Ohio Valley Conference

• 2018 OVC Football Report - Final (PDF)

SEMO's Hall Wins Buck Buchanan Award: Southeast Missouri junior linebacker Zach Hall was named the winner of the 2018 Buck Buchanan Award. The award, sponsored by STATS, is given to the top defensive player in the FCS. A national panel of 153 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries selected Hall as the FCS defensive player of the year by a margin of 114 votes over Sam Houston State's Derick Roberson. Hall picked up 28 first-place, 31 second-place, 19 third-place, 13 fourth-place and seven fifth-place votes. It marks the second-straight season an OVC player has won the award, as JSU defensive end Darius Jackson won the award in 2017 (becoming the first OVC player to win the award since in began in 1995). Earlier in the season Jacksonville State junior safety Marlon Bridges and Austin Peay junior defensive end Jaison Williams were candidates for the award but did not make the finalists list.
 
Hall Named FCS ADA National Defensive Player of the Year: Southeast Missouri junior linebacker Zach Hall was named the National Defensive Player of the Year by the Division I Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA). He was presented hiis award during the 2018 Division I FCS Championship at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. Hall is the second OVC player to earn one of the FCS ADA's top honor (which has been around since 2013), joining Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from 2013 (National Offensive Player of the Year).
 
NCAA Division I Playoff Information: Jacksonville State and Southeast Missouri were selected as two of the 24 participants in the 2018 NCAA Division I Football Championship. This season marks the sixth of an expanded 24-team field for the NCAA Division I Football Championship; in 2010 the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff field expanded to 20 teams, up from 16 previously, and in 2013 the field increased to 24 for the first time. The expansion in 2010 to 20 teams was the first since the field grew from 12 to 16 teams in 1997. The 24-team field is comprised of 10 automatic bids and 14 at-large berths. There are eight first round matchups (16 total teams), while eight (8) teams receive a bye into the second round. For the ninth time in 2018, the championship game will be played in Frisco, Texas at Toyota Stadium, a 20,500-seat multi-purpose stadium. The Southland Conference serves as the host of the championship, which will be held on Saturday, January 5.
 
More on the Playoffs: In the 41 years of the FCS Playoffs (which started in 1979), the OVC has placed at least two teams in the field 22 times, including six of the last nine (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018) and eight of the last 13 seasons. The OVC had three playoff teams for the first-time ever in 2013.

OVC Teams in the Playoffs: OVC teams are 33-61 all-time in the NCAA Division I Football Championship, including winning the 1979 and 1982 National Championships (both by Eastern Kentucky). After going from 2000 through 2012 without a victory, the OVC won four total games and had two teams advance to the quarterfinals in 2013. In 2015, Jacksonville State won three times to advance to the National Championship Game, the first OVC team to accomplish that feat since 1982. With Jacksonville State and Southeast Missouri winning in the first round, it marked the first time two teams had won a playoff game in the same year since 2013. OVC teams have won nine playoff games in the past six years.
 
Jacksonville State Makes Ninth NCAA FCS Playoff Appearance: Jacksonville State earned the OVC's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs. It is the sixth-straight and ninth overall Division I playoff appearance for the program who has also appeared in 2003, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. The six-straight appearances are the third-longest streak nationally behind North Dakota State (9) and South Dakota State (7) and just ahead of James Madison (5). JSU is 6-9 all-time in the playoffs including advancing to the National Championship game in 2015.
 
Southeast Missouri Makes Second NCAA FCS Playoff Appearance: Southeast Missouri earned an at-large berth into the FCS Playoffs, marking its second all-time appearance and first since 2010. That year the Redhawks won the OVC Championship to earn the OVC's automatic bid. Southeast received a first round bye and played eventual national champion Eastern Washington in the second round (falling 37-17). A win over Stony Brook in the first round this season marked the first-ever playoff win for the program, which is now 1-2 all-time in the playoffs.
 
All-Americans: 12 different OVC players earned All-American honors in 2018. The 12 different players were selected a total of 39 times across seven teams with Jacksonville State's B.J. Autry and Southeast Missouri's  Zach Hall appearing on all seven teams, while SEMO's Drew Forbes appeared on six teams. In addition, seven freshmen and four sophomores earned All-American honors for their classification.
 
