Ohio Valley Conference

This Week's Schedule

Thursday, November 19
*Tennessee State at #13 Eastern Illinois, 5:30 (ESPNU)

Saturday, November 21
*Eastern Kentucky at #15 Jacksonville State, 12:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
*Austin Peay at UT Martin, 1:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
#1 Southern Illinois at Southeast Missouri, 1:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
*Murray State at Tennessee Tech, 1:30 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)

OVC Players of the Week

CO-OFFENSIVE
Jake Christensen, QB • Grad., 6-1, 215 • Lockport, Ill. • Eastern Illinois
Christensen earned his second OVC Player of the Week honor of the season after leading his team to at least a share of the OVC Championship with a 49-13 home victory over UT Martin. Christensen completed 18-of-21 passes for 322 yards and four touchdowns. His passing efficiency of 277.37 was the sixth-highest among FCS players so far this season. He became the first EIU player to throw four touchdowns in a game since Tony Romo did in 2002 season. Christensen opened the game by hitting his first eight passes and 17 of his first 19 attempts. For the season Christensen ranks 18th nationally in passing efficiency (145.74).

CO-OFFENSIVE
Ryan Perrilloux, QB • Sr., 6-3, 223 • LaPlace, La. • Jacksonville State
Perrilloux picked up his sixth OVC Player of the Week honor of the season after accounting for five touchdowns in Jacksonville State’s 55-28 victory over Tennessee Tech. Perrilloux completed 13-of-22 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns (of 24, 15 and 75 yards) and rushed for a career-high 103 yards and two more scores (of 48 and 10 yards). He now has 14 passing touchdowns of 20 or more yards this season. Perrilloux tied his own school record with the five touchdowns, marking the third time this season he has accomplished that feat; Perrilloux ranks third nationally in points responsible for (19.33/game). He also tied the JSU single-season record for passing touchdowns (22), moved to sixth on the Gamecocks career passing yards list (4,477) and third on the career passing touchdown list (41). Perrilloux continues to rank first nationally (both FBS and FCS) in passing efficiency (176.87).

Others Nominated: Chantae Ahamefule, Southeast Missouri; Calvin McNairl, Tennessee State.

CO-DEFENSIVE
CJ James, DB • Jr., 5-8, 183 • Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. • Eastern Illinois
James intercepted a pass and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown in Eastern Illinois’ 49-13 victory over UT Martin on Saturday. With the victory the Panthers clinched at least a share of the OVC Championship. The pick and score put EIU up 14-0 just 7:21 into the game. It was his fifth interception of the season and second that he has returned for six points in 2009. James, who also added four tackles, keyed a defense that limited the high-octaine UT Martin offense to just 170 yards passing.

CO-DEFENSIVE
Alexander Henderson, LB • Sr., 6-1, 212 • Mobile, Ala. • Jacksonville State
Henderson had 12 tackles (including 9 solo stops), a tackle-for-loss and a quarterback hurry in Jacksonville State’s 55-28 victory over Tennessee Tech. It marked the sixth-straight game that Henderson has recorded double-digit tackles. His 10.1 tackles/game ranks first in the OVC and 21st nationally. It is his second OVC Defensive Player of the Week award of the season.

Others Nominated: Chris Newell, Austin Peay.

SPECIALIST
Terrence Holt, KR/RB • Jr., 5-8, 180 • Nashville, Tenn. • Austin Peay
Holt won the award for the second week in a row after returning a punt 71 yards for a touchdown to help Austin Peay top Tennessee State 24-21 on Saturday. It was the second straight week Holt had returned a kick for a touchdown (he had a 99-yard kickoff for a score last week) and is his fifth career return for a touchdown (3 kickoffs, 2 punts). Holt, the nation’s leader in all-purpose yards (206.1/game), finished the game with 222 total yards, including a 22-yard touchdown run. Holt had 77 yards rushing, 37 yards receiving, 25 yards on kickoff returns and 83 yards on punt returns. He has 14 touchdowns for the season and ranks 15th nationally in scoring (8.40 points/game).

Others Nominated: Austin Signor, Eastern Illinois; Kienan Cullen, Murray State.

NEWCOMER
Greg Smith, WR • Sr., 6-1, 190 • Atlanta, Ga. • Jacksonville State
Smith, a transfer from Georgia Tech, caught six passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns in Jacksonville State’s 55-28 victory over Tennessee Tech. He averaged 13.67 yards per reception and had touchdown scores of 24 and 15 yards. Both of his touchdowns came in the second quarter as JSU built a 28-14 halftime advantage.

Others Nominated: Jimmy Potempa, Eastern Illinois; Casey Brockman, Murray State; John Jones, Jr., Tennessee State.

