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, September 20
*#22 Eastern Kentucky at UT Martin, 12:00 p.m. (ESPN3)
*Austin Peay at Eastern Illinois, 1:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Tennessee Tech at #20 Tennessee State, 2:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
West Alabama
at #8 Jacksonville State, 3:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
#3 Southeastern Louisiana
at Southeast Missouri, 6:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
Murray State at Western Michigan, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN3)
#22 Eastern Kentucky Colonels (3-0, 0-0 OVC)
at UT Martin Skyhawks (1-2, 0-0 OVC)
Saturday, Sept. 20 • 12:00 p.m. CT
Hardy M. Graham Stadium (7,500) • Martin, Tenn.
TV:...................................................................... ESPN3
Live Stats:
http://www.utmsports.com/livestats/football/xlive.htm
Series Record:...................... Eastern Kentucky leads 22-2
Last Meeting:...................... UT Martin won 16-7 (11/16/13)
Dean Hood at Eastern Kentucky:.................. 43-29 (7 yrs.)
Dean Hood Overall:................................................. same
Jason Simpson at UT Martin:........................ 53-41 (9 yrs.)
Jason Simpson Overall:........................................... same
Eastern Kentucky Last Week: W, 55-13 vs. Morehead State
UT Martin Last Week:................... W, 63-7 vs. Cumberland
GAME NOTES: Conference play begins on Saturday as Eastern Kentucky travels to UT Martin for the 25th all-time meeting between the two programs. Last year UT Martin scored a 16-7 victory in Richmond, its first-ever win at Roy Kidd Stadium and only its second win in the all-times series (UTM also won in 2010). A year ago the Skyhawks limited the Colonels to just 225 yards of total offense and forced three turnovers in pulling off the win. UTM kicker Jackson Redditt converted on 3-of-4 field goals, connecting from 38, 51 and 45 yards in being named OVC Specialist of the Week. Abou Toure rushed for 111 yards to lead the Skyhawk rushing attack while Dylan Favre passed for 138 yards. EKU was led by quarterback Kyle Romano who rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown and passed for 116 yards. Saturday’s game is also the first of eight in the OVC Game of the Week on ESPN3 series for 2014. Since 2006 Eastern Kentucky (46 OVC wins) and UT Martin (40 OVC wins) rank No. 1 and No. 3 respectively in Conference wins.
SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY: Eastern Kentucky is off to its first 3-0 start since the 2002 season following a 55-13 victory over in-state foe Morehead State. The Colonels are now ranked No. 22 in the FCS Coaches Poll and No. 23 in the Sports Network Top 25. After three games EKU ranks fourth nationally in rushing offense (280.7 yards/game) as well as fourth in rushing defense (49.3 yards/game allowed) and are second nationally in turnovers gained (9). The Colonels scored on the first play of the game Saturday against Morehead State (a 61-yard rushing touchdown by Dy’Shawn Mobley) and led 46-0 at halftime; the 46 first half points were the most for the team since scoring 42 in the first half against Eastern Illinois in 2004. Playing only in the first half Mobley netted 123 rushing yards on six carries (20.5 yards/carry) in earning OVC Offensive Player and Newcomer of the Week honors. Jared Sanders, Channing Fugate and Jared McClain also had rushing scores for EKU. Defensively Chris Owens had six tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss and a sack for a defense that saw 27 different players record at least one tackle. EKU played in front of 16,700 fans at Roy Kidd Stadium, its largest home crowd since 2008. EKU is currently one of just 13 teams undefeated on the FCS level entering this week.
SCOUTING UT MARTIN: UT Martin scored its first victory of the season last Thursday as it topped NAIA Cumberland 63-7. The early date gave the Skyhawks a few extra days off prior to hosting the Colonels. The Skyhawks had 621 yards of total offense in the victory and now rank first in the OVC and sixth nationally in total offense (476.7 yards/game). Quarterback Jarod Neal continues to be efficient as he completed 15-of-18 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns. Neal now ranks first nationally in completion percentage (74.6%) and fifth in passing efficiency rating (176.4). Dylan Favre also saw extension action in the win, completing 11-of-13 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 19 yards and an additional score. Overall UTM had 320 rushing yards on the night with Abou Toure leading the way with a career-high 123 yards and two scores. Overall eight different UT Martin players scored a touchdown in the win. UT Martin has won seven of its last nine OVC openers.
