• ESPN3 Information and FAQ | Direct Link to Tennessee State/Eastern Illinois Game
This week the OVC Football "Game of the Week" series on ESPN3 features No. 20 Tennessee State at No. 24 UT Martin in the OVC opener for both teams. The game is slated to kick-off at 4:00 p.m. CT on Saturday.
This contest is the first of an exclusive eight-game package that will air on ESPN3 this season.
The games are being produced by Tupelo Raycom (formerly WebStream Sports), a Raycom Media company, brings together Tupelo-Honey (founded 1996) and WebStream Sports (2006). With offices in New York, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Nashville and Los Angeles the company develops new programming and delivers live events, music specials and branded features for broadcast, digital and in-venue entertainment.
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 104.1 FM/AM 540 (ESPN Clarksville), will provide analysis. The duo has worked together each of the past five years in the league's TV package.
The OVC Football Game of the Week package is part of an overall multiyear agreement with ESPN which was announced in October 2013.
ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices through the ESPN App. The network is currently available nationwide 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 U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smartphones and tablets connected to on-campus educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks.
GAME PREVIEW
Eastern Illinois Panthers (2-2, 1-0 OVC)
at #24 Tennessee State Tigers (3-1, 0-1 OVC)
Saturday, September 30 • 6:00 p.m. CT
Nissan Stadium (69,143) • Nashville, Tenn.
TV:...................................................................... ESPN3
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=185969
Series Record:.......................... Eastern Illinois leads 13-7
Last Meeting:.............. Eastern Illinois won 35-34 (10/8/16)
Kim Dameron at Eastern Illinois:................... 20-19 (4 yrs.)
Kim Dameron Overall:............................................. same
Rod Reed at Tennessee State:..................... 46-38 (8 yrs.)
Rod Reed Overall:................................................... same
Eastern Illinois Last Week: W, 19-16 vs. Southeast Missouri
Tennessee State Last Week:...... L, 31-16 at #24 UT Martin
GAME NOTES: After four games away from home, Tennessee State opens its home season on Saturday by hosting Eastern Illinois in the annual John Merritt Classic. The JMC is usually the first game of the season, but this year the 19th annual event was moved due to the Tigers schedule, marking only the third time (and first since 2008) that the event will not open the season for TSU. Tennessee State is 13-5 all-time in the JMC including a 44-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff last year. TSU and EIU have played 20 previous times, with the Panthers having won five in a row, including 35-34 a year ago when both teams were nationally-ranked. In that game, Devin Church scored on a four-yard reception with nine minutes to play to give EIU the lead for good. Church caught seven passes for 37 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a game-high 94 yards and an additional score in the win. Ronald Butler passed for 303 yards and two touchdowns for the Tigers; Patrick Smith caught seven of those passes for 160 yards.
SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS: Eastern Illinois snapped a two-game losing streak with a 19-16 victory over Southeast Missouri on Saturday. The Panthers led 19-9 early in the fourth quarter after redshirt freshman quarterback Scotty Gilkey, Jr. (playing in place of the injured Mitch Kimble) connected with Alexander Hollins on a 38-yard touchdown pass. But Southeast would return the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown to trim the margin to three points. The Redhawks later got the ball back with 3:01 to play and marched to the EIU 16-yard line before Bradley Dewberry intercepted a pass on the 1-yard line and returned it 49 yards to midfield to secure the victory. Dewberry also had seven tackles and a pass breakup in the victory. Tray Mitchell added a team-high nine tackles while Mark Williams also had an interception to go along with six tackles. In his first career start, Gilkey passed for 142 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 98 yards and a score. Isaiah Johnson added 77 rushing yards as the EIU team finished with a season-best 230 yards on the ground. The Panthers had only totaled 150 rushing yards in the first three games of the season combined.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE: Tennessee State suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday, falling 31-16 at No. 24 UT Martin in the OVC opener for both teams. The Tigers fell behind 24-0 and were able to pull to within eight points with nine minutes to go in the third quarter but unable to score on either of its final four possessions, despite getting to the UTM 12-yard line with six minutes to go. Despite the loss, the Tigers remain ranked in both national Top 25 polls. Against the Skyhawks, Seth Rowland rushed for 66 yards while Treon Harris added 25 rushing yards and a touchdown while passing for 118 yards. Patrick Smith had a game-high five receptions for 63 yards. Junior newcomer DeVon Johnson returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter; the return is the fourth-longest in the FCS this season. Johnson averaged 48.0 yards/return on three returns during the game and as a team TSU is averaging 21.07 yards/return this season (third in the OVC). Justin North had a team-high 11 tackles, including 2.0 for loss, and also forced a fumble. Chris Collins added eight stops and is second in the OVC and 44th nationally in tackles/game (9.3). The TSU defense allowed only 240 yards of total offense and enters this week ranked No. 12 nationally in total defense (269.5 yards/game), 11th in rush defense (75.5 yards/game) and 21st in scoring defense (17.3 points/game allowed).