A rivalry will be revisited this Saturday as the Tennessee Tech football team heads to Hale Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. to face the Tennessee State Tigers.
Tech is looking to get back on track after Indiana State defeated them 49-14 in their last appearance two weeks ago. The Tigers are coming off of a big win after defeating Jackson State 35-7 on Saturday.
The Tigers won last year’s matchup against the Golden Eagles 41-21 at Tucker Stadium. The Golden Eagle offense is going to be an important key for Saturday’s game.
“Every individual must get better at their position, which will strengthen our team,” said senior running back Stephen Bush. “We have to play faster on offense than we have been and we have to execute much better.”
The offense combined for only 166 total yards and committed four turnovers in their loss to Indiana State.
Tech coach Watson Brown understands that the team must control their turnovers this week.
“We must take better care of ball and not give up too many big plays on defense,” said Brown.
The Golden Eagles and the Tigers have shared a rivalry since TSU first joined the Ohio Valley Conference in 1986.
The Golden Eagles have only won two of their last 10 matchups against the Tigers. Their last victory against TSU was in 2010 when the Golden Eagles won 21-10.
Tennessee Tech’s athletic director Mark Wilson knows the importance of this rivalry game.
“I love OVC rivalry games, and the games against TSU are always hard fought games that end in a close score,” said Wilson. “This game is very important to the Golden Eagles since it is the first game of the 2014 season for us in the quest to win the Sergeant York Trophy.”
The award was created in 2007 and goes to the winner of the quadrangular season football series between Tennessee Tech, Tennessee State, Austin Peay State and the University of Tennessee at Martin.
The Golden Eagles won the Sergeant York trophy in 2009 and again in 2011, sharing the award with TSU.
“I hope a lot of fans and students will make the short drive to Nashville to cheer on their team,” said Wilson.
After their game against the Tigers, the Golden Eagles will head to Cedar Falls, Iowa to face the Northern Iowa Panthers.
