• OVC Football Report - September 24 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Saturday, September 29
*#19 Eastern Kentucky at UT Martin, 11:00 a.m. (FOX College Sports)
*Austin Peay at Eastern Illinois, 1:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Southeast Missouri at Jacksonville St., 3:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
at Tennessee State, 5:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Tennessee Tech at Murray State, 6:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
This Week’s OVC Highlights/Storylines
Week Four of the 2012 season proved to be a wild one in the OVC, as two games went to overtime and three teams scored 49 or more points...Overall in four Conference games teams combined to score 287 points and net 3,641 yards of total offense...Eastern Illinois and Murray State combined for a NCAA FCS record 210 plays in its shootout, breaking the old record of 196 previously held by Villanova and Connecticut (in 1989); Murray State ran 110 of those plays, setting a new OVC record in that category...EIU, however, would win the game, 50-49, on a two-point conversion pass by wide receiver Erik Lora in overtime...Lora, who was named National Player of the Week by both the Sports Network and College Sporting News, set a new OVC record by catching 21 passes (breaking Harold Roberts of Austin Peay’s record established in 1969) for 269 yards and three touchdowns and made that winning two-point conversion pass on a reverse...It marked the second-straight overtime game for EIU, who lost 54-51 in double overtime to nationally-ranked Illinois State the previous week...The other overtime game saw Southeast Missouri best defending OVC champion Tennessee Tech 41-38 in two overtimes; in that game TTU wideout Da’Rick Rogers caught 18 passes for 303 yards and two touchdowns...SEMO’s Branden Spann returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown in that game, tying the OVC and NCAA record...In a matchup of nationally-ranked foes, No. 21 Eastern Kentucky won its third-straight against No. 24 Jacksonville State, winning convincingly 51-21; EKU running back Matt Denham rushed for 218 yards and two touchdowns and also caught a touchdown pass...EKU moved up to 19th in both FCS Top 25 polls on Monday and is the only OVC team currently ranked...After winning a non-conference game at Bethune-Cookman, Tennessee State improved to 4-0 overall for the first time since the 2008 season...This week’s games feature the first of six national TV games on FOX College Sports for the OVC; in that game Eastern Kentucky will play at UT Martin in a battle of team that are 1-0 in the OVC and 3-1 overall (with the lone loss for each team coming to FBS schools)...In other action Eastern Illinois hosts Austin Peay, Southeast Missouri is at Jacksonville State, Tennessee Tech plays at Murray State and Tennessee State hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff in non-conference action.
adidas® OVC Players of the Week
OFFENSIVE
Erik Lora, WR • R-Jr., 5-10, 181 • Miami, Fla. • Eastern Illinois
Lora broke a 43-year old OVC record for catches in a game, grabbing 21 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns in Eastern Illinois’ 50-49 overtime win over Murray State on Saturday night. But his most important contribution was throwing the winning two-point conversion pass off a reverse, as he connected with Von Wise to give the Panthers the one-point victory. The 21 catches broke the previous OVC mark of 20 set by Austin Peay’s Harold Roberts in 1969 and are the most by a player at any level of NCAA football this season and fourth-most in FCS history; it was just three catches off the all-time FCS record held by two players, including Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice. Lora set the EIU single-game record for receiving yards and became just the sixth Panthers wide receiver to have 200 or more receiving yards in a game. The redshirt junior had 13 receptions for 172 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter alone, grabbing touchdown passes of 10, 23 and 37 yards to put his team ahead 20-7. Lora currently ranks first nationally in total receiving yards (647), receptions/game (12.0) and receiving yards/game (161.75) and 12th nationally in all-purpose yards (163.75/game).
Others Nominated: Matt Denham, Eastern Kentucky; Walter Powell, Murray State; Trabis Ward, Tennessee State; Tre Lamb, Tennessee Tech; Derek Carr, UT Martin.
