• OVC Football Report - October 6 (PDF)
This Week’s Schedule
Thursday, October 9
*Tennessee Tech at UT Martin, 6:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
Saturday, October 11
*#8 Jacksonville State at #25 Tennessee State, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN3)
*#23 Southeast Missouri at Murray State, 3:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
Austin Peay at Mercer, 3:00 p.m.
*Eastern Illinois at #16 Eastern Kentucky, 5:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
This Week’s OVC Highlights/Storylines
Four OVC teams remained undefeated in Conference play after week six of the 2014 season...Southeast Missouri pulled the biggest upset of the weekend, topping No. 20 Tennessee State 28-21 on its Homecoming; after previously beating No. 3 Southeastern Louisiana this season, it marked the first time in Southeast Missouri’s Division I Era (1991-present) that the program had topped two nationally-ranked FCS opponents in the same season...Southeast Missouri’s Tim Hamm-Bey was named National Defensive Player of the Week after registering six tackles, five pass breakups and blocking a kick in his team’s win; he is the second different OVC player to be named National Defensive Player of the Week this season (EKU’s Stanley Absanon is the other)...With the win Southeast Missouri jumped to No. 23 in the Sports Network poll, the first time the program has been ranked since the final poll of the 2010 season...For the second time this season four OVC teams (Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Southeast Missouri and Tennessee State) are ranked in the FCS Top 25 polls; overall five different OVC schools have been ranked this season and eight of the nine current members have been ranked for at least one week over the past four years (2011-14)...Three OVC teams are among the Top 12 in attendance nationally with JSU coming in eighth, EKU 10th and TSU 12th...At 5-0 EKU, off to its best start since1990, is one of just seven FCS teams who are undefeated on the season and one of just two FCS teams who have four road victories...Murray State quarterback KD Humphries set the OVC single-game completions mark (48) at Tennessee Tech on Saturday; he broke the old record of 45 held by former MSU All-American Casey Brockman...All nine teams are in action this week...This week’s action features the final Thursday night game of the year as Tennessee Tech plays at UT Martin in a Sgt. York Trophy game...Saturday’s ESPN Game of the Week features a pair of nationally-ranked teams when Jacksonville State travels to Hale Stadium on the campus of Tennessee State...Other OVC contests include Southeast Missouri at Murray State and Eastern Illinois at Eastern Kentucky...EIU enters the week with a 13-game OVC winning streak, the second-longest Conference winning streak nationally (North Dakota State, 14)...In a non-conference game Austin Peay plays at Mercer.
adidas® OVC Players of the Week
CO-OFFENSIVE
Miles Jones, RB • Jr., 5-10, 210 • Acworth, Ga. • Jacksonville State
Jones carried the ball 24 times for a career-high 150 yards and a touchdown in Jacksonville State’s 38-14 victory over UT Martin on Saturday. Filling in for All-American DaMarcus James, Jones averaged 6.2 yards/carry and also caught a pass. He scored on a 2-yard run in the second quarter to push the Gamecocks lead to 21-0. Jones is the fourth different JSU player to reach the 100-yard rushing plateau this season and the 150 rushing yards are the most by a Jax State player this season.
CO-OFFENSIVE
KD Humphries, QB • So., 6-3, 225 • Montgomery, Ala. • Murray State
Humphries set the OVC single-game completions record by completing 48-of-62 passes in Murray State’s 30-27 overtime loss at Tennessee Tech. The sophomore broke the previous record of 45 set by Murray State’s Casey Brockman in both 2011 and 2012. Humphries finished the game with a career-high 404 passing yards and no interceptions while throwing a touchdown pass in the third quarter and rushing for touchdowns of 24 and 7 yards in the second quarter. Humphries ranks eighth nationally in completion percentage (67.5%) and 16th in completions/game (21.6).
Others Nominated: Lennies McFerren, Southeast Missouri.
DEFENSIVE
Tim Hamm-Bey, CB • Sr., 5-10, 173 • St. Louis, Mo. • Southeast Missouri
Hamm-Bey had six tackles, five pass breakups and blocked a field goal as Southeast Missouri knocked off its second nationally-ranked opponent of the season in besting No. 20 Tennessee State 28-21. He anchored a Redhawk defense that had a season-high 12 pass breakups as a unit and in the first quarter got a hand on TSU’s field goal attempt, marking the fourth blocked kick of his career. He now ranks third nationally in blocked kicks (2) and ninth in passes defended/game (1.7).
