Ellis paces Tennessee St. to early lead and Tigers go on to beat Mississippi Valley St. 41-21

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Draylen Ellis threw for three touchdowns and Tennessee State used a three-touchdown opening quarter to cruise to a 41-21 win over Mississippi Valley State in a season opener on Saturday.

It was Tennessee State's first opening-day win since Aug. 31, 2019 when it beat Mississippi Valley State 26-20.

Ellis threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Jalal Dean on the game's opening drive. On the Tigers' third possession, Ellis threw a 1-yard score to Jordan Gant to end a six-play, 77-yard drive. The scoring opportunity was set up when Ellis connected with Dean for 72 yards.

Later, Tennessee State's Micah Gray returned a fumble 54 yards for a touchdown with 1:54 left in the first quarter for a 21-0 advantage. Following James Lowery's 20-yard field goal, Ellis threw a 31-yard touchdown to Karate Brenson with 1:06 before halftime for a 31-0 lead.

The Delta Devils scored when Jaydyn Sisk threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Kerrick Ross at the end of a 13-play, 81-yard drive with 13:45 left. On the Tigers' following drive, Jalen Rouse ran it in from 20 yards out following a 55-yard reception from Ells to Brenson.

Sisk threw for 110 yards and a touchdown and reserve Ruben Lee threw a touchdown for the Delta Devils.

TSU leads the series 6-3. TSU has never visited Itta Bena, Mississippi, with seven of the eight games held in Tennessee. The only game outside of the Volunteer State took place in 1988 at the Circle City Classic at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis. --- Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football