CHARLESTON, S.C. – Charleston Southern football earned its second win in the Big South-OVC Association Saturday evening, beating Tennessee State 35-21. The Bucs used two scores in the final 2:30 to lay claim to the contest.

DEFENSIVE LEADING TO POINTS
Charleston Southern continues to be led by their defense and they were on full display in the win Saturday night. Dominic Pagano was the first to make his presence known as he scooped up a strip sack and returned it 69 yards to the house to give the Bucs a 21-7 lead midway through the second. Darius Bell had the other notable play with Bryce Llewellyn strip sack, returning the loose ball to the TSU 18 to set up the go-ahead score late in the fourth.

RUFF GROUND
Running back TJ Ruff laid a stamp on the contest as well for Charleston Southern, as he opened the scoring early in the contest with a 24-yard score to give the Bucs a 7-0 lead. His second and final score came as the last score of the contest, bouncing one out to the right side and finding pay dirt to make it a 35-31 game and putting things out of reach of the Tigers.

DIRTY BLUE
Charleston Southern used a strong showing from the defensive side of the ball, especially in the closing minutes of the fourth stanza to pace the win Saturday evening. Eight different Buccaneers recorded tackles for loss, six of which recorded sacks. Five different Bucs forced fumbles and three of the five were recovered but CSU, including Bell's two recoveries. Pagano laid claim to the other forced turnover with an interception to add to his defensive score. Malik Barnes collected the most tackles, collecting eight stops, six of the eight being solo.
 
NUMBERS, NUMBERS AND MORE NUMBERS
Isaiah Bess made his first start at quarterback on the season, finishing the night 9-19 through the air totaling 84 yards and two scores. Will Kakavitsas found the endzone for the second-straight game in one of the two passing scores while Jaden Scott made up the other. Ruff gained 78 yards on the ground on 19 touches, also claiming two scores of his own.

RECORDS
Charleston Southern: 4-5, 2-2 Big South-OVC
Tennessee State: 6-3, 2-2 Big South-OVC

UP NEXT
The Buccaneers hit the road for their next affair as they make their second-ever trip to Moon Township, Pennsylvania to take on Robert Morris Saturday, November 11. The two teams have met just three times previously, Charleston Southern taking two of the three meetings including last season's 34-21 win in Charleston.