Notes From Around the Gridiron

Eastern Illinois Clinches Share of OVC Championship, Can Win Title Outright and OVC Autobid With Victory on Thursday: With its victory over UT Martin last weekend, Eastern Illinois improved to 6-1 in the OVC this season and clinched at least a share of its fifth OVC Championship. The Panthers were also OVC Champions in 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2006. EIU needs a win over Tennessee State on Thursday or an Eastern Kentucky loss to Jacksonville State on Saturday to win the title outright and receive the OVC’s automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs (the Panthers have been in the FCS Playoffs 12 previous times, last in 2007). Should EIU lose to Tennessee State and EKU beat Jacksonville State, then EIU and EKU would share the OVC Championship and Eastern Kentucky would win the league’s automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs since they won the head-to-head meeting with EIU earlier this year.

FCS Playoff Announcement: The NCAA will officially release the 2009 FCS Playoff Championship bracket on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 3:00 p.m. ET. A 30-minute program announcing the 16-team field will air live on ESPNews with ESPN’s Linda Cohn handling in-studio duties. For the 13th straight season, the FCS Championship game was held in Chattanooga, Tenn., this year on Friday, Dec. 18 at Finley Stadium/Davenport Field. The playoffs will begin on Saturday, Nov. 28 and continue with second round games on Dec. 5 and semifinal contests on Dec. 11/Dec. 12 before the title game. This will mark the final year under the 16-team playoff format. In April 2008 the NCAA Board of Directors approved a new budget for the Division I Football Championships, which allowed the postseason bracket to expand from 16 to 20 teams beginning in the 2010 season. It marks the first expansion since the playoff field grew from 12 to 16 in 1997. In 2010, the field will be comprised of 10 automatic bids (up from 8 now) and 10 at-large berths (up from 8 now).

Streak On the Line for Eastern Kentucky This Weekend: Not only is a shot at the OVC Championship and a Playoff berth on the line for Eastern Kentucky this weekend, so are a pair of streaks that date back to the 1970s. EKU enters the weekend 5-5 overall and needs a win to increase its consecutive winning seasons streak to 32. Currently the program has had 31 consecutive winning seasons, second most in Division I behind Florida State (who has had 32 straight entering this season). EKU has not had a losing season since 1972, when they went 5-6 (the program’s only losing season in the last 42 years). The 36 straight seasons with a non-losing record (the team was 5-5 in 1977) is the longest streak in Division I (ahead of FSU’s 32-straight non-losing seasons).

JSU’s Perrilloux Named National Weekly All-Star By College Sporting News (Nov. 16): For the second time this season Jacksonville State quarterback Ryan Perrilloux has been named to the College Sporting News National All-Star Team (National Player of the Week). His second honor came on Nov. 16 after accounting for five touchdowns in Jacksonville State’s 55-28 victory over Tennessee Tech. Perrilloux completed 13-of-22 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns (of 24, 15 and 75 yards) and rushed for a career-high 103 yards and two more scores (of 48 and 10 yards).

Murray State Head Coach Matt Griffin Dismissed: Murray State announced on Nov. 16 that fourth year head coach Matt Griffin would not return to the program next season. Griffin was 11-33 in four years at Murray State and 21-57 in seven years as a head coach (including three years at fellow OVC school UT Martin). Defensive coordinator Mark Lister will coach the team in Murray State’s season finale at Tennessee Tech on Saturday.

Perrilloux Wins Offensive Player of the Week Award A Record Sixth Time This Season: Jacksonville State quarterback Ryan Perrilloux has been named OVC Offensive Player of the Week an OVC single-season record six times this season. He won the award twice last season, giving him eight for his two-year career. Those eight are the second most in a career for an OVC player, trailing only EKU running back Markus Thomas (1989-92) and EIU quarterback Tony Romo (2000-02) who each won the award nine times during their careers. This season Perrilloux has a 176.87 passing efficiency this season, which is tops at the Division I level (both FCS and FBS). In his nine starts he has completed 125-of-212 passes for 22 touchdowns and just two interceptions (he has also rushed for seven additional touchdowns). This season 14 of his 22 touchdowns have gone for 20 or more yards. His 277.63 passing efficiency rating against UT Martin on Oct. 3 was the highest in the OVC since Jax State joined the league in 2003 and fifth-highest in FCS football this season (and second-highest against an FCS opponent this year).

Former OVC Football Player Pilots Shuttle Into Space: When the space shuttle Atlantis blasted off into space on Monday, Nov. 16 there was a former OVC football player at the helm of the controls. Barry Wilmore played football at Tennessee Tech from 1982-85 and led the OVC in tackles in 1985 (143). He was inducted into the TTU Hall of Fame in 2003. The Atlantis and its crew will deliver two Express Logistics Carriers to the space station. The 46-year old has accumulated more than 5,900 flight hours and 663 carrier landings as a member of the United States Navy. Wilmore is a native of Mt. Juliet, Tenn. and now lives in Houston.

