Ohio Valley Conference

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 19
*Tennessee State at #1 Jacksonville State, 1:00 p.m. (ESPN3)
Southeast Missouri at #23 Indiana State, 2:05 p.m.
Austin Peay at Vanderbilt, 3:00 p.m. (SEC Network)
Mercer at Tennessee Tech, 6:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
Murray State at Western Michigan, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN3)
#5 Illinois State at Eastern Illinois, 7:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)

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Tennessee State Tigers (2-0, 0-0 OVC)
at #1 Jacksonville State Gamecocks (1-1, 0-0 OVC)
Saturday, Sept. 19 • 1:00 p.m. CT
Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium (24,000) • Jacksonville, Ala.
TV:...................................................................... ESPN3
Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=100488
Series Record:....................... Jacksonville State leads 8-2
Last Meeting:........ Jacksonville State won 27-20 (10/11/14)
Rod Reed at Tennessee State:..................... 34-27 (6 yrs.)
Rod Reed Overall:................................................... same
John Grass at Jacksonville State:................... 11-3 (2 yrs.)
John Grass Overall:................................................. same
Tennessee State Last Week: W, 35-25 vs. Jackson State (Memphis, TN)
Jacksonville State Last Week:. L, 27-20 at #6 Auburn in OT
 
GAME NOTES: The first Conference game of the season will be played on Saturday as Jacksonville State hosts Tennessee State. This marks the second-straight year the teams have played in the OVC’s ESPN3 Game of the Week package. In each of the previous two meetings both teams were in the FCS Top 25 polls but this year only JSU is ranked marking the fifth time in the past six meetings that at least one of the teams has been ranked in the national FCS polls. JSU has won five of the last six meetings with TSU scoring a 49-47 victory in 2012. Last year No. 8 Jacksonville State topped No. 25 Tennessee State in a contest that did not see any scoring in the fourth quarter. The Gamecocks jumped out to a 20-6 lead early in the fourth quarter and withstood a TSU rally that saw the team score 17 points in the final 3:32 of the third quarter. DaMarcus James rushed for two touchdowns for Jax State while quarterback Eli Jenkins added 95 passing yards and a scoring strike and rushed for 52 yards. TSU quarterback Michael German completed 32 passes for 364 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for a score. The game features two head coaches who are coaching at their alma maters. JSU is 48-18-3 all-time in home openers and 9-3 all-time in OVC openers.
 
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE: Tennessee State is the only undefeated team in the OVC at 2-0 following its second-straight victory over a FCS opponent, as the Big Blue topped Jackson State 35-25 in the Southern Heritage Classic played at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. Redshirt freshman quarterback O’Shay Ackerman-Carter was named FCS National Freshman of the Week by STATS after throwing for 250 yards and three touchdowns, including a 64-yard strike on the second play of the game. Through two games Ackerman-Carter has is averaging 219.0 passing yards/game and has four touchdowns against only one interception. Senior tight end Joshawn Bowens was one of three players who caught a touchdown, as he had seven total catches for 71 yards. Patrick Smith added 107 receiving yards and a score while Chris Sanders-McCollum had 71 receiving yards and a score. Telvin Hooks carried the ball 14 times for 68 yards and two touchdowns and now ranks seventh nationally in rushing touchdowns (3) for the season.
 
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: Jacksonville State nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets in college football history when the Gamecocks took No. 6 FBS Auburn to overtime (the first FCS team to ever take a ranked FBS opponent to overtime) before ultimately falling 27-20. Despite the loss the Gamecocks were rewarded for their play by ascending to No. 1 in the STATS Top 25 poll, becoming the first OVC team to be No. 1 since the end of the 1999 season. It is also the first time in JSU program history the Gamecocks have been No. 1 at any level of football. Josh Barge earned FCS National Player of the Week honors from NCAA.com after catching a school record 14 catches for 132 yards and a touchdown against the SEC preseason favorites. Ruben Gonzalez added eight catches for 101 yards as JSU controlled the time of possession (35:25 to 24:35) on offense and also forced Auburn into three turnovers. Eli Jenkins passed for 277 yards and rushed for 37 for JSU. Troymaine Pope rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown on Saturday and ranks fourth nationally in rushing yards/game (129.0). Dawson Wells was named OVC Co-Defensive Player of the Week after making seven tackles and netting an interception while linebacker Joel McCandless was named OVC Newcomer of the Week after also making seven stops and adding an interception. JSU enters this week having non 12-straight regular season games against non-FBS opponents.
 
