Teleconference Audio
Below is embedded audio from this week's OVC Football Coaches media teleconference. For a listing of this week's games and previews scroll down below the audio links.
This Week’s Schedule
Saturday, November 22
#14 Eastern Kentucky at Florida, 11:00 a.m. (SEC Network)
*UT Martin at Eastern Illinois, 12:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*#3 Jacksonville State at Southeast Missouri, 1:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Tennessee State at Murray State, 1:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Tennessee Tech at Austin Peay, 4:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
#14 Eastern Kentucky Colonels (9-2, 6-2 OVC)
at Florida Gators (5-4, 4-4 SEC)
Saturday, Nov. 22 • 11:00 a.m. CT
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (88,548) • Gainesville, Fla.
TV:............................................................. SEC Network
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=62134
Series Record:............................................. First meeting
Last Meeting:.............................................................. n/a
Dean Hood at Eastern Kentucky:.................. 49-31 (7 yrs.)
Dean Hood Overall:................................................. same
Will Muschamp at Florida:............................ 27-20 (4 yrs.)
Will Muschamp Overall:........................................... same
Eastern Kentucky Last Week:.... W, 43-36 vs. Murray State
Florida Last Week:........... L, 23-20 vs. South Carolina (OT)
GAME NOTES: Eastern Kentucky will conclude its regular season and look ahead to a probable at-large berth to the FCS Playoffs when they travel to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) foe Florida on Saturday; it is the first-ever meeting between the two schools. It is the second FBS opponent of the season for the Colonels who won 17-10 at Miami (Ohio) in the second week of the season (its first win over a FBS opponent since 1985); overall the Colonels are 7-20 all-time against FBS opponents. Florida last played an OVC opponent in 2012, topping Jacksonville State 23-0.
SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY: Eastern Kentucky wrapped up the OVC portion of its schedule with a 43-36 come-from-behind victory over Murray State on Saturday. It marked the ninth overall win of the season for the team; the nine wins are the most in seven years under head coach Dean Hood and most since the 2007 season (9). The Colonels won on the back of junior Dy’Shawn Mobley who tied OVC records for total touchdowns (6) and rushing touchdowns (5) as he rushed for 224 yards and had 100 receiving yards in the win in being named National Player of the Week. The 324 all-purpose yards were the fourth-most by a FCS player this season. Five of his six touchdowns came in the second half including two rushing touchdowns in the final quarter as EKU completed the comeback. The 224 rushing yards were the most by a Colonel player since the 2011 season. Mobley currently ranks fourth nationally (and third in OVC single-season history) with 19 rushing touchdowns, while also ranking fifth in scoring (10.9 points/game), 10th in rushing yards/game (124.7) and 16th in all-purpose yards (148.36/game). Quarterback Bennie Coney completed 11-of-16 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown in the win while Jeff Glover had a team-high 161 receiving yards. After converting just one third down against Jacksonville State two weeks ago, EKU was 11-of-19 (57.9%) against Murray State. As a team Eastern Kentucky ranks second in turnovers gained (30) third in blocked kicks (7), fourth in blocked punts (3), fifth in fumbles recovered (15), ninth in rushing offense (243.1 yards/game and kickoff returns (24.25 yards/return) and10th in passes intercepted (15). Even with a loss on Saturday, the Colonels would have nine Division I victories and a win over a FBS opponent, which would likely earn the team an at-large berth to the FCS Playoffs. EKU is ranked No. 14 in the Sports Network Top 25 and No. 16 in the FCS Coaches poll.
SCOUTING FLORIDA: Florida is coming off an overtime loss to South Carolina. Following the game it was announced head coach Will Muschamp will be stepping down after the season. Against the Gamecocks quarterback Treon Harris rushed for 111 yards, the first time since the 2012 season a UF signal caller had rushed for triple digits. Harris also passed for 60 yards and a touchdown in the contest. On the season Harris has completed 58.9 percent of his passes for 565 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 242 yards and three additional scores. Matt Jones leads the Gators with 761 rushing yards on the season, while scoring a team-high six touchdowns. Antonio Morrison had a career-high 16 tackles against USC, his second game this season with 15 or more tackles; Morrison leads the team with 88 total tackles on the season. Florida has taken care of the football as of late, committing only two turnovers over its last three contests. As a team UF ranks second in the SEC and eighth nationally in red zone efficiency (91.67%).
UT Martin Skyhawks (5-6, 4-3 OVC)
at Eastern Illinois Panthers (5-6, 5-2 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 22 • 12:00 p.m. CT
O’Brien Field (10,000) • Charleston, Ill.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:..........
http://www.sidearmstats.com/eiu/football
Series Record:.......................... Eastern Illinois leads 13-6
Last Meeting:............. Eastern Illinois won 70-22 (11/23/13)
Jason Simpson at UT Martin:........................ 57-45 (9 yrs.)
Jason Simpson Overall:........................................... same
Kim Dameron at Eastern Illinois:......................... 5-6 (1 yr.)
Kim Dameron Overall:.............................................. same
UT Martin Last Week:................................................. Idle
Eastern Illinois Last Week: L, 27-20 at #3 Jacksonville State
GAME NOTES: UT Martin and Eastern Illinois will play for the 20th time on Saturday in Charleston. Both teams enter the contest with identical 5-6 records with the winner finishing the season at .500. UT Martin had won three in a row in the series until Eastern Illinois blasted the Skyhawks 70-22 in last year’s regular season finale. In that game EIU scored 28 first quarter points and led 47-9 on its way to the win. Walter Payton Award winner Jimmy Garoppolo passed for 477 yards and six touchdowns (cementing his award-winning regular season) while Shepard Little rushed for a game-high 123 yards. Adam Drake hauled in 14 catches for 225 yards and three touchdowns while Jeff LePak had seven catches for 193 yards and three scores. The EIU defense limited the Skyhawks to just 295 yards of total offense and just 47 yards on the ground. Jarod Neal led UTM with 150 passing yards and two touchdowns. Entering this week EIU has won 11-straight home OVC games, which is the longest streak in school history and the longest active streak in the OVC.
SCOUTING UT MARTIN: UT Martin is coming off an open date after losing 45-16 at FBS No. 1 Mississippi State two weeks ago. The Skyhawks kept the game close early, trailing 7-3 after the first quarter; overall the team did not commit a turnover and had one more first down than MSU did. At the time the team’s first quarter field goal made the Skyhawks one of just four teams to score in the opening quarter against the Bulldogs in 2014. In the game senior running back Abou Toure had 94 rushing yards, which at the time was the most rushing yards surrendered by the Bulldogs to a running back this season. Toure now has 980 rushing yards on the season and with 20 more yards will become just the sixth different UTM player to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a season. The quarterback tandem of Jarod Neal and Dylan Favre completed passes to 11 different players with William Tanner grabbing five passes for 57 yards. Buck Buchanan Award candidate Tony Bell led the way with nine tackles while adding 2.0 tackles-for-loss, a sack and a quarterback hurry. Bell currently ranks fourth nationally in fumbles recovered (3) and 11th in tackles-for-loss (1.7/game).
SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS: Eastern Illinois saw its hopes of a third-straight OVC Championship and berth in the FCS Playoffs come to an end with a 27-20 loss at No. 3 Jacksonville State. The Panthers kept the game close the entire way and had two possessions in the fourth quarter with a chance to tie the game but failed to after starting quarterback Jalen Whitlow left the game with an injury. Whitlow finished the game with 137 passing yards and 78 rushing yards and a touchdown; Whitlow now has 12 rushing touchdowns this season which ranks second in the OVC and 22nd nationally. Senior Adam Drake was limited to five catches for 22 yards but is now 10th in OVC history for career catches (191) and eighth in career receiving yards (2,833); this season
Drake ranks second nationally in total receiving yards (1,175), fifth in receiving yards/game (106.8), sixth in receptions/game (7.5) and ninth in receiving touchdowns (11). Freshman kicker/punter Nick Bruno connected on field goals of 41 and 20 yards in the game and also punted seven times, including a long of 52 and three that were downed inside the 20-yard line. Overall EIU was held to a season-low 304 yards of total offense in the loss. Kamu Grugier-Hill and Laquesse Taylor each had 11 tackles for EIU against the Gamecocks. Grugier-Hill leads the team with 85 total tackles on the season.