DEFENSIVE
Cejay Ceniza, DB • Sr., 5-11, 183 • Las Vegas, Nev. • Eastern Kentucky
Ceniza accounted for three turnovers as No. 21 Eastern Kentucky opened OVC play with a 51-21 victory over No. 24 Jacksonville State. The senior notched his first EKU interception in the first quarter and in the second quarter Ceniza recovered a fumble which led to a Colonel touchdown seven plays later as the team went on top 27-8. He capped off the night by intercepting a pass in the fourth quarter which he returned 84 yards for a touchdown, putting his team on top 51-15 with 14:45 to play. It marked the fourth-longest interception return in the FCS this season. Ceniza also added four solo tackles on the night.
Others Nominated: LeQuince McCall, Eastern Illinois; Blake Peiffer, Southeast Missouri; Andrew Taylor, Tennessee State; Fred Flenorl, UT Martin.
CO-SPECIALIST
Jordan Benton, K • So., 5-8, 165 • Murray, Ky. • Murray State
Benton tied the Murray State record for field goals made in a game by connecting on 5-of-5 attempts in his team’s 50-49 overtime loss at Eastern Illinois. The sophomore connected from 39, 30, 35, 36 and 21 yards in the game and was also 4-of-4 on point after attempts in scoring 19 total points. The five field goals made is tied for the most in a single game at any level of NCAA football this season (and are the most by any FCS player), while his 19 points are seventh-most by a FCS player this year. Benton connected on a 21-yard field goal with 5:11 to play in regulation to force overtime. Benton currently ranks 11th nationally in field goals made/game (1.50).
CO-SPECIALIST
Drew Geldbach, K • Sr., 6-0, 205 • Wildwood, Mo. • Southeast Missouri
Geldbach, who ranks sixth nationally in field goal (1.75/game), hit both the game-tying and game-winning field goals in Southeast Missouri’s 41-38 double overtime victory over Tennessee Tech. With 3:58 to play in regulation, the senior connected from 39 yards out to tie the game at 31 and force overtime. In the second overtime of the contest Geldbach hit from 34 yards out to put Southeast on top for good (as TTU would miss its field goal attempt on its next possession). Geldbach was also a perfect 5-of-5 on point after attempts and scored 11 total points on the night. On the season Geldbach is 7-of-8 on field goals and 13-of-13 on PATs.
Others Nominated: Stephen Stansell, Austin Peay; Taylor Kerr, Eastern Illinois; Gabriel Chambers, Jacksonville State; Daniel Fitzpatrick, Tennessee State.
NEWCOMER
Da’Rick Rogers, WR • Jr., 6-3, 206 • Calhoun, Ga. • Tennessee Tech
Rogers caught a school record 18 passes for 303 yards and two touchdowns in Tennessee Tech’s heartbreaking 41-38 double overtime loss at Southeast Missouri on Saturday. The junior transfer from Tennessee set Tennessee Tech records for catches, yards and all-purpose yards during the game. His 18 catches were three off the OVC record while the 303 yards was 13 yards shy of the OVC all-time mark. The 303 receiving yards is tied for the most at any NCAA level of football in 2012. Rogers caught a 38-yard touchdown in the first quarter and added an 11-yard score in the second quarter. Overall he averaged 16.83 yards/catch on the night. Rogers, who also won the Newcomer of the week honor in Week 1 of the season, ranks fifth nationally in receiving yards/game (127.75) and 15th in receptions/game (7.25).
Others Nominated: Jourdan Wickliffe, Eastern Illinois; Jordan Benton, Murray State; A.C. Leonard, Tennessee State; Jeremy Butler, UT Martin.
Notes From Around the Gridiron
Lora Establishes OVC Single-Game Receptions Record: Eastern Illinois redshirt junior wide receiver
Erik Lora broke one of the oldest standing records in the OVC record book on Sept. 22 when he caught 21 passes in the Panthers 50-49 overtime victory over Murray State. The record was previously 20 set by Austin Peay’s Harold Roberts against Murray State in the 1969 season. The 21 catches are the fourth-most in a single game in Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) history (the record is 24 by Mississippi Valley State’s Jerry Rice and Brown’s Chas Gessner). The 21 catches are the most by a player at any level of NCAA football this season.
