This Week's Schedule
Saturday, November 22
*Eastern Kentucky at #16 UT Martin, 12:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
*Southeast Missouri at Austin Peay, 1:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
*#25 Tennessee State at Murray State, 1:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
*Eastern Illinois at Tennessee Tech, 1:30 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
Eastern Kentucky Colonels (7-3, 6-1 OVC)
at #16 UT Martin Skyhawks (8-3, 6-1 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 22 ? 12:00 p.m. CT
Hardy M. Graham Stadium (7,500) ? Martin, Tenn.
TV: OVCSports.TV
Live Stats: http://www.utmsports.com/livestats/football/xlive.htm
Series Record: Eastern Kentucky leads 18-0
Last Meeting: Eastern Kentucky won 31-28 (11/11/06)
Dean Hood at Eastern Kentucky: 7-3 (1 yr.)
Dean Hood Overall: same
Jason Simpson at UT Martin: 21-13 (3 yrs.)
Jason Simpson Overall: same
Eastern Kentucky Last Week: W, 34-7 vs. Murray State
UT Martin Last Week: W, 31-21 at Southeast Missouri
GAME NOTES: The biggest matchup of the weekend will occur in Martin where Eastern Kentucky and UT Martin will meet for the OVC Championship and automatic bid into the NCAA FCS Playoffs. The winner will finish the season with a 7-1 record in the OVC. Eastern Kentucky is the defending OVC champions and won an OVC-best 19 championships, while UT Martin claimed its only OVC Championship in 2006. Eastern Kentucky is a perfect 18-0 all-time against the Skyhawks. The teams did not play last year as EKU went 8-0 and won the OVC Championships; in their last meeting in 2006, UTM led by seven points in the fourth quarter but Taylor Long hit a field goal with one second left to cap a rally and lift EKU to a 3-point victory. That was the only OVC loss for UTM that year. This game marks the first time since the 2002 season that a final week head-to-head matchup will determine the OVC Championship.
SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY: Eastern Kentucky won for the sixth time in a row on Saturday, topping in-state rival Murray State 34-7. The game was the C.J. Walker show, as Walker rushed for an OVC-best 229 yards and three touchdowns in the win. The 229 yards was the 17th-highest total in FCS football this season. Walker had touchdown runs of 16, 51 and 60 yards as EKU pulled out to a 31-0 lead at halftime. He was the first EKU player to rush for 200 yards in a game since another C.J. did (C.J. Hudson) in 2002. EKU has now won seven of its last eight meetings with Murray State. The Colonel defense has forced at least two turnovers in each of its last five games; the team is ninth nationally in turnover margin (+1.20/game). EKU is an impressive 16-2 against FCS competition over the past two seasons.
SCOUTING UT MARTIN: UT Martin kept its hope for a second OVC Championship in three years alive with a 31-21 road victory over Southeast Missouri on Saturday. The Skyhawks improved to 6-1 this season against FCS team and won for the fourth time in a row against Championship Subdivision competition. Junior quarterback Cade Thompson completed 11-of-22 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Thompson now has an OVC-best 22 touchdowns and nine multiple passing touchdown games in 2008. Thompson’s 148.89 passing efficiency is also tops in the league and 13th nationally. Junior Brandyn Young scored two touchdowns to move into UT Martin’s Top 10 single-season scoring list (No. 6 with 72 points). Junior Roren Thomas also scored a touchdown and now has 70 points this season (7th). The UTM defense recorded three sacks against SEMO to set a new single-season school record (27).
Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (3-8, 1-6 OVC)
at Austin Peay Governors (2-8, 2-5 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 22 ? 1:00 p.m. CT
Governors Stadium (10,000) ? Clarksville, Tenn.
TV: OVCSports.TV
Live Stats: http://www.apsugovernors.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml
Series Record: Southeast Missouri leads 7-5
Last Meeting: Austin Peay won 34-31 in OT (11/3/07)
Tony Samuel at Southeast Missouri: 10-23 (3 yrs.)
Tony Samuel Overall: 44-80 (10 yrs.)
Rick Christophel at Austin Peay: 9-12 (2 yrs.)