#3 Jacksonville State Gamecocks (9-1, 7-0 OVC)
at Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (5-6, 3-4 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 22 • 1:00 p.m. CT
Houck Stadium (10,000) • Cape Girardeau, Mo.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=61678
Series Record:..................... Jacksonville State leads 13-5
Last Meeting:........ Jacksonville State won 42-34 (11/23/13)
John Grass at Jacksonville State:...................... 9-1 (1 yr.)
John Grass Overall:................................................. same
Tom Matukewicz at Southeast Missouri:............. 5-6 (1 yr.)
Tom Matukewicz Overall:......................................... same
Jacksonville State Last Week:. W, 27-20 vs. Eastern Illinois
Southeast Missouri Last Week:..... W, 42-7 vs. Austin Peay
GAME NOTES: After having clinched the OVC Championship last week, Jacksonville State looks to wrap-up a perfect OVC season and bolster its seeding for the FCS Playoffs at Southeast Missouri. The Redhawks are looking to get to .500 under first-year head coach Tom Matukewicz (which would be just the second time in the last 12 years for the program) and already have a pair of victories over nationally-ranked opponents this season, including Southeastern Louisiana when they were ranked No. 3 nationally on Sept. 20. In last year’s regular season finale Jacksonville State led 28-6 at halftime and held on to win 42-34 behind 206 rushing yards and three touchdowns from All-American DaMarcus James. Eli Jenkins added 124 rushing yards and a touchdown (to go with 147 passing yards) and Troymaine Pope had 102 rushing yards as JSU rushed for 440 total yards. Southeast Missouri rushed for 410 yards with DeMichael Jackson racking up 183 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Overall the two teams combined for 850 rushing yards which established a new NCAA record. Overall Jax State has won six-straight in the series.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: Jacksonville State won its ninth-straight game (the third-longest active streak in the FCS) in topping Eastern Illinois 27-20 to win its fourth OVC Championship and earn its fifth FCS Playoff berth (and 15th NCAA Playoff appearance of all-time). JSU is now 7-0 in OVC play for the first time. The Gamecocks held EIU to a season-low total offense output (304 yards) and limited them to 3-of-15 on third down; overall JSU now ranks first nationally in third down conversion defense (22.9%). After allowing Michigan State to rack up 565 yards of total offense in the season-opener, the Gamecocks have rebounded to now rank 14th nationally in total defense (304.1 yards/game). Offensively DaMarcus James rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown while Eli Jenkins threw for a career-high 288 yards and a touchdown. Offensively the team ranks fifth nationally in rushing offense (279.7 yards/game) and eighth in total offense (500.4 yards/game) while averaging a FCS-best 83.4 plays/game. JSU is also one of just two schools this season to have four different players with 500 or more rushing yards (Sam Houston State is the other). Michael Carlisle was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week after netting 10 tackles while Darius Jackson made the biggest defense play of the game, picking off a pass and returning it 27 yards for a touchdown in what proved to be the game-winning score. JSU is No. 3 in the FCS Coaches Poll and No. 4 in the Sports Network poll.