Others Nominated: Chris Kelly, Eastern Kentucky; Debarriaus Miller, Jacksonville State; Austin Tallant, Tennessee Tech; Tony Bell, UT Martin.
SPECIALIST
John Arnold, K • R-Fr., 5-11, 180 • Nashville, Tenn. • Tennessee Tech
Arnold made the game-tying kick to force overtime and the game-winning kick in the extra period as Tennessee Tech picked up its first OVC victory of the season in defeating Murray State 30-27. The redshirt freshman nailed a 41-yard field goal with nine seconds to play in regulation to tie the game at 27 and then connected from 20 yards out in the extra period to give the Golden Eagles the victory. Arnold also had a 35-yarder in the first quarter to go a perfect 3-of-3 on the night while also making 3-of-3 point after attempts. Arnold his now 4-of-5 on field goal attempts this season and leads Tech in scoring (23 points).
Others Nominated: Keith Wrzuszczak, Eastern Kentucky; Connor Rouleau, Jacksonville State; Ryan McCrum, Southeast Missouri; James Satterfield, UT Martin.
NEWCOMER
Trey Thompson, LB • R-Fr., 6-2, 235 • Cincinnati, Ohio • Tennessee Tech
In his second career start Thompson had a season-high 15 tackles as Tennessee Tech topped Murray State 30-27 in overtime for its first OVC win of the season. The redshirt freshman had seven solo tackles and eight assists after coming into the contest with just 12 total tackles in three games. It was the most tackles by a freshman in a game for the Golden Eagles since 2012.
Others Nominated: Keith Wrzuszczak, Eastern Kentucky; Connor Rouleau, Jacksonville State; DeQuinten Spraggins, Murray State; Nick Dance, UT Martin
Notes From Around the Gridiron
Hamm-Bey Named Sports Network’s National Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 6): Southeast Missouri State senior cornerback
Tim Hamm-Bey was named National Defensive Player of the Week by the Sports Network on Oct. 6 for his play in a victory over nationally-ranked Tennessee State. Hamm-Bey had six tackles, five pass breakups and blocked a field goal as Southeast Missouri knocked off its second nationally-ranked opponent of the season, the first time that has happened in school history. He anchored a Redhawk defense that had a season-high 12 pass breakups as a unit and in the first quarter got a hand on TSU’s field goal attempt, marking the fourth blocked kick of his career.
EKU 1 of 7 Undefeated FCS Teams: Entering this week Eastern Kentucky is 1 of 7 FCS teams that remains perfect on the season. The Colonels are 1 of just 4 FCS teams with perfect 5-0 or 6-0 records. EKU has defeated an FBS team on the road, won 3 road FCS games and has 1 home FCS victory among its five wins. Here is a list of undefeated FCS teams entering Week 7:
6-0: Coastal Carolina
5-0:
Eastern Kentucky, Charleston Southern, North Dakota State
4-0: Illinois State
3-0: Harvard, Yale
EKU 1 of 2 FCS Teams With 4 Road Victories: Entering Week 7 Eastern Kentucky is one of just two FCS teams with four road victories on the season. The Colonels are 5-0 overall with four of those wins coming on the road. The other FCS team is Coastal Carolina who is 6-0 overall and 4-0 on the road.
Southeast’s McCrum Perfect on Field Goals: Southeast Missouri State sophomore kicker
Ryan McCrum is a perfect 7-of-7 in field goal attempts this season, making him one of 11 kickers in the FCS to be perfect on the season. McCrum is the only one of those 11 kickers to make a field goal of 50-plus yards this season, connecting from 54 and 55 yards (the longest by the other 10 kickers is 47 yards). This season the sophomore has connected from 26, 38, 43, 43, 47, 54 (fourth-longest nationally) and 55 yards (third-longest nationally). McCrum is one of four FCS kickers to have multiple 50-yard field goals this season.
Humphries Sets OVC Single-Game Completions Record: Murray State sophomore quarterback
KD Humphries set the OVC single-game completions record in a road game at Tennessee Tech on Oct. 4. The sophomore completed 48 passes to best the previous record of 45 set by former Murray State All-American Casey Brockman in each 2011 and 2012.
