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 14
*Southeast Missouri at #1 Jacksonville State, 1:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*#24 Eastern Kentucky at Murray State, 1:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Austin Peay at Tennessee Tech, 1:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Eastern Illinois at UT Martin, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN3)
Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (4-5, 3-2 OVC)
at #1 Jacksonville State Gamecocks (8-1, 6-0 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 14 • 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=100491
Series Record:..................... Jacksonville State leads 14-5
Last Meeting:........ Jacksonville State won 49-30 (11/22/14)
Tom Matukewicz at Southeast Missouri:.......... 9-12 (2 yrs.)
Tom Matukewicz Overall:.............................. 10-12 (3 yrs.)
John Grass at Jacksonville State:................... 18-3 (2 yrs.)
John Grass Overall:................................................. same
Southeast Missouri Last Week:..... W, 44-15 at Austin Peay
Jacksonville State Last Week:.... W, 24-3 at Eastern Illinois
GAME NOTES: With just two weeks left in the regular season, Jacksonville State closes out its regular season with back-to-back home contests beginning this weekend with Southeast Missouri. The team can clinch a share of the OVC Championship with a victory this weekend. Jacksonville State has won seven consecutive games in the series, with Southeast last winning 32-25 in 2007. A year ago the Gamecocks capped a perfect OVC season (8-0) with a 49-30 victory in Cape Girardeau. JSU racked up 612 yards of total offense in the victory with quarterback Eli Jenkins passing for 200 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 67 yards. The team finished with 367 yards of rushing offense as Troymaine Pope (114 yards) and DaMarcus James (111 yards) each reached the century plateau. Kyle Snyder passed for three touchdowns for Southeast and Paul McRoberts hauled in eight passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. With two games to play Southeast Missouri has a 3-2 OVC mark and are looking to finish about .500 in Conference play for just the second time in the past 12 years (2010 was the other when they won the OVC Championships).
SCOUTING SOUTHEAST MISSOURI: Southeast Missouri won its second-straight game with a 44-15 win at Austin Peay last Saturday. The Redhawks offense has averaged 41 points per game in its recent two-game winning streak. Senior All-American Paul McRoberts caught eight passes for 61 yards and a touchdown, the 27th of his career. That total now ranks him tied for sixth in OVC career history. True freshman Dante Vandeven completed 19-of-28 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a score in the victory. He is the first Southeast true freshman to throw for more than 1,000 yards since 1998 (Bobby Brune). Tremane McCullough carried the ball 19 times for 150 yards (7.9 ypc); he now leads the OVC and ranks first in the OVC and 17th nationally in rushing yards (878). McCullough has a league-high five 100-yard rushing games this season. The Redhawks will be playing its fourth Top 25 opponent of the season (the team is 4-21 against ranked foes since 2004).
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: Jacksonville State won its 19-straight regular season game against non-FBS competition and its 15th-straight Conference game (tied for the fourth-longest streak in the league history) with a victory at Eastern Illinois on Saturday. The game was tied 3-3 at halftime as both defenses helped slow down the the opposing offense attack. But the Gamecocks would surge ahead by scoring 21 points in a 4:12 stretch as Eli Jenkins connected with Dalton Screws for a 43-yard touchdown, Troymaine Pope scored on a 10-yard run and Dawson Wells picked off a pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. It marked the second-straight week Wells had an interception for a score, earning him OVC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second-straight week. After a slow start Eli Jenkins finished the game with 149 passing yards and a touchdown and 93 rushing yards. Jenkins, who is now 24-0 as the starter against non-FBS opponents, has 6,641 yards of career total offense, ranking him ninth in school history. JSU finished the game with 385 yards of total offense, snapping a streak of 19-straight games with 400 or more yards of offense. As a team JSU ranks second nationally in total defense (257.6 yards/game), fifth in scoring defense (14.6 points/game) and sixth in total offense (490.2 yards/game).
#24 Eastern Kentucky Colonels (5-4, 4-2 OVC)
at Murray State Racers (3-6, 2-4 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 14 • 1:00 p.m. CT
Roy Stewart Stadium (16,800) • Murray, Ky.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=91974
Series Record:................. Eastern Kentucky leads 44-26-4
Last Meeting:......... Eastern Kentucky won 43-36 (11/15/14)
Dean Hood at Eastern Kentucky:.................. 54-37 (8 yrs.)
Dean Hood Overall:................................................. same
Mitch Stewart at Murray State:............................ 3-6 (1 yr.)
Mitch Stewart Overall:.............................................. same
Eastern Kentucky Last Week:.......... L, 42-35 vs. UT Martin
Murray State Last Week: W, 46-43 at Tennessee State (OT)
GAME NOTES: The Battle of the Bluegrass will be renewed for the 75th time on Saturday when nationally-ranked Eastern Kentucky travels to Murray State. EKU has won nine of the last 10 meetings with the Racers lone win in that stretch coming in overtime in 2013. A season ago Murray State led 33-21 late in the fourth quarter before Dy’Shawn Mobley scored three-straight touchdowns to power the Colonels to the victory. Overall EKU outscored MSU 36-9 in the second half. Mobley was named National Player of the Week after rushing for 224 yards and five touchdowns and catching four passes for 100 yards and a touchdown; the six total touchdowns tied the OVC single-game record. Bennie Coney passed for 264 yards and a score for Eastern while KD Humphries completed 43-of-60 passes for 396 yards and a touchdown for the Racers.
SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY: Eastern Kentucky dropped its second-straight game and saw its hopes of an OVC Championship (and possibly a playoff berth) likely come to an end with a 42-35 home loss to UT Martin. The Skyhawks trailed 28-17 entering the fourth quarter only to outscore the Colonels 25-7 in the final period. EKU intercepted the Skyhawks four times (the Colonels highest single-game total since 2009), nearly doubling UTM’s total entering the game. The defense also tallied two sacks (both by Noah Spence) against a team that ranks fifth nationally in fewest sacks allowed. Spence, who had seven tackles, 3.0 tackles-for-loss, four quarterback hurries and forced a fumble, Spence now ranks first nationally in tackles-for-loss (2.1/game), fourth in sacks (1.11/game) and 12th in fumbles recovered (2). For the second time this season Bennie Coney tossed five touchdown passes (tying the EKU single-game record) while also adding a career-best 354 yards and rushing for 22 additional yards. As a team Eastern Kentucky is third nationally in fumbles lost (2), ninth in net punting (39.02 yards/punt) and seventh in kickoff return yardage defense (16.33 yards/return). EKU remained ranked in the STATS Top 25 (at No. 24) but fell out of the FCS Coaches poll this week.
SCOUTING MURRAY STATE: Murray State snapped a 13-game road losing streak with an exciting 46-43 overtime victory over Tennessee State. The back-and-forth affair saw Murray State lead by seven points early only to see Tennessee State go ahead by 12 points in the second quarter. The score remained close in the final two periods with Roman Clay rushing for the tying score with 5:01 to play. Clay would end the game in the extra period with a two-yard run in overtime after TSU had kicked a field goal. He finished the game with 134 rushing yards after having just 19 yards at halftime. KD Humphries, who continues to lead the FCS in passing yards (3,173), passing yards/game (352.6) and completions/game (30.89), passed for 366 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. The redshirt junior, who has seven 300-plus yard passing games this season, is closing in on the OVC career Top 10 lists for passing yards and total offense. He completed 10 passes to Jesse Blackburn who totaled 162 yards and two touchdowns; he also ran for four yards on fourth down early in the fourth quarter in what proved to be a pivotal play. Nationally the Racers rank second in passing offense (354.6 yards/game) and seventh in total offense (478.1 yards/game). Zach Dean was named OVC Specialist of the Week after blocking two extra points in the game and ultimately allowing the team to send the game to overtime.
Austin Peay Governors (0-10, 0-7 OVC)
at Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (2-7, 1-5 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 14 • 1:30 p.m. CT
Tucker Stadium (16,500) • Cookeville, Tenn.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=103857
Series Record:...................... Tennessee Tech leads 30-18
Last Meeting:........... Tennessee Tech won 41-15 (11/22/15)
Kirby Cannon at Austin Peay:......................... 1-33 (3 yrs.)
Kirby Cannon Overall:............................... 36-119 (14 yrs.)
Watson Brown at Tennessee Tech:................ 40-60 (9 yrs.)
Watson Brown Overall:......................... 134-211-1 (31 yrs.)
Austin Peay Last Week:.... L, 44-15 vs. Southeast Missouri
Tennessee Tech Last Week:........................................ Idle
GAME NOTES: Austin Peay concludes its 2015 season (the team has an open date next week) with a trip to Cookeville to square off with Tennessee Tech for the 49th time in the all-time series. The Golden Eagles have won five of the last six in the series with the Governors claiming a 38-31 victory in 2012. A year ago TTU led 17-13 at halftime before outscoring APSU 24-2 in the second half on its way to the 41-15 victory. Quarterback Darian Stone passed for 186 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a game-high 130 yards for Tennessee Tech while Ladarius Vanlier added 92 yards on the ground, 84 of which came on a touchdown run late in the game. Cody Matthews caught 10 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns for Tech. Austin Peay was led by Trey Taylor who passed for 224 yards and rushed for 27 additional yards while Otis Gerron added 114 yards on the ground.
SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY: Austin Peay led Southeast Missouri 12-7 early in the second quarter last Saturday and were down 21-15 late in that quarter before seeing the Redhawks outscore them 20-0 in the second half on its way to a 44-15 victory. It marked the Governors 15th-straight loss, the longest losing streak in the FCS. Timarious Mitchell made his fourth career start at quarterback (and first since November 2013) and passed for a career-high 160 yards and a touchdown against Southeast Missouri. Kendall Morris rushed for a team-high 66 yards on 14 carries and scored on a one-yard run early in the second quarter. Defensively Devon Jones posted a career-high 12 tackles, including a sack and 2.5 tackles-for-loss, against the Redhawks. Austin Peay is looking to avoid its second winless season in three years and to also snap a 36-game road losing streak dating back to 2010.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: Tennessee Tech enters this week having lost five in a row thanks in part to the injury bug that has hit the team hard, especially at the quarterback position. The team was 2-2 on Sept. 26 following a win at Murray State but starter Jared Davis has not been healthy since and in the team’s last game two weeks ago star wide receiver Brock McCoin started under center with Davis and both of his backups injured. McCoin, who needs just seven receptions to tie the TTU single-season record, passed for 192 yards and rushed for 96 yards in that game against Southeast Missouri. But the team was done in by a five-minute stretch in the third quarter that saw the Redhawks score on a punt block, a 50-yard field goal and a punt return to turn a four-point game into a 21-point contest. Linebacker Jay Rudwall led the team with 11 tackles against Southeast Missouri.
Eastern Illinois Panthers (5-4, 5-1 OVC)
at UT Martin Skyhawks (6-3, 5-1 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 14 • 2:00 p.m. CT
Hardy M. Graham Stadium (7,500) • Martin, Tenn.
TV:...................................................................... ESPN3
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=96033
Series Record:.......................... Eastern Illinois leads 13-7
Last Meeting:..................... UT Martin won 37-16 (11/22/14)
Kim Dameron at Eastern Illinois:........... (b4 yr.) 5-7 (2 yrs.)
Kim Dameron Overall:.............................................. same
Jason Simpson at UT Martin:......... (B4 YR.) 58-45 (10 yrs.)
Jason Simpson Overall:........................................... same
Eastern Illinois Last Week: L, 24-3 vs. #1 Jacksonville State
UT Martin Last Week:..... W, 42-35 at #18 Eastern Kentucky
GAME NOTES: Two teams coming off games with nationally-ranked opponents meet in the OVC Game of the Week on ESPN3. Eastern Illinois leads the all-time series with UT Martin by a 13-7 margin although the Skyhawks have won four of the five meetings including a 73-16 victory a season ago. That victory snapped EIU’s 11-game home Conference winning streak. UTM led 10-9 after the first quarter but extended its advantage by scoring 27 unanswered points. Abou Toure rushed for a game-high 158 yards while Dylan Favre passed for 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Skyhawks. Andrew Manley, subbing for an injured Jalen Whitlow, completed 26-of-50 passes for 290 yards and a touchdown for EIU while Shepard Little rushed for 137 yards and a score.
SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS: Playing against the No. 1 ranked team in the FCS (a team also ranked No. 2 nationally in total defense) the Panthers kept the first half close behind great its own defense, as the two teams were tied 3-3 at intermission. The game remained deadlocked until late in the third quarter when JSU scored three touchdowns in a four minute stretch to account for the final margin. The EIU offense was limited to just 239 yards of total offense on the day including only 64 passing yards. Eastern found most of its success on the ground as Devin Church tallied 84 yards on 15 carries while Shepard Little added 81 yards on 11 carries (7.4 ypc). Defensively Seth McDonald led the way with 17 tackles, the second-time this season he has reached that mark which ranks tied for third in the league this year. He also had half a sack and forced a fumble. Kamu Grugier-Hill, who is 10th nationally in tackles-for-loss (1.6/game) had 11 tackles and a quarterback hurry in the game. EIU held the Gamecocks below 400 yards of total offense for the first time in a stretch of 20 games.
SCOUTING UT MARTIN: UT Martin improved to 5-1 in Conference play with its biggest win of the season, a 42-35 win over No. 18 Eastern Kentucky (its first win over a Top 25 opponent since 2013). UTM has now won 10 of its last 11 OVC games dating back to last season (with the lone loss coming against No. 1 JSU). The victory left the Skyhawks in second place in the OVC standings and enhanced the team’s chances at a potential at-large FCS playoff berth. The Skyhawks trailed the Colonels 28-17 at the end of the third quarter but outscored EKU 25-7 in the fourth quarter to win for only the second time ever in Richmond (both of which have come in the team’s last two trips to EKU). Deantae Glover returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown with 4:32 to play to tie the game at 35. Three and a half minutes later Rod Wright caught a touchdown from Jarod Neal to give his team the victory. Neal finished the game with 358 passing yards and three touchdowns, including two scores to Caylon Weathers who netted 106 total yards on the day. Wright increased his season touchdowns total to 11 (fourth nationally) while Weathers now has seven scores. Neal now ranks second in UTM history in career passing touchdowns (49) and fourth in career passing yards (6,040). UT Martin is fourth in tackles-for-loss allowed/game (3.78), fifth in sacks allowed/game (0.67), eighth in passing offense (304.7 yards/game) and 10th in red zone offense (88.6%). The Skyhawks are closing in on the Top 25 and are unofficially No. 27 in the STATS Top 25 this week.