The Lindenwood Lions enjoyed a much needed bye week this past weekend, but will be back on the field with a game at Tennessee State on Saturday. (Photo: Terrance Williams)

DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer

Eight of the 10 Big South-OVC Football Association teams played last Saturday. The Lindenwood Lions were one of the teams that had a bye (Robert Morris was the other).

Six of the teams that played were in conference matchups, with SEMO, UT-Martin, and Eastern Illinois coming out with conference wins. Tennessee State and Gardner-Webb both played non-conference games and both picked up wins.

Here’s a quick recap of what went on in the Big South-OVC last weekend:

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 28, TENNESSEE TECH 3 | BOX SCORE
Ryan Flournoy caught six passes for 203 yards and a touchdown to lead Southeast Missouri (3-4, 3-0) to its first road win of the season, a 28-3 victory over Tennessee Tech (2-5, 0-2) Saturday afternoon at Tucker Stadium. Flournoy went over 200 receiving yards for the second time in his career as the Redhawks picked up their ninth-straight conference win dating back to the 2021 campaign.

https://twitter.com/BigSouthOVCFB/status/1715817520815305130?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1715817520815305130%7Ctwgr%5E6be5faba8fe44ead18d98f9d29fe982a8581f50c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbigsouthovcfootball.com%2Fnews%2F2023%2F10%2F21%2Fbig-south-ovc-football-recap-oct-21.aspx

EASTERN ILLINOIS 25, BRYANT 24 (OT) | BOX SCORE
Pierce Holley rushed for three scores and the crucial two-point conversion as Eastern Illinois beat Bryant 25-24 in overtime on Saturday afternoon at O’Brien Field. Holley found the end zone in the first quarter, second quarter and overtime periods.   He then rushed in on the two-point conversion in overtime to hand EIU the win.

https://twitter.com/BigSouthOVCFB/status/1715858149263941736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1715858149263941736%7Ctwgr%5E6be5faba8fe44ead18d98f9d29fe982a8581f50c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbigsouthovcfootball.com%2Fnews%2F2023%2F10%2F21%2Fbig-south-ovc-football-recap-oct-21.aspx

#17 TENNESSEE-MARTIN 17, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 0 | BOX SCORE
The vaunted University of Tennessee at Martin defense once again flexed its muscles this afternoon as the Skyhawks shut out Big South-OVC Football Association rival Charleston Southern for a 17-0 victory at Hardy Graham Stadium. The shutout was UT Martin’s first since Nov. 18, 2017 at Tennessee Tech (won 24-0). It marked the Skyhawks’ first home shutout since Sept. 15, 2011 (63-0 against Union College) while UT Martin blanked its first home conference opponent since a 37-0 result against Tennessee State on Nov. 13, 2010. The No. 17 ranked Skyhawks (6-1, 3-0 Big South-OVC) extended their winning streak to six games after limiting the visiting Buccaneers to 242 yards of total offense.

https://twitter.com/UTMSports/status/1715897105288429813?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1715897105288429813%7Ctwgr%5E6be5faba8fe44ead18d98f9d29fe982a8581f50c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbigsouthovcfootball.com%2Fnews%2F2023%2F10%2F21%2Fbig-south-ovc-football-recap-oct-21.aspx

GARDNER-WEBB 35, EASTERN KENTUCKY 32 | BOX SCORE
Jayden Brown rushed for 142 yards, including an 88-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, as Gardner-Webb topped Eastern Kentucky for the second-straight season. Brown averaged 9.5 yards on 15 carries and also caught a pair of passes. Quarterback Jaylen King passed for and ran for a score as well for the Runnin’ Bulldogs.

https://twitter.com/BigSouthOVCFB/status/1715900128689590730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1715900128689590730%7Ctwgr%5E6be5faba8fe44ead18d98f9d29fe982a8581f50c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbigsouthovcfootball.com%2Fnews%2F2023%2F10%2F21%2Fbig-south-ovc-football-recap-oct-21.aspx

TENNESSEE STATE 54, LINCOLN 0 | BOX SCORE
 Five different players scored touchdowns, led by four scores from Jordan Gant, as Tennessee State rolled past 54-0 on Saturday afternoon inside Nissan Stadium. The win improved Tennessee State’s record to 5-2 on the season. The shutout marks TSU’s first since they beat Eastern Illinois 28-0 on October 23, 2021, while the 54-point margin of victory now ranks second in TSU history.

https://twitter.com/BigSouthOVCFB/status/1715831321933553698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1715831321933553698%7Ctwgr%5E6be5faba8fe44ead18d98f9d29fe982a8581f50c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbigsouthovcfootball.com%2Fnews%2F2023%2F10%2F21%2Fbig-south-ovc-football-recap-oct-21.aspx

Week 10 – Big South-OVC Football Association Schedule

AwayHomeTimeLocation
Tennessee TechTennessee TechRobert MorrisRobert Morris11:00 AMMoon Township, Pa. (Conf.)
UT MartinUT MartinGardner-WebbGardner-Webb12:30 PMBoiling Springs, N.C. (Conf.)
Southeast MissouriSoutheast MissouriNichollsNicholls2:00 PMThibodaux, La.
LindenwoodLindenwoodTennessee StateTennessee State2:00 PMNashville, Tenn. (Conf.)
BryantBryantCharleston SouthernCharleston Southern3:00 PMCharleston, S.C. (Conf.)