Southeast Missouri Scores Win Over Top 3 Ranked Team; First OVC Non-Conference Win Over Top 3 Squad Since 1990: Southeast Missouri pulled off the biggest win of its Division I Era on Sept. 20 when they topped No. 3 ranked Southeastern Louisiana 24-23 at Houck Stadium. Southeast led the game entering the fourth quarter but fell behind 23-17 on a touchdown with 2:53 to go. But the Redhawks went 80 yards in 15 plays capped by Paul McRoberts 2-yard touchdown catch from Kyle Snyder (who had rushed up-the-middle for 15 yards on the previous play to set up the winning score). It marked the first non-conference victory by an OVC team over a Top 3 ranked squad since Sept. 8, 1990 when former member Middle Tennessee State (ranked No. 4 at the time) beat No. 1 Georgia Southern 16-13. Southeast would go on to defeat No. 20 Tennessee State on Oct. 4, marking the first time in its FCS history the program had bested two ranked teams in the same season.
Eastern Kentucky Tops FBS Miami (Ohio) In Week 1: For the fourth time in the last five years an OVC team has beaten a team from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as Eastern Kentucky won 17-10 at Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 6. The win was the first for the Colonels over a FBS team since the 1985 season, snapping an 18-game losing streak for EKU against teams from the higher subdivision; EKU is now 7-20 all-time against FBS opponents while OVC teams are 33-191-1 all-time against FBS opponents. The streak of winning a FBS game in 4 of the past 5 years is even more impressive when you consider the OVC went from Sept. 25, 2004 to Sept. 4, 2010 without an FBS victory (a 50-game losing streak). Here is a list of OVC wins over FBS teams over the past five years:
Jacksonville State 49, Ole Miss 48 (2OT) (2010)
UT Martin 20, Memphis 17 (2012)
Eastern Illinois 40, San Diego State 19 (2013)
Jacksonville State 32, Georgia State 26 (OT) (2013)
Eastern Kentucky 17, Miami (Ohio) 10 (2014)
#FearTheFCS: In 2013 a record 16 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams topped opponents from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). So far in 2014 seven FCS teams have been victorious against teams from the FBS.
North Dakota State 34, Iowa State 14 (Aug. 30)
Bethune-Cookman 14, Florida International 12 (Aug. 30)
Eastern Kentucky 17, Miami (Ohio) 10 (Sept. 6)
Indiana State 27, Ball State 20 (Sept. 13)
Abilene Christian 38, Troy 35 (Sept. 13)
Northwestern State 30, Louisiana Tech 27 (Sept. 20)
Yale 49, Army 43 (OT) (Sept. 27)
OVC Teams in the Top 25: For the second time this season four OVC teams are ranked in the FCS Top 25 polls in the same week. On Sept. 8 of this season four teams were ranked in the same poll for the first time since the end of the 2002 season; that lasted just one week before happening again this week. Jacksonville State remained No. 8 in both polls after a 38-14 victory over UT Martin. Eastern Kentucky is now No. 16 in the FCS Coaches poll and No. 17 in the Sports Network poll after shutting out Austin Peay 31-0; it is the highest ranking for EKU since the 2012 season. Despite a loss Tennessee State is now No. 25 in both polls. After topping its second nationally-ranked opponent in three weeks, Southeast Missouri vaulted to No. 23 in the Sports Network poll (they are unofficially ranked 26th in the coaches poll); it marks the first time Southeast has been ranked since being No. 13 in the final poll of its 2010 OVC Championship season. Overall five different OVC teams have been ranked this season and eight of nine current OVC teams have been ranked for at least one week over the past four years (2011-14).