SCOUTING SOUTHEAST MISSOURI: Southeast Missouri snapped a four-game losing streak with a 42-7 victory over Austin Peay on Saturday. Quarterback Kyle Snyder completed 19-of-27 passes for 334 yards and five touchdowns (to four different receivers) and rushed for 35 yards in the victory. He was the first Southeast quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards in game since the 2008 season while his five touchdown passes tied the Redhawks single-game record also held by Jack Tomco. In his second game back from injury, Paul McRoberts hauled in six passes for 117 yards and two scores while Spencer Davis had 102 receiving yards and a touchdown. DeMichael Jackson gained 122 yards and a touchdown on the ground while also catching a touchdown pass. Overall the team had a season-high 531 yards of total offense; it also marked the third time this season the team had scored 40 or more points. Wisler Ymonice matched his career-high with 12 tackles while Reggie Jennings and Daniel Siehndel had 11 stops apiece. As a team Southeast ranks ninth nationally in sacks allowed/game (0.91) and 21st in red zone defense (72.1%).
Tennessee State Tigers (5-6, 2-5 OVC)
at Murray State Racers (3-8, 1-6 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 22 • 1:00 p.m. CT
Roy Stewart Stadium (16,500) • Murray, Ky.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=55007
Series Record:........................... Murray State leads 13-12
Last Meeting:.......... Tennessee State won 17-10 (11/16/13)
Rod Reed at Tennessee State:...................... 31-27 (5 yrs.)
Rod Reed Overall:................................................... same
Chris Hatcher at Murray State:....................... 27-29 (5 yrs.)
Chris Hatcher Overall:............................... 121-56 (15 yrs.)
Tennessee State Last Week:....................................... Idle
Murray State Last Week:. L, 43-36 at #18 Eastern Kentucky
GAME NOTES: In 25 previous meetings in the all-time series Murray State holds a slim 13-12 advantage over Tennessee State. The Racers won five-straight from 2008-12 before Tennessee State won 17-10 last season in bolstering its resume for an eventual at-large playoff berth. In that contest Murray State led 10-0 in the second quarter and the game was deadlocked late in the fourth quarter before Telvin Hooks ran for a 19-yard touchdown with just 1:28 to play to secure the victory. Hooks led all players with 129 rushing yards in the game, while the Tigers defense limited the Racers to just 24 rushing yards on the day. Parks Frazier had 247 passing yards for Murray State, completing passes to eight different receivers.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE: Tennessee State is coming off its open date which followed a 31-27 road victory over Austin Peay two weeks ago. That win snapped a five-game losing streak for the banged up Tigers. In that contest TSU trailed 17-3 at halftime and was down 27-16 with seven minutes to play before Michael German threw two touchdown passes (the last coming with 35 seconds left) to cap the comeback. The senior German completed 30-of-46 passes for 395 yards and four touchdowns. With one game to play German ranks fifth in OVC history in touchdown passes (59), sixth in completions (627), seventh in total offense (8,278) and passing (8,206) and is 19 pass attempts away from fifth place in that category. Weldon Garlington caught eight passes from German for 143 yards and three touchdowns while Isaiah Freeman caught the game-winner in the fourth quarter (one of his six catches on the day). Darion Hall had 163 all-purpose yards, gaining 86 on the ground, 35 on catches and 42 on kickoff returns. Nick Thrasher had 12 tackles, a sack and two quarterback hurries against the Govs; he now ranks seventh nationally in tackles/game (11.0). As a team TSU ranks first nationally in pass defense (124.8 yards/game), pass efficiency defense (90.62) and fourth down conversion defense (12.5%), seventh in sacks (3.18/game) and eighth in total defense (280.9 yards/game).
