• ESPN3 Information and FAQ | Direct Link to Eastern Illinois/Jacksonville State
This week the OVC Football "Game of the Week" series on ESPN3 features Eastern Illinois at No. 3 Jacksonville State with the OVC Championship on the line. The game is slated to kick-off at 3:00 p.m. CT on Saturday.
This contest is the final of an exclusive eight-game package that will air on ESPN3 this season.
The games are being produced by WebStream Sports, an Indianapolis-based company which is a proven leader in video production, streaming video and content creation. The company, founded in 2006, produces more than 1,000 events annually and has also served as a web streaming consultant for the OVC for the past two years.
Kevin Ingram, host of "The Wake Up Zone" on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville, will handle play-by-play duties while Bob Belvin, on-air talent and contributor at 100.7 FM/AM 540 (ESPN Clarksville), will provide analysis. The duo has worked together each of the past two years in the league's TV package.
ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of global sports events annually and accessible online via WatchESPN.com, on smart phones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members and on Apple TV and Roku. It is currently available in more than 85 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. It is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks.
GAME PREVIEW
Eastern Illinois Panthers (5-5, 5-1 OVC)
at #3 Jacksonville State Gamecocks (8-1, 6-0 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 15 • 3:00 p.m. CT
Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium (24,000) • Jacksonville, Ala.
TV:...................................................................... ESPN3
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=62622
Series Record:............................ Eastern Illinois leads 6-5
Last Meeting:............. Eastern Illinois won 52-14 (11/16/13)
Kim Dameron at Eastern Illinois:......................... 5-5 (1 yr.)
Kim Dameron Overall:.............................................. same
John Grass at Jacksonville State:...................... 8-1 (1 yr.)
John Grass Overall:................................................. same
Eastern Illinois Last Week:......... W, 48-26 vs. Murray State
Jacksonville State Last Week: W, 20-6 at #15 Eastern Kentucky
GAME NOTES: The OVC Championship will be on the line on Saturday in Jacksonville by teams coached by first-year head coaches. A victory by the Gamecocks will give the team its fourth OVC crown and the league’s automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs while a Panthers victory and win next week over UT Martin will give them at least a share of its third-straight title (and eighth overall) and the automatic bid to the playoffs. The two teams have played 11 times since JSU joined the OVC in 2003, with Eastern Illinois holding a 6-5 margin after winning the last two matchups. In eight of the 11 meetings the team that has won the game has gone on to win the OVC Championship. Last season the No. 22 ranked Gamecocks traveled to No. 2 Eastern Illinois only to see the Panthers score 35 first quarter points on its way to a 52-14 victory. EIU outgained JSU 595 to 293 in total yards as running back Shepard Little ran for two touchdowns, passed for a touchdown and caught a touchdown all in the first quarter on his way to National Player of the Week honors. Eli Jenkins led JSU with 97 rushing yards while DaMarcus James added 80 yards on the ground. This year’s game features two of the top eight ranked offensive ranked teams in the FCS.
SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS: Eastern Illinois won its fourth-straight game on Saturday, knocking off Murray State 48-26. The Panthers have now scored 40-plus points in three of its last four games and rank eighth nationally in total offense (498.4 yards/game). Jalen Whitlow earned his sixth OVC Newcomer of the Week honor of the season after throwing for 312 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for another score; Whitlow now ranks 13th nationally in points responsible for (15.8/game) and 21st in total offense (265.2 yards/game). Senior Adam Drake hauled in 11 of those passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns; he now ranks ninth in OVC history for career receiving yards (2,811) and 10th in career receptions (186) while his 1,153 receiving yards this year are now eighth in OVC single-season history. Taylor Duncan carried the ball 30 times for a career-high 171 yards and two scores in the win over MSU. Overall EIU had 654 yards of total offense in the win (the eighth-most in school history) while running 104 total plays (third-most in school history). Defensively Adam Gristick had 10 tackles and half a sack to go along with an interception at the goal line.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: Since its season-opening loss to nationally-ranked FBS foe Michigan State, Jacksonville State has reeled off eight-straight wins (the third-longest streak nationally) while averaging 39.1 points/game and 538.2 yards of total offense/game. The team is also 6-0 in OVC play for the first time in its history. JSU went to nationally-ranked EKU last week and limited the Colonels to 1-of-14 on third down in winning 20-6. The JSU defense, which now ranks second nationally in third down defense (23.3%), has now gone 13-straight quarters without allowing a touchdown and has outscored its last three opponents 125-9. The Gamecocks now rank fourth nationally in rushing offense (292.3 yards/game) and moved up to No. 3 in the Top 25 poll, picking up first-place votes for the first time since 2010. All-American DaMarcus James rushed for 170 yards and a touchdown to pass the Gamecocks and earn OVC Offensive Player of the Week honors; in the process he moved into second place on the JSU career rushing yardage list. Folo Johnson was named OVC Co-Defensive Player of the Week after tallying 14 tackles against the Colonels; junior safety DeBarriaus Miller added two interceptions and six tackles in the win. Freshman kicker Connor Rouleau connected on a 22 and career-long 48-yard field goal in the victory; the 48-yarder came with 8:35 to play in the game and gave the Gamecocks a seven-point lead.