COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — Jalen Mitchell had an impressive performance, rushing for 131 yards on 20 attempts, leading Tennessee Tech to a decisive victory over Eastern Illinois with a score of 23-6 on Saturday.

The Eagles concluded their regular season with a strong finish, claiming five consecutive wins and sharing the conference title with Southeast Missouri State, UT Martin, and Tennessee State. Their record stands at 7-5 overall and 6-2 within the Big South-OVC Association.

In terms of tiebreakers, SEMO and Tech both hold 2-1 composite records against TSU and UT Martin, who recorded 1-2. The deciding factor was the head-to-head match-up between SEMO and Tech, where SEMO emerged victorious, thereby securing an automatic berth for the FCS playoffs.

Dom LeBlanc initially put the Golden Eagles on the scoreboard with two field goals from distances of 46 and 20 yards, establishing a 6-0 lead. This was followed by a touchdown from Jordan Yates, who capped off a nine-play, 80-yard drive with a 9-yard run, bringing the score to 13-0 just before halftime with 3:49 remaining.

LeBlanc contributed again in the third quarter, adding a 22-yard field goal that extended the lead to 16 points. For the Panthers, who finished the season at 3-9 with a 2-6 conference record, Jay Pearson achieved their only touchdown with a 2-yard run during a lengthy 10-play, 75-yard drive that consumed more than five minutes. However, the subsequent two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful.

Tyler Wilson then scored a 9-yard touchdown run with 11:04 left in the game, rounding out the scoring for Tennessee Tech.