Austin Peay Governors (0-2, 0-0 OVC)
at Eastern Illinois Panthers (0-3, 0-0 OVC)
Saturday, Sept. 20 • 1:30 p.m. CT
O’Brien Field (10,000) • Charleston, Ill.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:..........
http://www.sidearmstats.com/eiu/football
Series Record:.......................... Eastern Illinois leads 11-3
Last Meeting:............... Eastern Illinois won 63-7 (10/10/13)
Kirby Cannon at Austin Peay:......................... 0-14 (2 yrs.)
Kirby Cannon Overall:............................... 35-100 (13 yrs.)
Kim Dameron at Eastern Illinois:......................... 0-3 (1 yr.)
Kim Dameron Overall:.............................................. same
Austin Peay Last Week:......... L, 42-6 vs. #14 Chattanooga
Eastern Illinois Last Week:............. L, 34-15 at Illinois State
GAME NOTES: Eastern Illinois will host Austin Peay in its second home game of the 2014 season. The teams have played 14 previous times with EIU winning 11 of those meetings, including the last five in a row. Austin Peay’s last victory in the series was a 15-13 victory in 2008. In last year’s meeting the Panthers were ranked No. 4 nationally and built a 42-0 halftime lead on its way to a 63-7 victory in Clarksville. Walter Payton Award winner Jimmy Garoppolo completed 21-of-30 passes for 306 yards and five touchdowns as Erik Lora caught five of those passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns. Eastern also rushed for 192 yards as a team with Taylor Duncan scored two touchdowns and gaining 128 total yards. APSU was led by Tim Phillips who rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown.
SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY: Austin Peay opened the newly renovated Governors Stadium on Saturday, falling 42-6 to nationally-ranked Chattanooga. It was the first time the Mocs had played in Clarksville since 1968. It marked the 14th-straight loss for the program dating back to the beginning of the 2013 season. The Govs did record its first points of the season in the first quarter as Darrien Boone completed a 45-yard touchdown pass to Javier Boone to cut the UTC lead to 14-6. It was one of six catches on the day for Booker who finished with 88 total receiving yards. Malik Boynton caught five passes on the afternoon as Boone finished the day 15-of-20 for 124 yards. The Govs finished the game with 42 team rushing yards with Justin Roberson leading the way with 27 yards on 11 carries. Senior punter Ben Campbell punted 10 times for a 36.2 yards/punt average with a long of 49; it marked the second consecutive game Campbell has had double-digit punts.
SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS: Playing its third-straight game against a solid opponent, Eastern Illinois fell to 0-3 under head coach Kim Dameron with a 34-15 loss to rival Illinois State. The Panthers trimmed the margin to 21-13 early in the third quarter when quarterback Jalen Whitlow scored on a 14-yard rush but following that play the squad yielded 13 consecutive points to the Redbirds in the remainder of the third quarter. Whitlow finished the contest 10-of-22 for 150 passing yards (and three interceptions) and 30 rushing yards on 11 attempts. Adam Drake caught six passes for 95 yards and in the process became the eighth player in EIU history with 2,000 career receiving yards (2,001). Drake currently ranks second nationally in receptions/game (8.7) and fifth in total receiving yards (343). Running back Taylor Duncan had 87 rushing yards in the game. After suffering the loss the Panthers dropped out of the Top 25 polls for the first time since November 5, 2012. EIU is still receiving votes in the Sports Network Top 25 poll. EIU, the two-time defending OVC champions, have won 12-straight OVC games, the second-longest active streak in the FCS (behind only North Dakota State’s 13-straight conference wins). EIU’s longest all-time OVC win streak is 13 games done from both 2000-02 and 2004-06. The team has also won eight-straight home OVC contests dating back to the 2011 season.
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (1-1, 0-0 OVC)
at #20 Tennessee State Tigers (2-1, 0-0 OVC)
Saturday, Sept. 20 • 2:00 p.m. CT
Hale Stadium (15,000) • Nashville, Tenn.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:.......................................
http://bit.ly/1ww9gxN
Series Record:...................... Tennessee State leads 17-10
Last Meeting:............ Tennessee State won 41-21 (9/21/13)
Watson Brown at Tennessee Tech:................ 33-48 (8 yrs.)
Watson Brown Overall:......................... 127-199-1 (30 yrs.)
Rod Reed at Tennessee State:...................... 28-22 (5 yrs.)