Six OVC Football Student-Athletes Named to CoSIDA Academic All-District Team: Six Ohio Valley Conference football student-athletes have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first or second-teams as selected by CoSIDA. The selections (which were all out of District IV) included five first-team selections and one second-teamer. The first-team selections were Austin Peay's Stanley Brooks, Eastern Kentucky's Derek Hardman and Emory Attig, Jacksonville State's Josh Cain and Tennessee Tech's Taylor Askew. The second-team selection was Austin Peay's Daniel Becker. For making the first-team each of the five players will have his name appear on the national ballot for consideration for Academic All-American later this month. The ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America football team will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 24. To be eligible for nomination, a student-athlete must have reached sophomore academic standing and have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average. District IV selections come from schools located within the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.

OVC Schools and the National Polls: For five weeks during the 2009 season, the OVC had three teams ranked in the Top 25 polls at the same time. The streak ended on Oct. 26 when Eastern Kentucky fell out of the poll, leaving just Eastern Illinois (No. 13/14) and Jacksonville State (No. 15/17) ranked in the FCS Coaches and Sports Network polls respectively. EIU and JSU have been ranked in the same spots for each of the last three weeks. On Oct. 12 and 19, Jacksonville State got to No. 12 in the national rankings, which matched the program’s highest ranking since joining the FCS/I-AA ranks in 1995. The Gamecocks were also ranked 12th on Oct. 18, 2004 (a year they went on to win the OVC Championship). It is the highest an OVC team has been ranked since Eastern Kentucky was No. 9 in the Nov. 19, 2007 Sports Network poll.

JSU’s Perrilloux Remains on Updated Walter Payton Award Watch List: Jacksonville State senior quarterback Ryan Perrilloux was one of 20 players named to the updated Walter Payton Award Watch List released on Oct. 16. He was also on the preseason watch list for the award which is presented to the FCS Offensive Player of the Year. Perrilloux ranks first nationally in passing efficiency and fifth in points responsible for and has been named OVC Offensive Player of the Week four straight weeks in 2009 (and five total times), becoming the first player in OVC history to accomplish that feat. In 2008 Perrilloux completed 187-of-297 for 2,318 yards on his way to second-team All-OVC honors. The LaPlace, La, native was named OVC Player or Newcomer of the Week seven times during the 2008 season after he led the Gamecocks to an 8-3 record. The watch list will be revised again in November before the final ballot is announced. Voting from a panel of FCS sports information directors, writers, broadcasters and other football experts will be conducted after the regular season ends. Three finalists will be announced on Nov. 30 and will be invited to the 23rd annual Sports Network Awards banquet on Dec. 17 in Chattanooga, Tenn., the night prior to the NCAA Division I championship game. The Eddie Robinson Award (top FCS Coach) and Buck Buchanan Award (top FCS Defensive Player) will also be presented that night.

Murray State’s Lane Remains on Buck Buchanan Award Watch Lists: Murray State senior defensive end Austen Lane is one of 20 players named to the updated Buck Buchanan Award Watch List on Oct. 16. He was also on the preseason watch list for the award which honors the best defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Lane ranks first nationally in sacks, second nationally in tackles-for-loss and 11th nationally in forced fumbles per game. Last season Lane has garnered national attention after putting together a 2008 campaign that consisted of school records in sacks (12.0) and tackles-for-loss (22.0), both of which ranked among the national leaders. The efforts earned him Sporting News Fabulous 50 All-America honors, as well as Third-Team All-America honors from the Associated Press. The award, established in 1995, is named after Junious "Buck" Buchanan, the NAIA All-American and Pro Football Hall of Fame, defensive lineman who played for Grambling State from 1959 through 1962. He was selected to the NFL’s All-Time Roster, indicative of his standing as one of the greatest football players of all time. Buchanan died of cancer July 16, 1992. His uniform number, 86, was retired by Kansas City in 1992. Voting from a panel of FCS sports information directors, writers, broadcasters and other football experts will be conducted after the regular season ends. Three finalists will be announced on Nov. 30 and will be invited to the 23rd annual Sports Network Awards banquet on Dec. 17 in Chattanooga, Tenn., the night before the NCAA Division I championship game. The Walter Payton Award and the Eddie Robinson Award will also be presented that night.

