TSU inches closer to conference title

Heffner throws 4 TDs, runs for another in win

Photo Gallery: TSU vs. Eastern Illinois

Antonio Heffner is still hurting, but the Tennessee State quarterback inflicted plenty of pain Saturday on Eastern Illinois at LP Field. After missing last week's game with a rib injury, Heffner hobbled back onto the field and led the Football Championship Subdivision No. 22 Tigers to a 45-24 win. Heffner completed only seven passes, but four were touchdowns and he ran for another, helping TSU (8-2, 5-1 Ohio Valley Conference) finish with an undefeated home record for the first time since 1999 and stay on course to win the OVC title.

It could have been Heffner's final game at LP Field depending on whether the Tigers secure a playoff berth and whether the game is played at home. But if it was his last game, he was determined to go out in a big way no matter how badly he was hurting. "I am still in a little bit of pain but it was better this week than last week," Heffner said. "I came out from the first play in a pretty good groove because this was possibly my last game at LP Field. Knowing that, and with it being Senior Day, you just want to go out and play your best."

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Attendance: 6393 (9.3%) at LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee (Capacity: 68,800).

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TSU can't pull out another close one

Tigers fall in OT at SE Missouri

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Tennessee State's penchant for living dangerously proved costly Saturday afternoon. The Tigers were knocked from their status as the last team in the Ohio Valley Conference without a league loss Saturday, falling 27-20 to Southeast Missouri State in overtime. The Redhawks rallied from a 14-point deficit, answered TSU's go-ahead field goal with 29 seconds to play, then scored on the first series in overtime.

"We just had too many missed opportunities today," TSU Coach James Webster said. "We should have been able to put them away. "Interceptions hurt us. They really did. We would be moving the ball and have an interception." Senior Antonio Heffner, the OVC's leading passer, threw three interceptions while completing 14 of 22 passes for 233 yards for the Tigers, who came into the game ranked No. 19 in three different Football Championship Series polls.

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Foes chase improved Tennessee State Tigers

Ranking gives Tigers' opponents some motivation

TSU (6-1, 3-0 OVC ) at SE Missouri (2-5, 0-3)
Where: Houck Stadium, Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Time: 1 p.m. today
TV/Radio: None locally/1470-AM
Last meeting: TSU 31, SEMO 0 (2006)
Key matchup: TSU QB Antonio Heffner vs. SEMO LB Nick Stauffer and DB Eddie Calvin. The coaching staff revealed last week that Heffner has been hampered by a sore shoulder all season, yet he leads the OVC in passing yards per game (223.1) and total offensive yards (271.0). Stauffer has 76 tackles, including two sacks, and Calvin has four interceptions.

There's not enough room on Tennessee State's uniforms for a number and a bull's-eye, but that hasn't kept the Tigers from feeling like they're the target of every team they play. Since moving into first place in the Ohio Valley Conference and climbing into the Football Championship Series rankings, Coach James Webster said the No. 19 Tigers have gotten their opponents' best shots. He expects nothing less from Southeast Missouri (2-5, 0-3 OVC) when the Tigers (6-1, 3-0) visit Cape Girardeau, Mo., today for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
























TSU only loss has come at the hands of the hot Florida A&M Rattlers in the Atlanta Football Classic.

"This football team has earned the right to be where they are because we work them so hard and they have really had to battle to be where they are,'' Webster said. "(We) now have to work even harder to stay there because we have a bull's-eye on our chest and people are going to come at us a little harder." Webster is confident his team's past two opponents played their best games motivated by the opportunity to knock the Tigers out of the conference's catbird seat.

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TSU survives scare with late field goal Tigers eke out win over Govs

Nashville, TN -- It wouldn't be easy for Tennessee State's Eric Benson to top his heroics from last year's game against Austin Peay. But the Tigers' placekicker did just that Saturday night in a rematch at LP Field. On Saturday night, he kicked a 29-yarder with just two seconds left to give TSU a 37-34 win. Last year, he booted a 43-yard field goal with nine seconds left to send the game into overtime. TSU won on a blocked extra-point attempt.

"I thought about last year's game when I stepped out there for that last kick,'' Benson said. "I knew I'd done it before and I could do it again. I just had to concentrate." Benson's kick helped TSU (6-1, 3-0 Ohio Valley Conference) avoid disaster before a crowd of 9,358. TSU came into the game in first place in the conference and Austin Peay (0-7, 0-4) was in last. Benson kicked two other field goals. His second, a 31-yarder on the final play of the first half, gave TSU a 27-12 cushion. It appeared the Tigers would coast through the second half.

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Attendance: 9,358 (13.6%) at LP Field, Nashville, TN (Capacity: 68.800).
Season Record: Tennessee State Tigers 6-1, 3-0 OVC.

TSU gives transfer opportunity to shine

Tennessee State University DB Anthony Levine #6 and Ozzie Harrell #3 closing in on EKU receiver.

