Tennessee State struggled to find an offensive rhythm and managed just 131 total yards in a 59-3 loss to defending national champion North Dakota State on Saturday at Nissan Stadium.
The Tigers (1-1) were limited to four first downs and went 1 of 13 on third-down conversions before a home crowd of 8,569. Their only points came on a 45-yard field goal from freshman kicker Freddy Perez with 4:05 left in the fourth quarter. Perez also missed a 49-yard attempt earlier.
Kendric Rhymes led TSU with 43 rushing yards on 12 carries, while Zack Simmons-Brown added 32 yards, including a 31-yard run that set up the Tigers’ lone scoring drive. Jonathan Palmer completed 5 of 13 passes for 38 yards, and Byron Davis picked off a pass in the fourth quarter for TSU’s lone takeaway.
North Dakota State (2-0) capitalized on short fields and big plays to pull away early, building a 45-0 halftime lead. The Bison finished with 433 yards of offense, led by running back Barika Kpeenu’s three rushing touchdowns.
Tennessee State will stay at Nissan Stadium next Saturday when it hosts Alabama A&M in the Legacy Series. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
This story was drafted using an AI tool based on the official game box score and was then reviewed and edited by a journalist before publishing.