APSU’s White Nets Eighth and 12th-Highest Rushing Games in FCS This Season: Austin Peay sophomore Ryan White rushed for a career-best 228 yards on 32 carries in the Governors win at Southeast Missouri on Oct. 10. The output was the second-highest in APSU history (trailing only a 244-yard effort by Floyd Jones in 1981) and is the eighth-highest among Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) players in 2009. The top performances in FCS football this season is a 273-yard outing by Southern Illinois’ Deji Karim. White also rushed for 210 yards earlier this season against Newberry, the 12th-highest total among FCS players this year. White now has six 100-plus yard rushing games in his two-year career, the most among active OVC rushers.

NCAA Stat Leaders: In the latest set of NCAA statistical rankings Jacksonville State quarterback Ryan Perrilloux continues to rank first nationally in passing efficiency (176.87), a mark that leads all of Division I (FCS and FBS). He also ranks third in points responsible for (19.33/game) and 11th in total offense (276.33 yards/game). Austin Peay running back/return specialist Terrence Holt is first nationally in all-purpose yards (206.10/game) and 15th in scoring (8.40 points/game). Holt’s teammate and backfield mate, sophomore running back Ryan White, is 10th nationally in rushing (102.30 yards/game). Jacksonville State defensive back T.J. Heath is third nationally in passes defended (1.60/game) and eighth nationally in interceptions (0.78/game). Eastern Kentucky defensive back Jeremy Caldwell is third nationally in interceptions (0.78 interceptions/game) and ninth in passes defended (1.60/game). Murray State’s Austen Lane is fourth nationally in sacks (1.10/game), third nationally in tackles-for-loss (1.80/game) and 15th in forced fumbles (0.30/game). Racer teammate Marcus Harris is fifth in kickoffs (28.75 yards/return) while Tennessee Tech’s Mauricio Wallace is second in that category (29.18 yards/return). JSU’s Alan Bonner is ninth in punt returns (14.24 yards/return). In national team rankings Jacksonville State is first in passing efficiency (163.46), fourth in passing efficiency defense (98.02), first in kickoff returns (25.73 yards/return), sixth in turnover margin (+1.30/game), ninth in total offense (431.1 yards/game), third in fumbles recovered (15), second in interceptions thrown (4) and fourth in turnovers lost (11). Eastern Illinois is sixth in kickoff returns (24.26 yards/return) and fifth in fumbles recovered (14). Murray State ranks fourth in red zone offense (90%), fourth in kick returns (24.74 yards/return) and fourth in punt returns (17.88 yards/game).

Spoo Now Fifth All-Time in OVC Wins: With a victory over Austin Peay on Sept. 26, Eastern Illinois head coach Bob Spoo moved into fifth place on the OVC all-time career Conference victory list. Spoo has now won 65 OVC games in his tenure at EIU, which has spanned the school’s entire time in the OVC (1996 through the present, although he was not on the sidelines for the 2006 season). Spoo trails only Roy Kidd (207 OVC wins at EKU), Boots Donnelly (102 wins at Austin Peay and Middle Tennessee), Charles Murphy (73 wins at Middle Tennessee) and Jimmy Feix (67 wins at Western Kentucky) on the all-time list.

Tennessee Tech Wins 2009 Sgt. York Trophy: After going perfect in its three Sgt. York games this season, Tennessee Tech claimed the 2009 trophy, its first in the three-year history of the series. The Golden Eagles clinched the title with a 20-13 victory over Tennessee State on Oct. 31; TSU had won the previous two titles. The 2009 season marks the third season for the Sgt. York Trophy, a challenge trophy which will go to the annual winner of the quadrangular season series between the four OVC institutions in the state of Tennessee (Austin Peay, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech and UT Martin). In July 2007, the Nashville Sports Council and the Ohio Valley Conference announced the creation of the trophy, which is only the second traveling trophy involving more than two schools nationwide (the other is the Commander in Chief’s Trophy). It is named after Sgt. Alvin C. York, a native of Pall Mall, Tenn. and a Soldier who was one of the most honored of World War I. He received the Congressional Medal of Honor after the war and returned to his home state to dedicate his life to improving education and facilitating educational opportunities for children in the state of Tennessee. The trophy goes to the team with the best record against the other schools, and in case of a tie there will be co-champions and the actual trophy will go to the institution that has gone the most seasons without winning the trophy. In 2007, Tennessee State and Austin Peay finished in a tie for the trophy with identical 2-1 records; both shared the award but Tennessee State went home with the hardware due to a 1-point win in the head-to-head meeting during the season. Tennessee State went 3-0 in Sgt. York play in 2008 to claim its second trophy.

OVC Ranked Foes Squaring Off Against Each Other: For the second time this season two nationally-ranked OVC foes squared off on the gridiron on Oct. 24. In that game No. 24 Eastern Illinois traveled to No. 12 Jacksonville State and pulled out a 28-20 victory. Earlier this season it was No. 18 Eastern Kentucky who went to Charleston, Ill. and topped No. 23 Eastern Illinois 36-31 on Oct. 3. Prior to this season two OVC ranked foes had not squared off against each other since Oct. 28, 2006 (when No. 12 UT Martin topped No. 14 Eastern Illinois 15-9).

