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 24
*Tennessee Tech at Eastern Illinois, 1:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Tennessee State at #13 Eastern Kentucky, 2:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Murray State at UT Martin, 2:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*#1 Jacksonville State at Austin Peay, 4:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (2-5, 1-3 OVC)
at Eastern Illinois Panthers (3-3, 3-0 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 24 • 1:00 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 15-6
Last Meeting:............... Eastern Illinois won 41-10 (11/1/14)
Watson Brown at Tennessee Tech:................ 40-58 (9 yrs.)
Watson Brown Overall:......................... 134-209-1 (31 yrs.)
Kim Dameron at Eastern Illinois:..................... 8-10 (2 yrs.)
Kim Dameron Overall:.............................................. same
Tennessee Tech Last Week: L, 42-13 vs. #1 Jacksonville State
Eastern Illinois Last Week: W, 25-22 at Tennessee State (OT)
GAME NOTES: Saturday’s matchup features teams with streaks going in different directions as Eastern Illinois has won three in a row while Tennessee Tech has lost three in a row. The game marks the 100th Homecoming celebration on the Eastern Illinois campus. EIU has won eight of the last 10 in the series including the last three. A season ago Eastern Illinois led 24-3 at halftime on its way to a 41-10 victory in Cookeville. In that game Panthers quarterback Jalen Whitlow passed for four touchdowns and ran for another as his team racked up 598 yards of total offense. The EIU defense was also stout, limiting Tennessee Tech to 239 yards, including just 89 through the air. Ladarius Vanlier had 147 all-purpose yards for the Golden Eagles including 61 rushing yards and a touchdown. Defensively EIU’s Kamu Grugier-Hill was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week after registering 19 tackles (4.0 for loss), picking off a pass, forcing a fumble and breaking up another pass.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: Facing its second-straight Top 20 nationally-ranked opponent, Tennessee Tech lost at home 42-13 to No. 1 ranked Jacksonville State on Saturday. The Golden Eagles fell behind 26-6 at halftime and could get no closer in the second half in the loss. On the defensive side of the ball Tra’Darius Goff made 14 tackles and now ranks third nationally in that category (13.1/game). Goff has 333 career tackles which is 10th in Tennessee Tech history, just four stops out of eighth place. Senior Jay Rudwall made a game-high 15 tackles in the game while Jordan Patrick added 12 tackles. Starting his second-straight game, quarterback Colby Brown completed 20 passes for a career-best 199 yards. Seven of those completions went to Brock McCoin who increased his season total to 58 catches, the fourth-most in TTU single-season history and just 10 off the school record. As a team Tennessee Tech is second in fumbles recovered (11), fewest penalties/game (3.86) and fewest yards penalized/game (33.0) and seventh in fourth down conversion percentage (75.0%).
SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS: Eastern Illinois won its third-straight game (all of which have come in Conference play) and started receiving votes in both national FCS Top 25 polls after a 25-22 overtime victory at Tennessee State. It was the team’s second overtime game of the season; the Panthers have played at least one overtime game in each of the past four seasons. The victory over TSU was marked by solid defensive efforts as the teams combined for just 588 yards of total offense and the game saw a combined four interceptions, a fumble and a blocked kick. EIU scored first but found itself trailing 19-14 at the end of the third quarter. The Panthers would force a three-and-out for TSU to begin the fourth quarter and then drive 63 yards in six plays to take the lead on a 25-yard touchdown run by Devin Church. Church, who was named OVC Newcomer of the Week, finished the game with 125 rushing yards on 17 carries (7.4 ypc) and a pair of touchdowns. It marked the third-straight week that the junior had scored two touchdowns in a game. He now ranks 10th nationally in all-purpose yards (161.0 yards/game). Nick Bruno converted a 26-yard field goal to start overtime (his only attempt of the night) before Jourdan Wickliffe picked off TSU’s quarterback to end the game. Seth McDonald led the defense with eight tackles and a sack on the evening. Overall the defense had seven tackles-for-loss and now ranks sixth nationally in that category (8.5/game).
Tennessee State Tigers (3-3, 0-3 OVC)
at #13 Eastern Kentucky Colonels (4-2, 3-0 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 24 • 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 22-5
Last Meeting:.......... Eastern Kentucky won 56-42 (11/1/14)
Rod Reed at Tennessee State:...................... 35-30 (6 yrs.)
Rod Reed Overall:................................................... same
Dean Hood at Eastern Kentucky:.................. 53-35 (8 yrs.)
