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, November 21
*Murray State at #1 Jacksonville State, 1:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*UT Martin at Southeast Missouri, 1:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*#23 Eastern Kentucky at Eastern Illinois, 1:00 p.m. (ESPN3)
*Tennessee State at Tennessee Tech, 2:30 p.m. (American Sports Network)
Murray State Racers (3-7, 2-5 OVC)
at #1 Jacksonville State Gamecocks (9-1, 7-0 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 21 • 1:00 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=100492
Series Record:..................... Jacksonville State leads 10-2
Last Meeting:......... Jacksonville State won 52-28 (9/27/14)
Mitch Stewart at Murray State:............................ 3-7 (1 yr.)
Mitch Stewart Overall:.............................................. same
John Grass at Jacksonville State:................... 19-3 (2 yrs.)
John Grass Overall:................................................. same
Murray State Last Week: L, 41-34 vs. #24 Eastern Kentucky (2OT)
Jacksonville State Last Week: W, 56-28 vs. Southeast Missouri
GAME NOTES: After having locked up the OVC Championship a week ago, Jacksonville State looks to close out the regular season undefeated against FCS competition and lock up the No. 1 overall seed for the FCS Playoffs. The Gamecocks welcome Murray State to Burgess-Snow Field, a place where the Racers won in their last visit, topping the Gamecocks 35-34 in overtime in 2013. That is one of just two wins for MSU in the 12 all-time meetings in the series (the other came in 2003, also in overtime). A season ago Jacksonville State scored the final 24 points of the game after the contest was tied at 28 late in the second quarter on its way to a 52-28 victory. JSU finished the contest with 627 yards of total offense as DaMarcus James and Eli Jenkins each rushed for 149 yards and three touchdowns. Jenkins also passed for 178 yards and a touchdown in earning National Player of the Week honors. KD Humphries passed for 247 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 50 yards and an additional score for the Racers.
SCOUTING MURRAY STATE: Murray State played its second consecutive overtime contest last week, but after winning at Tennessee State this time came out on the short end of a double overtime contest with rival Eastern Kentucky. The Racers overcame an early 20-7 deficit to grab a 27-20 lead with two minutes to go in the game but could not hang on. Junior quarterback KD Humphries completed 30-of-51 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. Humphries continues to rank first nationally in passing yards (3,492), passing yards/game (349.2) and completions/game (30.80). Humphries also moved into fifth place in OVC single-season history for passing yards, sixth place in total offense (3,569) and sixth in completions (308). Paul Rice caught six passes for 113 yards and a touchdown against the Colonels; he ranks fourth nationally in receptions/game (7.5). Defensively DeQuinten Spraggins led the team with 12 tackles and a career-high five pass breakups.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: Jacksonville State clinched its second-straight and fifth overall OVC Championship with a win over Southeast Missouri on Saturday. The team has now won 16-straight OVC games, the fourth-longest streak in league history. With a victory on Saturday JSU would be only the third OVC program to ever record back-to-back 8-0 seasons (joining the 1993 & 1994 Eastern Kentucky and 1995 & 1996 Murray State teams). Jax State rolled up 617 yards of total offense against the Redhawks (including 399 rushing yards) while resting a lot of offensive starters in the second half. Troymaine Pope, the OVC’s leading rusher (1,014 yards) carried the ball 17 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns while backup quarterback Christian LeMay had six carries for 124 yards (20.7 ypc) including touchdown runs of 42 and 51 yards in the fourth quarter. Starter Eli Jenkins passed for 194 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 56 yards before exiting in the second half; Jenkins now has 6,891 yards of career total offense and is 25-0 as the starter against non-FBS opponents in the regular season. Josh Barge caught seven passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns and in the process set the JSU single-season (68) and career (182) receptions records. Barge ranks 10th nationally in receptions/game (6.8) and receiving touchdowns (9). Head coach John Grass, now 19-3 in two years at JSU, is only the second OVC coach to win two OVC Championships in his first two years as head coach.