OVC in the NCAA Statistical Leaders: In the latest set of NCAA statistical leaders (Oct. 6), Southeast Missouri’s
Ryan McCrum ranks first nationally in field goal percentage (100%) while Eastern Kentucky’s
Devin Borders is first in blocked kicks (3). EKU’s
Dy’Shawn Mobley is third in rushing yards/carry (8.15). Murray State quarterback
KD Humphries is eighth in completion percentage (67.5%) while UT Martin’s
Jarod Neal is ninth in passing efficiency (153.9). Eastern Illinois’
Adam Drake is ninth in receiving yards/game (102.8 yards/game) and receptions/game (7.2) while Murray State’s
Jeremy Harness is third in receptions/game (8.2). Tennessee Tech’s
Ladarius Vanlier is sixth in kickoff returns (31.6 yards/return) and seventh in punt returns (14.5 yards/return). Southeast Missouri’s
Roper Garrett is second in forced fumbles (0.67/game), UTM’s
Tony Bell and EKU’s
Marquise Piton are tied for fourth in fumbles recovered (2), Tennessee State’s
Gabe Terry is sixth in sacks (1.17/game), Murray State’s
Jonathan Jackson is seventh in tackles (11.6/game) while teammate
Travis Taylor is ninth (11.0/game) and SEMO’s
Tim Hamm-Bey is ninth in passes defended (1.7/game). In the team rankings Tennessee State is first nationally in passing defense (130.2 yards/game), pass efficiency defense (73.88), sacks (4.17/game) and fourth down conversion defense (0.0%), second in total defense (232.8 yards/game), fourth in turnovers gained (15), fifth in passes intercepted (10), seventh in scoring defense (13.7 points/game), ninth in third down conversion defense (26.5%) and 10th in tackles-for-loss/game (9.0). Eastern Kentucky is third nationally in scoring defense (11.4 points/game), fourth in turnovers gained (15), fifth in rushing defense (88.6 yards/game), sixth in passes intercepted (9), seventh in blocked kicks (3), ninth in turnover margin (+1.2/game) and blocked punts (1) and 10th in rushing offense (260.6 yards/game) and punt return yardage defense (2.71). Jacksonville State is second in third down conversion defense (22.4%) and ninth in rushing offense (262.0 yards/game). Southeast Missouri is third in fourth down conversion percentage (87.5%) and eighth in kickoff return yardage defense (15.59 yards/return). Murray State is eighth in punt return yardage defense (1.83 yards/return) and 10th in interceptions thrown (2). Tennessee Tech is sixth in fourth down conversion defense (22.2%) and ninth in fewest penalties/game (4.6/game).
Attendance: In the latest NCAA attendance rankings three OVC teams are in the Top 12 among FCS schools for average home attendance. Jacksonville State currently ranks eighth in averaging 17,428 fans, Eastern Kentucky ranks 10th with an average of 16,700 and Tennessee State ranks 12th with 16,328 fans/game.
Eastern Illinois Ranks 2nd Nationally in Conference Winning Streak: Eastern Illinois has won 13 OVC games in a row dating back to a loss to UT Martin on Oct. 6, 2012. Entering the week the streak is the second longest Conference winning streak in the nation, behind only three-time defending champion North Dakota State (14-straight Conference wins, and an FCS record 29 overall wins in a row).
Three OVC Student-Athletes Named Semifinalists for William V. Campbell Trophy: Three OVC football student-athletes were among the 167 semifinalists for the 2014 William V. Campbell Trophy®, presented by Fidelity Investments® and announced by The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF). The three OVC selections were Austin Peay punter
Ben Campbell, Eastern Kentucky fullback
Caleb Watkins and Jacksonville State offensive lineman
Max Holcombe. The trio are three of just 37 student-athletes selected from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation, and up to 16 of the candidates will be named recipients of a prestigious NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award. Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.
Delta Dental of Tennessee to Sponsor Sgt. York Trophy: Beginning this season Delta Dental of Tennessee is the presenting sponsor of the Sgt. York Trophy. The trophy (founded in 2007 by the Nashville Sports Council and OVC) goes to the winner of the quadrangular season football series between the four OVC football-playing schools located in the state of Tennessee (Austin Peay, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin). The award is only the second traveling trophy that involves more than two teams in college sports; the other is the Commander in Chief’s Trophy which has been contested between Air Force, Army and Navy annually since 1972. The award is named in honor of Alvin C. York, the most noted Soldier of World War I. As a corporal in the 2nd battalion, 328th Infantry, in the Battle of the Meuse River-Argonne (Oct. 8, 1918), York and seven other soldiers captured 132 prisoners, was promoted to sergeant and received the Distinguished Service Cross, the French Croix de Guerre, the French Legion of Honor, the Croce di Guerra of Italy and the War Medal of Montenegro. Upon his return to the United States in 1919, he was bestowed the Congressional Medal of Honor. 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). Tennessee State won its fifth Sgt. York Championship in 2014. The trophy is presented at the Pepsi Celebration of Champions hosted by the Nashville Sports Council in the spring.
OVC Game of the Week on ESPN3: For the second-straight year the OVC is producing a “Game of the Week” package that will air on ESPN3 this fall. The eight-game schedule is one again in conjunction with WebStream Sports, an Indianapolis-based company which is a proven leader in video production, streaming video and content creation Kevin Ingram, host of “The Wake Up Zone” on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville, will handle play-by-play duties while Bob Belvin, on-air talent and contributor at 100.7 FM/AM 540 (ESPN Clarksville), will provide analysis. The duo has worked together each of the past two years in the league’s TV package. The OVC Football Game of the Week package is part of an overall five-year agreement with ESPN which was announced last October. The deal runs through the completion of the 2017-18 season.
