]

### At Grambling State[edit]

See also: 2021 Grambling State Tigers football team and Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic

Tennessee State Tigers at Grambling State Tigers

Period | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

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Tennessee State | 3 | 0 | 7| 0| 10
Grambling State | 0 | 7 | 6| 3| 16

at Pro Football Hall of Fame Fieldhouse, Canton, OH

* Date: September 11, 2021
* Game time: 3:00 P.M. MST
* Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: 3 mph
* Game attendance: 14,682
* Referee:
* TV announcers (NFL Network):

Statistics  | TSU Tigers  | GRAM Tigers

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First downs |  |
Plays–yards | – | –
Rushes–yards | – | –
Passing yards |  |
Passing: comp–att–int | –– | ––
Time of possession |  |
Team | Category | Player | Statistics

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TSU Tigers  | Passing |  |
Rushing |  |
Receiving |  |
GRAM Tigers  | Passing |  |
Rushing |  |
Receiving |  |
Scoring summary

| Quarter  | Time  | Drive | Team  | Scoring information  | Score

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Plays | Yards  | TOP | TSU  | GRAM
1  | 5:00  | 7  | 21  | 4:05  | TENN  | 39-yard field goal by Antonio Zita  | 3  | 0
2  | 12:41  | 15  | 79  | 7:14  | GRAM  | Jaye Patrick 18-yard touchdown reception from Elijah Walker, Garrett Urban kick good  | 3  | 7
3  | 7:03  | 12  | 58  | 6:08  | TENN  | Devon Starling 3-yard touchdown run, Antonio Zita kick good  | 10  | 7
3  | 2:22  | 3  | 15  | 1:25  | GRAM  | Elijah Walker 15-yard touchdown run, Antonio Zita kick no good  | 10  | 13
4  | 9:48  | 10  | 44  | 5:05  | GRAM  | 24-yard field goal by Garrett Urban  | 10  | 16
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 10  | 16

### Vs. Jackson State[edit]

Tennessee State vs. Jackson State  |  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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TSU Tigers | 0 | 7| 0| 9 | 16
• JSU Tigers | 7 | 3| 14| 14 | 38

* Date: September 11, 2021
* Location: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Memphis, TN
* Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Elapsed time: 3:22
* Game attendance: 46,171
* Game weather: • Weather: – • Wind: –
* Referee:
* TV announcers (ESPN3/ESPNU):

| Scoring summary

Q1| 0:19| JSU| Joshua Lanier 14-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders (Glenn Misiak kick)| 0–7
Q2| 9:36| TSU| Deveon Bryant 2-yard run (Antonio Zita kick)| 7–7
Q2| 0:32| JSU| Glenn Misiak 28-yard field goal| 7–10
Q3| 11:30| JSU| Keith Corbin 67-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders (Glenn Misiak kick)| 7–17
Q3| 2:22| JSU| Shane Hooks 10-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders (Glenn Misiak kick)| 7–24
Q4| 13:17| TSU| Chayil Garnett 37-yard field goal| 10–24
Q4| 7:29| JSU| Warren Newman 81-yard punt return (Glenn Misiak kick)| 10–31
Q4| 2:55| JSU| Peytton Pickett 4-yard run (Glenn Misiak kick)| 10–38
Q4| 0:06| TSU| Rodell Rahmaan 47-yard pass from Geremy Hickbottom (2-point fail)| 16–38

See also: 2021 Jackson State Tigers football team and Southern Heritage Classic

Pregame line | Over/under

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TSU -2.5 | 50
Statistics | Tennessee State | Jackson State

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First downs | 19 | 19
Total yards | 264 | 404
Rushing yards | 70 | 42
Passing yards | 194 | 362
Turnovers | 1 | 1
Time of possession | 31:52 | 28:08
Team | Category | Player | Statistics

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Tennessee State | Passing | Geremy Hickbottom | 9/15, 138 yards, 1 TD
Rushing | Devon Starling | 11 carries, 35 yards
Receiving | Rodell Rahmaan | 4 receptions, 94 yards, 1 TD
Jackson State | Passing | Shedeur Sanders | 30/40, 362 yards, 3 TD
Rushing | Peytton Pickett | 11 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD
Receiving | Trevonte Rucker | 5 receptions, 72 yards

## Coaching staff[edit]

Name  | Position  | Seasons at
Tennessee State  | Alma Mater

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Eddie George | Head coach | 1st | Ohio State
Hue Jackson | Offensive coordinator & quarterbacks coach | 1st | Pacific
Brandon Fisher | Defensive coordinator | 1st | Montana
Joe Bowden | Linebackers coach | 1st | Alcorn State
Keith Burns | Special teams coordinator & defensive specialist | 1st | Oklahoma State
Cory Harkey | Tight ends coach | 1st | UCLA
Mark Hutson | Offensive line coach | 1st | Oklahoma
Richard McNutt | Defensive backs coach | 1st | Ohio State
Pepe Pearson | Running backs coach | 1st | Ohio State
Clyde Simmons | Defensive line coach | 1st | Western Carolina
Kenan Smith | Wide receivers coach | 1st | Sacramento State

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Tennessee State Not Renewing Contract of Head Coach Rod Reed". Tennessee State University. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
2. ^ "Tennessee State University Names Former All Pro Tennessee Titan and Heisman Trophy Winner Eddie George Head Football Coach". Tennessee State University. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
3. ^ "Here's how much Eddie George will make as Tennessee State's football coach and his contract incentives". The Tennessean. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
4. ^ "2021 Football Schedule". Tennessee State University. Retrieved June 11, 2021.

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Tennessee State Tigers football

Venues|

* Sulphur Dell
* Hale Stadium (1953–1998, 2012–2020)
* Nissan Stadium (1999–2019, 2021–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Austin Peay, Tennessee Tech, UT Martin: Sgt. York Trophy
* Jackson State: Southern Heritage Classic

Culture & lore|

* Tigre

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

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*[v]: View this template
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*[Conf]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses