Ohio Valley Conference

(For September 2)
OVC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSIVE: SHANNON HARRIS - QB, SR., 6'3, 180 - WIGGINS, MS (TENNESSEE STATE)
After a slow start, Harris got untracked in the second half of Tennessee State's 27-6 triumph over Alabama A&M, connecting with three different receivers for four touchdowns. The senior quarterback threw for 291 yards, completing 21 of 39 passes without any interceptions.

DEFENSIVE: COREY MATHIS - SS, SR., 6'0, 205 - LAWTON, OK (SOUTHEAST MISSOURI)
Mathis helped guide Southeast Missouri in its 16-12 near-upset of Eastern Michigan as the defensive unit limited the Eagles to 159 yards rushing. The senior strong safety recorded one sack (-3 yds.) and three tackles for loss (-9 yds.) to lead the Indians' defensive unit with 12 stops.

SPECIAL TEAMS: DAVID COLLETT - PK, SR., 6'1, 190 - SODDY-DAISY, TN (TENNESSEE TECH)
Collett kicked a 27-yard field goal and was 4-for-4 PAT as Tennessee Tech defeated Fayetteville State 31-10 last week. He tallied seven points in the contest to give him 201 for his career and set a new Tech all-time scoring record. With 42 career field goals, Collett is tied for TTU's all-time record and is just 10 shy of the OVC mark.

NEWCOMER: C.J. HUDSON - TB, FR., 5'6, 189 - FROSTPROOF, FL (EASTERN KENTUCKY)
Hudson had an outstanding collegiate debut, rushing for a game-high 189 yards and scoring three touchdowns on 21 carries. His first TD was a 76-yard run from scrimmage and marked his first collegiate touch.


NOTES FROM AROUND THE OVC GRIDIRON

EASTERN ILLINOIS - Eastern Illinois was idle for the first week of the 2001 campaign, but will kick off the season on Saturday when Indiana State comes to town. Junior quarterback and 2000 OVC Offensive Player of the Year Tony Romo returns after ranking second in I-AA football in pass efficiency and 25th in total offense last season. He completed 164-of-278 passes for 2,583 yards, tying an OVC record with 27 TD's. The Panthers are also happy to see the return of 1999 All-OVC free safety John Williams, who's back for his senior year after missing the final game of 2000 with an MCL tear in his knee. Senior All-OVC cornerback Kourtney Young ranked second in the league and 13th in I-AA with seven interceptions a year ago, and also made 42 tackles and had nine pass breakups. Indiana State has a three-game edge in the series (35-32-3), but EIU has won the last five meetings, including a 42-24 triumph in Terre Haute last season.


EASTERN KENTUCKY - Eastern Kentucky head coach Roy Kidd will have to wait a bit longer to join the list of 300-game winners after Thursday's 42-28 loss at I-A Central Michigan. True freshman tailback C.J. Hudson had an outstanding collegiate debut as he rushed for a game-high 189 yards and scored three touchdowns on 21 carries. His first touch in a college game was a 76-yard run on the second play from scrimmage. Two of Hudson's scores enabled the Colonels to take a 21-19 lead into the lockerroom at the break. Redshirt junior quarterback Travis Turner engineered a 17-play, 93-yard drive for a touchdown that closed EKU's scoring for the night as he hit sophomore wideout Terry Liggin for a nine-yard pass with 13 seconds left. Eastern outgained the Chippewas in total offense, netting 353 yards to their 319. The Colonels' defense limited CMU to just 124 yards on the ground. Junior free safety Yeremiah Bell led the defensive unit with 12 tackles, including seven solo stops. The Colonels will try again to put Coach Kidd in the record books when they play host to Liberty on Saturday.


MURRAY STATE - The Racers were unable to provide head coach Joe Pannunzio with a win in his return to Oxford as I-A Ole Miss tallied 42 straight points en route to a 49-14 victory Saturday evening. Pannunzio was an assistant on the Rebels' coaching staff from 1995-98 and was making his first trip back as a head coach. Junior cornerback Malcolm Moore had an impressive Racer debut, recording eight stops, including seven solos, and forcing a fumble. He also brought back a punt for 81 yards and added two kickoff returns for 58 yards. Sophomore quarterback Stewart Childress finished the game with 125 yards on 13-of-24 completions. Junior Garner Byars topped the Racers with 36 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Senior Mario Riley (9 carries) and junior Billy Blanchard (7 carries, 1 TD) followed with 32- and 31-yard efforts, respectively. Senior Michael Slater (38 yds.) and junior Marcus Christon (33 yds.) had five receptions apiece. Junior kicker Brian Bivens averaged 45.4 yards per punt with a long of 61 yards in seven punts. Five former Racer assistant coaches/players will join former MSU skipper Denver Johnson in his return to Stewart Stadium as Illinois State visits on Saturday.


SOUTHEAST MISSOURI - Southeast Missouri's upset bid came up short as I-A host Central Michigan rallied for a touchdown with 1:49 remaining to post a 16-12 victory. Senior Curtis Cooper amassed 170 all-purpose yards, including 129 yards on 26 carries, for the Indians' first 100+ rushing effort in nearly two years. Junior Willie Ponder caught six passes for 120 yards and returned three kickoffs for 58 yards. Junior Adrian Sanders added 70 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Rookie kicker Derek Kutz accounted for six of Southeast's points, booting 27-yard and 23-yard field goals in the first and fourth quarters, respectively. The Indians' defensive unit gave up only 159 yards on the ground, a vast improvement over the 269.0 yards per game allowed a year ago. Senior Corey Mathis recorded one sack and three tackles for loss among a team-high 12 stops. Southeast plays host to rival Southern Illinois on Saturday.


