Know the Opponent: Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
By Mike Vamosi
Wednesday we looked at a FCS opponent and today will look at another then finish with the Football Championship Subdivision on Monday. Tennessee Tech went 7-4 and 6-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference a season ago they’ll also come to Eugene on September 15 for a noon Pac-12 Network kickoff against the Ducks.
5-9 senior Tre Lamb returns for the Golden Eagles after a 2011 season which he threw for 2,342 yards with 17 touchdowns. He also had six scores on the ground in addition to rushing for 213 yards with his longest being 50 yards. Lamb is also the teams leading returner rusher from last year’s team.
The team loses 1,000 yard rusher Dontey Gay so they’ll have a big hole to fill this upcoming season. Junior Cody Forbes ran for 129 yards reaching the endzone twice, he and senior WR/RB Zack Ziegler will be counted on to provide some production after having 110 yards and a touchdown last season.
Ziegler will shoulder the load being the teams leading returning receiver with 375 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore Cody Matthews also returns he had 169 yards, three scores with a 14.1 per catch average. Junior RB/TE Doug Page who played in all 11 games had 112 yards receiving will be counted on being able to play multiple positions.
Sophomore defensive back Austin Tallant who led the team in tackles last season with 92, 34 solo and 58 assisted. Senior inside linebacker Howard Griffin was tied for second in tackles in 2011 is also back after a 79, 22 solo with 47 assisted tackles on the season which included a sack.
Head coach Watson Brown whose brother is Mack Brown head coach at Texas has talent returning but will it be enough to make the playoffs or take the OVC? Oregon is the only FBS team they’ll face in 2012 and they’ll have six home games this season.
2012 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles Schedule –
Hampton 8/30
North Greenville 9/6
@Oregon 9/15
@Southeast Missouri State 9/22
@Murray State 9/29
Jacksonville State 10/6
Eastern Kentucky 10/20
@Tennessee State 10/27
Eastern Illinois 11/3
Tennessee-Martin 11/10
@Austin Peay 11/17
Previous Previewed Teams –
July 2 – Nicholls Colonels (32)
July 6 – Northern Colorado (31)
July 12 – UNLV (30)
July 13 – Duke (29)
July 16 – Colorado State (28)
July 18 – Sacramento State (27)
July 20 – Fresno State (26)
July 23 – Rice (25)
July 25 – San Jose State (24)
July 27 – Syracuse (23)
July 29 – Southern Utah (22)
August 1 – Eastern Washington (21)
August 3 – Hawai’i (20)
August 6 – Ohio State (19)
August 8 – South Carolina State (18)
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