Lora Named National Player of the Week by Sports Network and National All-Star of the Week by College Sporting News (Sept. 24): After catching an OVC record 21 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns and also throwing the winning two-point conversion pass to lift his team to a 50-49 overtime win over Murray State, Eastern Illinois redshirt junior wide receiver
Erik Lora was named National Co-Player of the Week by the Sports Network and National All-Star of the Week by the College Sporting News on Sept. 24. Lora broke a 43-year old OVC record by catching the 21 passes; the mark is the fourth-most catches in FCS single-game history (just three off the all-time record). Lora had 13 catches for 172 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter of that game.
Eastern Illinois/Murray State Set NCAA Record for Combined Plays: In its Sept. 22 game, Eastern Illinois and Murray State combined for 210 plays which shattered the previous NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) record of 196 plays set by Villanova and UConn in 1989. Eastern Illinois won the game 50-49 in overtime.
Murray State Sets OVC Record for Total Plays: In its Sept. 22 game at Eastern Illinois, Murray State set a new OVC record for total plays by one team, running 110 plays and breaking the previous mark of 106 set by Eastern Illinois the previous week against Illinois State.
Spann Ties OVC Record With 100-Yard Interception Return: Southeast Missouri State senior safety
Branden Spann intercepted a pass against Tennessee Tech on Sept. 22 and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. The interception return tied the OVC record also held by
Ray Oldham of Middle Tennessee (1970),
George Floyd of Eastern Kentucky (1980) and
Eddie Calvin of Southeast Missouri (2007). Spann is one of 39 all-time players in NCAA FCS history to return an interception 100 yards for a score.
An Offense Explosion: In the four Conference games on Sept. 22, eight OVC teams combined to score 287 points and account for 3,641 yards of total offense. The night saw three teams score 49 or more points, as Eastern Kentucky scored 51, Eastern Illinois scored 50 and Murray State scored 49 points. It is the most combined points in Conference games since the league went from 10 to nine teams in 2007.
OVC Announces Six-Game TV Deal with FOX College Sports; First Game Airs Saturday: The OVC has announced a six-game football television package that will air on FOX College Sports (FCS) this fall. The six-game schedule will feature each of the nine OVC football-playing institutions at least once during the season and will start with a Sept. 29 contest between Eastern Kentucky and UT Martin. Other games in the package include Tennessee State at Jacksonville State (Oct. 20), Eastern Illinois at Eastern Kentucky (Oct. 27), Tennessee State at Murray State (Nov. 3), Southeast Missouri at Eastern Illinois (Nov. 10) and Tennessee Tech at Austin Peay (Nov. 17). Each game will kick off at 11 a.m. CT. Kevin Ingram, host of “The Wake Up Zone” on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville, will handle play-by-play duties while and Bob Belvin, host of “The Team” on Sports Radio 540 The Fan in Clarksville, will provide analysis. FOX College Sports (FCS) is a set of three national college sports Networks, FCS Atlantic, FCS Central and FCS Pacific, providing 72-hours of college sports programming each day. FCS is available on most major TV providers including AT&T U-verse, Charter, Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS. For complete TV provider information and availability log onto
http://fcs.channelfinder.net/start.asp. The games will also air on a delayed basis each week at 10 p.m. CT on FOX Sports South.
Rogers, Ceniza and Benton Earn National Positional Honors From College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) For Week No. 4: Four OVC players earned National Positional Player of the Week honors from the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) following week four of the season. Tennessee Tech’s
Da’Rick Rogers was named National Wide Receiver of the Week, Eastern Kentucky’s
Cejay Ceniza was named National Defensive Back of the Week and Murray State’s
Jordan Benton was named National Placekicker of the Week. Rogers caught 18 passes for 303 yards and two touchdowns, Ceniza forced three turnovers including returning an interception 84 yards for a touchdown and Benton was a perfect 5-of-5 on field goals and 4-of-4 on PATs. In addition to those players 14 other OVC players earned honorable mention honors for the week. The goal of CFPA is to provide the most scientifically rigorous conferments in college football. Recipients are selected exclusively based upon objective scientific rankings of the extent to which individual players increase the overall effectiveness of their teams.