 
Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (1-1, 0-0 OVC)
at #23 Indiana State Sycamores (1-1, 0-0 MVFC)
Saturday, Sept. 19 • 2:05 p.m. CT
Memorial Stadium (12,76) • Terre Haute, Ind.
TV:.......................................................................... none
Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=97005
Series Record:..................... Southeast Missouri leads 4-3
Last Meeting:........ Southeast Missouri won 24-21 (9/27/08)
Tom Matukewicz at Southeast Missouri:............ 6-8 (2 yrs.)
Tom Matukewicz Overall:.................................. 7-8 (3 yrs.)
Mike Sanford at Indiana State:...................... 11-18 (3 yrs.)
Mike Sanford Overall:................................... 27-61 (8 yrs.)
Southeast Missouri Last Week: W, 27-24 vs. Southern Illinois
Indiana State Last Week:...................... L, 38-14 at Purdue
 
GAME NOTES: Southeast Missouri travels to Indiana State for the first meeting between the two programs since the 2008 season. Overall the teams have played seven previous times with Southeast having won the last two (2007 and 2008) after losing the three games prior to that. In the last meeting Southeast Missouri scored a touchdown with 42 seconds left to come from behind and top Indiana State 24-21. The back-and-forth game was highlighted by Southeast running back Henry Harris who rushed for a game-high 110 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Houston Lillard added 155 passing yards to go along with a passing and rushing touchdown. Indiana State quarterback Chuck Dowdell passed for 78 yards and a touchdown and led the Sycamores with 96 rushing yards. Quinton Scott had 17 tackles and a forced fumble for ISU.
 
SCOUTING SOUTHEAST MISSOURI: Southeast Missouri was able to knock-off regional rival Southern Illinois 27-24 at home on Saturday night. The exciting finish, which came when All-American kicker Ryan McCrum nailed a 42-yard field goal with five second left, gave the Redhawks its first victory over the Salukis since 2010 and only its second win in its last 10 meetings with SIU. Southeast got off to a quick start as McCrum nailed a field goal, Michael Ford returned an interception 21 yards for a score and Eriq Moore had a 42-yard fumble return for a score to give the team a 17-7 advantage after one quarter. SIU would come back to grab a 24-17 lead before Paul McRoberts caught a touchdown late in the third quarter, setting up the last second field goal. Ford was named OVC Co-Defensive Player of the Week after netting two interceptions to go along with eight tackles. Overall the Southeast defense forced seven turnovers and now ranks No. 2 nationally in turnover margin (+3.5/game). Southeast has only lost one turnover this year and has yet to throw an interception. Senior DeMichael Jackson rushed for a career-high 186 yards on 30 carries while quarterback Tay Bender passed for 159 yards and rushed for 27 yards in his second game with the Redhawks. McRoberts moved into 10th place on the school’s career receiving yards list (1,586) during the game. Linebacker Roper Garrett led the team with 13 tackles and also recovered a fumble. For the first time this season Southeast is now receiving votes in the STATS Top 25 poll.
 
SCOUTING INDIANA STATE: Indiana State is coming off a FCS Playoff appearance in 2014 and has 48 letterwinners (18 starters) back from that squad that was 4-4 in the tough Missouri Valley Football Conference. The team is ranked No. 23 in this week’s STATS Top 25 poll and No. 25 in the FCS Coaches poll. The Sycamores got the season started with a 52-17 home victory over Butler before dropping a 38-14 decision to FBS opponent Purdue this past weekend. Against the Boilermakers Matt Adam passed for 194 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a team-high 88 yards on 19 carries. Adam is averaging 179 passing and 63 rushing yards/game through the first two contests of the season. LeMonte Booker is the team’s leading rusher with a 78.5 yards/game average and three touchdowns. Senior linebacker Connor Underwood broke Indiana State’s all-time tackles for loss record against Purdue, increasing his career total to 55.0. He finished the game with five total tackles and has 11 tackles and 2.5 tackles-for-loss on the season.
 