EIU Retires Tony Romo’s No. 17: Eastern Illinois retired Tony Romo’s No. 17 jersey on Oct. 17 in a game against Tennessee Tech. Romo, the two-time All Pro quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, was on-hand in Charleston for the Hall of Fame weekend during his bye week with the Cowboys. He was the first EIU football player to have his number retired. Romo was the Panthers starting quarterback from 2000-02, leading the team to three straight FCS playoff berths and winning three straight OVC Player of the Year awards. In 2002 he was named the Walter Payton Award winner (top Offensive Player in FCS/I-AA) and finished his OVC career with 85 touchdown passes.

Crowd of 104,488 Witnesses Eastern Illinois/Penn State Game: When Eastern Illinois played at Penn State on Oct. 10, a crowd of 104,488 witnessed the game. That marked the largest crowd to ever see an OVC team play football besting the previous mark of 85,754 that saw Tennessee Tech play at Auburn during the 200 season. Later in the 2009 season Tennessee Tech played in front of 92,746 fans at Georgia, which is now the second largest crowd to ever see an OVC team play. Several other OVC teams have played in front of big crowds this season, including Jacksonville State who played in front of 71,420 fans at Florida State on Sept. 12. On that same day Murray State played in front of 55,510 at N.C. State and on Sept. 26 Tennessee State played Florida A&M in front of 51,950 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. On Nov. 7 there were 22,092 fans at LP Field to see UT Martin play Tennessee State, the ninth largest crowd to ever see an OVC matchup.

Two of the Longest Tenured Division I Coaches Meet: When Eastern Illinois played at Penn State on Oct. 10, the matchup showcased two of the top five longest tenured coaches with the same school at the Division I level. Penn State coach Joe Paterno is the longest tenured active coach in Division I (at the same school), having been at Penn State since 1966. Eastern Illinois coach Bob Spoo is the fifth longest tenured coach, having been at Eastern Illinois since 1987. The two coaches have combined for over 500 victories. Penn State won the game 52-3.

OVC Teams Against FBS Opponents: OVC schools were 0-10 this season against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS, formerly I-A) opponents, although two of those games went down to the wire with a chance for the OVC team to pull off a win. In week No. 1 Eastern Kentucky had the ball on Indiana’s 5-yard line before a fumble ended what looked like to be a for-sure scoring drive. IU held on for a 19-13 victory. During week No. 2 Jacksonville State led Florida State 9-7 for most of the contest before the Seminoles came up with two scores in the final 35 seconds to win 19-9. All-time the OVC is 17-130-1 against FBS opponents. The last time an OVC team knocked off a FBS school was during the 2004 season when Eastern Illinois beat Eastern Michigan 31-28.

Holt Named National Specialist of the Week (Nov. 9): Austin Peay kick returner/running back Terrence Holt was named National Specialist of the Week by the Sports Network on Nov. 9 after his performance against Murray State. Holt recorded a school-record 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against the Racers and finished the game with 241 all-purpose yards. that included 77 yards rushing, 26 yards receiving, 16 yards in punt returns and 120 yards in kickoff returns. Holt also added a 30-yard rushing touchdown in the game. He is the eighth OVC player to earn a National Player of the Week honor this season.

Ricks Named National Specialist of the Week (Oct. 26): Eastern Illinois sophomore Lorence Ricks was named National Specialist of the Week by the Sports Network and a National All-Star by the College Sporting News on Oct.26 after helping his team to a 28-20 road victory over No. 12 Jacksonville State. Ricks returned a kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown, blocked a punt that set up an Eastern Illinois score and forced a key fumble in the victory. Ricks had 165 yards of total offense on the afternoon (124 yards on kick returns, 26 yards on punt returns and 15 yards on receptions), including the long kickoff return touchdown that put EIU up 28-13 with 6:17 to play in the third quarter. It was the first kickoff return for a touchdown by a Panther since Nov. 10, 2007 (Quinten Ponius). Early in the second quarter he blocked the punt that was recovered at the Jax State 4-yard line and led to a touchdown two plays later as Eastern took a 14-0 lead. In the fourth quarter he forced JSU’s punt returner to fumble, as the Panthers recovered the ball with 5:30 to play.