Rod Reed Overall:................................................... same
Tennessee Tech Last Week:........................................ Idle
Tennessee State Last Week: W, 35-7 vs. Jackson State (in Memphis)
GAME NOTES: After an open date Tennessee Tech will travel to Tennessee State to open OVC play against nationally-ranked Tennessee State. The game is the first of the 2014 Sgt. York Trophy series presented by Delta Dental. The series is contested between the four football-playing schools from the state of Tennessee; TSU has won the trophy each of the past three years (although TTU shared the title with them in 2011 but lost a tiebreaker to bring home the actual hardware). Saturday’s game is the 28th all-time meeting between the two teams; Tennessee State has won the last three and eight of the last 10 in the all-time series. Last year the Tigers led 17-7 at halftime on its way to a 41-21 victory in Cookeville. Michael German passed for 204 yards and three touchdowns for TSU while Tim Broughton added 86 yards on the ground. TTU quarterbacks Darian Stone and Jared Davis combined for 165 passing yards and a score. Saturday’s game is the first of three this season at Hale Stadium on the TSU campus.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: Tennessee Tech is coming off an open date that followed its road loss at Indiana State on Sept. 6. In that contest the Golden Eagles fell behind 28-0 before scoring on back-to-back special teams plays in the third quarter. The first score came when Jordan Patrick blocked a punt which he recovered for a touchdown. Less than two minutes later Ladarius Vanlier returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown to trim the Sycamore advantage in half. Vanlier would be named OVC Specialist of the Week for his play in the contest; Vanlier finished the day with 200 all-purpose yards (his second career 200-plus yard all-purpose game), gaining 112 yards on kickoffs, 74 yards on punts, nine rushing yards and five receiving yards. The junior currently ranks first in the OVC and 11th nationally in all-purpose yards (178.5/game) and is sixth in punt returns (20.4 yards/return). Darian Stone, playing the new QW hybrid position, had 37 rushing yards against ISU and is the team’s leading rusher (79 yards) through two games.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE: After a six-point road loss to Alabama State in Week 2 of the season, Tennessee State rebounded with a 35-7 victory over rival Jackson State in the 25th annual Southern Heritage Classic played in front of 46,914 fans at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. The TSU defense continued to play stout, allowing just 138 yards of total offense on the night, including -1 net rushing yards on 26 total attempts. Tennessee State is currently first nationally in third down conversion defense (14.3%) and fourth down conversion defense (0.0%), second in turnovers gained (9), passes intercepted (6) and pass efficiency defense (68.84), fourth in total defense (221.0 yards/game), sixth in sacks/game (4.0) and tackles-for-loss (10.0/game), seventh in pass defense (126.3 yards/game) and 10th in scoring offense (38.0 points/game). Individually reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Year Anthony Bass is fifth in tackles-for-loss (2.8/game) and sixth in sacks (1.67/game). Senior De’Ante Saunders was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week after picking off two Jackson State passes including returning one 45 yards for a touchdown. Saunders currently ranks first nationally in interceptions (1.0) and 11th in passes defended (1.7/game). Offensively newcomer Tom Smith scored two touchdowns against JSU to increase his season total to six (the second-most nationally). Starting quarterback Michael German left the game with an injury but is expected back this week; in his place Ronald Butler passed for 125 yards and a touchdown.
West Alabama Tigers (2-0, 0-0 GSC)
at #8 Jacksonville State Gamecocks (1-1, 0-0 OVC)
Saturday, Sept. 20 • 3:00 p.m. CT
Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium (24,000) • Jacksonville, Ala.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:.....................................
http://statb.us/b/62618
Series Record:................ Jacksonville State leads 32-12-1
Last Meeting:......... Jacksonville State won 54-27 (11/7/92)
Brett Gilliland at West Alabama:......................... 2-0 (1 yr.)
Brett Gilliland Overall:.............................................. same
John Grass at Jacksonville State:...................... 1-1 (1 yr.)
John Grass Overall:................................................. same
West Alabama Last Week:..................... W, 30-6 vs. Shaw
Jacksonville State Last Week:.................................... Idle
GAME NOTES: After an open date the Jacksonville State Gamecocks will be at home for the first time this season, hosting former Division II rival West Alabama at Burgess-Snow Field. The two programs have played 45 times but not since the 1992 season. Jacksonville State has won the last seven meetings (and 16 of the last 19) with West Alabama last winning in the 1985 season. The two teams played every season from 1952 through 1992 when JSU was a Division II squad. The game is the first home contest for first-year head coach John Grass; eight of the nine head coaches who have opened their tenure at JSU Stadium have done so with a victory or a tie. Overall the program has won eight-straight home openers dating back to the 2004 season.
