The final weekend of October brought several significant results across Tennessee football. Memphis celebrated Homecoming with an explosive offensive performance against Army, while Tennessee Tech won a ranked showdown at ETSU to shake up the Southern Conference race. Chattanooga continued its strong conference campaign, but Middle Tennessee, Tennessee State, UT Martin and Cumberland suffered losses. In the NFL, the Tennessee Titans pushed Cincinnati into overtime before falling in a high-scoring contest.
FBS
Memphis Tigers — W 49–22 vs. Army
Memphis improved to 7–2 overall and 4–1 in American Conference play with a dominant Homecoming victory at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Quarterback Marcus Stokes threw for 371 yards as the Tigers amassed 554 yards of offense, converted 11 of 15 third downs and scored in every quarter. Official Memphis Recap.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders — L 28–44 vs. Kennesaw State — October 28
Middle Tennessee dropped a Wednesday-night Conference USA matchup at Floyd Stadium. The Blue Raiders surrendered 44 points to Kennesaw State, snapping their two-game winning streak and falling to 4–4. Middle Tennessee Football
FCS
No. 11 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles — W 24–17 at No. 17 ETSU
Tennessee Tech earned one of the weekend’s biggest victories, rallying from a 17–14 halftime deficit to defeat ETSU in Johnson City. The Golden Eagles scored 10 unanswered fourth-quarter points to improve to 8–1 overall and 5–1 in Southern Conference play. Official Tennessee Tech Game Recap.
Tennessee State Tigers — L 0–27 at Lindenwood
Tennessee State was shut out in St. Charles, Missouri, falling to 2–7 overall and 0–4 in conference play. The Tigers were unable to generate a scoring drive against Lindenwood and suffered their second consecutive loss. Official Tennessee State Schedule.
ETSU Buccaneers — L 17–24 vs. No. 11 Tennessee Tech
Seventeenth-ranked ETSU saw its five-game winning streak end on Homecoming in Johnson City. The Buccaneers held a 17–14 halftime lead and rushed for 207 yards, led by TJ Peyton’s 123 yards and a touchdown. Tennessee Tech rallied in the fourth quarter to hand ETSU its first Southern Conference loss, dropping the Bucs to 6–3 overall and 4–1 in league play. Official ETSU Recap.
Chattanooga Mocs — W 24–10 vs. VMI
Chattanooga improved to 5–1 in Southern Conference play with a 14-point home victory over VMI. The Mocs continued their strong conference run and kept pace near the top of the league standings. Official Southern Conference Results.
UT Martin Skyhawks — L 16–45 vs. Eastern Illinois
UT Martin dropped its second consecutive Ohio Valley Conference contest, falling to 3–6 overall and 2–2 in conference play. The Skyhawks surrendered 45 points to Eastern Illinois in a difficult afternoon at home. Official UT Martin Statistics.
Division II / NAIA
Carson-Newman Eagles — W 41–7 at Catawba
Carson-Newman delivered one of the weekend’s most dominant performances, scoring 24 first-half points and taking a 41–7 lead into the fourth quarter. Trey Gunnings broke free for a 71-yard touchdown run, and the Eagles finished with a 34-point road victory to improve to 8–1 overall and 6–1 in South Atlantic Conference play. Official Carson-Newman Recap.
Cumberland Phoenix — L 14–35 vs. Lindsey Wilson
Cumberland fell behind 21–0 early and couldn’t recover in its Mid-South Conference matchup. Four turnovers proved costly for the Phoenix, who received two touchdown passes from Luke Parker and 69 rushing yards from Jordan Cason. Cumberland fell to 5–4 overall. Official Cumberland Recap.
NFL
Tennessee Titans — L 36–43 (OT) at Cincinnati Bengals — November 1
Tennessee produced its highest-scoring performance of the season but fell in overtime at Cincinnati. Cam Ward threw for a career-high 304 yards and two touchdowns, while Tony Pollard rushed for 117 yards and two scores. Safety Amani Hooker intercepted Joe Burrow three times, but Cincinnati tied the game late in regulation before Burrow scored on a nine-yard touchdown run in overtime. The Titans fell to 1–7. Official Titans Recap.