Rick Christophel Overall: same
Southeast Missouri Last Week: L, 31-21 vs. #18 UT Martin
Austin Peay Last Week: W, 15-13 at Eastern Illinois
GAME NOTES: Austin Peay and Southeast Missouri meet for the 13th time in the two programs history on Saturday. Last year the teams played an exciting overtime game that APSU won 34-31. That broke a six-game winning streak in the series for Southeast Missouri and marked the first win in the series since the 1992 campaign.
SCOUTING SOUTHEAST MISSOURI: Southeast Missouri dropped its third straight game on Saturday, falling 31-21 at home to No. 18 UT Martin. The Redhawks were given an offensive lift from true freshman quarterback Matt Scheible, who completed 10-of-21 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown and rushed the ball 23 times for 90 yards and another touchdown. His running score came on a four-yard scramble in the first half and his passing score went to Chante Ahamefule who made an incredible one-handed grab on the 18-yard pass with 47 seconds left in the game. Timmy Holloman also added to the rushing attack, netting 52 yards on 21 carries and also scoring a touchdown. Playing in his final home game, Nick Stauffer recorded 10 tackles and forced a fumble in the game. Stauffer continues to rank second nationally in tackles/game (13.18).
SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY: Austin Peay won for the second time in three weeks on Saturday, going to Eastern Illinois and topping the Panthers 15-13. The Governors led 13-9 in the fourth quarter before freshman running back Ryan White broke off a 45-yard run with 8:17 to play to put Austin Peay on top. On its final possession of the game, Eastern Illinois running back Travorus Bess was pulling away for what would have been the game winning touchdown, however, Jason Vanatta stripped Bess of the football and Austin Peay recovered to hang onto the win. White was the star of the game for APSU, rushing for 124 yards on 23 carries including the game-winning touchdown. It marked his third straight 100-yard rushing effort and earned him OVC Newcomer of the Week honors for the second time in three weeks. The win snapped a six-game losing streak in the series for Austin Peay. It also snapped a five-game road losing streak for Austin Peay; the Govs last road win was a year ago at Murray State. Sophomore Terrence Holt etched his name into the OVC record book once again, bringing the single-season record for kickoff return yards for the second straight season. Holt has 1,187 yards entering the final game of the season (last year’s record was 1,104 yards).
#25 Tennessee State Tigers (8-3, 5-2 OVC)
at Murray State Racers (4-7, 3-4 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 22 ? 1:00 p.m. CT
Roy Stewart Stadium (16,800) ? Murray, Ky.
TV: OVCSports.TV
Live Stats: www.GoRacers.com
Series Record: Tennessee State leads 11-8
Last Meeting: Tennessee State won 42-28 (11/3/07)
James Webster at Tennessee State: 21-23 (4 yrs.)
James Webster Overall: same
Matt Griffin at Murray State: 7-26 (3 yrs.)
Matt Griffin Overall: 17-50 (6 yrs.)
Tennessee State Last Week: L, 26-21 at Jacksonville State
Murray State Last Week: L, 34-7 at Eastern Kentucky
GAME NOTES: Tennessee State will look to keep its at-large FCS Playoff hopes alive on the road this week while Murray State will be looking to conclude the season on a high note when the teams meet on Saturday. The two teams have played 19 times before, with Tennessee State winning the last two and 11 of the 19 overall. TSU won last year’s meeting 42-28 in Nashville.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE: Tennessee State needed only to win its last two games to claim its third OVC Championship and first since the 1999 season, but slipped up in a tough-fought 26-21 game at Jacksonville State this past weekend. The Tigers were without senior running back Javarris Williams, the OVC’s leading rusher who is 22nd nationally in rushing (103.70/game), but still managed to rush for 177 yards in the game. Senior quarterback Antonio Heffner led the team in rushing (55 yards) while JaJuan Spillman added 53 yards. Heffner also completed 11-of-23 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown. TSU grabbed a 21-20 lead early in the fourth quarter when Brandon Belvin recovered a fumble in the end zone to cap a 10-play, 73-yard drive. But JSU would have the ball last, marching 84 yards in 14 plays and taking five and a half minutes off the clock; the drive was punctuated by a 3-yard run by fullback Calvin Middleton, his second score of the day. Spillman finished the day with 210 all-purpose yards for TSU, as he had 53 yards rushing, 104 yards receiving (including a 63-yard touchdown reception) and 53 yards in kick returns. If the Tigers win Saturday, they will have nine victories against Division I competition this season and have a shot at an at-large playoff berth.
