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 4
*#20 Tennessee State at Southeast Missouri, 1:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*UT Martin at #8 Jacksonville State, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN3)
*#18 Eastern Kentucky at Austin Peay, 6:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Murray State at Tennessee Tech, 7:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
#20 Tennessee State Tigers (4-1, 1-0 OVC)
at Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (3-2, 1-0 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 4 • 1:00 p.m. CT
Houck Stadium (10,000) • Cape Girardeau, Mo.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=61675
Series Record:...................... Tennessee State leads 12-10
Last Meeting:............ Tennessee State won 40-16 (10/5/13)
Rod Reed at Tennessee State:...................... 30-22 (5 yrs.)
Rod Reed Overall:................................................... same
Tom Matukewicz at Southeast Missouri:............. 3-2 (1 yr.)
Tom Matukewicz Overall:......................................... same
Tennessee State Last Week:........ W, 27-7 vs. Florida A&M
Southeast Missouri Last Week:........ W, 31-27 at UT Martin
GAME NOTES: Nationally-ranked Tennessee State will travel to Southeast Missouri for the 23rd all-time meeting between the schools on Saturday. It marks the annual Homecoming matchup for the Redhawks who topped No. 3 ranked Southeastern Louisiana in its last home game two weeks ago. This week marks the third nationally-ranked FCS opponent the Redhawks will have faced this season. Tennessee State has won the last three games in the series to grab a 12-10 advantage in the all-time series. A season ago the Tigers racked up 544 yards of total offense on its way to a 40-16 victory. TSU led 16-9 at halftime before scoring 17 unanswered points in the third quarter to open up the margin. Telvin Hooks rushed for a game-high 159 yards and touchdown for Tennessee State while Michael German passed for 202 yard and two touchdowns. Southeast Missouri was led by Lewis Washington who had a 99-yard touchdown run late in the game.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE: Tennessee State continued to be a defensive juggernaut, limiting Florida A&M to 224 yards of total offense in a 27-7 victory. TSU has allowed only two offensive touchdowns in its last 13 quarters of play and ranks first nationally in total defense (207.4 yards/game allowed), pass efficiency defense (67.79), sacks (5.0/game) and fourth down conversion defense (0.0%) in addition to being second in passes intercepted (10), turnovers gained (15) and third down conversion defense (22.0%), third in pass defense (129.4 yards/game) and fourth in scoring defense (10.8 points/game), rushing defense (78.0 yards/game) and tackles-for-loss (10.0/game). The Tigers also returned an interception for a touchdown for the third-consecutive game as Terrell Bonds picked off a pass in the second quarter and raced 43 yards for a touchdown. Gabe Terry had three sacks in the game to earn OVC Defensive Player of the Week honors; he now ranks fourth nationally in sacks (1.4/game). Samquan Evans had a 12-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter; he has 19 tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks this season. Offensively the team was without starting quarterback Michael German for the second-consecutive game, but in his place sophomore Ronald Butler passed for 151 yards. The rushing attack was led by Telvin Hooks who second on a 5-yard run in the second quarter, his first rushing touchdown since Nov. 9, 2013 (he suffered an injury in the FCS playoffs last year); Hooks finished the game with 54 yards on 10 carries.
SCOUTING SOUTHEAST MISSOURI: Southeast Missouri won its second-straight game (the team’s first winning streak since 2010) and opened OVC play with a 31-27 victory over UT Martin on Saturday. It marked the team’s first road victory to open OVC play since the 2010 season and snapped a three-game losing streak to the Skyhawks. With wide receiver Paul McRoberts out with an injury for an extended period of time (McRoberts was leading the FCS with six touchdown catches after being hurt) junior Peter Lloyd stepped in to fill the void. Lloyd had nine catches for 111 total yards in the first four games of the year but exploded for 10 catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns against UTM. He had a 65-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter and caught a 28-yarder in the fourth quarter in what proved to be the game-winner. The 179 receiving yards are the most by an OVC player this season; his performance earned him OVC Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors. Quarterback Kyle Snyder finished the game with 269 passing yards and two touchdown passes while also rushing for two additional scores; Snyder ranks 11th nationally in points responsible for (16.8 points/game). Kicker Ryan McCrum kicked a 47-yard field goal in the win, his fourth 40-plus yard field goal of the season; he is a perfect 5-of-5 in field goals this season.