 
Austin Peay Governors (0-2, 0-0 OVC)
at Vanderbilt Commodores (0-2, 0-0 SEC)
Saturday, Sept. 19 • 3:00 p.m. CT
Vanderbilt Stadium (40,350) • Nashville, Tenn.
TV:............................................................. SEC Network
Live Stats:......................................... http://bit.ly/1Kft66C
Series Record:................................... Vanderbilt leads 1-0
Last Meeting:......................... Vanderbilt won 38-3 (9/7/13)
Kirby Cannon at Austin Peay:......................... 1-25 (3 yrs.)
Kirby Cannon Overall:............................... 36-111 (14 yrs.)
Derek Mason at Vanderbilt:............................ 3-11 (2 yrs.)
Derek Mason Overall:.............................................. same
Austin Peay Last Week:............... L, 52-6 at Southern Miss
Vanderbilt Last Week:................... L, 31-14 vs. #9 Georgia
 
GAME NOTES: Austin Peay travels to Nashville for its second all-time meeting with Vanderbilt; the two teams first played two years ago, which was the first season (and just second game) for APSU under head coach Kirby Cannon. The Govs were limited to just 139 yards of offense while Vanderbilt racked up 442 yards. Tim Phillips led the Govs with 67 yards on the ground while two Vanderbilt players (including Jerron Seymour who is now playing at Eastern Illinois) led the way with 41 yards and a touchdown apiece. Future Philadelphia Eagle Jordan Matthews reeled in six catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. Austin Peay is 1-19 all-time against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents. Vanderbilt is playing its third consecutive home game of the season.
 
SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY: Austin Peay played the first of two consecutive FBS opponents last week when they traveled to Southern Miss. The Governors were limited to just 189 yards of total offense while the Golden Eagles finished with 514 yards, including 239 yards on the ground. It was the 17th-straight loss for Austin Peay against a FBS opponent dating back to the 1987 season. It was also the 32nd-straight road loss for Austin Peay, the longest losing streak in Division I football. Rashaan Coleman caught a 44-yard touchdown pass from Trey Taylor in the first quarter; Coleman finished the game with two catches. Kendall Morris led the rushing attack for the Govs, carrying the ball 17 times for 54 yards. Taylor was the team’s second leading rusher with 23 yards while also completing 11-of-18 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. Roderick Owens had an interception, two pass breakups and four tackles for Austin Peay.
 
SCOUTING VANDERBILT: Vanderbilt is now in year number two under head coach Derek Mason who came to Nashville after previously being the defensive coordinator at Stanford. Mason has 20 starters back from last year’s team that was 3-9 overall. Vanderbilt lost to Western Kentucky to open the season before falling to nationally-ranked Georgia this past week. The Commodores were virtually even with the Bulldogs in total offense (UGA led 422 to 400) but quarterback Johnny McCrary threw three interceptions (one in the end zone) and was sacked three times. The sophomore did finish the game with 295 passing yards and a touchdown to Latevious Rayford. Overall eight different Vanderbilt players caught a pass in the contest. The team’s defense has been better this season and is allowing 22.5 points and 334.0 yards/game of total offense through two contests.
 
 
Mercer Bears (2-0, 0-0 Southern)
at Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (0-2, 0-0 OVC)
Saturday, Sept. 19 • 6:00 p.m. CT
Tucker Stadium (16,500) • Cookeville, Tenn.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:....................................... http://bit.ly/1NtMqQ4
Series Record:............................................. First meeting
Last Meeting:.............................................................. n/a
Bobby Lamb at Mercer:.................................. 18-8 (2 yrs.)
Bobby Lamb Overall:.................................. 85-48 (12 yrs.)
Watson Brown at Tennessee Tech:................ 38-55 (9 yrs.)
Watson Brown Overall:......................... 132-206-1 (31 yrs.)
Mercer Last Week:............................ W, 57-14 vs. Stetson
Tennessee Tech Last Week:................ L, 34-14 at Wofford
 
GAME NOTES: Saturday marks the first-ever meeting between Mercer and Tennessee Tech. This year is just the third of football for the Mercer program after not having a program since 1941. This week marks the first home game of the season for Tennessee Tech who played back-to-back road games to start the 2015 season. It is also the second-straight game against a Southern Conference opponent for the Golden Eagles. Mercer is now 11-0 all-time in non-conference games under third-year head coach Bobby Lamb.
 
SCOUTING MERCER: Mercer will be playing its second OVC opponent of the season after opening the year with a victory at Austin Peay. The team was 10-2 in 2013 and 6-6 a season ago while returning 10 offensive and all 11 defensive starters for this year. This past week the Bears scored 34 points in the second quarter to lead Stetson 51-7 at the half on its way to a 57-14 victory. Mercer netted a program record 623 yards of total offense as quarterback John Russ threw for 336 yards and four touchdowns and the rushing attack saw four players with 45 or more yards on the ground. In two games this season Russ has completed 71.7 percent of his passes and thrown five touchdowns without an interception. Alex Lakes is the team’s leading rusher, averaging 109.5 yards/game while Tee Mitchell has chipped in with 86.0 yards/contest. Mercer is now 16-1 when scoring 30 or more points in the last three seasons.
 
SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: Tennessee Tech suffered a road loss to Wofford, its first FCS opponent of the season, on Saturday in Spartanburg. Tennessee Tech scored the first points of the game before Wofford scored 34 unanswered points on its way to the victory. Wofford finished the game with 560 yards of total offense (444 on the ground) while Tennessee Tech had 274 yards of offense. After his record setting receiving performance last week, Brock McCoin snagged 11 passes for 99 yards against the Terriers. McCoin currently ranks third nationally in each receptions/game (11.0), receiving yards/game (181.5) and total receiving yards (363). His 264 receiving yards in week one are the most by a Division I players (FBS or FCS) this season. Quarterback Jared Davis accounted for both touchdowns with his feet, carrying the ball 11 times for 27 total yards; he also passed for 163 yards. Ladarius Vanlier led the rushing attack with 80 yards on 10 carries and also had a 41-yard kickoff return. Defensively redshirt senior Tra’Darius Goff had a game-high 14 tackles and recovered a fumble. After returning from an injury he suffered last season, Goff is averaging 9.5 tackles/game this year. Bill Dillard added 11 tackles against Wofford while Jordan Patrick made a career-high 10 stops. As a team Tennessee Tech is first nationally in fewest fumbles lost (0), third in fumbles recovered (4), fourth in fewest penalties/game (3.5), fifth in fewest yards penalized/game (26.0) and seventh in net punting (41.38).
 
 
Murray State Racers (1-1, 0-0 OVC)
at Western Michigan Broncos (0-2, 0-0 MAC)
Saturday, Sept. 19 • 6:00 p.m. CT
Waldo Stadium (30,200) • Kalamazoo, Mich.
TV:...................................................................... ESPN3
Live Stats:....................................... http://bit.ly/1DaQbD2
Series Record:....................... Western Michigan leads 1-0
Last Meeting:.......... Western Michigan won 45-14 (9/20/14)
Mitch Stewart at Murray State:............................ 1-1 (1 yr.)
Mitch Stewart Overall:.............................................. same
P.J. Fleck at Western Michigan:...................... 9-18 (3 yrs.)
P.J. Fleck Overall:................................................... same
Murray State Last Week:........... L, 57-26 at Northern Illinois
Western Michigan Last Week: L, 43-17 at Georgia Southern
 
GAME NOTES: For the second consecutive season Murray State will travel to Kalamazoo, Michigan for a date with Western Michigan. Last year marked the first-ever meeting between the two programs with WMU coming out on top 45-14. The Broncos tallied 605 yards of total offense with Jarvion Franklin rushing for 168 yards and three touchdowns and Zach Terrell completing 20-of-29 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown. Murray State was paced by KD Humphries who passed for 185 yards and Pokey Harris who rushed for 50 yards. Defensively Travis Taylor had 15 tackles while Jonathan Jackson added 13 stops. This game marks the second-straight for the Racers against a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent; MSU is 3-25-1 all-time against teams from the FBS with its last win coming in the 1984 season.
 
SCOUTING MURRAY STATE: Murray State played the first of two consecutive games against from the Mid-American Conference last week when they dropped a 57-26 decision at Northern Illinois. The Racers led 7-6 after the first quarter and were down just 10 (26-16) early in the second quarter before eventually seeing NIU score 37 second half points. The 26 points by the Racers were its most against a FBS opponent since the 1989 season. Quarterback KD Humphries completed 31-of-49 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns. Humphries currently ranks second nationally in passing touchdowns (5), fourth in completions/game (28.0), fourth in total passing yards (666), fourth in passing yards/game (333.0), fifth in points responsible for/game (22.0) and sixth in total offense (340.0 yards/game). One of his favorite targets was once again Jeremy Harness who had eight catches for 105 yards, marking his second-straight 100-plus yard receiving game. Harness currently ranks sixth nationally in receiving yards/game (130.5) and receiving touchdowns (3). Paul Rice added a game-high nine catches for 72 yards for the Racers. Linebacker Jalen Harrington made the switch from offense to defense prior to this season and had another solid game in netting four tackles, a sack and forced a fumble that he recovered and returned 47 yards. Through two games this season he has 12 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and 2.0 sacks. DeQuinten Spraggins led the team with 11 tackles (9 solo).  Senior kicker Carson Greifenkamp nailed a pair of field goals and PAT attempts and is perfect on kicks on the season.
 
