No. 11/12 Tennessee Tech travels to Charleston, S.C, to battle The Citadel for the first time since 1960 on Saturday. It marks the second time that these two schools have played each other, and the first since the 1960 Tangerine Bowl. The Citadel leads the all-time series 1-0, with the Bulldogs winning 27-0. Head Coach Bobby Wilder holds a 1-0 record as a head coach against the Citadel. Noah McKay (PxP), Justin Matheney (Analyst) and Michael Dodgen (Sideline) will have the call on Classic Rock 98.5, while David Weinstein (PxP), JJ Jones and Graeson Underwood (Analyst) and Matison Little (Sideline) will have the call on ESPN+.
A LOOK AT THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Tennessee Tech comes into Saturday's contest with a 6-1 record and a 3-1 mark in conference play after defeating Eastern Kentucky on October 17. The Golden Eagles were ranked No. 11 in the AFCA Poll while being ranked No. 12 in the FCS Stats Perform Poll this Monday.
TTU is averaging 34.0 points per game, 382.1 yards per game, with 267.9 coming through the air and 114.3 coming on the ground.
Jax Leatherwood leads the passing attack with 1,859 yards (168-of-249) and 19 touchdowns.
M.J. Flowers leads the rushing game with 397 yards on 79 carries and has three touchdowns.
Qua Ashley adds 225 yards on the ground on 33 carries with three touchdowns, while Marcus Harris has 70 yards on 26 attempts and one touchdown. Gabe Nunez leads the receivers with 562 yards on 39 catches and three touchdowns. Tre' Holloway follows with 406 yards, 33 catches and five touchdowns while Eric Weatherly has 284 yards on 27 catches and four touchdowns.
TTU is 21-of-27 scoring in the red zone (78%), with 20 scores coming via touchdowns. Tech leads the time of possession battle 32:40 to 27:11
Greg Turner is the leading tackler for the Golden Eagles with 44 on the season, while
Omari Philyaw has 41 and
Kaleb Brown has 38.
Hudson Tucker leads the way in TFL with 7.0 for 40 yards along with a team-high five sacks for 37 yards.
Jamarr Jones is second in TFL (5.5-12), while
Tyrese Whitaker has 4.5 for 21 yards.
Jameson Wharton leads TTU with two INT, including a pick-six against EKU. Three other Golden Eagles have recorded an INT this season.
Opponents are averaging 22.7 points per game and 336.1 total yards per game. Opponents are 36-for-97 (37%) on third down and 2-for12 (17%) on fourth down.
Carter Brown is 7-of-9 on FG attempts this season while going 31-of-31 on extra point attempts. Brown has made four FG of 50+ yds this season, with a season-long of 52 coming twice against Furman. Chase Lanham has been excellent flipping the field for TTU. On 27 punts, he's recorded 1,252 yards (46.4 avg) with a long of 63. He's recorded 10 punts of 50 or more yards, while recording 10 punts landing inside the 20 and five for touchbacks.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
The Citadel is coming off a 41-0 defeat at Texas A&M this past Saturday. The Bulldogs have fallen in their past two games and enter Saturday with a 2-5 overall record and a 0-3 record in the SoCon. The Citadel has posted wins at Charlotte (43-41 3OT) and at South Carolina State (34-31).
The Bulldogs racked up 140 yards off 47 attempts; Gavin Garcia led the rushing attack with 46 yards via 16 carries while Xavier Hill trailed not far behind courtesy of 35 yards off 11 attempts.
Zyion Brown set the tone on defense with 10.0 total tackles on the day, including a 0.5 tackle-for-loss; J'hari Mosley, Nikolas Mirabella and Joshua Saddler each tallied 6.0 tackles.
The Bulldogs are averaging 19.3 points per game, 310.6 yards per game, with 110.0 coming through the air and 200.6 on the ground.
Quentin Hayes leads the air game with 402 yards (31-64) with four touchdowns and two INTs. Nick Billoups adds 292 yards (25-40).
Garcia is the leader in the run game this season, rushing for 625 yards on 127 attempts. He's scored six times on the ground. Hayes adds 292 yards on the ground on 80 carries and has scored once.
Damir Abdullah is the leading receiver with 159 yards and one TD. Braylon Knauth has 145 yards while Ismael Zamor has recorded 110 and Whit Hobgood has 100 and one score.
Brown serves as the Bulldogs' leading tackler with 61 on the season. He also leads the team in TFL (6.5-36) and sacks (4.0-32). Jalen Wright is second on the squad in tackles with 43, while second in TFL (4.5 - 24). Savionne Rogers and Maurice Bonneau Jr. each have 3.5 TFL, while Rogers has 2.5 sacks and Bonneau has 2.0 sacks. Four Bulldogs have recorded an INT.
Evan Kiely is 5-of-8 on field goals this season with a long of 45. He's also 14-of-14 on extra point attempts.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE CITADEL
(Dec. 30, 1960) Orlando, Fla. - Tennessee Tech was shut out 27-0 by the Citadel in the Tangerine Bowl.