OVC Award Winners: Southeast Missouri took home three of the four major year-end awards and had 10 players on the All-OVC teams (including five first-year selections). Fifth-year head coach Tom Matukewicz was named the Roy Kidd OVC Coach of the Year, while senior running back Marquis Terry was named OVC Offensive Player of the Year and junior linebacker Zach Hall took home OVC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Tennessee Tech quarterback Bailey Fisher was named OVC Freshman of the Year. Jacksonville State had the most All-OVC selections with 14 (including eight first-team).
 
Jacksonville State Wins Record Fifth-Straight OVC Championship: Jacksonville State won its fifth-straight OVC Championship. The Gamecocks finished the year 7-1 in OVC play and are the first team in league history to win five-straight crowns. Overall JSU has won eight OVC titles (2003, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), which is tied for the fourth-most in OVC history (with Murray State and Western Kentucky). JSU is 38-1 in OVC play over the past five years.
 
Jacksonville State and Southeast Missouri Ranked in National Polls: Jacksonville State finished the season ranked No. 10 in the final STATS Top 25 and No. 13 in the AFCA FCS Coaches poll. It marks the sixth-straight season the Gamecocks have finished the year ranked in the Top 10 nationally. JSU has now been ranked in the Top 10 in 70 of the past 73 weeks and ranked in the Top 25 for 74 consecutive weeks. Southeast Missouri finished the year ranked No. 15 in the STATS poll and No. 16 in the Coaches poll, marking only the second time it finished the year ranked (2010 being the other).
 
OVC in NCAA Statistical Leaders: Entering the final national statistical leaders, Southeast Missouri ranked first nationally in turnover margin (+1.85/game), passes intercepted (23), fumbles lost (1) and turnovers gained (36), third in defensive touchdowns (5), fourth in fumbles recovered (13), ninth in blockced punts (3) and 12th in scoring offense (37.1 points/game). Jacksonville State ranked second in third down conversion defense (26.1%), fifth in total offense (497.3 yards/game) and blocked kicks (7), seventh in scoring offense (40.0 points/game), tackles-for-loss/game (8.2/game) and defensive touchdowns (4), 10th in passing offense (297.2 yards/game), pass efficiency defense (108.42) and 15th in total defense (311.3 yards/game). Eastern Ketnucky ranked fourth in turnovers gained (30), fifth in passes intercepted (19) and seventh in time of possession (32:54). Eastern Illinois ranked ninth in passing offense (309.3 yards/game), Murray State was third in net punting (39.43 yards/punt), UT Martin was second in kickoff return defense (13.79 yards/return) and Tennessee Tech was fourth in fewest yards penalized/game (36.09) and 10th in fewest penalites/game (4.73). Individually, Austin Peay's Kentel Williams was first nationally in rushing yards/carry (7.99) and third in all-purpose yards (167.78 yards/game). Southeast Missouri's Marquis Terry was seventh in rushing touchdowns (14) and 13th in total rushing yards (1,229). Jacksonville State's Zerrick Cooper ranked third in passing touchdowns (32), fourth in total passing yards (3,416), sixth in points responsible for (18.0 points/game), 12th in passing efficiency (147.6), 15th in total offense (290.9 yards/game) and 16th in passing yards/game (262.8). Southeast Missouri's Daniel Santacaterina was sixth in passing touchdowns (28), Murray State's Drew Anderson was seventh in completions/game (23.45), Austin Peay's Jeremiah Oatsvall was fourth in passing yards/completion (15.68) and Eastern Illinois' Johnathan Brantley was ninth in completion percentage (65.1%). Jacksonville State's Josh Pearson was first in receiving touchdowns (17) and 12th in total receiving yards (1,123). EIU's Alexander Hollins was third in receiving touchdowns (16), ninth in receptions/game (7.2) and 10th in scoring (8.7 points/game). Southeast Missouri's Kristian Wilkerson was fifth in receiving touchdowns (14). Tennessee State's Chris Rowland was sixth in punt returns (13.0 yards/return) and 11th in receptions/game (7.1). Southeast Missouri's Zion Custis was fifth in kickoff returns (33.1 yards/return) while UT Martin's Ryan Courtwright was eighth in field goal percentage (86.7%). Southeast Missouri's Zach Hall was first in total tackles (168), second in tackles/game (12.9) and 13th in forced fumbles/game (0.33). Murray State's Kenny Wooten was 10th in sacks (0.95/game), Southeast Missouri's DJ Freeman was seventh in passes defended (1.4/game) and EKU's Leodis Moore III was ninth in interceptions (0.5/game). Jacksonville State's Randy Robinson was first nationally in blocked kicks (5).
 