UT Martin Skyhawks (6-4, 5-2 OVC)
at Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (4-6, 3-3 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 21 • 1:00 p.m. CT
Houck Stadium (10,000) • Cape Girardeau, Mo.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=92703
Series Record:....................................... Series tied 15-15
Last Meeting:........ Southeast Missouri won 31-27 (9/27/14)
Jason Simpson at UT Martin:...................... 64-49 (10 yrs.)
Jason Simpson Overall:........................................... same
Tom Matukewicz at Southeast Missouri:.......... 9-13 (2 yrs.)
Tom Matukewicz Overall:.............................. 10-13 (3 yrs.)
UT Martin Last Week:............... L, 23-21 vs. Eastern Illinois
Southeast Missouri Last Week: L, 56-28 at #1 Jacksonville State
GAME NOTES: Saturday’s contest is the 31st all-time between the two schools and the series is now deadlocked at 15 apiece. UT Martin has won eight of the last 10 overall but it was Southeast Missouri who claimed a 31-27 victory a season ago. In that game Kyle Snyder passed for 269 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for two additional scores for the Redhawks who won despite being out-gained 514 to 394 in total offense. Peter Lloyd caught 10 passes for 179 yards and two scores including the game-winner which came with nine minutes to play in the game. Jarod Neal passed for 350 yards and three scores for UT Martin. Defensively Tony Bell had 11 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, 0.5 sack, a fumble recovery and two quarterback hurries for UTM while Roper Garrett led Southeast with nine tackles and a forced fumble. Each of the last seven games in the series has been competitive, as each game over that span has been decided by 10 points or less.
SCOUTING UT MARTIN: UT Martin suffered a home loss to Eastern Illinois on Saturday and likely saw its playoff hopes end in the process (the team enters this weekend with five Division I victories on the year). It marked just the second OVC loss for the team over its last 12 games dating back to last season. The Skyhawks led early in the second half when Rod Wright got his 12th touchdown pass of the season (a mark that ranks him fourth nationally). But the team would relinquish the lead five minutes later and never lead again. The Skyhawks pulled to within one point in the third quarter and later were within two with 4:51 to play before a failed two-point conversion ended its chances. Jarod Neal completed 30-of-49 passes for 322 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted four times. He threw his 50th career touchdown pass in the game which moved him into 10th place in OVC history while his 27 touchdowns this season ranks him 7th in OVC history (and fifth nationally in 2015). William Tanner finished the game with 103 receiving yards, the third time in the last four games he has reached the century mark. The Skyhawks were held to just 81 yards rushing, only the second time this season they have been held below 100 yards (against JSU was the other). Marquis Clemons had 11 tackles and an interception for UT Martin.
SCOUTING SOUTHEAST MISSOURI: With one game to play Southeast Missouri has a 3-3 OVC mark and are looking to finish above .500 in Conference play for just the second time in the past 12 years (2010 was the other when they won the OVC Championships). In its last outing the Redhawks fell behind 35-7 on its way to a 56-28 loss to No. 1 ranked Jacksonville State. Quarterback Dante Vandeven was named OVC Newcomer of the Week after completing 19-of-35 passes for a career-high 239 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 29 yards and another score. The true freshman has now thrown a touchdown in five of his last six starts. Tremane McCullough rushed for 49 yards and caught six passes for 104 yards on the day. McCullough ranks second in the OVC in rushing and needs just 73 yards to reach 1,000 for the season. Paul McRoberts caught 10 passes in the loss; his 27 career touchdown catches ranks him sixth in OVC history. Freshman Cameron Sanders was named OVC Specialist of the Week after returning a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter; it was the longest kickoff return in Southeast Missouri history and just the third kickoff return touchdown in the OVC this season. Roper Garrett had 12 tackles against JSU and needs just eight more to reach the century mark this season.
#23 Eastern Kentucky Colonels (6-4, 5-2 OVC)
at Eastern Illinois Panthers (6-4, 6-1 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 21 • 1:00 p.m. CT
O’Brien Field (10,000) • Charleston, Ill.
TV:...................................................................... ESPN3
Live Stats:.........
http://www.sidearmstats.com/eiu/football/
Series Record:...................... Eastern Kentucky leads 13-9
Last Meeting: Eastern Kentucky won 36-33 in OT (10/11/14)
Dean Hood at Eastern Kentucky:.................. 55-37 (8 yrs.)