TENNESSEE-MARTIN - Tennessee-Martin got off to a rocky start in 2001 with a 45-20 setback to visiting Gardner-Webb Thursday night. Sophomore Travis Parker recorded 68 yards and a touchdown on three receptions from quarterback Robert Hines (8-17, 116 yds, 1 TD). Sophomore Damian Harris rushed for 81 yards on 19 carries with one touchdown. Rookie kicker Brent Harris was 2-for-2 in field goal attempts, booting 32- and 22-yarders in the second quarter that gave UT Martin a 14-6 halftime lead. Turnovers and a struggling defensive unit plagued the Skyhawks as they lost four of five fumbles and gave up 471 offensive yards to the Runnin' Bulldogs, who are making the transition from Division II to I-AA. On a brighter note, UT Martin was 2-of-3 in fourth-down conversions. The Skyhawks continue their Thursday night gigs with a Sept. 6 date at Tusculum.


TENNESSEE STATE - Tennessee State got off to a winning start with a 27-6 triumph over visiting Alabama A&M Saturday night. Senior quarterback Shannon Harris passed for 291 yards and four touchdowns on 21-of-39 completions. All four TD's came in the second half, as the two teams waged a defensive battle throughout the first two periods. Harris connected with 10 different receivers throughout the course of the night with junior Patrick Jenkins and sophomore C.J. Johnson hauling in a team-high four receptions apiece. Sophomore Ron Jackson had a pair of impressive sideline snags and finished with three receptions for 43 yards. Two of Harris' TD passes were to sophomore Carlos Wright (3-48 yds.), while junior Steve Farmer (3-67 yds.) and sophomore Lamar Price caught the other two. TSU's defense, which limited the Bulldogs to just 104 rushing yards and forced two A&M turnovers, was led by senior Walter Reese (15 tackles) and junior Jermaine Beale (12 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 2 sacks). TSU has the week off before traveling to Memphis to face Jackson State in the Southern Heritage Classic.


TENNESSEE TECH - The Golden Eagles extended their run of wins over non-Division I opponents to 10 with a 31-10 victory over Division II Fayetteville State. The triumph also increased Tech's win streak to five games, a run that dates back to a 36-21 win at Murray State on Oct. 28, 2000. Senior David Collett booted a 27-yard field goal, tying the TTU mark for career FG (42), and was 4-for-4 in PAT to establish a new school record for career scoring (201 pts.). He also attempted the second-longest field goal in Tech history with a failed 60-yard try in the first period. Senior Grant Swallows hit 17-of-24 passes with an interception for 149 yards and two TD's. Sophomore Oscar Bonds topped the century mark for the first time, rushing for a career-high 130 yards and 1 TD on only 14 touches. Junior D.J. Bleisath (2 TFL, 1 sack) helped limit FSU to 33 rushing yards and extended his streak of games with at least one tackle-for-loss to 10. The Golden Eagles recorded 27 first downs, the third best effort ever by a Tech squad. Tech travels to Colorado Springs, Colo. next Saturday for its first-ever meeting with WAC heavyweight Air Force.


TWO OVC TEAMS RANKED IN PRESEASON POLL - Eastern Illinois and Tennessee Tech were ranked 10th and 22nd, respectively, in the 2001 ESPN/USA Today preseason poll. OVC members Murray State (29th), Eastern Kentucky (34th) and Tennessee State were among others receiving votes. The OVC has had at least one team ranked in the top 25 for 265 straight weeks. During that stretch, the league has had two teams ranked 216 times, three teams ranked 62 times and foru teams ranked six times.


TWO FROM OVC NAMED AS FINALISTS FOR I-AA AWARDS - For the second year in a row, The Sports Network has named two OVC players as finalists for a pair of prestigious national awards. EIU quarterback Tony Romo is one of 16 players on the ballot for the Walter Payton Award, presented to the top offensive player in I-AA football. Tech linebacker D.J. Bleisath is one of 16 nominees for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in I-AA.


EKU'S KIDD STILL IN SEARCH OF NUMBER 300 - Eastern Kentucky's season-opening loss to Central Michigan kept head coach Roy Kidd one win shy of becoming just the seventh coach in NCAA Division I-A and I-AA history to collect 300 coaching victories. Kidd, whose 38-year record stands at 299-118-8, would join Eddie Robinson, Bear Bryant, Pop Warner, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden.


COLLETT EDGES CLOSER TO OVC FIELD GOAL RECORD - With a 27-yard field goal in Tennessee Tech's win over Fayetteville State last week, senior kicker David Collett has 42 career FG, which is just 10 shy of the OVC record of 52 held by Middle Tennessee's Kelly Porter (1981-84). Collett has booted at least 11 field goals in each of his first three seasons and became the Golden Eagles' all-time leading scorer (201 points) with seven points against FSU.


WASHBURN LEAVES OVC - Ohio Valley Conference Assistant Commissioner Rob Washburn has resigned to assume a similar position with the Colonial Athletic Association. Washburn, who joined the OVC in 1993 as the league's Director of Information, has already begun his duties with the CAA.


SAMFORD, JACKSONVILLE STATE TO JOIN OVC - The OVC will expand to nine members in football beginning in 2003 with the addition of Samford University and Jacksonville State University. Samford has been competing as a I-AA independent since 1988, while JSU has been a member of the Southland Football League since 1997.