Teleconference Audio
Below is embedded audio from this week's OVC Football Coaches media teleconference. For a listing of this week's games and previews scroll down below the audio links.
This Week’s Schedule
Saturday, October 25
*Tennessee State at Eastern Illinois, 1:30 p.m. (ESPN3)
*Southeast Missouri at #18 Eastern Kentucky, 2:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
* Austin Peay at UT Martin, 2:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Tennessee Tech at #6 Jacksonville State, 3:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
Kentucky Wesleyan
at Murray State, 3:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
Tennessee State Tigers (4-4, 1-3 OVC)
at Eastern Illinois Panthers (2-5, 2-1 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 25 • 1:30 p.m. CT
O’Brien Field (10,000) • Charleston, Ill.
TV:...................................................................... ESPN3
Live Stats:..........
http://www.sidearmstats.com/eiu/football
Series Record:.......................... Eastern Illinois leads 10-7
Last Meeting:............... Eastern Illinois won 51-10 (12/7/13)
Rod Reed at Tennessee State:...................... 30-25 (5 yrs.)
Rod Reed Overall:................................................... same
Kim Dameron at Eastern Illinois:......................... 2-5 (1 yr.)
Kim Dameron Overall:.............................................. same
Tennessee State Last Week:............ L, 21-16 vs. UT Martin
Eastern Illinois Last Week:. W, 52-13 at Southeast Missouri
GAME NOTES: Tennessee State and Eastern Illinois have played 17 previous times including twice a year ago when they also met in the second round of the FCS Playoffs. The Panthers won both of those meetings and have won three of the last four against the Tigers. In the first meeting a year ago the Panthers topped then No. 21-ranked TSU 34-16 as Jimmy Garoppolo passed for 410 yards and four touchdowns and Shepard Little rushed for 138 yards and a score. In the playoff meeting the Panthers led 37-0 at halftime on the way to a 51-10 victory. In that game Garoppolo had 240 passing yards and three scores while Little rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns. Michael German passed for 242 yards and no interceptions in the loss.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE: Tennessee State lost its third-straight OVC game, falling at home 21-16 to UT Martin. It marked the first time since the 1995 season that the Tigers lost back-to-back games at Hale Stadium (although the team did not play at the venue from 1999 until 2012). The TSU defense limited UT Martin to just 210 yards of total offense, but the team fumbled twice, was tackled for a loss six times and saw an interception returned for a touchdown in the loss. Michael German passed for 314 yards and two scores and in the process moved into eighth place in OVC history in career passing yards (7,336), eighth in career touchdown passes (51) and 10th in career total offense (7,409). Ryan Mitchell hauled in six passes for 156 yards and a 75-yard touchdown from German while Telvin Hooks had 28 rushing yards to pace the rushing attack that was limited to just 53 yards for the game. Michigan State transfer Ezra Robinson had 10 tackles, a sack and a pass breakup for the defense while Nick Thrasher added 11 tackles, moving him into second place in school history for tackles (trailing only his current coach Rod Reed). As a team TSU ranks first nationally in pass defense (129.8 yards/game) and pass efficiency defense (83.14), second in sacks/game (3.75) and third in total defense (251.3 yards/game) and third down conversion defense (25.2%).
SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS: Two-time defending OVC champion Eastern Illinois proved they are still a contender this season with a convincing 52-13 victory over Southeast Missouri (who had previously been ranked in the Top 25 the week prior). The Panthers led 14-13 midway through the second quarter before the Panthers defense stepped up to shutout the Redhawks the rest of the way and the offense scored two touchdowns in each the third and fourth quarters. Junior transfer quarterback Jalen Whitlow earned his fourth OVC Newcomer of the Week honor of the season after accounting for five touchdowns in the victory. Whitlow passed for 213 yards and two scores and added three scores with his feet, finishing the game with 75 rushing yards on 15 carries. Whitlow’s two passing touchdowns went to Adam Drake who finished the game with seven catches for 110 yards; Drake now has 165 career catches which is just one away from the OVC career Top 10. Drake ranks third nationally in receptions/game (8.0) and fifth in receiving yards/game (110.0) in 2014. Junior running back Shepard Little had his second strong rushing game after returning from an injury, tallying a game-high 103 yards on 22 carries. Junior safety Jourdan Wickliffe had two interceptions in the win, the second time in as many games he has had multiple interceptions; he currently ranks ninth nationally in interceptions (0.6/game) and ranks 10th in EIU career history for interceptions (9). The Panthers have won 14 of its last 15 OVC games dating back to the middle of the 2012 season. EIU currently ranks 12th nationally in total offense (480.3 yards/game) and eighth in passes intercepted (10).
Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (4-4, 2-2 OVC)
at #18 Eastern Kentucky Colonels (6-1, 3-1 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 25 • 2:00 p.m. CT
Roy Kidd Stadium (20,000) • Richmond, Ky.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:.........
http://www.sidearmstats.com/eku/football
Series Record:...................... Eastern Kentucky leads 21-3
Last Meeting:.......... Eastern Kentucky won 31-7 (10/26/13)
Tom Matukewicz at Southeast Missouri:............. 4-4 (1 yr.)
Tom Matukewicz Overall:......................................... same
Dean Hood at Eastern Kentucky:.................. 46-30 (7 yrs.)
Dean Hood Overall:................................................. same
Southeast Missouri Last Week: L, 52-13 vs. Eastern Illinois
Eastern Kentucky Last Week:.. L, 39-31 at Tennessee Tech
GAME NOTES: Saturday marks the annual Homecoming game for Eastern Kentucky as they host Southeast Missouri State. The teams have played 24 previous times with the Colonels winning 21 total games including the last three and nine of the last 10. The Redhawks lone win in that stretch was a 40-21 win in 2010 on its way to the OVC Championship. Last season EKU led 24-0 at halftime on its way to a 31-7 win in Cape Girardeau. Then freshman JJ Jude had a game-high 114 rushing yards and a score while Jared McClain and punter Jordan Berry also scored touchdowns on the ground. Berry, who scored from 25 yards out on a fake field goal, also averaged 59.3 yards/punt during the game. DeMichael Jackson had 98 rushing yards for the Redhawks. This game marks the fourth nationally-ranked FCS opponent Southeast Missouri has played this season (No. 14 Southern Illinois, No. 3 Southeastern Louisiana and No. 20 Tennessee State were the others).
SCOUTING SOUTHEAST MISSOURI: Southeast Missouri dropped its second-straight Conference game, falling 52-13 to two-time defending champion Eastern Illinois. It marked the first home loss of the season for Southeast who is now 4-4 on the year. The Redhawks were limited to a season-low 96 rushing yards and committed five turnovers in allowing 50 points at Houck Stadium for the first time since 2005. Quarterback Kyle Snyder passed for 210 yards and a score but was intercepted three times. Junior Peter Lloyd caught eight passes for 97 yards and tallied 162 yards on seven kickoffs, finishing the game with 263 all-purpose yards (the second-highest total in the OVC this season). He now ranks second in the OVC and 21st nationally in kickoff returns (26.2 yards/return). Sophomore linebacker Roper Garrett had 19 tackles (tied for the most by an OVC player this season) to lead the Southeast defense against EIU; Garrett now ranks ninth nationally in tackles (11.3/game) and fourth in forced fumbles/game (0.63/game). Southeast Missouri ranks fifth in fourth down conversion percentage (76.9%), sixth in net punting (39.19 yards/punt), seventh in kickoff return yardage defense (15.73 yards/return) and 10th in sacks allowed/game (1.00).
SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY: Eastern Kentucky had been one of just five FCS teams undefeated on the season before allowing Tennessee Tech to score 29 unanswered points in a 39-31 loss in Cookeville on Saturday night. It was also the first road loss of the season for the Colonels who had been second nationally with four road wins on the season. After having a +10 turnover margin advantage over its previous five games, the Colonels were -4 in the loss at Tennessee Tech. Running back Dy’Shawn Mobley led the way with 163 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries (7.8 ypc); Mobley currently ranks sixth nationally in rushing yards/carry (6.99) and 15th in the FCS in rushing yards/game (115.9/game). The quarterback duo of Bennie Coney and Jared McClain combined to go just 12-of-23 for 115 yards while being picked off four times and sacked four times. Brandon Stanley had eight tackles (including 2.0 for loss) and an interception. As a team EKU ranks third nationally in fumbles recovered (11), turnovers gained (21), blocked kicks (5) and red zone defense (60.0%), seventh in rushing offense (257.1 yards/game) and eighth in passes intercepted (10). After its loss EKU dropped six spots in each poll, falling to No. 18 in the FCS Coaches poll and No. 19 in the Sports Network poll.