Dean Hood Overall:................................................. same
Kim Dameron at Eastern Illinois:................... 11-11 (2 yrs.)
Kim Dameron Overall:.............................................. same
Eastern Kentucky Last Week: W, 41-34 at Murray State (2OT)
Eastern Illinois Last Week:............... W, 23-21 at UT Martin
GAME NOTES: An at-large playoff berth is likely on the line for the winner of Saturday’s game as rivals meet in the OVC Game of the Week on ESPN3. The two teams have combined for 29 OVC Championships (and 36 FCS Playoff berths) and in seven of the last 10 years the winner of this game has gone on to win the OVC Championship (EIU could still earn a share of the title with a win and a JSU loss this weekend). Eastern Kentucky ended a two-game winning streak against Eastern Illinois a season ago; overall the Colonels have won six of the last eight in the series. Last year Eastern Illinois led then No. 16 ranked Eastern Kentucky 23-5 at halftime before the Colonels stormed back with 28 second half points (21 in the fourth quarter) to tie the game and force overtime. In the extra frame Andrew Lloyd kicked a 29-yard field goal after an EIU fumble to win the game. Dy’Shawn Mobley rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns and caught five passes for 63 yards for EKU. Jalen Whitlow finished the game 26-of-40 for 247 yards and two scores and rushed for 88 yards and another touchdown for the Panthers. Adam Drake caught 13 passes for 146 yards and two scores for EIU. Overall there were six field goals in the game (four by Nick Bruno). Brandon Stanley had 16 tackles for EKU while Kamu Grugier-Hill had 10 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.
SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY: In the midst of a two-game losing streak and facing a seven-point deficit with two minutes to play, Eastern Kentucky drove down the field to tie the game and eventually topped Murray State in double overtime to keep its hopes of appearing in its 22nd FCS Playoffs alive. Quarterback Bennie Coney led the team on an eight-play, 77-yard drive at the end of regulation and then at the end of the first overtime hit Dy’Shawn Mobley for a 20-yard touchdown on third down to force a second overtime period. In that period Kentay Hopkins scored on a 1-yard run and Kobie Grace picked off MSU’s ensuing pass to clinch the game. Coney was named OVC Co-Offensive Player of the Week after completing an EKU record 44 passes (in 68 attempts) for an EKU record 417 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for a team-high 59 yards. Coney became the first EKU quarterback to ever throw for 400 yards in a game. Lucas Williams kicked two field goals and made five PAT’s during the game; he now ranks eighth nationally in scoring (9.1 points/game). Noah Spence had seven tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks in the game; he now leads all FCS players in tackles-for-loss (2.3/game) and is third in sacks (1.15). Spence’s 11.5 sacks this season rank fourth in EKU single-season history.
SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS: Eastern Illinois will look to qualify for its 16th FCS Playoffs with a win on Saturday. The Panthers stayed in the hunt with a 23-21 victory at UT Martin on Saturday. Senior defensive lineman Dino Fanti was named National Defensive Player of the Week by STATS after making two plays in the fourth quarter that directly led to the win. The senior hit UTM quarterback Jarod Neal which caused him to float a pass that Thomas Coronado picked off and returned 45 yards to give EIU a 23-15 lead with 10:59 to play. After the Skyhawks had trimmed the margin to two points with 4:51 to play Fanti tackled Neal on the two-point conversion attempt to secure the two-point win for his team. In addition to those two plays Fanti finished the game with seven tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, a sack and a forced fumble; he now ranks eighth nationally in tackles-for-loss (1.7/game) and 15th in forced fumbles (0.3/game). Quarterback Jalen Whitlow rushed for 142 yards (the most by an OVC quarterback this season) on 13 carries (10.9 ypc) and passed for 80 yards in the victory. The EIU defense picked off four passes on the day including one by Jourdan Wickliffe in the final two minutes to secure the victory; Wickliffe finished the game with 10 tackles and a pass breakup.