OVC Teams in the Top 25: Entering Week 5 of the season Eastern Kentucky is the only OVC team to be ranked in one of the national Top 25 FCS polls. The Colonels are 19th in both the Sports Network and FCS Coaches polls. Jacksonville State was ranked in the Sports Network poll last week but fell out after a loss to EKU. After starting the season 4-0, Tennessee State has nearly cracked the Top 25, unofficially coming in at 27th in both polls. UT Martin and JSU are each receiving votes in both polls, while Eastern Illinois and Tennessee Tech are also receiving votes in the Sports Network poll.
NCAA Stats Leaders: In the latest set of NCAA statistical leaders, Eastern Illinois wide receiver
Erik Lora is first nationally in receptions/game (12.0), receiving yards/game (161.75) and total receiving yards (647), fifth in scoring (11.0 points/game) and 12th in all-purpose yards (163.75/game). Tennessee Tech wide receiver
Da’Rick Rogers is third in total receiving yards (509) and fifth in receiving yards/game (127.75) while Murray State’s
Walter Powell is third in receptions (10.25/game). Eastern Kentucky quarterback
T.J. Pryor is first in passing efficiency (180.87). Eastern Illinois quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo ranks second nationally in total passing yards (1,374), third in total offense (336.5 yards/game), third in passing yards/game (343.5), fifth in completions (30.75/game) and fifth in points responsible for (20.5/game). Murray State quarterback
Casey Brockman is first nationally in completions (36.0/game), fourth in total passing yards (1,298), fourth in total offense (324.25 yards/game) and fifth in passing yards/game (324.5). Tennessee Tech quarterback
Tre Lamb is sixth in points responsible for (18.0/game), seventh in total passing yards (1,139), ninth in passing yards/game (284.75) and ninth in passing efficiency (162.0). EKU running back
Matt Denham is eighth in rushing (138.0 yards/game) and eighth in scoring (10.5 points/game) while Tennessee State’s
Trabis Ward is also eighth in scoring (10.5 points/game). Southeast Missouri’s
Drew Geldbach is sixth in field goals (1.75 made/game) while Redhawks linebacker
Blake Peiffer is eighth in tackles (11.75/game). In the team rankings Eastern Illinois ranks first nationally in fumbles recovered (8), fourth in turnovers gained (12), , fourth in passing offense (373.5 yards/game), seventh in scoring offense (42.75 points/game) and eighth in total offense (485.75 yards/game). Southeast Missouri ranks first nationally in turnovers gained (16) and passes intercepted (10), sixth in turnover margin (+1.75/game), eighth in interceptions thrown (1) and ninth in fumbles recovered (6). Eastern Kentucky ranks fourth in turnovers gained (12), sixth in turnover margin (+1.75/game) and seventh in passes intercepted (7). Tennessee State ranks fifth in scoring defense (13.5 points/game), sixth in red zone defense (57%) and ninth in pass efficiency defense (98.33). Tennessee Tech ranks fourth in fumbles lost (1), Murray State is sixth in passing offense (331.5 yards/game) and UT Martin ranks fifth in red zone defense (56%) and eighth in kickoff returns (27.0 yards/return).
Attendance Figures: Tennessee State played in front of 42,257 fans on Sept. 8 against Jackson State in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. That is the most fans to see a FCS game so far in the 2012 season. In average home attendance Jacksonville State currently ranks seventh nationally after 18,993 fans saw its game with Chattanooga on Sept. 8 while TSU is 18th nationally 14,958 in two home games.