UT Martin Skyhawks (1-4, 0-2 OVC)
at #8 Jacksonville State Gamecocks (3-1, 1-0 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 4 • 3:00 p.m. CT
Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium (24,000) • Jacksonville, Ala.
TV:...................................................................... ESPN3
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=62619
Series Record:..................... Jacksonville State leads 28-7
Last Meeting:......... Jacksonville State won 41-27 (10/5/13)
Jason Simpson at UT Martin:........................ 53-43 (9 yrs.)
Jason Simpson Overall:........................................... same
John Grass at Jacksonville State:...................... 3-1 (1 yr.)
John Grass Overall:................................................. same
UT Martin Last Week:........ L, 31-27 vs. Southeast Missouri
Jacksonville State Last Week:..... W, 52-28 at Murray State
GAME NOTES: The OVC Game of the Week on ESPN3 will feature nationally-ranked Jacksonville State hosting UT Martin on Saturday afternoon. JSU leads the all-time series with UT Martin by a 28-7 margin, although most of those games were played before the team’s were Division I members. Jax State holds a 5-3 advantage in games played over the past eight years including winning 41-27 a year ago in Martin. In that game UTM was nationally-ranked (No. 22) but JSU would end up ranked the next week following the victory. Gamecocks running back DaMarcus James rushed for 184 yards and three touchdowns while Max Shortell threw for 226 yards and two scores for Jax State. UTM was led by Dylan Favre who completed 24 passes for 290 yards and two scores and rushed for 33 yards.
SCOUTING UT MARTIN: UT Martin slipped to 0-2 in Conference play last Saturday with a 31-27 home loss to Southeast Missouri. The Skyhawks led four different times in the game including 27-24 late in the third quarter when Jarod Neal hooked up with William Tanner for a 35-yard touchdown. But Southeast would add a touchdown with nine minutes to go and then stop UTM on 4th-and-Goal on the next possession. Neal, who ranks sixth nationally in passing efficiency (162.0), completed 20-of-37 passes for a career-high 350 yards and three touchdowns. The 350 passing yards are the most by an OVC quarterback this season. Rod Wright had a team-high six catches for 161 yards and a touchdown; entering the game the redshirt junior had only seven receptions for 102 yards. In total 17 different players have caught a pass this season with six different players having 10 or more receptions through five games. Senior All-American linebacker Tony Bell had a game-high 11 tackles to go along with his 3.5 tackles-for-loss in the loss; he also recovered a fumble and had two quarterback hurries in his best all-around game of the season. The Skyhawks have the top passing offense in the OVC (288.8 yards/game), a mark that ranks 11th nationally; the team also ranks 11th nationally in total offense (485.6 yards/game).
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: Jacksonville State improved to 3-1 on the season and opened OVC play with a 52-28 victory at Murray State. The game was tied at 28 with 1:46 to play before halftime before JD Williams returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards which led to a DaMarcus James touchdown run three plays later. That play also sparked the JSU defense which allowed only 82 yards of total offense in the second half, including just nine yards over the first four possessions of that half. Overall Jax State had 628 yards of total offense, the fourth-highest total in school history, and second-straight week they have had over 600 yards. JSU is one of just two teams in the FCS this season (Fordham being the other) to have 600 or more yards of total offense in a game. James had 148 yards (his 15th career 100-yard game) and three rushing touchdowns while quarterback Eli Jenkins had a team-high 149 rushing yard and three touchdowns to go along with his 180 passing yards and another score. Jenkins was named National Player of the Week by College Sporting News for his performance. Offensively the team is averaging 256.3 rushing yards/game which is second in the OVC and 12th nationally. On defense Ben Endress had 10 tackles (8 solo) and 1.5 tackles-for-loss against the Racers; through four games Endress leads the team with 30 tackles. Punter Hamish MacInnes averaged 40.7 yards/punt against MSU including downing two inside the 15-yard line; the junior ranks 36th nationally in punting (40.7 yards/punt).