SCOUTING WEST ALABAMA: West Alabama is off to a perfect 2-0 start under first-year head coach Brett Gilliland. Gilliland, a member of the UWA Athletic Hall of Fame, was a record-setting quarterback for his alma mater, concluding his career with the Tigers single-season (3,213) and career passing (6,689) marks. He would go on to be an assistant at Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern and most recently Kennesaw State. Through two games this season West Alabama is averaging 37.0 points and 433.5 yards/game. Three players have rushed for at least 100 yards this season for West Alabama, with Javae Swindle leading the way with 197 yards (98.5 yards/game) and a touchdown while Jabari Barker has a team-best three rushing scores. In the team’s 30-6 home victory over Shaw on Saturday, the defense produced a school record nine sacks and held its opponent to -26 rushing yards. Jared Washington had three sacks to lead UWA.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: Jacksonville State maintained its national rankings of No. 8 in the FCS Coaches and No. 9 in the Sports Network polls while being idle. After a season-opening loss to FBS power Michigan State, the Gamecocks pulled out an overtime win over nationally-ranked FCS opponent Chattanooga. It marked the fourth overtime game for the program over the past two years; JSU is 3-1 in extra period games over that time period. JSU has also won six of its last eight games against nationally-ranked FCS opponents. Quarterback Eli Jenkins was named OVC Offensive Player of the Week after the UTC game as he completed 15-of-21 passes for 122 yards and rushing for 82 yards and the game-winning score in overtime. The Gamecocks rushing attack compiled 285 total yards for the game with DaMarcus James leading the way with 112 yards and a score. But it was the Gamecocks defense that took center stage, limiting the Mocs to just 11 yards of total offense, the fewest yards the team has ever allowed to a Division I opponent. Had JSU not thrown two interceptions that UTC returned for touchdowns, the game would have been 17-0 in favor of the Gamecocks at intermission. Junior newcomer Devaunte Sigler, a transfer from Auburn, was named OVC Newcomer of the Week following the Chattanooga game, as he had five tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss, a sack and forced a fumble. Michael Carlisle added 2.0 sacks and a team-high eight tackles.
#3 Southeastern Louisiana Lions (2-1, 0-0 Southland)
at Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (1-2, 0-0 OVC)
Saturday, Sept. 20 • 6:00 p.m. CT
Houck Stadium (10,000) • Cape Girardeau, Mo.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=61673
Series Record:............... Southeastern Louisiana leads 1-0
Last Meeting:.... Southeastern Louisiana won 45-7 (8/29/13)
Ron Roberts at Southeastern Louisiana:........ 18-10 (3 yrs.)
Ron Roberts Overall:.................................... 65-26 (8 yrs.)
Tom Matukewicz at Southeast Missouri:............. 1-2 (1 yr.)
Tom Matukewicz Overall:......................................... same
Southeastern Louisiana Last Week:........ L, 35-20 at Tulane
Southeast Missouri Last Week: L, 50-23 at #14 Southern Illinois
GAME NOTES: For the second-straight year Southeast Missouri and Southeastern Louisiana will square off on the gridiron. The two teams played for the first time a year ago when the Lions came out on top 45-7 in Hammond. Southeastern racked up 494 yards of total offense (309 on the ground) in the game as Bryan Bennett passed for 169 yards and rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns. Southeast Missouri rushed for 206 yards as a team with DeMichael Jackson gaining a team-high 61 yards and Lennies McFerren adding 47 yards and a touchdown. Saturday is the annual Family Weekend game for Southeast Missouri.
SCOUTING SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA: After a tremendous 2013 campaign that saw the team win the Southland Conference Championship, finish 11-3 overall and advance to the FCS Playoff Quarterfinals. A big portion of the team’s success can be attributed to now senior quarterback Bryan Bennett who played two seasons at Oregon before taking over for SLU in 2013. A season ago he threw for 3,165 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for 1,046 yards and 16 additional scores for the Lions. Through three games this season the All-American has passed for 748 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 153 yards and three additional scores. Southeastern topped Jacksonville and Southern Utah in the first two games of the season before suffering a loss at FBS Tulane last week. Senior linebacker Isiah Corbett has been named Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week twice this season including this past week after registering five tackles and two interceptions against the Green Wave. Southeastern is ranked No. 3 in the Sports Network poll and No. 4 in the FCS Coaches Top 25 this week.