OVC Teams Versus FBS Foes: OVC schools will play 11 games against teams from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) this season. In week one of the season UT Martin topped Memphis 20-17 in the Liberty Bowl as Cody Sandlin hit a 43-yard field goal with four seconds remaining. It marked the first-ever win over an FBS team for UT Martin and the first loss for Memphis against an FCS foe in 23 years. It was the first OVC win over an FBS team since the 2010 season when Jacksonville State topped Ole Miss in double overtime. Overall OVC teams are 19-158-1 all-time against FBS foes. Below is a listing of the current OVC schools and wins over FBS schools while a member of the league. Five of the wins over FBS teams for OVC teams have been accomplished by teams no longer in the OVC (Akron, Middle Tennessee, Morehead State and Youngstown State - twice) and are not listed below.
1979 - Eastern Kentucky vs. Kent State (W, 17-14)
1979 - Eastern Kentucky vs. Cal State Fullerton (W, 33-17)
1980 - Eastern Kentucky vs. East Carolina (W, 28-16)
1980 - Murray State vs. Louisville (W, 13-9)
1984 - Austin Peay vs. Central Florida (W, 24-21)
1984 - Murray State vs. Louisville (W, 26-23)
1985 - Eastern Kentucky vs. Louisville (W, 45-21)
1987 - Austin Peay vs. Kansas State (W, 25-22)
1996 - Eastern Illinois vs. Western Michigan (W, 28-20)
1998 - Eastern Illinois vs. Northern Illinois (W, 24-10)
2002 - Southeast Missouri vs. Middle Tennessee (W, 24-14)
2004 - Eastern Illinois vs. Eastern Michigan (W, 31-28)
2010 - Jacksonville State vs. Ole Miss (W, 49-48, 2OT)
2012 - UT Martin vs. Memphis (W, 20-17)
FCS over FBS: Including UT Martin’s win against Memphis in Week 1 of the 2012 season, four Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams topped Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. Other FCS teams to win included Eastern Washington (Idaho), McNeese State (Middle Tennessee) and Youngstown State (Pitt). Week two of the season saw four more FCS schools (Illinois State over Eastern Michigan, North Dakota State over Minnesota, Northern Arizona over UNLV and Sacramento State over Colorado) win games against FBS schools, while Cal Poly made it nine teams with a win over Wyoming in Week 3.
Sgt. York Trophy Enters Sixth Season in 2012: The Sgt. York Trophy is a challenge trophy which goes to the annual winner of the quadrangular season series between the four football-playing OVC institutions in the state of Tennessee (Austin Peay, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech and UT Martin). In July 2007, the Nashville Sports Council and the OVC announced the creation of the trophy, which is only the second traveling trophy involving more than two schools nationwide (the other is the Commander in Chief’s Trophy). It is named after Sgt. Alvin C. York, a native of Pall Mall, Tenn. and a Soldier who was one of the most honored of World War I. He received the Congressional Medal of Honor after the war and returned to his home state to dedicate his life to improving education and facilitating educational opportunities for children in the state of Tennessee. The trophy goes to the team with the best record against the other schools (in case of a tie there will be co-champions and the actual trophy will be retained by the defending champion if they are involved in the tie or if the defending champion is not involved in the tie it will go to the institution that has gone the most seasons without winning the trophy). In 2007 Tennessee State and Austin Peay finished in a tie for the trophy with identical 2-1 records; both shared the award but Tennessee State went home with the hardware due to a 1-point win in the head-to-head meeting during the season (that was the tiebreaker used only for the first year of the trophy series). Tennessee State went 3-0 in Sgt. York play in 2008 to claim its second trophy. In 2009 Tennessee Tech claimed the trophy after going undefeated in Sgt. York games and a year ago UT Martin became the third-straight OVC team to go 3-0 and win the trophy in claiming its first title. Last year Tennessee Tech and Tennessee State each finished 2-1 in Sgt. York play this season to share the trophy; Tennessee State, however, took home the actual trophy by a tiebreaker, since they had gone longer without possessing the trophy (TSU last won in 2008 while TTU won in 2009). The trophy is presented at the Pepsi Celebration of Champions hosted by the Nashville Sports Council in the spring.