#18 Eastern Kentucky Colonels (4-0, 1-0 OVC)
at Austin Peay Governors (0-4, 0-1 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 4 • 6:00 p.m. CT
Governors Stadium (7,000) • Clarksville, Tenn.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=60269
Series Record:...................... Eastern Kentucky leads 41-5
Last Meeting:............ Eastern Kentucky won 38-3 (10/5/13)
Dean Hood at Eastern Kentucky:.................. 44-29 (7 yrs.)
Dean Hood Overall:................................................. same
Kirby Cannon at Austin Peay:......................... 0-16 (2 yrs.)
Kirby Cannon Overall:............................... 35-102 (13 yrs.)
Eastern Kentucky Last Week:..................................... Idle
Austin Peay Last Week:............ L, 55-6 at #22 Illinois State
GAME NOTES: Undefeated Eastern Kentucky will travel to winless Austin Peay for the 47th all-time meeting between the two schools. EKU has won the last two in the series and prior to a 2009 Austin Peay victory the Colonels had won 22-straight in the series. Both of the Governors recent wins in the series (2009 and 2011) have come in Clarksville. Last season EKU won 38-3, scoring the first 31 points of the game and racking up 427 yards of total offense while limited the Govs to just 108 yards. Eastern rushed for 321 yards, including 100 by Thomas Owens, 79 from Ben De La Cruz and 67 and two touchdowns from Caleb Watkins. Andrew Spivey passed for 102 yards for Austin Peay in the loss.
SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY: One of just nine undefeated teams remaining at the FCS level, Eastern Kentucky returns to action after an open date. The Colonels will be playing its fourth road game of the season after previously winning at Robert Morris, Miami (Ohio) and UT Martin. Entering this week EKU ranks second in red zone defense (50.0%), fifth in rushing defense (84.5 yards/game), turnovers gained (13) and blocked kicks (3), sixth in rushing offense (280.8 yards/game) and passes intercepted (7), seventh in scoring defense (14.3 yards/game), eighth in total offense (490.5 yards/game) and ninth in fumbles recovered (6). EKU has produced at least 500 yards of total offense in three of its first four games this season. In its OVC opener two weeks ago at UT Martin, the Colonels led 28-24 at halftime but scored three third quarter touchdowns to pull away from the Skyhawks. Running back Dy’Shawn Mobley had another monster game, rushing for 183 yards and three touchdowns and averaging 16.6 yards/carry. He scored on touchdown runs of 68, 14 and a career-best 75 yards and now ranks third nationally in rushing yards/carry (8.64). Mobley, a transfer from Kentucky, leads the OVC and is 16th nationally in rushing (118.8 yards/game). Quarterback Bennie Coney, a transfer from Cincinnati, completed 10-of-17 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. Wide receiver Jeff Glover threw his second touchdown pass of the season against UTM; he also leads the team with 14 catches for 263 yards this year. Defensively EKU has notched 13 turnovers in its last three games.
SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY: Austin Peay has played one of the toughest schedules nationally so far this season having played a FBS opponent, two nationally-ranked FCS teams and two-time defending OVC champion Eastern Illinois. Last week the Governors traveled to No. 22 Illinois State and suffered a 55-6 loss, its 16-straight defeat dating back to the end of the 2012 season. The Govs have lost 27-straight road games overall dating back to the 2010 season but will play two of its next three games at home in the newly renovated Governors Stadium. Against ISU it was Mickey Macius who saw the majority of action at quarterback, completing 6-of-11 passes for 89 yards although it was Darrien Boone who rushed for the team’s only touchdown of the game; overall APSU has played four different quarterbacks during the 2014 season. Freshman walk-on Otis Gerron came off the bench to lead Austin Peay in rushing, carrying the ball 12 times for 38 yards. Punter Ben Campbell punted nine times in the game and has 39 punts a third of the way through the season; he punted a school record 87 times last year. Through four games Damien Whitfield leads the squad with 24 tackles.
