Ohio Valley Conference

Samford's Jefferson Adcock

EASTERN ILLINOIS 24, INDIANA STATE 13
Eastern Illinois converted two critical third quarter touchdowns as the Panthers controlled the second half and defeated host Indiana State, 24-13, in the season opener for both teams.

With the score tied 10-10 at the intermission, Eastern Illinois took the lead on a 40-yard scoring pass from Mike Danato to Charles Owens that capped an eight-play, 86-yard drive for a touchdown lead with 8:00 minutes left in the third quarter.

Indiana State began the ensuing drive at its own 30, and was driving down the field until Eastern Illinois’ Tristan Burge picked off a Blayne Baggett pass and took the ball back 76 yards for a score and a 24-10 advantage. ISU’s Kyle Hooper rounded out the scoring with a 23-yard field goal with 49 seconds left in the third quarter.

EIU punter Tom Schofield punted eight times for an average of 38.0 yards, and pinned the Sycamores inside their own 20 five times.

Eastern Illinois returns to action Sept. 10 with a trip to Brigham Young. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. CT.


NO. 2 FURMAN 37, NO. 20 JACKSONVILLE STATE 35
A nine-yard touchdown pass from Ingle Martin to Justin Stepp after time expired helped second-ranked Furman dash Jacksonville State’s upset bid in the season opener at Paul Snow Stadium on Thursday night.

The No. 20 Gamecocks (0-1) overcame a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to take a 35-31 lead with 1:27 to play, but Martin and the Paladins (1-0) answered by marching 74 yards in one minute and 22 seconds to spoil JSU’s attempt to avenge a 49-7 loss in the first round of last season’s NCAA Playoffs.

The clock ran to zero after Martin’s third-down pass attempt fell at the line of scrimmage, but one second was added to the clock, making way for the Paladins’ fourth-down winner.

Junior running back Clay Green was the spark for the Gamecocks in the loss, rushing for a career-high 111 yards and a score on 24 carries to go along with 152 yards on three kickoff returns, including a 96-yard return for a touchdown. Senior Maurice Mullins threw for 96 yards, a score and an interception on 7-of-14 passing, while junior fullback Raynodd Zeine added a 30-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Tauren Rhetta.

Martin threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns on 17-of-28 passing to lead the Furman attack. Brandon Mays led the Paladins on the ground with 84 yards on 14 carries.

Senior safety Darren Williams and senior linebacker Leroy Clark led the JSU defense with 11 tackles apiece. Williams, a transfer from Mississippi State, also had a fumble recovery and a pass break-up in his Gamecock debut, while Clark recorded two tackles for a loss.

The Gamecocks return to action next weekend when they host another Southern Conference school, Chattanooga, at Paul Snow Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT.


SAMFORD 60, EDWARD WATERS 7
Jefferson Adcock and Parker Gargis each threw for two touchdowns as Samford opened the 2005 football season with a 60-7 win over the Edward Waters College Tigers Thursday night at Seibert Stadium.

Adcock completed 4-of-10 passes for 176 yards and Gargis was good on 6-of-8 passes for 57 yards as the two quarterbacks took turns running the offense.

Sophomore running back Drew Guess rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Justin Ray, in his first game as a running back after spending the last two seasons as a defensive back, rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.

Ossie Buchannon caught two passes for 107 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Edward Waters (0-2) got on the board when Nadens Madeus scored on a 28-yard fumble return with 7:17 left in the game.

Samford will return to action when the Bulldogs travel to Waco, Texas, to take on the Baylor Bears. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.


NO. 5 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 58, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 23
An opportunistic Southern Illinois team roared to a 37-10 halftime lead and cruised to a 58-23 win over Southeast Missouri in the season opener for both teams.

SIU blocked two punts, with both blocks resulting in touchdowns, and returned a fumble for a score to put the game out of reach in the first half. Braden Jones blocked both punts and returned a fumble 26 yards for a score.

Southeast got a 71-yard touchdown pass from Mike Haley to T.J. Milcic late in the first half and got the first score of the third quarter when Monroe Hicks returned an interception 47 yards for a touchdown. The final Southeast points came on a 24-yard pass from Kevin Ballatore to Scott NesSmith.

The Redhawks' first points of the season came on a 32-yard field goal by redshirt freshman Collin Schermann.

Quarterback Joel Sambursky became the all-time Saluki passing leader in the first quarter and was 20-33 for 276 yards and two TD's with one interception. Arkee Whitlock led the Saluki ground attack with 27 carries for 126 yards and one TD.

Southeast goes on the road on Saturday, Sept. 10, to play Division I-A Kent State. Kickoff is slated for 3:00 p.m. CT.


TENNESSEE-MARTIN 35, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 34
Brady Wahlberg hit Taurean Stephens for a 31-yard touchdown pass with less than a minute remaining to lift Tennessee-Martin to a 35-34 season-opening win Thursday night over visiting Central Arkansas (1-1).

After Stephens' score, Central Arkansas drove into Skyhawk territory on the ensuing kickoff and set up a 42-yard field goal attempt for senior place kicker Garrett Morgan, but the kick sailed left of the uprights, sealing the Skyhawks' victory.

Skyhawk sophomore Donald Chapman rushed for 141 yards on 26 carries. Stephens finished the game with eight catches for 74 yards, while Wahlberg completed 22-of-26 passes for 188 yards.

Kentrel Rogers finished the game with 20 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears.

UT Martin defender Jack Greenwood returned an interception 80 yards for a touchdown, while the Skyhawk defense piled up six sacks and made seven tackles for a loss. Senior defensive end Andre Plummer had 10 tackles, including three for a loss of 31 yards, and a forced fumble. Junior Markeseo Jackson had nine solo tackles and 11 total tackles.

The Skyhawks will return to action Saturday, Sept. 10 when they travel to Jonesboro, Ark., to face host Arkansas State. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.