Tennessee State Tigers (4-5, 1-5 OVC)
at Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (3-7, 2-5 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 21 • 2:30 p.m. CT
Tucker Stadium (16,500) • Cookeville, Tenn.
TV:........................................... American Sports Network
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=103858
Series Record:...................... Tennessee State leads 18-10
Last Meeting:.............. Tennessee State won 10-7 (9/20/14)
Rod Reed at Tennessee State:...................... 36-32 (6 yrs.)
Rod Reed Overall:................................................... same
Watson Brown at Tennessee Tech:................ 41-60 (9 yrs.)
Watson Brown Overall:......................... 135-211-1 (31 yrs.)
Tennessee State Last Week:....................................... Idle
Tennessee Tech Last Week:........ W, 42-24 vs. Austin Peay
GAME NOTES: In-state rivals conclude the 2015 season against each other in Cookeville in a Sgt. York Trophy series game on Saturday. That series is contested between the four football-playing schools from the state of Tennessee. Saturday’s game is the 29th all-time meeting between the two teams; Tennessee State has won the last four and nine of the last 11 in the all-time series. A season ago the teams played a defensive stalemate contest as the two squads combined for just 355 yards of total offense (205 by TSU and 150 by TTU) and zero offensive touchdowns. The defenses combined for 11 sacks and three interceptions and saw all the scoring come in the first 15 minutes of the game. Tech scored on an Austin Tallant interception return to open the scoring before TSU added a 26-yard field goal and a Ronnie Vinson 50-yard interception return for a score.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE: After its second bye week of the season (due to a 10-game schedule), Tennessee State looks to end the season strong and finish .500 with a victory. The Tigers have had three consecutive seasons with .500 or better records. In its last game two weeks ago against Murray State, the Tigers led 26-14 in the second quarter and later 40-30 at the end of the third quarter before eventually falling 46-43 in overtime. After the game went to overtime Lane Clark kicked a 37-yard field goal to give TSU the lead by MSU would score a touchdown on its possession to score the victory. Sophomore wide receiver Patrick Smith earned OVC Offensive Player of the Week honors (and honorable mention National Player of the Week honors) after catching nine passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns. The 248 receiving yards were one off the TSU single-game record and are the third-most in the FCS this season. His touchdown catches went for 70 and 81 yards. He now ranks seventh nationally in receiving yards/game (103.7) and 10th in receiving touchdowns (9). Freshman quarterback O’Shay Ackerman-Carter completed 23-of-33 passes for 329 yards and four touchdowns in the loss. Running back Erick Evans scored a touchdown for the third-straight game and finished the contest with 96 rushing yards on 17 carries. Ebenezer Ogundeko was named OVC Co-Defensive Player of the Week after registering 10 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, 3.0 sacks and forcing a fumble
SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: Tennessee Tech snapped a five-game losing streak with a 42-24 win over Austin Peay on Saturday. APSU led the game 24-21 at halftime before the Golden Eagles defense shutout the Govs in the second half. Forced to play quarterback once again, star wide receiver Brock McCoin was great, completing 8-of-12 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 115 yards. This season McCoin has a 200-yard passing game, a 200-yard receiving game and a 100-yard rushing game, the only Division I player (FBS or FCS) since 1996 to accomplish that feat in a single season. Ladarius Vanlier was named OVC Co-Offensive Player of the Week after accounting for 272 all-purpose yards and a career-high four touchdowns. Vanlier carried the ball 11 times for 131 yards (11.9 ypc) and three touchdowns, caught two passes for 74 yards and a touchdown and returned two kickoffs for 66 yards and a punt for one yard. The senior, who now ranks 16th nationally in all-purpose yards (141.9/game), had touchdown runs of 46, 1 and 51 yards and a touchdown catch of 69 in the game. Vanlier now has 5,188 career all-purpose yards which is second in TTU history. Defensively true freshman Tim Collins had 11 tackles and forced a fumble in the contest. He was a part of a defensive unit that held the Govs to just six rushing yards (and 57 yards of total offense) in the second half. Senior Tra’Darius Goff added 10 tackles and now ranks eighth nationally in that category (11.6/game).