Murray State Racers (1-3, 0-1 OVC)
at Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (1-3, 0-1 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 4 • 7:00 p.m. CT
Tucker Stadium (16,500) • Cookeville, Tenn.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:..........................................
http://bit.ly/Ydw0nc
Series Record:.................... Tennessee Tech leads 41-37-1
Last Meeting:.................. Murray State won 35-24 (10/5/13)
Chris Hatcher at Murray State:....................... 25-24 (5 yrs.)
Chris Hatcher Overall:............................... 119-51 (15 yrs.)
Watson Brown at Tennessee Tech:................ 34-49 (8 yrs.)
Watson Brown Overall:......................... 128-200-1 (30 yrs.)
Murray State Last Week: L, 52-28 vs. #8 Jacksonville State
Tennessee Tech Last Week:.... L, 50-7 at #10 Northern Iowa
GAME NOTES: Two teams with 1-3 overall records will play Saturday night in Cookeville. Tennessee Tech returns home for the first time since Week 1 while Murray State is playing its third road game of the season. The two teams have played 79 previous times with Tech holding a 41-37-1 advantage in the all-time series. Murray State, however, has controlled the series as of late, winning the last four and five of the last six in the series. A season ago the Racers got off to a quick start thanks to All-American Walter Powell (who is now playing with the New York Jets). Powell returned a punt 88 yards for a touchdown early in the first quarter and then caught a 55-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter to put his team up 21-0. He would late add a 59-yard touchdown reception in the second half as he finished the game with 310 all-purpose yards (the most by an OVC player in a game last year) and earned National Special Teams Player of the Week. Ladarius Vanlier had 172 all-purpose yards for the Golden Eagles, including 97 yards on the ground.
SCOUTING MURRAY STATE: Murray State lost its third consecutive game on Saturday, falling to No. 8 Jacksonville State 52-28. The game was a shootout early on, with teams matching each other touchdown-for-touchdown as the game was tied at 28 with 1:46 to play before halftime. But after a 90-yard kickoff return the Gamecocks scored a touchdown just 23 seconds before halftime and would not allow the Racers to score another point the remainder of the game. The Racers were limited to just 82 yards of total offense in the second half including nine total yards of offense in its first four possession of that half. KD Humphries completed 27-of-41 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 50 yards and a touchdown. Nevar Griffin and Jeremy Harness each caught six pass n the night while Pokey Harris finished the game with 157 all-purpose yards and two receiving touchdowns. Sophomore linebacker Jonathan Jackson had a team-high 19 tackles, the most by a MSU player since the 2008 season. The 19 tackles are the most in the OVC this season and tied for third-most in a FCS game this season. Travis Taylor added 17 tackles and a sack, marking the third-straight week he has established a new career-high in tackles. Jackson and Taylor are now tied for sixth nationally in tackles/game (11.5). As a team Murray State ranks seventh in punt return yardage defense (1.80 yards/return) and ninth in punt returns (19.56 yards/return), fumbles lost (1) and turnovers lost (3).
SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: Tennessee Tech is also looking to end a three-game losing streak as they are coming off a second consecutive loss to a nationally-ranked FCS opponent. The Golden Eagles traveled to No. 10 Northern Iowa and managed just 92 yards of total offense, including 25 yards through the air. Sophomore Radir Annoor had the biggest play of the day, racing 84 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter; his run was the seventh-longest run from scrimmage. Annoor finished the game with 98 total rushing yards. Defensively redshirt freshman Joe Robertson had nine total tackles in the loss while Marty Jones added eight tackles and Kevin Robinson-White had a team-best 2.5 tackles-for-loss. As a team Tech is 16th nationally in tackles-for-loss per game (8.9).