SCOUTING SOUTHEAST MISSOURI: After a loss to FBS foe Kansas in Week 2, the road wasn’t much easier for Southeast Missouri last week as they traveled to nationally-ranked FCS foe Southern Illinois and lost to its rival by a 50-23 margin. The team had five turnovers in the game which led to 29 SIU points and proved to be the difference in the game. Playing without injured starting running back DeMichael Jackson, the team rushed for 153 total yards as Lennies McFerren led the way with 80 yards on 16 carries. Quarterback Kyle Snyder added 51 yards to go along with 204 passing yards and a touchdown to Paul McRoberts. McRoberts hauled in seven total catches for 86 yards as he scored his fourth receiving touchdown of the season (third-most nationally). McRoberts currently ranks 16th nationally in averaging 91.7 yards/game. Kicker Ryan McCrum was named OVC Specialist of the Week after connecting on field goals from 43, 38 and 43 yards and adding two extra points. The 43-yard field goals were the longest of his career. Defensively senior Tim Hamm-Bey picked off a pass and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown; Hamm-Bey blocked a kick the week prior and has 14 tackles through three games this season (6 of which came against SIU). As a team Southeast Missouri is first in fourth down conversion defense (0.0%), fifth in scoring offense (42.7 points/game) and sixth in passing yards/completion (17.39).
Murray State Racers (1-1, 0-0 OVC)
at Western Michigan Broncos (1-1, 0-0 MAC)
Saturday, Sept. 20 • 6:00 p.m. CT
Waldo Stadium (30,200) • Kalamazoo, Mich.
TV:...................................................................... ESPN3
Live Stats:.......................................
http://bit.ly/1DaQbD2
Series Record:............................................. First meeting
Last Meeting:.............................................................. n/a
Chris Hatcher at Murray State:....................... 25-22 (5 yrs.)
Chris Hatcher Overall:............................... 119-49 (15 yrs.)
P.J. Fleck at Western Michigan:...................... 2-12 (2 yrs.)
P.J. Fleck Overall:................................................... same
Murray State Last Week:............................................. Idle
Western Michigan Last Week:................ W, 45-33 at Idaho
GAME NOTES: For the second-straight game Murray State will play a team from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The Racers played at nationally-ranked Louisville in Week 2 and after an open date last week return to the gridiron for its first-ever matchup with Western Michigan. It marks the third time in the Chris Hatcher Era that MSU has played a team from the Mid-American Conference. Murray State is 3-23-1 all-time against FBS opponents with its last win coming against Louisville in the 1984 season.
SCOUTING MURRAY STATE: Murray State is coming off its open date and will play its second FBS opponent on Saturday after losing 66-21 at No. 25 Louisville in its last game. Despite the loss the 21 points were the most the program had scored against a FBS opponent since the 2000 season (28 against Middle Tennessee). After falling behind 14-0, wide receiver Janawski Davis caught a pass from CJ Bennett and raced 57 yards for a touchdown. He would add a 9-yard touchdown caught in the third quarter and finished the game with 112 all-purpose yards. Davis currently is first nationally in receiving touchdowns (5), scoring (18.0 points/game) and punt returns (29.0 yards/return) and fifth in points responsible for (18.0/game) after two games. Jeremy Harness, who also caught a touchdown against Louisville, is eighth nationally in receiving touchdowns (3) entering this week. Starting quarterback CJ Bennett finished the game with 93 yards and a touchdown while KD Humphries played the second half, completing 13-of-19 passes for 158 yards and two scores. Linebacker Travis Taylor had a career-high 12 tackles against Louisville while also adding 2.0 tackles-for-loss and a sack. As a team MSU ranks third nationally in punt returns (40.54 yards/return) as well as punt return yardage defense (0.67 yards/return).
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN: After going 1-11 in 2013 under first-year head coach PJ Fleck, the Broncos have already matched that win total this season, besting Idaho last week after a season-opening loss to Purdue. In that victory sophomore quarterback Zach Terrell passed for 242 yards and three touchdowns while freshman running back Jarvion Franklin had a career-high 33 carries for 211 yards and three touchdowns. Franklin is averaging 187.0 yards/game this season and has all six of WMU’s rushing touchdowns through two games while Terrell has thrown only one interception while completing 58.9 percent of his passes. Overall Western Michigan is averaging 39.5 points/game but are allowing 38.0 points/game on defense. Defensively Grant DePalma has a team-high 20 tackles while defensive tackle Cleveland Smith was named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week after netting three sacks against Idaho.