The Golden Eagles produced 101 yards compared to 373 from The Citadel. Gordon Mason was 3-9 passing, resulting in 30 yards and one interception. Joe Mac Jaquess led the running game with 24 yards on four carries. The Citadel relied on its rushing attack, racking up 206 yards as a team on the ground, with Tommy Edwards leading the charge with 84 yards on seven carries and one score. Jerry Nettles led the passing game with 137 yards (8-14) and two TDs.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Tennessee Tech and The Citadel will meet for the second time in the all-time series on Saturday. The first, and only other time the two schools have met, was in the 1960 Tangerine Bowl. The Citadel won 27-0 on Dec. 30 in Orlando, Fla.
SECOND HALF DOMINANCE
Through seven games this season, TTU has outscored opponents 110-79 in the 2nd half. TTU has allowed just nine touchdowns in the second half of action.
HE'S PRETTY GOOD AT THROWING THE BALL
Jax Leatherwood has been electric as the quarterback for Tennessee Tech this season. He currently stands 191 passing yards away from cracking the top 10 for single-season passing yards, with 1,859 this season. Brent Browne (2,050 - 1990) currently holds the No. 10 spot. Leatherwood is also two passing touchdowns from overtaking Bailey Fisher (21 - 2019) (16 - 2002) for 2nd all-time for single-season passing TDs. He is also one touchdown away from ranking 9th for career touchdown passes.
HOME COOKING
The Golden Eagles have been tough to beat at Tucker Stadium since Bobby Wilder took over the program in 2024. Tennessee Tech currently holds a 15-2 record under Wilder at home, with the two defeats coming against South Carolina State (2024) and North Dakota (2025).
PHIL STEELE 2026 FCS MID-SEASON ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
(Stats as of Oct. 16) Tennessee Tech saw a pair of Golden Eagles featured on the Phil Steele 2026 FCS Mid-Season All-American Teams.
Hudson Tucker and Gabe Nunez represented TTU. Tucker was named to the second-team on defense while Nunez earned fourth-team honors on offense.
Tucker has earned a reputation as one of the standout defensive linemen in the Southern Conference this season. Seven of his 19 tackles have been for loss, while also recording five sacks. His seven TFL are tied for the most in the SoCon, while leading the conference in TFL yards (40). He is also tied for first in sacks (5) and leads the SoCon in yards on sacks (37). His 0.83 sacks per game is the 13th-best rate in the NCAA, and his 1.17 TFL per game is 30th in the FCS.
Nunez has been a force on offense for TTU. He leads the Golden Eagles in receptions (34), yards (536), yards per game (15.8), average per game (89.3) and is tied for first for TD catches (3). He leads the SoCon in total yards, receptions per game (5.7) and yards per game. He is also second in the conference in TD catches. He ranks 81st in the NCAA in all-purpose yards per game (89.33), 64th in TD catches, 15th in receiving yards, 12th in receiving yards per game, 22nd in receptions per game and 75th in yards per reception.
FRED MITCHELL AWARD MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
Tennessee Tech kicker
Carter Brown was named to the Fred Mitchell Award Midseason Watch List on Wednesday, October 14.
The award honors outstanding placekickers from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II, Division III, NAIA, and junior college football programs.
Brown has been a reliable option for the Golden Eagles this season. Going 7-of-9 on field goals so far this season, four of his made kicks have been from 50+ yards, with a season high of 52 coming twice against Furman. The veteran kicker has been spotless on extra point attempts, going 24-of-24.
While the Midseason Watch List recognizes excellence on the football field, community service remains an essential component of the Fred Mitchell Award. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Selection Committee will evaluate each kicker's community and civic service participation alongside their on-field accomplishments.
The award recognizes not only field goal accuracy, distance, and performances in critical moments, but also the positive impact student-athletes make beyond the football field.
The recipient of the 2026 Fred Mitchell Award will be announced in December based on accomplishments on the football field and contributions to the community.
GAME 7 RECAP
Tennessee Tech scored 42 consecutive points after an early Eastern Kentucky interception return, led by five different touchdown scorers in a 49-20 win Saturday afternoon at Tucker Stadium.
Jax Leatherwood completed 22 of 30 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns. Zolten Osborne finished the game at quarterback and completed both of his attempts for 16 yards. Leatherwood is now tied for third all-time in single-season touchdowns at 19. Jeremiah Oatsvall (2022) and Grant Swallows (2001) both previously threw 19 touchdowns in a season.
Holloway caught seven passes for 78 yards and touchdowns of 36 and 4 yards. He added a 5-yard punt return for 83 all-purpose yards. Weatherly caught two passes for 27 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown just before halftime.
Tech ran for 238 yards on 36 carries, an average of 6.6 yards per rush. Flowers led the way with 108 yards on 13 carries, including a 7-yard touchdown. Ashley added 77 yards on nine carries, highlighted by a 42-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and returned a kickoff 44 yards.
Aidan Littles ran for 43 yards, and
Ahmad Haston had 25 yards.
Tennessee Tech's defense forced two interceptions, both in the second quarter, and held Eastern Kentucky to 34 passing yards. Jordyn Potts completed 5 of 12 passes with two interceptions. The Golden Eagles turned those takeaways into 14 points.
Leon Thomas intercepted a pass at the Tech 49-yard line, setting up Ashley's touchdown run, and Wharton returned the second one for a score 44 seconds later.
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