Attendance: Jacksonville State ranked seventh in the FCS in average attendance in 2018 (16,904 for six home games).
 
SEMO's Matukewicz Finalist for Eddie Robinson Award; Finishes 9th in Voting: Southeast Missouri State head coach Tom Matukewicz was one of 15 finalists nationally for the Eddie Robinson Award, presented by STATS to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) National Coach of the Year. He finished ninth in the final voting. Named for the legendary coach of Grambling State and first presented in 1987, the Robinson Award has been won by OVC coaches three times, including Murray State's Houston Nutt (1995), Southeast Missouri's Tony Samuel (2010) and Austin Peay's Will Healy (2017). Matukewicz guided Southeast Missouri to its first winning season since 2010 and only the second playoff berth in school history this season. After back-to-back 3-8 seasons, the Redhawks won eight regular season games and a playoff game and were 6-2 in OVC play.  Along the way SEMO topped Jacksonville State 37-14, ending the Gamecocks OVC record 36-game Conference winning streak. UC Daviis head coach Dan Hawkins was named the winner of the award.
 
EIU's Hollins, JSU's Pearson, SEMO’s Marquis Terry Named Finalists for Walter Payton Award: Jacksonville State junior wide receiver Josh Pearson, Eastern Illinois senior wide receiver Alexander Hollins and Southeast Missouri senior RB Marquis Terry were three of 25 finalists nationally for the Walter Payton Awards. The award, sponsored by STATS, is given to the top offensive player in the FCS. Pearson finished 10th, Terry 18th and Hollins 21st in the final voting. Two OVC players, Eastern Illinois’ Tony Romo (2002) and Jimmy Garoppolo (2013), have previously won the award, which began in 1987.  Samford's Devlin Hodges won this year's Payton Award.
 
TTU'S Fisher Named Finalist for Jerry Rice Award: Tennessee Tech freshman quarterback Bailey Fisher was one of 20 finalists nationally for the Jerry Rice Award. He finished 15th in the final voting. The Rice Award, presented by STATS and named after the Mississippi Valley State and NFL legend and now in its eighth year, is given to the top freshman in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). An OVC player has not yet won the award.
 
Three Named to Google Cloud Academic All-District Team: Three Ohio Valley Conference football student-athletes have been named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District ® football teams as selected by CoSIDA. The selections were Murray State junior James Sappington, Austin Peay senior Ryan Rockensuess and Tennessee Tech grad student Josh Poplar. Each of the six were first-team selections and for making the first-team each will have his name appear on the national ballot for consideration for Academic All-American. 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.
 
Three OVC Players Named to FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team: Three OVC football student-athletes are among the 47 players nationally named to the 21st Annual Academic All-Star Team by the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA). The OVC selections included Eastern Illinois junior offensive lineman Joe Caputo, Eastern Kentucky junior kicker Samuel Hayworth and Tennessee Tech senior linebacker Josh Poplar.  Each of the nominees were required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) in undergraduate study and have been a starter or key player with legitimate athletics credentials. They must have reached their second year of athletics and academic standing at the nominated institution and have completed a minimum of one full academic year at the nominated institution. They must also have participated in 50 percent (50%) of the games played at their designated position.
 