Dean Hood Overall:................................................. same
Tennessee State Last Week: L, 25-22 vs. Eastern Illinois (OT)
Eastern Kentucky Last Week: W, 27-10 at Southeast Missouri
GAME NOTES: In search of its first OVC victory of the season, Tennessee State will travel to nationally-ranked Eastern Kentucky who enters the week tied for first place in the Conference at 3-0. The teams enter the week ranked No. 1 (EKU) and No. 3 (TSU) in the OVC in scoring defense. EKU has won three of the last four in the series including 44-0 in 2013 and 56-42 a year ago; prior to those two games TSU had won three of the last four in the series. In last year’s game the Colonels had 296 rushing yards as Dy’Shawn Mobley ran for 139 yards and three scores while quarterback Jared McClain also had 139 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Tennessee State’s Michael German passed for 326 yards and four touchdowns (three of which went to Isaiah Freeman) and rushed for another score for the Tigers. Nick Thrasher made 17 tackles and had a sack for TSU while Brandon Stanley added 13 stops for the Colonels.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE: Tennessee State fell to 0-3 in OVC play with a 25-22 overtime loss to Eastern Illinois on Saturday. It was the team’s first overtime game since the 2012 season. Quarterback Ronald Butler totaled 229 of the Tigers 287 yards of offense on the night as he passed for 125 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a team-high 104 yards and a score (which came on a career-long 30-yard run). He was the first TSU quarterback to rush for 100 or more yards in a game since the 2009 season. Sophomore kicker Lane Clark entered the game 1-of-6 on field goal attempts on the season but was 3-of-3 on Saturday including a career-long of 50 yards with six minutes to play to tie the game at 22. Junior safety David Kamara blocked a punt in the third quarter, forced a fumble and finished the game with seven tackles. Chris Collins added a team-high eight stops. Entering this week the team is fifth nationally in fewest fumbles lost (1).
SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY: Eastern Kentucky remained undefeated against FCS competition on the season with a 27-10 victory over Southeast Missouri on Saturday. The victory was the first road win of the season for the Colonels who play three of its final five games away from home. With the win EKU continued to climb in the Top 25 polls moving to No. 13 in the STATS Top 25 and to No. 14 in the FCS Coaches Poll. The EKU defense, which ranks seventh nationally in rush defense (89.5 yards/game) and eighth in total defense (283.2 yards/game) allowed a season-low 191 yards against the Redhawks including just 52 yards in the second half (and 31 on the ground for the game). In four games against FCS opponents this season the Colonels have allowed 250 yards or less of total offense in each contest. Junior newcomer Noah Spence was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week after registering seven tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks; he now ranks first nationally in tackles-for-loss/game (2.0) and fourth in sacks/game (1.17). The offense also continues to take care of the ball, losing only one fumble on the season and throwing just five interceptions (only two of which have come from starter Bennie Coney). Over his last four games Coney has completed 69.7 percent of his passes for 1,070 yards and nine touchdowns. Keith Wrzuszczak was named OVC Specialist of the Week after averaging 45.5 yards on four punts but also completing a 16-yard pass on a fourth down fake that led to a Colonels score six plays later.
Murray State Racers (2-4, 1-2 OVC)
at UT Martin Skyhawks (4-2, 3-1 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 24 • 2:00 p.m. CT
Hardy M. Graham Stadium (7,500) • Martin, Tenn.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=96032
Series Record:......................... Murray State leads 35-18-1
Last Meeting:...................... UT Martin won 62-38 (11/1/14)
Mitch Stewart at Murray State:............................ 2-4 (1 yr.)
Mitch Stewart Overall:.............................................. same
Jason Simpson at UT Martin:...................... 62-47 (10 yrs.)
Jason Simpson Overall:........................................... same
Murray State Last Week:............................................. Idle
UT Martin Last Week:................... W, 44-14 at Austin Peay
GAME NOTES: Murray State and UT Martin will meet for the 55th time on Saturday in a matchup between two schools located about 50 miles apart. The series has seen a lot of offense in recent years with the winning team having scored at least 38 points in each of the last 13 meetings. UT Martin has won the last four games and nine of the last 10 overall in the series after Murray State won 12-straight from 1993-2004. The Skyhawks have averaged 55.3 points/game during its four-game winning streak. Last season UTM led 35-17 at halftime on its way to a 62-38 victory as the two teams combined for over 1,000 yards of offense. The Skyhawks Abou Toure rushed for 234 yards and three touchdowns in being named OVC Offensive Player of the Week. KD Humphries passed for 425 yards and five touchdowns for the Racers.
SCOUTING MURRAY STATE: Coming off its bye week, the high octane Murray State offense will look to win its second-straight game, a feat the team has not achieved since Sept. 28 and Oct. 5 of the 2013 season. The Racers enter this week ranked third nationally in passing offense (352.0 yards/game) and eighth in total offense (488.3 yards/game). In its win over Austin Peay two weeks ago MSU racked up 526 yards of total offense behind a balanced attack. Quarterback KD Humphries, who ranks first nationally in total passing yards (2,110) and completions/game (32.17), passed for 286 yards but did not record a passing touchdown for the second-straight game, although he did run in a pair of touchdowns. Roman Clay had his second-straight 100-plus yard rushing game as he carried the ball 23 times for 118 yards (5.1 ypc) and two touchdowns. Nick Taylor added 77 yards as Murray State ended up with 240 rushing yards for the game. The Racers defense was paced by Toby Omli who had seven tackles while Pierre St. Anilus and Jonathan Jackson added six stops apiece. But it was Demetrius Mason who was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week after registering three tackles, 1.0 tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble and recovery and blocked a kick.