NCAA Division I Playoff Information: This season marks the third of the expanded 20-team playoff field. Two years ago the field was expanded from 16 to 20 teams, marking the first expansion since the field grew from 12 to 16 teams in 1997. The eight lowest-rated teams will play in first round games while the 12-highest rated teams will receive a bye into the second round. For the third-straight year the championship game will be played in Frisco, Texas at FC Dallas Stadium. The Southland Conference will serve as the host of the championship, which will be held on Saturday, January 5. The playoff field will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 18. It was announced in August 2012 that the field would once again expand, this time to 24 teams beginning in the 2013 season. With the expansion will come an automatic bid for the Pioneer League, giving the playoffs 11 automatic bids and 13 at-large selections.
Murray State’s Brockman, EKU’s Denham on Walter Payton Award Watch List: Murray State senior quarterback
Casey Brockman and Eastern Kentucky senior running back
Matt Denham are two of the 20 players on the initial 2012 Walter Payton Award Watch List as determined by the Sports Network. The Walter Payton Award was established in 1987 and is presented annually to the most outstanding college football player on the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The Watch List can undergo revision during the season. Ballots will be sent to a panel of about 175 sports information/media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries following the regular season on Nov. 19. The top three vote-getters will be invited to The Sports Network FCS Awards Presentation. The only former OVC player to win the award is former Eastern Illinois quarterback Tony Romo who took home the honor in 2002.
Southeast Missouri’s Peiffer on Buck Buchanan Watch List: Southeast Missouri State senior linebacker
Blake Peiffer is one of 20 players on the initial Buck Buchanan Award Watch List as determined by the Sports Network. The Buck Buchanan Award was established in 1995 and is given to the top defensive player at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The Watch List can undergo revision during the season. Ballots will be sent to a panel of about 175 sports information/media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries following the regular season on Nov. 19. The winner will be announced at the annual Sports Network FCS Awards Presentation. An OVC player has never won the Buck Buchanan Award.
Smith Named National Defensive All-Star of the Week (Sept. 10): Jacksonville State junior linebacker
Rashad Smith was named the National Defensive All-Star of the Week by the College Sporting News following his performance against Chattanooga on Sept. 8. Smith had a career-high 15 tackles (11 solo stops) in the team’s 27-24 victory over the Mocs. He also forced a fumble that teammate Pierre Warren recovered and returned 75 yards for a touchdown.
Huzzie Named National Linebacker of the Week From College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) For Week No. 2: Murray State junior
Qua Huzzie was named the National Linebacker of the Week from the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) after registering nine tackles, four tackles-for-loss and his first career interception against nationally-ranked Central Arkansas. In addition to Huzzie seven other OVC players earned honorable mention honors for the week.
Garoppolo Named National All-Star By College Sporting News (Sept. 3): Eastern Illinois junior quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo was named a National All-Star by College Sporting News after his performance in Week 1 of the season against Southern Illinois. Garoppolo completed 32-of-49 passes for a career-high 369 yards and five touchdowns in the 49-28 victory.
Garoppolo and Fox Earn National Player of the Week Honors From College Sports Journal (Sept. 5): Eastern Illinois quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo and Eastern Kentucky defensive back
Brooklyn Fox earned National Player of the Week honors from College Sports Journal for their performances in Week 1 of the season. Garoppolo completed 32-of-49 passes for a career-high 369 yards and five touchdowns in the 49-28 victory while Fox intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble in a loss to FBS Purdue.
Five OVC Players Earns Honors From College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) For Week No. 1; Garoppolo Named National Performer of the Week: Eastern Illinois quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo was named the National Performer of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) after throwing for 369 yards and five touchdowns in EIU’s win over Southern Illinois. Garoppolo was also named one of the organization’s National Quarterbacks of the Week, sharing the honor with Tennessee Tech’s
Tre Lamb, who threw for 339 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Hampton. Eastern Illinois wide receiver
Erik Lora was named National Wide Receiver of the Week after catching 13 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Among the other wideouts sharing the award is Jacksonville State’s
Alan Bonner who had eight catches for 107 yards and a touchdown against No. 10 Arkansas. Eastern Kentucky defensive back
Brooklyn Fox was named National Defensive Back of the Week after picking off two passes and recovering a fumble in the Colonels game at Purdue. In addition to this group seven other OVC players earned honorable mention honors for the week.