Sept. 20 - Eastern Kentucky at UT Martin, 12:00 p.m. CT
Oct. 4 - UT Martin at Jacksonville State, 3:00 p.m. CT
Oct. 11 - Jacksonville State at Tennessee State, 2:00 p.m. CT
Oct. 18 - Murray State at Austin Peay, 6:00 p.m. CT
Oct. 25 - Tennessee State at Eastern Illinois, 1:30 p.m. CT
Nov. 1 - Wildcard Selection
Nov. 8 - Southeast Missouri at Tennessee Tech, 1:30 p.m. CT
Nov. 15 - Eastern Illinois at Jacksonville State, 3:00 p.m. CT
The FCS Playoffs: In 2010 the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff field expanded to 20 teams, up from 16 previously, and last year (2013) the field increased to 24 for the first time. The expansion in 2010 to 20 teams was the first since the field grew from 12 to 16 teams in 1997. The field for the 2014 NCAA Division I Football Championship will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 23. The 24-team field is comprised of 11 automatic bids and 13 at-large berths. There are eight first round matchups (16 total teams), while eight (8) teams receive a bye into the second round. For the fifth time in 2014, the championship game will be played in Frisco, Texas at Toyota Stadium, a 23,500-seat multi-purpose stadium. The Southland Conference will serve as the host of the championship, which will be held on Saturday, January 10.
OVC Playoff Success in 2013: After going since 2000 without a postseason victory the OVC had a breakout season in 2013. For the first time in its history the League put three teams (Eastern Illinois, Jacksonville State and Tennessee State) in the playoffs and all three teams scored victories. TSU played first and snapped the OVC’s 19-game losing streak with a 31-0 win over Butler (only the second shutout ever by an OVC team in the playoffs). Jacksonville State would then defeat Samford, setting an OVC playoff record with 55 points in the victory. In the second round Eastern Illinois topped TSU while Jacksonville State bested McNeese State to each advance to the quarterfinals. It marked just the second time in OVC history that two OVC teams advanced to the quarterfinals in the same postseason (1991 being the other). The four total wins in the postseason was the most in one postseason by the OVC and the four wins came by an average margin of 33.5 points/game.
James on Walter Payton Award Watch List: Jacksonville State running back
DaMarcus James is among 20 players nationally named to the updated Walter Payton Award Watch List as announced by the Sports Network on Sept. 30. EIU running back Shepard Little had been on the preseason list but was not included in the latest update. 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 Sports Network will present the Heisman of the FCS for the 28th time on December 15 at the national awards banquet. Last season EIU quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo became the second OVC player to win the Walter Payton Award; overall the OVC had three of the 20 finalists for the award, the most of any FCS conference (Erik Lora finished seventh and Walter Powell was 17th a year ago). The Walter Payton Award Watch List can undergo revision during the 2014 season. Ballots will be sent to a national panel of over 150 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries following the regular season. The top three vote-getters will be invited to the presentation of the award.
Bell, Fitzpatrick Remain on Updated Buck Buchanan Award Watch List: Two OVC players were among the 20 players nationally included on the updated Buck Buchanan Award Watch List on Sept. 30 by the Sports Network. The players were UT Martin senior linebacker
Tony Bell and Tennessee State senior defensive back
Daniel Fitzpatrick who were each on the preseason list. The Buchanan Award, established in 1995, is presented annually to the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). No player from the OVC has ever won the award. The Buchanan Award Watch List can undergo revision during the 2013 season. Ballots will be sent to a panel of about 175 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries following the regular season. The winner will be invited to The Sports Network FCS Awards Presentation on Dec. 15.
Jenkins Named National All-Star of the Week (Sept. 29): Jacksonville State quarterback
Eli Jenkins was named National Offensive All-Star of the Week by College Sporting News after his performance in a 52-28 win over Murray State on Sept. 27. Jenkins rushed for a career-high 149 yards and rushed for three touchdowns while also completing 15-of-20 passes for 180 yards and another touchdown. The 15 completions and 180 passing yards were also career-highs for Jenkins who had touchdown runs of 12, 7 and 15 yards.