SCOUTING UT MARTIN: UT Martin ran its winning streak to three games and in the process captured the 2015 Sgt. York Trophy with a convincing 44-14 victory over Austin Peay. It marks the second-straight year the Skyhawks have taken home the trophy which is contested between the four OVC schools from the state of Tennessee. After falling behind 14 points to Tennessee State the week before, the UTM offense did not allow that to happen against the Governors, scoring 21 first quarter points and never looking back. Senior quarterback Jarod Neal, who was added to the CFPA FCS National Performer of the Year Watch List this week, completed 15-of-25 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown in the win. Neal now has 17 passing touchdowns this season which ranks him fourth nationally. In the process he moved into fourth place in school history in passing yards (4,882) and fifth place in total offense (5,233) and touchdowns (49). He completed five passes to Rod Wright who racked up 108 yards but did not record a touchdown after having three-straight games with multiple scores. UTM did allow its first sack since the season-opener against Ole Miss but still ranks second nationally in fewest sacks allowed/game (0.33) and fourth in fewest tackles-for-loss allowed/game (3.5). Kicker/punter Jackson Redditt was 5-of-5 on PAT attempts and 3-of-4 on field goals to net 14 points in the contest and move into third place on the school’s career points by kicking category. He also averaged 42.7 yards on three punts with a long of 55 yards.
#1 Jacksonville State Gamecocks (5-1, 3-0 OVC)
at Austin Peay Governors (0-7, 0-4 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 24 • 4:00 p.m. CT
Governors Stadium (7,000) • Clarksville, Tenn.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=92065
Series Record:.................. Jacksonville State leads 16-6-3
Last Meeting:........... Jacksonville State won 56-0 (11/1/14)
John Grass at Jacksonville State:................... 15-3 (2 yrs.)
John Grass Overall:................................................. same
Kirby Cannon at Austin Peay:......................... 1-30 (3 yrs.)
Kirby Cannon Overall:............................... 36-116 (14 yrs.)
Jacksonville State Last Week: W, 42-13 at Tennessee Tech
Austin Peay Last Week:................... L, 44-14 vs. UT Martin
GAME NOTES: Jacksonville State brings the No. 1 ranking in the STATS FCS Top 25 poll to Austin Peay for the 26th all-time meeting between the schools on Saturday. The Gamecocks have won all eight meetings since APSU came back to the OVC after playing non-scholarship football (2007-present). JSU has scored at least 28 points in all eight of those victories, including 40 or more points five times. Last season Jacksonville State recorded the first shutout in the series since 1957 with a 56-0 victory at home. The Gamecocks finished the game with 655 yards of total offense while limiting the Governors to 144 total yards. Five different JSU players had 59 or more rushing yards with DaMarcus James leading the way with 99 yards while Miles Jones added 77 yards and three scores. Justin Roberson led Austin Peay with 57 rushing yards.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: Jacksonville State won its 16th-straight regular season game against non-FBS opponents in topping Tennessee Tech 42-13 on Saturday night. It also marked the 12th-straight OVC victory for the Gamecocks, which is now tied for the 12th-longest streak in league history. JSU also remained No. 1 in the STATS FCS Top 25 poll for the sixth-straight week in addition to moving up to No. 2 in the FCS Coaches poll. Jax State opened up a 26-6 halftime advantage and was able to rest quarterback Eli Jenkins halfway through the third quarter as the team finished the contest with a season-high 619 yards of total offense. It marked the 17th-straight game the team has had 400 or more yards of total offense. Jenkins passed for 184 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 86 yards and a 40-yard touchdown in his 2.5 quarters of work. Jenkins is now 21-0 as the starter against FCS opponents during the regular season. The Gamecocks rushing attack was able to net 341 yards on the ground while Troymaine Pope leading the balanced attack with 89 yards. Pope averaged 6.8 yards/carry and ranks second nationally in rushing yards/carry (8.74) and eighth in rushing yards/game (116.5). Folo Johnson had five tackles and an interception in the victory; JSU has now picked off at least one pass in every game this season and its last 10 regular season games dating back to last season. As a team Jacksonville State is third nationally in passes intercepted (11), fifth in rushing offense (293.8 yards/game) and tackles-for-loss (8.6/game), sixth in total offense (515.5 yards/game), eighth in rushing defense (93.0 yards/game) and 10th in turnover margin (+1.17/game). The Gamecocks are the only FCS team to rank in the Top 10 nationally in both rushing offense and rushing defense.
SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY: Austin Peay suffered its 12th-straight defeat (the longest streak in the FCS) in dropping a 44-14 decision to in-state rival UT Martin. The Governors fell behind 21-0 after a quarter and were not able to get closer than 21-7 early in the second quarter after Julian Franklin scored on a 37-yard touchdown scamper (his first career touchdown). Franklin finished the day with 16 carries for 102 yards (6.4 ypc) in marking the third-straight week the Govs offense had a 100-yard rusher (the previous two weeks had been Kendall Morris), the first time since the end of the 2013 season that has happened. On defense Tyler Schneider was able to sack UTM quarterback Jarod Neal in the second quarter, marking only the second time this year he had been sacked (the other came against nationally-ranked FBS foe Ole Miss). Adam Noble had a team-high nine tackles for the Govs on the day.