Former Ohio St. player is Tigers' new defensive star

Tennessee State needed help in the secondary. Eugene Clifford needed a place to play. It was a match made in football heaven. The Tigers were looking for an impact player to replace All-American cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Who knew they would be able to find one so quickly? "As coaches, we knew what Eugene Clifford could do when he came here,'' TSU Coach James Webster said. "He was a five-star athlete coming out of Ohio. We knew he was going to be a dominant player for us and he was going to be an impact player."

Clifford, a safety who transferred from Ohio State, displays a hard-hitting physical style of play that is much different from the electrifying speed and quickness Rodgers-Cromartie provided. But the impact on the secondary has been the same. Opposing offenses would avoid Rodgers-Cromartie, seldom throwing the ball his way. Now it's Clifford who has their attention.

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Heffner stars for TSU both on, off the field

Tigers quarterback is one of OVC's best in classroom, too

On the football field, Antonio Heffner keeps opponents guessing with his ability to run or pass. Away from it, he's as predictable as death and taxes. If he's not pestering offensive coordinator Fred Kaiss with an idea to improve the scheme, the Tigers quarterback is most likely in his room watching television or studying. "Heff don't ever go anywhere," said tight end Antonio Graham. "He's always in the house watching TV, watching sports."

It's that mundane lifestyle that makes Heffner, who is carrying a 3.7 grade point average with a major in criminal justice, a bit of a rarity among college football players. It's also a routine that has helped him become a role model for his teammates and overcome frustrating injuries and other setbacks to become the premier quarterback in the Ohio Valley Conference. He has a steady girlfriend who lives in Memphis...

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Rodgers-Cromartie (TSU) hurt at practice

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Arizona Cardinals rookie cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, a four-year starter at Tennessee State University, was taken off the practice field on a cart after injuring his right ankle on Tuesday. Rodgers-Cromartie, the Cardinals' top draft pick, rolled his right ankle during drills halfway through practice and did not return to the field.

Arizona Coach Ken Whisenhunt spoke briefly after practice but provided little detail on Rodgers-Cromartie's condition. "We'll know more tomorrow," Whisenhunt said. "He tried to go but it's a little sore so we'll see tomorrow." The Cardinals drafted the speedy 6-foot-2, 182-pounder with the 16th overall pick.

Rodgers-Cromartie is expected to push for playing time in the defensive backfield this season and worked with the starting unit several times...

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Tennessee State University Athletics Unveils new Big Blue Sports Network

Courtesy: Tennessee State Sports Information.
Logo Courtesy: Tennessee State Athletics.

Affiliates in Nashville, Columbia and Jackson

Tennessee State University Athletics announced yesterday the creation of a new Big Blue Sports Network with radio affiliates in Nashville, Columbia and Jackson. The network will greatly expand the coverage area for Tiger football and men’s basketball broadcasts throughout middle and west Tennessee, while reaching into southern Kentucky and northern Mississippi.

The TSU athletic broadcast rights were recently awarded to B2C Media. The company is co-owned by Danny Clay and TSU alumnus Fred Beasley. “We are excited to partner with TSU Athletics and to know that Tiger fans all over the state of Tennessee will be able to enjoy the excitement of the Big Blue broadcasts on their radio,” said Beasley.

The Big Blue Sports Network will consist of flagship station, WVOL 1470 AM in Nashville, WMRB 910 AM in Columbia and WOJG- 94.7 FM in Bolivar/Jackson.

WVOL served as the home for Tiger broadcasts for more than 30 years and will see the Big Blue return to their airwaves for the first time since 1998. “This is a great day for WVOL,” said TSU alumnus John Heidelberg, the owner and general manager of WVOL. “Many unforgettable moments in Tiger history were broadcast on WVOL and we are thrilled to serve as the flagship station for the new network.”

For the first time ever, Tiger broadcasts will be available on the air in Columbia on WMRB 910 AM. "I am excited about having the Tennessee State University Big Blue Sports Network on the radio here in Maury County because it allows WMRB listeners to experience the excitement of Tiger pride,” said Rev. Trent Ogilvie President of WMRB 910 AM.

WOJG 94.7 FM will take TSU broadcasts into west Tennessee for the first time ever as well. The 6,000 watt FM station’s coverage area includes 10 west Tennessee counties and four counties in northern Mississippi.

“Tennessee State has a tremendous following in west Tennessee and we know that our listeners are going to be excited to know that they can hear the games right here on WOJG,” said State Representative Johnny Shaw, owner of WOJG.

The entire 12 game TSU football schedule will be broadcast on the Big Blue Sports Network beginning with the Tigers season opener on August 30 at Alabama A&M. The TSU basketball game broadcast schedule will be released at a later date.

In addition to the game broadcasts, Tiger Talk with Coach James Webster will also be carried on the network. The one hour weekly coach’s call-in show will air every Tuesday night at 6:00 PM, beginning August 26. Barry Gresham, TSU Associate Athletic Director for Broadcasting and Sales, will return for his fourth season as the play-by-play voice of Tiger football. He will also serve as host of Tiger Talk. Albert Dawson will begin his 18th season as analyst and statistician for the Tiger broadcasts.

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