SCOUTING MURRAY STATE: Murray State is looking to snap a three-game losing streak and end its season on a positive note. The Racers jumped out to a 27-7 halftime lead over rival Eastern Kentucky last week, but surrendered 36 second half points in losing 43-36. The game started with a bang as junior Pokey Harris took the opening kickoff and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. It marked the second-straight week Harris had returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score. Overall it is just the 12th time in OVC history that has happened and Harris is now one of just three players with two 100-yard kickoffs for scores in league history. Overall Harris has three kickoff returns for score this season which is the most in the FCS and tied for the most in Division I (FBS or FCS); he now ranks fifth in the FCS in kickoff return yardage average (28.8 yards/return). Quarterback KD Humphries completed 40-of-57 passes for 385 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a team-high 38 yards and two more scores. Humphries now has 3,005 passing yards on the season which is the ninth-highest single-season total in OVC history. His 283 completions currently ranks fifth in OVC history and he needs just three touchdown passes to reach the OVC Top 10. In the national rankings Humphries is third in completions/game (25.73), fifth in completion percentage (67.7%), sixth in total passing yards (3,005), eighth in passing yards/game (273.2) and ninth in passing touchdowns (22) and total offense (293.5 yards/game). Jonathan Jackson had 19 tackles in the game which is tied for the most in the OVC this season; Jackson also had 19 tackles against JSU earlier this season and he now ranks fourth nationally in tackles (12.1/game). Teammate Travis Taylor ranks 10th nationally in tackles (10.6/game).
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (4-7, 3-4 OVC)
at Austin Peay Governors (1-10, 1-6 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 22 • 4:00 p.m. CT
Governors Stadium (7,000) • Clarksville, Tenn.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=60272
Series Record:...................... Tennessee Tech leads 29-18
Last Meeting:............. Tennessee Tech won 34-0 (11/23/13)
Watson Brown at Tennessee Tech:................ 37-53 (8 yrs.)
Watson Brown Overall:......................... 131-204-1 (30 yrs.)
Kirby Cannon at Austin Peay:......................... 1-22 (2 yrs.)
Kirby Cannon Overall:............................... 36-108 (13 yrs.)
Tennessee Tech Last Week:... L, 38-17 vs. #9 Chattanooga
Austin Peay Last Week:........ L, 42-7 at Southeast Missouri
GAME NOTES: Austin Peay and Tennessee Tech will conclude the 2014 season with the 48th all-time meeting in the series on Saturday in Clarksville. Tech leads the all-time series 29-18 with the teams splitting games each of the past two years. Last season Tennessee Tech outgained Austin Peay 402-to-186 in winning 34-0 and pushing the Govs to 0-12 on the season. Quarterback Darian Stone passed for 118 yards and rushed for a game-high 153 yards and a touchdown in the victory. Omar Williams had 39 rushing yards for the Govs who got 13 tackles apiece from A.J. Gray and Antonio Turner.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: Tennessee Tech played its fifth nationally-ranked opponent of the season (a sixth opponent is now ranked) when they lost 38-17 at home to No. 9 Chattanooga in the first meeting between the teams since 2006. The Golden Eagles managed just 171 yards of total offense while allowing the Mocs to net 457 yards. Ladarius Vanlier rushed for a 64 yard touchdown and averaged 11.6 yards on seven total carries on the day. Darian Stone added 11 rushing yards and 30 passing yards. Cory Webber made 17 tackles while Austin Tallant, last week’s OVC Defensive Player of the Week, had 12 tackles, a pass breakup and forced a fumble. Punter Jonathan King averaged 43.2 yards/punt on five attempts, downing two inside the UTC 20-yard line.
SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY: Austin Peay suffered its 31st-straight road defeat (the longest active streak nationally) on Saturday, falling 42-7 at Southeast Missouri. The team will enter the 2015 season without a win on the road since Sept. 18, 2010. Overall the team has 10 losses on the season, the seventh time in program history APSU has reached double-digit losses. Senior punter Ben Campbell punted four times last week to tie his APSU single-season record of 87 punts. Campbell needs just six punts this week to tie the OVC single-season record of 93 set by Morehead State’s John Christopher in 1982. The team’s lone touchdown against Southeast came on defense when Damien Whitfield intercepted a pass and returned it 12 yards for a touchdown; it marked the first defensive score for the team since 2011 when Amius Smith had a safety. It was the fourth interception by a Govs player this season. Trey Taylor made the start a quarterback, his first since the season opener, and completed 14-of-28 passes for 156 yards. Justin Roberson led the team with 65 rushing yards while Julian Franklin added 35.