EKU’s McClellan Named National Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 19): Eastern Kentucky defensive back Patrick McClellan was named National Defensive Player of the Week by the Sports Network and a National All-Star by College Sporting News on Oct. 19 after his outing in the Colonels win over UT Martin. McClellan was involved in three of Eastern Kentucky’s five takeaways against the Skyhawks, including netting his first two collegiate interceptions. One pick came on his team’s own 14-yard line in the third quarter and the other interception came in the first quarter as EKU built a 14-0 advantage. Late in the fourth quarter McClellan recovered a fumble on a muffed Skyhawk punt, grabbing the ball at the UTM four-yard line and setting up the team’s final (and game-winning) score. McClellan also added a season-high seven tackles. It marks the third straight week the OVC has had the National Defensive Player of the Week.

Dillehay Named National Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 12): Tennessee Tech junior defensive back Dustin Dillehay was named National Defensive Player of the Week by the Sports Network and a National All-Star by College Sporting News on Oct. 12 after his outing against UT Martin. Dillehay had 14 tackles (10 solo) and intercepted a pass that he returned 41 yards for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown in the Golden Eagles 35-28 road victory. With his team leading 28-21, Dillehay picked off UTM quarterback Cade Thompson and returned the ball 41 yards for a score to put the Golden Eagles up 35-21 with 8:11 to play. It marks the second straight week the OVC has had the National Defensive Player of the Week.

Heath Named National Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 5): Jacksonville State defensive back T.J. Heath was named National Defensive Player of the Week by the Sports Network on Oct. 5 after a three interception performance against UT Martin. On the fourth play from scrimmage, the junior intercepted UT Martin quarterback Cade Thompson and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown. Just eight plays later Heath did the same thing, this time taking it 55 yards for a touchdown making the score 14-0 before Jacksonville State even ran an offensive play from scrimmage. He added his third interception in the fourth quarter and finished the game with three tackles and a pass break-up. The three interceptions was the most by a JSU player in the school’s Division I era.

Caldwell Named National All-Star By College Sporting News (Oct. 5): Eastern Kentucky defensive back Jeremy Caldwell was named a National All-Star (Defensive Player of the Week) after his performance in the Colonels road win over nationally-ranked Eastern Illinois. The sophomore intercepted two passes, including returning one for a touchdown in what proved to be the game-winning score, and forced a fumble at the end of the game to preserve the 36-31 victory. Caldwell picked off a pass in the third quarter, an interception that led to an EKU score as the Colonels trimmed the EIU lead to 24-23. With 11 minutes to play in the game, he picked off another pass and returned it 10 yards for a touchdown. With 12 seconds left in the game he forced Panther quarterback Jake Christensen to fumble as EKU recovered and took a knee to end the game. Caldwell added seven tackles, a pass break-up and 78 kickoff return yards in the game.

JSU’s Perrilloux Named National Weekly All-Star By College Sporting News (Sept. 28): Jacksonville State’s Ryan Perrilloux was named a National Weekly All-Star by the College Sporting News on Sept. 28. In the return to his native Louisiana, Perrilloux accounted for five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) for the second straight week as Jacksonville State pounded Nicholls State 60-10. He finished the game 14-of-22 for 250 yards and four touchdowns (of 17, 44, 14 and 6 yards) and added 58 rushing yards and a score (38 yard rush) to account for 308 total yards of offense in just three quarters of play (he sat out the fourth quarter). He finished with a passing efficiency of 219.09, the third best total in school history. He became the first Gamecock to post back-to-back five-touchdown games in school history.

Murray State’s Harris Named National Specialist of the Week (Sept. 7): Murray State junior Marcus Harris was honored by The Sports Network on Sept. 7 as the FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week. Harris was honored after becoming the first Racer to return a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown in the same game. He accomplished the task by taking a kickoff back 86 yards with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter to put the Racers ahead 52-10. After hauling in a 13-yard touchdown reception on the next Racers’ possession, Harris fielded a punt on his own 25 and raced untouched up the middle for the 75-yard touchdown. Harris finished the game with 83 yards on two punt returns and 125 yards on two kickoff returns. He added 17 yard receiving and finished the game with 225 all-purpose yards.

The Safety Dance: No we are not talking about the Men Without Hats song, but the Murray State defense. In the Racers season-opening victory over Kentucky Wesleyan, the defense recorded two safeties which tied the OVC (and Murray State) single-game record done three other times (most recently in 1996 by Middle Tennessee). To put it into perspective on how rare that is, only two OVC schools have had two safeties during an entire season over the last four years.

Three OVC Student-Athletes Named Semifinalists for Campbell Trophy: Three Ohio Valley Conference student-athletes were named semifinalists for the 20th Anniversary William V. Campbell Trophy, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF). The three student-athletes are Daniel Becker (Austin Peay), Derek Hardman (Eastern Kentucky) and Josh Cain (Jacksonville State). The three are among 154 semifinals for the Campbell Trophy (formerly known as the Draddy Trophy), endowed by HealthSouth, and are three of just 37 candidates from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Nominated by their respective schools, which are limited to one nominee each, semifinalists must be a senior or graduate student in his final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first-team player or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Renamed this fall in honor of Bill Campbell, the chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF’s Gold Medal, the award comes with a 25-pound bronze trophy and a $25,000 post- graduate scholarship.