Austin Peay Governors (1-6, 1-2 OVC)
at UT Martin Skyhawks (3-5, 2-3 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 25 • 2:00 p.m. CT
Hardy M. Graham Stadium (7,500) • Martin, Tenn.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=58479
Series Record:............................. UT Martin leads 35-25-2
Last Meeting:..................... UT Martin won 38-14 (10/26/13)
Kirby Cannon at Austin Peay:........................ 1-18 (2 yrs.)
Kirby Cannon Overall:............................... 36-104 (13 yrs.)
Jason Simpson at UT Martin:........................ 55-44 (9 yrs.)
Jason Simpson Overall:........................................... same
Austin Peay Last Week:............. W, 20-13 vs. Murray State
UT Martin Last Week:............ W, 21-16 at Tennessee State
GAME NOTES: UT Martin can claim its first Sgt. York Trophy championship since 2010 with a victory over Austin Peay on Saturday. The Skyhawks already have wins over fellow Tennessee schools Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech and will complete play a perfect 3-0 with a win. UTM tied for the title in 2012 but lost the tiebreaker and did not take home the actual trophy (which went to TSU). The meeting is the 63rd all-time between the teams with the Skyhawks having won six in a row and 10 of the last 11 overall. Last season UT Martin jumped out to 35-7 lead on its way to a 38-14 victory in Clarksville. Quarterback Jarod Neal completed 21-of-33 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns, DJ McNeil had 114 yards and a score on the ground and Jeremy Butler pulled down 11 catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns for the Skyhawks. Austin Peay was led by Omar Williams who had 122 rushing yards while Timarious Mitchell threw two touchdown passes to Darryl Clack. Saturday’s game marks the annual Homecoming contest for UTM and is the 100th for head coach Jason Simpson as the Skyhawks head coach and the final home game of the season for UTM.
SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY: Austin Peay snapped an 18-game losing streak (which had been the longest in Division I) with a 20-13 victory over rival Murray State on Saturday. It also snapped a 10-game OVC losing streak for the program. In just his second career start freshman Mickey Macius was named OVC Co-Newcomer of the Week after completing 18-of-22 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. All three of his touchdown passes went to fellow freshman Jared Beard who finished the night with seven catches for 88 yards and the three scores. The duo also hooked up on an 11-yard completion with 2:40 left in the game that helped the Governors run out the clock and seal the victory. Beard was the first APSU player to catch three touchdown passes in a game since Devin Stark in 2012. Freshman Otis Gerron had his second big rushing game in a row, as he carried the ball 26 times for 137 yards (5.3 ypc) to pace the APSU rushing attack. Justin Roberson added 61 yards on the ground as the team finished with 148 total rushing yards. Punter Ben Campbell became the school’s all-time leader in punt yardage during the game, breaking the record of 9,773 previously held by J.P. Hogan (2000-03). Campbell, who averaged 43.4 yards/punt on the night, is also now tied with Hogan for most punts in school history (259). Sophomore Rod Owens picked off two passes, recovered a fumble and had seven tackles for the Austin Peay defense.
SCOUTING UT MARTIN: UT Martin won its second-straight game by knocking off Tennessee State at Hale Stadium in Nashville on Saturday. The Skyhawks won despite tallying only 210 yards of total offense and giving up 367 yards to the Tigers. The defense did make plays when it mattered, forcing two fumbles (recovering one), tallying six tackles-for-loss and returning an interception for a touchdown early in the third quarter. That play came from Keith Jones who returned the interception 42 yards to put the Skyhawks up 14-3. The team led 21-3 later in the quarter when Jarod Neal hit Corey Rogers for a seven-yard touchdown pass. Neal completed 11-of-18 passes in the game and ranks 12th nationally in completion percentage (65.6%) and is 17th in passing efficiency (146.8). Redshirt junior Reuben Duckworth had 59 yards and a touchdown on the ground while Najee Ray added a game-high 60 rushing yards. Punter James Satterfield averaged 38.6 yards/punt with a long punt of 57 yards in the game; he currently ranks third in the OVC in punting (40.8 yards/punt). Senior All-American Tony Bell had two tackles, a tackle-for-loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and three pass breakups in the game. He ranks second nationally in fumbles recovered (3) and 17th nationally in tackles-for-loss (1.7/game).