Austin Peay Retains Sgt. York Trophy Presented by Delta Dental of Tennessee: Austin Peay, Tennessee State and UT Martin each finished 2-1 in Sgt. York Trophy play this season, tying for the championship but after a tiebreaker (that stats the previous winner will keep the trophy if they are involved with a tie) Austin Peay will retain the trophy for the second-straight season. This year marks the 12th of the Sgt. York Trophy presented by Delta Dental of Tennessee. The trophy (founded in 2007 by the Nashville Sports Council and OVC) goes to the winner of the quadrangular season football series between the four OVC football-playing schools located in the state of Tennessee (Austin Peay, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin). The award is only the second traveling trophy that involves more than two teams in college sports; the other is the Commander in Chief’s Trophy which has been contested between Air Force, Army and Navy annually since 1972. The award is named in honor of Alvin C. York, the most noted Soldier of World War I. As a corporal in the 2nd battalion, 328th Infantry, in the Battle of the Meuse River-Argonne (Oct. 8, 1918), York and seven other soldiers captured 132 prisoners, was promoted to sergeant and received the Distinguished Service Cross, the French Croix de Guerre, the French Legion of Honor, the Croce di Guerra of Italy and the War Medal of Montenegro. Upon his return to the United States in 1919, he was bestowed the Congressional Medal of Honor. The trophy goes to the team with the best record against the other schools (in case of a tie there will be co-champions and the actual trophy will be retained by the defending champion if they are involved in the tie or if the defending champion is not involved in the tie it will go to the institution that has gone the most seasons without winning the trophy).
 
Grass Named AFCA Regional Coach of the Year: For the fifth-straight season, Jacksonville State head coach John Grass was named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Regional Coach of the Year by his peers. The fifth-year head coach has earned the honor in each season he has served as a college head coach. He became the first FCS coach to win five-straight Region Coach of the Year honors and ties two others for the second-most consecutive honors in the award’s history.
 
#StandWithChristion: Tennessee State sophomore linebacker Christion Abercrombie suffered a serious injury in the Sept. 29 game at Vanderbilt and remained at the Vanderbilt Medical Center until Oct. 17 when he was transferred to the Shepherd Center near his home in Atlanta. The Tennessee State Department of Athletics has setup an official GoFundMe page to assist the family with the costs of his medical care. Information on that and Abercrombie can be found at this link: http://bit.ly/2E6n9hG.
 
TTU's Madonia Named to Fred Mitchell Award Watch List: Tennessee Tech senior Nick Madonia has been named to the Fred Mitchell Award Watch List, which honors the most outstanding kicker in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III and NAIA levels. The recipient of the Fred Mitchell Award will be announced in mid-December based on performance on the football field and in the community.
 
#FearTheFCS: So far in 2018 seven Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams have topped opponents from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). In 2017, FCS teams won nine games against FBS opponents.
            UC Davis 44, San Jose State 38 (Aug. 30)
            Villanova 19, Temple 17 (Sept. 1)
            Nicholls 26, Kansas 23 (OT) (Sept. 1)
            Northern Arizona 30, UTEP 10 (Sept. 1)
            North Carolina A&T 28, East Carolina 23 (Sept. 2)
            Maine 31, Western Kentucky 28 (Sept. 8)
            Illinois State 35, Colorado State 19 (Sept. 22)
 
OVC Teams Against FBS Opponents: OVC teams played 10 total games against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents in 2018. OVC teams are now a combined 35-287-1 all-time against FBS foes, including wins over FBS teams in five of the past seven seasons.
 
Tennessee Tech Earns OVC Team Sportsmanship Award: Tennessee Tech was announced as the recipient of the 2018-19 OVC Team Sportsmanship Award for football. Voted on by the student-athletes and coaches of the respective sports, the team awards are bestowed upon the Conference squads deemed to have best exhibited the standards of sportsmanship and ethical behavior as outlined by the OVC and NCAA. Included in the areas for evaluation are the conduct of student-athletes, coaches, staff and administrators and fans. The 2018-19 school year marks the 14th year the team sportsmanship honors have been awarded. This marks the second award for the Tennessee Tech program (2015-16 being the other). Implemented in August 2005, the team honors are the most recent addition to an awards program that recognizes and celebrates sportsmanship within the Conference.
 