From Navy Pilot to Assistant Coach: Austin Peay’s new offensive graduate assistant coach Craig Candeto has spent the last six years in the Navy as a fighter pilot, a member of Strike Fighter Squadron 106 "Gladiators" stationed in Virginia Beach, Va., flying T-34, T-45 and F/A-18 jets. The former lieutenant retired from the Navy earlier this year and now is going from piloting a $57 million Super Hornet aircraft to taking flight as the Governors quarterbacks coach. But before his military career, Candeto was a sports star in his own right who shares an NCAA record. The Deland, Fla., native was a two-sport prep star, earning the 1999 6A Florida State High School Player of the Year award. He earned an appointment to the Naval Academy, where he enjoyed a storied athletic career. It was at quarterback where Candeto achieved his greatest stardom. In 2002, he rushed for six touchdowns in Navy’s 58-12 win against Army—those six rushing TDs matched the NCAA record for rushing TDs by a quarterback. In total, he accounted for seven TDs in the game. Candeto is one of just 26 FBS quarterback to have rushed and pass for 1,000 or more yards, respectively. He earned the 2002 and 2003 Rubino Memorial Silver Helmet award as the Outstanding Football Player at the Naval Academy. As co-captain in 2003, he quarterbacked a Navy football team that won three games in the previous three seasons and guided it to an 8-5 record and its first bowl appearance in seven years. That same Navy team led the nation in rushing. Candeto also is a member of the Navy Athletic Hall of Fame.

Jacksonville State Ineligible for OVC Championship/Postseason Play: In May the NCAA announced the Jacksonville State University received a postseason ban due to an occasion three historic penalty of the APR (Academic Progress Rate). In accordance with OVC by-laws, since Jax State is not eligible for the NCAA postseason, they are also not eligible for the OVC Championship. Jacksonville State will still play a full Conference schedule in 2009 with wins and losses counting for both teams. They will just not be eligible for the title and will be listed at the bottom of the standings with an asterisk.

Eastern Kentucky Tabbed Preseason Favorite: In what was one of the most balanced votes in the history of preseason OVC balloting (five different teams got at least one first-place votes), defending champion Eastern Kentucky was tabbed the preseason favorite by the league head coaches and sports information directors. EKU received 10 of the 18 first-place votes followed by UT Martin (4 first-place votes), Eastern Illinois (2), Tennessee State (1) and Murray State (1). It marks the 17th time that the Colonels have been picked to win the OVC Championship in the preseason poll. But is being picked first in the preseason poll necessarily a good thing? In the past 30 years of preseason polls (all that were available), the preseason predicted champion has only gone on to win the OVC Championship 12 times (40.0%). In each of the last six years, the predicted champion has failed to claim the regular season title. The last time the preseason predicted champion went on to win the title was in 2002 when Eastern Illinois accomplished the feat (EIU also did that same thing in 2001).

Thompson and Lane Headline Preseason All-OVC Team: UT Martin senior quarterback Cade Thompson, the 2008 OVC Offensive Player, was tabbed the Preseason Player of the Year this season after throwing for 2,680 yards and 24 touchdowns as a junior. Murray State senior defensive end Austen Lane was picked as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year after ranking fourth nationally in both sacks (1.0) and tackles-for-loss (1.83) per game last season. Those two players led the selections of this season’s Preseason All-OVC Teams. Murray State had six selections to the team, the most of any OVC school. The Racers were followed by UT Martin who had five selections and Jacksonville State who had four picks. Returning players who were first-team All-OVC picks last season (8 in total) were automatic selections to the preseason team this year. The squad also included nine players who were second-team selections in 2008. Of the 26 total selections, 21 were seniors (including the entire offensive unit), four were juniors and there was one sophomore pick. All nine teams had at least one player appear on the squad.

Head Coaches All Return: For the first time since the 2004 season, every head coach in the OVC returns to coach the same team they did last season. All nine coaches are back including the Dean of OVC Coaches, Bob Spoo of Eastern Illinois. Spoo is beginning his 22nd season on the sidelines with the Panthers in 2009 (23rd season overall after missing 2006 with an illness). Spoo is the fifth longest active tenured head coach at the Division I level (tied with Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer) and trails only Joe Paterno (at Penn State since 1966), Bob Ford (at Albany since 1973), Bobby Bowden (at Florida State since 1976) and Andy Talley (at Villanova since 1985).