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (3-4, 2-2 OVC)
at #6 Jacksonville State Gamecocks (5-1, 3-0 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 25 • 3:00 p.m. CT
Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium (24,000) • Jacksonville, Ala.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=62620
Series Record:..................... Jacksonville State leads 11-6
Last Meeting:........ Jacksonville State won 34-14 (10/26/13)
Watson Brown at Tennessee Tech:................ 36-50 (8 yrs.)
Watson Brown Overall:......................... 130-201-1 (30 yrs.)
John Grass at Jacksonville State:...................... 5-1 (1 yr.)
John Grass Overall:................................................. same
Tennessee Tech Last Week: W, 39-31 vs. #12 Eastern Kentucky
Jacksonville State Last Week:.................................... Idle
GAME NOTES: Tennessee Tech will look to knock off its second consecutive nationally-ranked opponent when it travels to OVC leader Jacksonville State on Saturday. The Gamecocks have won two in a row in the series, but the two prior games before that (2010 and 2011), the Golden Eagles topped nationally-ranked Jacksonville State squads (including scoring 28 fourth quarter points in 2010 to deny JSU an OVC Championship). A season ago Jacksonville State jumped out to a 24-7 halftime advantage on its way to a 34-14 win at Tucker Stadium. In that game DaMarcus James rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown while Kyle West threw for two touchdowns for the Gamecocks. Darian Stone had 99 passing yards and a score to go along with a team-best 79 rushing yards for the Golden Eagles. Tennessee Tech will be searching for its first road win of the season (0-4) while Jacksonville State is perfect (2-0) at home.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: Trailing nationally-ranked Eastern Kentucky 31-10 early in the fourth quarter, Tennessee Tech came to life and exploded for 29 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to hand the Colonels its first loss of the season. Senior quarterback Darian Stone threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter (earning OVC Offensive Player of the Week honors) and Ladarius Vanlier added a 63 yard touchdown run to spark the Golden Eagles. Tech was within a point on Stone’s third touchdown pass, but grabbed the lead when holder Marty Jones grabbed a low snap on the point-after attempt and raced for a two-point conversion to give the team a 32-31 lead. Jones, a free safety, had a huge game that included an OVC record-tying four interceptions (two of which came in the final 1:07) and a game-high 12 tackles in earning National Defensive Player of the Week honors. Jones now currently ranks ninth nationally in interceptions (0.6/game). In addition to his 63-yard rushing touchdown that sealed the victory, Vanlier added a 79-yard punt return in the second quarter, his second touchdown of the season on a punt return; Vanlier also has a kickoff return for a touchdown, making him one of just two FCS players with both a punt and kickoff return for a score this season. Vanlier had 264 all-purpose yards, the most by an OVC player this season. Freshman Brock McCoin had a season-best 11 catches for 128 yards in the win.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: Coming off an open week, Jacksonville State is now the only team undefeated in OVC play at 3-0. The Gamecocks have won five games in a row overall since a season-opening loss at FBS power Michigan State and have jumped back up to No. 6 in the national polls (equaling its highest-ranking of the season). In its last game the Gamecocks won 27-20 at No. 25 Tennessee State, knocking off its second nationally-ranked FCS opponent of the season. DaMarcus James had 93 rushing yards and two scores while Eli Jenkins had 95 passing yards and a score and added 52 yards on the ground. Taking out the team’s season-opening game to Michigan State, the team is averaging 513.2 yards/game of total offense (which would rank fifth nationally) and 37.6 points/game (which would rank 17th nationally). Currently the Gamecocks rank 16th nationally in total offense (468.3 yards/game). Jermaine Hough was named National Defensive Player of the Week by College Sporting News after picking off two passes, including the game-sealing pass in the end zone with six seconds left. Hough currently ranks third nationally in interceptions (0.7/game) and 12th in passes defended (1.5/game). Junior Devaunte Sigler had a sack, a tackle-for-loss, a forced fumble and an interception in the victory. Not factoring in the Michigan State game, the team is allowing 312.4 yards/game, which would rank 16th nationally.
Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers (4-3)
at Murray State Racers (2-5, 1-3 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 25 • 3:00 p.m. CT
Roy Stewart Stadium (16,800) • Murray, Ky.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=55005
Series Record:............................... Murray State leads 2-0
Last Meeting:................... Murray State won 66-10 (9/3/09)
Brent Holsclaw at Kentucky Wesleyan:........ 24-79 (12 yrs.)
Brent Holsclaw Overall:............................................ same
Chris Hatcher at Murray State:....................... 26-26 (5 yrs.)
Chris Hatcher Overall:............................... 120-53 (15 yrs.)
Kentucky Wesleyan Last Week: W, 55-28 vs. Lindenwood-Belleville
Murray State Last Week:................ L, 20-13 at Austin Peay
GAME NOTES: Murray State steps out of Conference play for the final time this season when they host Kentucky Wesleyan for the third time in school history and first time since 2009. In that meeting MSU led 31-7 at halftime on its way to a 66-10 victory. The Racers defense limited KWC to just 164 yards for the game while MSU scored via field goal, safety, fumble recovery, kickoff return, punt return, pass and run. Jeff Ehrhardt had 138 passing yards and two scores while Charlie Jordan rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively three different players had interceptions and Tamar Butler registered a game-high 17 tackles for the Racers. Kentucky Wesleyan was led by Travis Walker who had 72 yards on the ground.
SCOUTING KENTUCKY WESLEYAN: Kentucky Wesleyan, a Division II school located in Owensboro, Kentucky, will play its final road game of the season on Saturday when it travels to Murray State. The Panthers were 0-11 last season but have four victories so far in 2014. KWC is under the direction of 12th year head coach Brent Holsclaw, who was a record-setting quarterback at the school. This past week he saw quarterback Oliver Dalton etch himself into the Kentucky Wesleyan record book when he threw for a KWC record 526 yards and six touchdowns (the second-most in school history) on 27-of-39 passes in a 55-28 victory over Lindenwood-Belleville. Dalton has thrown for 20 touchdown passes and 2,273 yards in seven games this season. The game was tied at 28 with 3:52 to play in the third quarter before the Panthers scored 27 unanswered points on its way to the win. Xavier Mitchell had a career-high 11 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Overall the team racked up 557 yards of total offense, including a school record 547 yards through the air. Defensively Cody Mills had nine tackles and leads the team with 53 total tackles on the season; he also has 10.0 tackles-for-loss and 4.0 sacks in seven games.
SCOUTING MURRAY STATE: Murray State saw its six-game winning streak against Austin Peay come to an end on Saturday when the Racers fell 20-13, as the Governors snapped an 18-game losing streak. MSU led 10-7 early in the third quarter before APSU scored 14-straight points in the third quarter to grab a lead for good. KD Humphries completed 28-of-44 passes for 235 yards, but was intercepted twice (after only being intercepted twice through the first six games of the season) and sacked once. Pokey Harris rushed for a team-high 88 yards on 13 carries (6.8 ypc) and also scored the team’s lone touchdown of the night; he also caught four passes for 30 yards and had 62 yards on kickoff returns. Harris currently leads the OVC and ranks 33rd nationally in all-purpose yards (131.86/game). Junior Carson Greifenkamp was successful on field goal attempts from 36 and 28 yards on the night and is now 6-of-9 on the season. Defensively Jonathan Jackson had a game-high 11 tackles, including a tackle-for-loss. Jackson leads the OVC and ranks seventh nationally in tackles/game (11.5). Travis Taylor currently ranks 13th nationally in tackles/game (10.4) while also leading the OVC and ranking 14th in tackles-for-loss (1.7/game).