Cushing Named EIU Head Coach: On December 10 Adam Cushing was hired as the 25th head football coach at Eastern Illinois University and the sixth in the NCAA Division I history of the program. Cushing has been on the staff at Northwestern for the past 15 seasons including the last 13 under current Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year Pat Fitzgerald.  He began his coaching career with the Wildcats on the staff of the late Randy Walker. Cushing has served as the offensive line coach for the Wildcats since 2009 coaching seven All-Big Ten selections including Rashawn Slater a third-team selection this season.
 
Hudspeth Named APSU Head Coach: Mark Hudspeth, former associate head coach at Mississippi State and former head coach of Louisiana, has been named the 20th head football coach at Austin Peay State University on December 11. Hudspeth has 16 years of head coaching experience at the FBS, NCAA Division II and high school levels, and his teams went a combined 142-60 with him at the helm.
 
Eargle Named Recipient of Rare Disease Champion Award: Austin Peay State assistant coach Joshua Eargle was named the 11th recipient of the Rare Disease Champion Award, announced prior to the College Football Awards Show. The Rare Disease Champion Award is presented annually by Uplifting Athletes, a nonprofit organization founded in 2007 that '"inspires the rare disease community with hope through the power of sport." The award is presented to "a leader in the world of college football who has realized his or her potential to make a positive and lasting impact on the rare disease community." Eargle and his wife Kristen have three children, and their middle child, Landrey, was diagnosed with a rare mutation of the CSNK2B gene. She battles myoclonic epilepsy, intellectual disability, a congenital heart defect, and immunodeficiency.
 
Jacksonville State Sets OVC Record For Consecutive Conference Wins; Sees Win Streak End at 36: With a victory over Eastern Kentucky on October 14, 2017, Jacksonville State won its 27th consecutive Conference game (dating back to the end of the 2013 season) which set the OVC all-time record, breaking the mark of 26 previously held by Eastern Kentucky (1992-95). The team extended that streak to 36 games (the second-longest in FCS history) until a loss to Southeast Missouri on October 20, 2018. The 36-game conference winning streak was second behind only 39-straight wins by Duquesne in the MAAC from 1999-2006.
 
EKU Reaches 600 All-Time Victories: With a 17-13 win at Austin Peay on November 3, Eastern Kentucky recorded its 600th all-time victory, becoming the 20th FCS team (and first OVC program) to accomplish the feat. The other 19 programs all began play prior to 1909 (when EKU started football). The other FCS program to achieve the feat are: Yale, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, North Dakota State, Dartmouth, Lehigh, Delaware, Lafayette, Dayton, UNI, Colgate, Cornell, Holy Cross, Villanova, Drake, Brown, Furman and Bucknell.
 
Jacksonville State Sets OVC Record With Five Overtime Game: Jacksonville State established a new OVC record when it played in a five overtime game against Kennesaw State on November 17. The Gamecocks (who lost 60-52 in the game played at SunTrust Park in Atlanta) broke the previous record of four overtimes between Southeast Missouri and Samford on Sept. 25, 2004 (SEMO won that game 51-48).
 
EIU's Brantley Establishes OVC Record for Consecutive Passes Without an Interception: On October 13 Eastern Illinois junior quarterback Johnathan Brantley established a new OVC record for consecutive passes without an interception, breaking the old mark of 207 set by Murray State's Casey Brockman (2012). Brantley extended the record to 230 passes until throwing an interception on his first pass against Eastern Kentucky on October 20.
 
Terry Sets OVC Records for Rushing Yards and All-Purpose Yards in a Game: Southeast Missouri senior running back Marquis Terry established new OVC records for rushing yards in a game (311) and all-purpose yards (438) in a game in the team's 48-44 victory over Southern Illinois on Sept. 15. Terry carried the ball 30 times for his 311 yards (10.4 ypc) and scored on touchdown runs of 74, 23, 11 and 10 yards. He broke the former OVC rushing record of 310 yards set by Murray State's Steve Chaney in 2005. The 311 yards is the most by a player at any level of NCAA football (FBS, FCS, II, III) this season. The senior also caught one pass for 13 yards and had five kickoff returns for 114 yards, breaking the former OVC all-purpose yardage mark of 399 set by Austin Peay's Kentel Williams in 2016. The 438 all-purpose yards is the most by a NCAA football player this season (no other player has reached 400 yards, and no other FCS player has reached 300 yards).
 