Six OVC Schools Have Former FBS Quarterbacks Under Center This Season: This season there are currently six OVC schools with at least one former Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) quarterback competing for the starting job. Three of the quarterbacks are for sure the starter, including Ryan Perrilloux (LSU) starting for the second year at Jacksonville State and 2008 OVC Player of the Year Cade Thompson (South Carolina) starting for the third year at UT Martin. Two other schools have a pair of former FBS signal callers on the depth chart. That includes Eastern Illinois who has Jake Christensen (Iowa) as the starter and Bodie Reeder (Wyoming) as the backup while Tennessee Tech who has Lee Sweeney (Louisville) as the starter with Clint Brewster (Minnesota) on the bench. At Tennessee State Dominic Grooms (Missouri) is in the mix at quarterback while T.C. Jennings (Arkansas State) is the backup at Austin Peay.

The 62nd Season of Football: The 62nd season of Ohio Valley Conference football is underway this season. The OVC is made up of nine football-playing schools in 2009. Since its beginning, 14 of the 18 total schools that have played football in the OVC have claimed at least one championship.

A Look Back at the 2008 Season: For the first time in 61 years of competition, the OVC finished the 2008 season with four teams with eight overall victories. The OVC was one of just two FCS conferences to have four or more teams with eight wins (the CAA was the other, who had five teams reach eight or more wins; each of those five CAA teams made the playoffs while only one OVC school made the field). Eastern Kentucky claimed its 20th OVC Championship (the second most crowns in FCS history trailing only the CAA’s UMass who has 21; however, EKU’s 16 outright conference crowns are the most in FCS history) and second in a row. The Colonels made their 19th FCS Playoff berth (tied for most all-time with Montana) and lost to eventual national champion Richmond in the first round.

I-AA No More: Although some people may accidentally still refer to it as I-AA football, the term that represents the level of Division I football in which the Ohio Valley Conference competes has been retired. Beginning with the 2006 National Championship game, the term Football Championship Subdivision (or FCS) is to be used. FCS is the only Division I football rank to host a NCAA-sponsored national championship (one of 88 championships the NCAA sponsors). The division formerly known as I-A was changed to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and those teams compete for the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) national championship. Teams who play at the FCS level can offer a maximum of 63 scholarships (FBS teams can offer 85) and compete in a 16-team playoff at the end of the season to determine the national champion.

OVC and SportsUnlimited Announce Launch of OVC Football Magazine: The Ohio Valley Conference has announced the launch and production of "Ohio Valley Conference Football 2009" a full-color, limited edition football magazine that previews the 2009 football season. The venture with SportsUnlimited ships in late August. Detailed feature articles on all nine OVC teams are included in the publication. For the first time, OVC football will be featured in a full-color magazine dedicated to its nine schools and suitable for display on your coffee table year round. To order your copy log onto www.collegesportsmags.com. The cost of the publication is $4.99 plus tax and shipping.

OVCSports.TV: For the fourth consecutive year, fans can watch every Conference matchup and all non-conference home contests at OVCSports.TV. The venture with JumpTV Sports allows fans to access live and on-demand streaming video and audio of all conference matchups on their home computer. The premium Web site was launched in July 2006 and streamed over a thousand events in its first three seasons, including all Conference matchups in football and men’s and women’s basketball as well as select baseball, soccer, softball and volleyball games and OVC Championship events. Packages are available on a yearly, seasonally, monthly or per-event basis.

NFL Connections: There are currently 14 former Ohio Valley Conference football players are on NFL rosters for the season (10 active, 2 practice squad members, 2 on IR). Those players include former Eastern Illinois standout Tony Romo, who is the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys and two-time Pro Bowl pick, defensive back Cortland Finnegan (Samford) who was a Pro Bowl selection with the Tennessee Titans last year and Tennessee State’s Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who was a starter with the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII in February. There is one player on a NFL roster who played in the OVC last season, Pierre Walters (Eastern Illinois) who is with the Kansas City Chiefs. Javarris Williams (Tennessee State) is also with the Chiefs but as a member of the practice squad to start the season, as is former Tennessee State offensive lineman Cecil Newton who is on the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad.. Six of nine current OVC schools have at least one player on a NFL roster with Southeast Missouri State leading the way with three. Several NFL coaches also have connections to OVC schools, including two current ones who played at Eastern Illinois - Brad Childress (Minnesota) and Sean Payton (New Orleans). Another EIU alumni - Mike Shanahan - is out of coaching this year but should be back with a team in 2010. UT Martin graduate and former assistant coach Jerry Reese made waves in 2007 when he led the New York Giants to the Super Bowl XLII Championship in his first season as General Manager with the franchise.