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN: Western Michigan, who returns 22 starters (nine offensive, eight defensive and five specialists) from last year’s team that was 6-2 in the MAC West a year ago, is off to a 0-2 start this year after falling at home to No. 5 Michigan State and losing on the road to Georgia Southern this past weekend. Against Georgia Southern the Broncos fell behind 23-3 and could not recover in falling 43-17. WMU was limited to 252 yards of total offense for the game including just 25 net rushing yards (while Georgia Southern gained 413 yards on the ground). Quarterback Zach Terrell, who is on the Davey O’Brien Watch List, completed 24-of-36 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns while Daniel Braverman tied his career-high with 13 catches for 122 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore running back Jarvion Franklin, who is on the Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List, had 58 rushing yards and 43 receiving yards. Last season Franklin averaged 119.3 rushing yards/game in 13 contests.
 
 
#5 Illinois State Redbirds (1-1, 0-0 MVFC)
at Eastern Illinois Panthers (0-2, 0-0 OVC)
Saturday, Sept. 19 • 7:00 p.m. CT
O’Brien Field (10,000) • Charleston, Ill.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:......... http://www.sidearmstats.com/eiu/football/
Series Record:......................... Illinois State leads 53-41-9
Last Meeting:.................. Illinois State won 34-15 (9/13/14)
Brock Spack at Eastern Illinois:.................... 47-27 (7 yrs.)
Brock Spack Overall:............................................... same
Kim Dameron at Eastern Illinois:....................... 5-9 (2 yrs.)
Kim Dameron Overall:.............................................. same
Illinois State Last Week:........... W, 67-14 vs. Morgan State
Eastern Illinois Last Week:............. L, 41-0 at Northwestern
 
GAME NOTES: The 104th playing of the Mid-American Classic will take place on Saturday in Charleston. The rivalry began in 1901 and four years ago was re-branded with the Mid-American Classic moniker. Illinois State holds a 53-41-9 advantage in the all-time series including winning 34-15 last year in Normal. In that contest the Redbirds led 21-6 at halftime and added 13 points in the third quarter to pull away from the Panthers. Marshaun Coprich rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns while Tre Roberson threw for 159 yards and two scores for ISU. On defense Pat Meehan had 11 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, 2.0 sacks and an interception for the Redbirds. Jalen Whitlow had 150 passing yards for EIU while Taylor Duncan led the way with 87 yards on the ground. Illinois State head coach Brock Spack spent four years as an assistant coach at EIU under Hall of Famer Bob Spoo. The game marks the third-straight for EIU against a team from the state of Illinois.
 
SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE: Last year’s national runner-up started the season with a loss to FBS Iowa but rebounded this past week with a convincing 67-14 victory over Morgan State in front of a sell-out crowd at Hancock Stadium. The victory was the 14th-straight for ISU at home. All-American Marshaun Coprich rushed for 130 yards and three touchdowns to break the program record for career rushing touchdowns (37) while quarterback Tre Roberson was 9-for-13 for 259 yards and a career-best 259 yards and four touchdowns. Anthony Warrum caught five of those passes and racked up 126 yards and three touchdowns while Christian Gibbs added two catches including a career-long 70-yard reception for a score. For the season Pat Meehan, Alec Kocour and Reggie Spearman share the team lead with 11 tackles apiece. This year’s team returns 11 starters from last year’s team that was 13-2 overall and 7-1 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Redbirds are ranked No. 5 in the STATS Top 25 and No. 6 in the FCS Coaches Top 25 entering this week.
 
SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS: Eastern Illinois saw a streak of 139 consecutive games without being shutout come to an end on Saturday at Northwestern when the Panthers lost 41-0. It marked the first time since losing 41-0 at Eastern Kentucky on October 11, 2003 that the team had been shutout and came one week after the team scored just five points in its season opener. EIU is currently ranked last in the FCS in scoring offense (2.5 points/game). The Panthers were limited to just 138 yards of total offense against the Wildcats while seeing NU hold a 37:05 to 22:55 margin in time of possession. Newcomer Devin Church finished the game with 183 yards of total offense, netting 63 yards on the ground and 120 yards on kickoff returns. Church currently ranks 15th nationally in all-purpose yards (166.0/game). On defense Bradley Dewberry had a team-high 12 tackles while Seth McDonald added 10 stops. McDonald currently ranks eighth nationally in tackles/game (13.5).