Austin Peay Sets OVC Record For Points Against a Division I Opponent: Austin Peay scored 78 points in a win at Morehead State on Sept. 15. That marked the most points scored by an OVC football team against a Division I opponent, breaking the mark of 76 by UT Martin over Murray State in 2007.
 
OVC Game of the Week on ESPN3: For the sixth-straight year the OVC is producing a “Game of the Week” package that will air on ESPN3 this fall. The eight-game schedule is once again in conjunction with Tupelo Raycom. 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 six years in the league’s TV package. Four of the eight contests are “Wildcard Selections” which will be announced 12 days before the game, guaranteeing the top matchups will be broadcast.
            Sept. 29 - Austin Peay at Jacksonville State, 3 p.m.
            Oct. 6 - Tennessee State at Austin Peay, 6 p.m.
            Oct. 13 - Eastern Illinois at Jacksonville State, 3 p.m.
            Oct. 20 - UT Martin at Eastern Illinois, 2 p.m.
            Oct. 27 - Jacksonville State at Murray State, 3 p.m.
            Nov. 3 - Eastern Kentucky at Austin Peay, 4 p.m.
            Nov. 10 - Southeast Missouri at Murray State, 11 a.m.
            Nov. 17 - Eastern Illinois at Southeast Missouri, 1 p.m.
 
Honeycutt Named National Specialist of the Week (Nov. 12): Murray State junior Malik Honeycutt was named National Special Teams Player of the Week by STATS on November 12 after his heroics in a 40-38 win over No. 19 Southeast Missouri. Murray State trailed 31-0 in the game and rallied to take the lead in the fourth quarter, only to see Southeast go ahead 38-34 with 20 seconds left. On the ensuing kickoff, Honeycutt picked up the squib kick, and after running into a swarm of defenders, changed course, found a hole and took the ball to pay dirt with just three seconds remaining. The play was the No. 1 Play of the Day on SportsCenter.
 
Anderson Named National Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 15): Murray State senior quarterback Drew Anderson was named National Offensive Player of the Week by STATS after accounting for six touchdowns (5 passing, 1 rushing) in the Racers 45-21 win over Tennessee State on Oct. 13. Anderson completed 33-of-51 passes for 348 yards and five scores and rushed 10 times for 63 yards including scoring on a 19-yard keeper. His play helped the Racers improve to 3-0 in the OVC for the first time since 1997.
 
Terry Named National Player of the Week (Sept. 17): Southeast Missouri senior running back Marquis Terry was named the STATS National Offensive Player of the Week and the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) FCS National Performer of the Week after his performance against Southern Illinois on Sept. 15. Terry set OVC records for rushing yards (311) and all-purpose yards (438) as Southeast Missouri won 48-44 at rival Southern Illinois, marking its first victory in Carbondale since 2010. Terry carried the ball 30 times (10.4 ypc) and scored on touchdown runs of 74, 23, 11 and 10 yards. The senior also caught one pass for 13 yards and had five kickoff returns for 114 yards. Terry, who had an upset stomach before the game, became the first running back in SEMO's Division I era to rush for 200 yards in back-to-back games.
 
Hall Named STATS National Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 3): Southeast Missouri junior linebacker Zach Hall was named the STATS National Defensive Player of the Week by STATS on Sept. 3. Hall had 22 tackles in his team's game against Arkansas State on September 1. At the time (and for the first four weeks of the season) it was is the most tackles by an FCS player during the season and most by an OVC player since the 2008 season. He also added a tackle-for-loss and forced a fumble.
 
Academic Success: During the past academic year (2017-18) there were 103 OVC football student-athletes who were named to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll for having a 3.25 grade point average or higher. In addition, 11 student-athletes were awarded the OVC Academic Medal of Honor for achieving perfect 4.0 GPAs. The OVC also awards a Team Academic Award for the football program with the highest percentage of players with a 3.25 grade point average or higher; that award went to Jacksonville State for 2017-18.
 
