Matt Hardin’s first-ever Ohio Valley Conference road start became a nightmare. The junior Jacksonville State quarterback ended Saturday evening seven of 25 for 130 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Sophomore transfer E.J. Daniel scored two touchdowns to lead UTM to a 24-14 victory in Martin, Tenn.

The victory for Tennessee-Martin (3-1, 1-0) against No. 25 Jacksonville State (1-2, 0-1) was the first win against a nationally ranked team since 1993 when the Skyhawks beat No. 10 Middle Tennessee State.

“We want to enjoy this one,” UTM first-year head coach Jason Simpson said in his post game press conference. “This is a win that will give us an opportunity to gain respect in the league and regionally. Eventually you have to stop talking about beating a good team and actually do it.”

Hardin consistently struggled against the nation’s third-best defense. That allowed the Skyhawks to stack the line of scrimmage to contain Gamecock All-American tailback Clay Green to 78 yards on 20 carries.

Daniel returned a punt 52 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter and caught a 42-yard touchdown early in the third quarter. The Louisville transfer ended the night with 63 yards on three catches and 115 yards total.

“E.J. was a playmaker for us tonight and we have to find a way to keep the ball in his hands,” said Simpson. “He gives us that wiggle and speed that we need.”

Tennessee Tech 27, No. 24 Eastern Kentucky 14 (THURSDAY)

Tennessee Tech scored 20 unanswered points to upset the OVC favorite and give head coach Doug Malone his first ever Division I victory.

“You can’t imagine how good that feels,” Malone said after the game. “Heavenly. That’s a big win. To knock them off here, ranked, the way we played together, to hang in there when we made mistakes.

TTU (1-3, 1-0) tailback Anthony Ash rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown and receiver Larry Shipp grabbed two scores as the Golden Eagles avenged a 52-3 loss in Richmond, Ky., last season.

“We played as a team, we hung in there, kept believing,” Malone said. “That’s what matters the most. I don’t think a lot of people believed we could beat Eastern Kentucky but our kids believed that they could and they came out and played like it.”

Eastern Kentucky quarterback and Walter Payton Award finalist Josh Greco ended the game 21 of 35 for 211 yards and two total touchdowns along with one interception.

The Colonels (2-2, 0-1) have lost three of their last four OVC openers under head coach Danny Hope and lost the last two on the road.

No. 6 Illinois State 35, Murray State 14

Illinois State tailback Pierre Rembert ran early and often as the sixth-ranked Redbirds survived a scary first half en route to a non-conference road victory.

The Michigan transfer rushed for 184 yards on 39 carries to lead Illinois State to 21 consecutive points in the second half to pull away.

After the Racers (1-3, 0-1) pulled even at the break, the Redbirds (3-1) turned two MSU turnovers into 14 points early in the third quarter to seal the victory.

The Racers went into the locker room at the break knotted up at 14-14. Illinois State picked up 67 yards on the ground in the first quarter but the MSU defense limited the Redbirds to just 16 yards on 15 carries in the second frame.

Murray State turned the ball over on its first two possessions of the second half and ISU capitalized with a pair of scores to stretch the lead.

Barnard fumbled when he was sacked at the Murray nine yard line and Rembert took it the distance on the Redbirds’ first play for a 21-14 advantage.

Five minutes into the fourth quarter, the Redbirds finished off a 15-play, 80-yard drive that chewed up 6:48 off the clock. ISU quarterback Luke Drone handed off to Rembert 12 times, including nine straight, as the senior picked up 69 yards. Drone capped it off with a six-yard pass to Laurent Robinson for the score.

Vanderbilt 38, Tennessee State 9

Vanderbilt unleashed a 21-point explosion in just over two minutes to ensure not only its first win of the season, but a victory against cross-town Tennessee State in the school’s first-ever meeting.

The Commodores held TSU to minus-17 yards of total offense in the first quarter, allowing Vanderbilt to take an early 10-0 lead.

The game quickly slipped away from TSU late in the third quarter, a momentum shift that began with a rare interception from within the other team’s end zone. Under heavy pressure from Vanderbilt linebacker Jonathan Goff, TSU quarterback Antonio Heffner threw a pass from within his own end zone that was batted and ultimately intercepted by Marcus Buggs for a touchdown.