A Look at the Coaches: Eight of the nine head coaches from last season return to their schools in the Ohio Valley Conference this season. The only newcomer is Eastern Illinois head coach Dino Babers, who took over for Bob Spoo who retired following a 25-year career at the school. Babers was most recently the special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach at Baylor. Jacksonville State’s
Jack Crowe is the longest tenured coach in the league (in his 13th season at JSU). Two OVC coaches, Austin Peay’s
Rick Christophel and Tennessee State’s
Rod Reed, are currently coaching at their alma maters.
Preseason Forecasts: For the 12th time in the last 25 years (and first time since 2009), Eastern Kentucky was picked as the preseason favorite in the Ohio Valley Conference football race. The Colonels picked up 12 of the 18 possible first-place votes (124 points) while second-place Jacksonville State received the other six first-place votes (117). The poll was rounded out by Murray State (85 points), Tennessee Tech (83), Tennessee State (69), UT Martin (67), Southeast Missouri (44), Eastern Illinois (42) and Austin Peay (17). Is being picked first in the preseason poll necessarily a good thing? In the past 34 years of preseason polls (all that were available), the preseason predicted champion has only gone on to win the OVC Championship 13 times (38.2%). After eight years of not picking the champion right (2003-2010), last season the preseason poll and actual champion (be it by a three-way tie) were the same.
Murray State’s Brockman, Southeast Missouri’s Peiffer Headline Preseason All-OVC Team: Murray State senior quarterback
Casey Brockman was named 2012 Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while Southeast Missouri State senior linebacker
Blake Peiffer was tabbed OVC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year in a vote of by the league’s head football coaches and sports information directors. Eastern Kentucky led the way with 10 selections on the preseason team while Murray State, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech had three picks apiece. Returning players who were first-team All-OVC selections last season (13 in total) were automatic selections to the preseason team this year. The squad also included nine players who were second-team selections in 2011. Of the 26 total selections, 18 were seniors, six were juniors and two were sophomores.
NFL Connections: As of September 14, there are 14 former Ohio Valley Conference players are on NFL rosters (9 active players, 4 practice squad players and 1 on IR). Those players include former Eastern Illinois standout Tony Romo, a three-time Pro Bowl pick, Cortland Finnegan (Samford), who has been a Pro Bowl defensive back selection and Tennessee State’s Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who was a starter for the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, has been a Pro Bowl selection and is now in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles. Seven of the nine current OVC football schools have at least one player in the NFL with Eastern Kentucky and Southeast Missouri leading the way with two active players apiece.
I-AA No More: Although some people may accidentally still refer to it as I-AA football, the term that represents the level of Division I football in which the Ohio Valley Conference competes has been retired. Beginning with the 2006 National Championship game, the term Football Championship Subdivision (or FCS) is to be used. FCS is the only Division I football rank to host a NCAA-sponsored national championship (one of 89 championships the NCAA sponsors). The division formerly known as I-A was changed to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and those teams compete for the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) national championship. Teams who play at the FCS level can offer a maximum of 63 scholarships (FBS teams can offer 85) and compete in a 20-team playoff at the end of the season to determine the national champion.
OVC Digital Network: The OVC launched the OVC Digital Network (OVCDN) in August 2012. The OVCDN is the exclusive home for live web streamed athletic contests involving OVC schools. This marks the seventh year the OVC has streamed live events, but first time the events will be offered free of charge and in an HD format and will feature improved quality thanks to an investment in new equipment conference-wide. Fans will also find it easier to log onto
OVCDigitalNetwork.com and access the streams and can do so without any registration. The events will be available on any computer, tablet or smart phone without needing any special downloads or apps thanks new streaming technology.