A Look at the Coaches: There is only one new head coach in the OVC this season as Dewayne Alexander, taking over at his alma mater (Tennessee Tech), after having previously been an assistant coach. He is one of three OVC coaches, joining Jacksonville State’s John Grass and Tennessee State’s Rod Reed, who are currently coaching at their alma mater. The longest tenured coach in the league is UT Martin’s Jason Simpson who is in his 13th season with the Skyhawks in 2018. Simpson has 80 overall victories in his career, seventh-most in OVC history (one win away from tying for sixth-place).
 
Week Zero Games: For the second-straight season, Jacksonville State competed in a “Week Zero” game when they opened the season against nationally-ranked North Carolina A&T on Aug. 25 in the Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. The FCS Kickoff began in 2014 and allows teams to play a game a week ahead of the start of the season if the game is broadcast on national television. It was the only FCS vs. FCS game during the week (there were four other games involving FBS teams on the schedule).
 
Preseason Forecasts: For the fifth-straight year and seventh time in the past nine years, Jacksonville State was picked the preseason football favorite in the Ohio Valley Conference for 2018. The Gamecocks, who have won four-straight OVC Championships and 32-straight Conference games, received 14 of a possible 18 first-place votes in a poll of league head coaches and communications directors. The Gamecocks totaled 126 total points to out-distance Austin Peay, last year’s league runner-up, who picked up the other four first-place votes and was tabbed second (112 points). The second-place prediction is the highest-ever for the Governors program. UT Martin was picked third (95) and followed by Eastern Illinois (73), Eastern Kentucky (69), Tennessee State (64), Southeast Missouri (62), Murray State (24) and Tennessee Tech (23).
 
SEMO’s Terry and JSU’s Bridges Headline Preseason All-OVC Team: Southeast Missouri senior running back Marquis Terry and Jacksonville State junior defensive back Marlon Bridges were named the 2018 OVC Preseason Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year in a vote of by the league’s head football coaches and communications directors. Jacksonville State led the way with six total preseason selections, while Austin Peay followed with five picks. Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee State and UT Martin had three picks apiece while Murray State and Tennessee Tech had two selections each. Returning players who were first-team All-OVC selections last year (seven in total) were automatic selections to the preseason team this year. The squad also included 16 players who were second-team picks in 2017. Of the 30 total selections, 18 were seniors, seven were juniors and five were sophomores.
 
NFL Connections: As of November 3, there are 14 former Ohio Valley Conference players on NFL rosters (9 active, 3 practice squad, 2 injured reserve). Those players include former Eastern Illinois standout quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who has won two Super Bowl Championship with the Patriots and is now the starter for the 49ers, and Tennessee State’s Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, a former First Round Draft pick who was a starter for the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII and who has been a Pro Bowl selection. Six of the nine current OVC football schools have at least one player in the NFL.
 
Let’s Get It Started: The 71st season of Ohio Valley Conference football got underway earlier than usual this season as Jacksonville State will play in the Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff in Week Zero on Saturday, August 25. Three other OVC teams will play on Thursday, August 30 while the final five teams will play on Saturday, September 1. The OVC is made up of nine football-playing schools; since its beginning, 15 of the 18 total schools that have played football in the league have claimed at least one championship.
 
Instant Replay: For the second-straight year, the OVC will have instant replay for all non-conference and conference home football contests. The league has partnered with DVSport to implement replay which is defined by Rule 12 of the NCAA Football Rule Book.
 
I-AA No More: Although some people may 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 long retired. Beginning with the 2006 National Championship game, the term Football Championship Subdivision (or FCS) is to be used. Teams who play at the FCS level can offer a maximum of 63 scholarships (Football Bowl Subdivision teams can offer 85) and compete in a 24-team playoff at the end of the season to determine the national champion.
 
ESPN+: The OVC has announced an extension of its media rights deal with ESPN that will make ESPN+, the first multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company Direct-to-Consumer & International segment, the exclusive home of regular season and OVC Championship broadcasts. This season 36 OVC football games will air on ESPN+ (eight other games will be on ESPN3). Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year).  ESPN+ is an integrated part of the completely redesigned ESPN App and also available on the web, iPhone, iPad, tvOS, Android Handset, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast and FireTV. More information can be found at www.OVCSports.com/ESPN.