EKU’s Absanon Named National Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 8): Eastern Kentucky junior defensive back
Stanley Absanon was named the National Defensive Player of the Week by the Sports Network and College Sporting News following his performance in the team’s win over FBS opponent Miami (Ohio). Early in the third quarter Absanon made a jarring hit in the end zone on a 3rd-and-4 play that prevented a RedHawk touchdown and saved four points (MU added a field goal instead). Three minutes later he picked off a pass and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 10. He would then seal the game by making an interception at midfield with less than one minute to play in the game. Absanon finished the game with two interceptions, six tackles and three pass breakups as EKU topped a FBS foe for the first time since the 1985 season.
A Look at the Coaches: Six of the nine OVC coaches from last season returned to their respective teams in 2014. The three new coaches to the league are at Eastern Illinois (
Kim Dameron), Jacksonville State (
John Grass) and Southeast Missouri (
Tom Matukewicz). Dameron comes to Charleston after most recently serving as the defensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech. Grass was elevated from Offensive Coordinator to head coach after helping JSU to the FCS Quarterfinals a season ago. Matukewicz is at Southeast Missouri after a stint at Toledo. Grass and Tennessee State’s
Rod Reed are the only two OVC coaches who are currently coaching at their alma mater. The longest tenured coach in the league is UT Martin’s
Jason Simpson who enters his ninth season with the Skyhawks in 2014.
Preseason Forecasts: Jacksonville State has been picked the preseason favorite in the 2014 Ohio Valley Conference football race both a vote of league head coaches and sports information directors and in the inaugural OVC media poll. In the coaches poll, the Gamecocks, who have also been picked preseason favorites in 2005, 2008, 2010 and 2011, picked up 10 of the 18 first-place votes to top the poll. The Gamecocks totaled 118 total points to out-distance two-time defending champion Eastern Illinois in the vote. The Panthers picked up four first-place votes and 110 total points in being picked second. Tennessee State picked up the other four first-place votes and was third with 107 points. Eastern Kentucky was picked fourth (82 points) and was followed in the poll by UT Martin (79), Murray State (54), Tennessee Tech (48), Southeast Missouri State (34) and Austin Peay (16). In the media poll the pollsters gave JSU 9 of 14 first-place votes and 118 total points. Tennessee State picked up four first-place votes and 113 total points in being picked second. Eastern Illinois received the other first-place vote and was picked third (98 points). The poll was rounded out by Eastern Kentucky (79), UT Martin (77), Murray State (56), Tennessee Tech (44), Southeast Missouri State (29) and Austin Peay (16).
JSU’s James and TSU’s Fitzpatrick Headline Preseason All-OVC Team: Jacksonville State senior running back
DaMarcus James was named the 2014 OVC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while Tennessee State senior defensive end
Anthony Bass was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year in a vote of by the league’s head football coaches and sports information directors. Eastern Illinois and Jacksonville State each had eight Preseason All-OVC selections to lead all teams. Tennessee State had six picks, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin had two apiece while Eastern Kentucky and Southeast Missouri each had one. Returning players who were first-team All-OVC selections last season (10 in total) were automatic selections to the preseason team this year. The squad also included nine players who were second-team picks in 2013. Of the 28 total selections, 20 were seniors, six were juniors and two were sophomores.
NFL Connections: As of September 29, there are 18 former Ohio Valley Conference players on NFL rosters (9 active, 2 practice squad, 7 on IR). Those players include former Eastern Illinois standout Tony Romo, 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 with the New York Giants, and first-year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo who won the Walter Payton Award in 2013 with Eastern Illinois and who is now the backup for Tom Brady in New England. Seven of the nine current OVC football schools have at least one player in the NFL.
Let’s Get It Started: The 67th season of Ohio Valley Conference football got underway on Thursday, August 28. The OVC is made up of nine football-playing schools in 2014. Since its beginning, 15 of the 18 total schools that have played football in the league have claimed at least one championship
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 long 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 24-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. Overall 2014-15 marks the ninth year the OVC has streamed live events. Starting with the re-branding of the streaming in 2012-13, events were offered free of charge and in an HD format and featured improved quality thanks to an investment in new equipment conference-wide. Fans also find it easier to log onto OVCDigitalNetwork.com and access the streams and can do so without any registration. The events are available on any computer, tablet or smart phone without needing any special downloads or apps thanks new streaming technology. Approximately 41 OVC football games will be available on the OVCDN this season.