SCOUTING MURRAY STATE: Murray State will look to end the 2008 season on a high-note and even its Conference record at 4-4 on Saturday. The Racers are 3-2 this season at Roy Stewart Stadium. The game will be the last of the career of senior linebacker Nathan Williams. Williams enters the final game of the season ranked first nationally in tackles/game (15.18). Williams recorded 17 tackles in Saturday’s loss at Eastern Kentucky, increasing his season total to 167 tackles, which sets a new Murray State single-season record. Williams, who is on the Buck Buchanan Watch List, leads all levels of college football in tackles. He also ranks second in the OVC (and 19th nationally) in sacks. In the loss to EKU on Saturday, Chris Franklin subbed in for Jeff Ehrhardt at quarterback and completed 10-of-18 passes for 61 yards. Paul McKinnis rushed the ball 13 times for 63 yards and a touchdown.
Eastern Illinois Panthers (4-7, 2-5 OVC)
at Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (3-8, 1-6 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 22 ? 1:30 p.m. CT
Tucker Stadium (16,500) ? Cookeville, Tenn.
TV: OVCSports.TV/WCTE
Live Stats: http://www.ttusports.com/livestats2/xlive.htm
Series Record: Eastern Illinois leads 10-4
Last Meeting: Eastern Illinois won 45-24 (8/30/07)
Bob Spoo at Eastern Illinois: 131-109-1 (21 yrs.)
Bob Spoo Overall: same
Watson Brown at Tennessee Tech: 7-15 (2 yrs.)
Watson Brown Overall: 101-164-1 (24 yrs.)
Eastern Illinois Last Week: L, 15-13 vs. Austin Peay
Tennessee Tech Last Week: Idle
GAME NOTES: Eastern Illinois and Tennessee Tech will close out their 2008 seasons on Saturday in Cookeville in the 15th meeting between the squads. Eastern Illinois holds a 10-4 advantage in the all-time series and has won the last three meetings. Tennessee Tech last won in 2004, beating EIU 40-37 in overtime. That is the Golden Eagles only win in the series over the past eight meetings.
SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS: Eastern Illinois closed out the home portion of its 2008 schedule with a 15-13 home loss to Austin Peay on Saturday. The Panthers took a 13-9 lead on a Tyler Wilke field goal late in the third quarter but fell behind on a Ryan White run with 8:17 to play. After exchanging possession, Eastern Illinois would start the final drive of the game with 2:38 to play on their own 31-yard line and march the ball to the Austin Peay 19-yard line. Senior running back Travorus Bess was rushing in for what would have been the game-winning touchdown, but was stripped of the ball and Austin Peay recovered the fumble to end the game. Bess finished the game with 74 yards rushing.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: Tennessee Tech will go into the final game of the season well-rested, as the Golden Eagles were on a bye last week. Two weeks ago Tech hosted Jacksonville State, falling 41-17 to the Gamecocks. In that contest, freshman wide receiver Tim Benford tied the school record for touchdown catches with his 10th scoring reception. Benford caught six balls for 67 yards in that game, raising his school-record single-season receptions total to 61. With the loss of leading rusher and all-purpose man Henry Sailes for the season, freshman Tremaine Hudson stepped in and accounted for 184 all-purpose yards against JSU. Hudson had 111 yards on four kickoff returns (including a 45-yarder), rushed for 12 yards and caught eight passes for 61 yards including a 21-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Josh Lowery took over for Lee Sweeney at quarterback after the first drive of the game and finished the game 19-for-34 for 191 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Taron Ryce had a career-high 13 stops for the game. Senior linebacker Corey Reed added 12 tackles, his 10th career double-digit tackle game of his career. He also intercepted his first career pass.