OVC Football Previews - Week 4 9/20/2011 5:00:00 PM This Week's Schedule Thursday, September 22*#24 Murray State at UT Martin, 6:17 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)Saturday, September 24Tennessee State at Air Force, 2:00 p.m. (The Mtn.)*Eastern Illinois at #15 Jacksonville State, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN3)*Eastern Kentucky at Austin Peay, 6:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)*Southeast Missouri at Tennessee Tech, 7:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV) #24 Murray State Racers (2-1, 1-0 OVC)at UT Martin Skyhawks (1-1, 0-1 OVC)Thursday, Sept. 22 • 6:17 p.m. CTGraham Stadium (7,500) • Martin, Tenn.TV:.................................................. WLJT/OVCSports.TVLive Stats: http://www.utmsports.com/livestats/football/xlive.htmSeries Record:......................... Murray State leads 35-14-1Last Meeting:.................. Murray State won 52-16 (9/25/10)Chris Hatcher at Murray State:.......................... 8-6 (2 yrs.)Chris Hatcher Overall:............................... 102-33 (12 yrs.)Jason Simpson at UT Martin:........................ 33-26 (6 yrs.)Jason Simpson Overall:........................................... sameMurray State Last Week:...... W, 58-27 vs. Tennessee StateUT Martin Last Week:................ W, 63-0 vs. Union CollegeGAME NOTES: Murray State and UT Martin, two schools separated by just 50 miles, will meet for the 51st time on Thursday night. The game is the third-straight for UT Martin on Thursday night and the second in three games this season for Murray State on a Thursday night. The series dates back to 1924 and the Racers have dominated it all-time, winning 35 times including winning 12-straight from 1993 through 2004. UT Martin got things rolling in 2005 and reeled off five-straight victories until the Racers broke the streak a year ago with a 52-16 victory. The last 16 games in the series have been won in dominating fashion as no game in that stretch has been closer than 12 points (and the average margin of victory has been a staggering 29 points); you have to go back to 1994 to find a game closer than 10 points (Murray State won 28-24 in 1994). In last year's game Murray State scored 28 first quarter points and led 42-14 at halftime on the way to the win. Mike Harris had 119 yards and a score on the ground for the Racers and Dontrell Johnson returned a punt 91 yards for a touchdown to open the game. The two teams are combining to average over 1,000 yards of offense and 78 points/game this season. The game time has been slightly pushed back to a 6:17 p.m. start (from the original 6:00 p.m. kickoff).SCOUTING MURRAY STATE: Murray State put on an offensive show against Tennessee State, exploding for 58 points and 707 yards of total offense. The Racers were led by junior quarterback Casey Brockman who was named National Player of the Week for the third time in his career after completing 45-of-67 passes for 600 yards and seven touchdowns and also catching a 15-yard touchdown pass. The 45 completions and 600 yards set new OVC records and the seven passing touchdowns tied the OVC record (which Brockman already held). Brockman also set the NCAA record for passing yards in a half (422). Brockman completed passes to 11 different receivers with Walter Powell pulling in nine passes for 147 yards and a touchdown and Patrick Robertson netting seven catches for 115 yards and three scores. Junior newcomer Ricky Mitchell had only two touches on the day and in those he caught a 19-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and later tossed a 15-yard touchdown to Brockman in the second quarter. As a team Murray State set new OVC single-game records for passing yards (630), touchdown passes (8), passes completed (48), passes attempted (73), first downs (37) and first downs by passing (30). Defensively sophomore cornerback Darrian Skinner recorded eight tackles, a sack and three pass breakups. Murray State is now ranked No. 24 in the Sports Network poll, the first time the Racers have been in the Top 25 since the end of the 2002 season (when they were 20th).SCOUTING UT MARTIN: UT Martin played its second consecutive Thursday night game last week, topping Union College 63-0. The Skyhawks led 21-0 at halftime but exploded for 28 points in the third quarter to blowout the visiting Bulldogs. UTM totaled 570 yards of offense while limiting Union to just 151 yards (69 on the ground, 82 through the air). It marked the second time in the team's last three games the defense had recorded a shutout (UTM shutout Tennessee State 37-0 in the final game of 2010 season). Quarterback Derek Carr was 17-of-28 for 206 yards and three touchdowns; Carr completed passes to 12 different receivers. On the ground the Skyhawks piled up 324 yards as Jason McNair led the way with 123 yards and two touchdowns. DJ McNeil added 79 yards and two more rushing scores. Jarvis McCann led the defense with seven tackles. UT Martin currently ranks second nationally in total offense (522.5 yards/game) and fifth in scoring offense (43.0 points/game).Tennessee State Tigers (1-2, 0-1 OVC)at Air Force Falcons (1-1, 0-1 Mountain West)Saturday, Sept. 24 • 2:00 p.m. CTFalcon Stadium (46,692) • USAF Academy, Colo.TV:.................................................................... The Mtn.Live Stats:........................................... http://bit.ly/pkyP3tSeries Record:............................................. First meetingLast Meeting:.............................................................. n/aRod Reed at Tennessee State:....................... 4-10 (2 yrs.)Rod Reed Overall:................................................... sameTroy Calhoun at Air Force:............................ 35-19 (5 yrs.)Troy Calhoun Overall:.............................................. sameTennessee State Last Week:......... L, 58-27 at Murray StateAir Force Last Week:.................................................. IdleGAME NOTES: Saturday's meeting in the first all-time between Tennessee State and Air Force. It marks only the second Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent for the Tigers since the Division I split in 1978. The Tigers, who usually compete in the Atlanta Classic on any given year, did not have that game on the schedule and instead scheduled a game with Air Force. The only other FBS game for the Tigers came in 2006 when TSU lost 38-9 to in-city foe Vanderbilt.SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE: Despite producing 375 yards of offense, Tennessee State allowed Murray State to score 58 points and total 707 yards (including 630 passing yards) in a 58-27 loss on Saturday night. The Tigers fell behind 24-0 early in the second quarter and trailed 44-17 at halftime to the Racers. The 58 points allowed by Tennessee State was the second highest total in school history, trailing only 63 points allowed to Tennessee Tech during the 2001 season. Offensively senior running back Dante' Thomas carried the ball 19 times for 99 yards and a touchdown. Mike German and Jeremy Perry split time at quarterback with German finishing 8-of-19 for 121 yards and a score and Perry finishing 8-of-17 for 86 yards. Senior linebacker Rico Council had 10 tackles, a half a tackle-for-loss and a half sack in the contest. Kicker Jamin Godfrey connected on field goals of 29 and 47 yards in the contest; Godfrey currently ranks fourth nationally in field goals made/game (2.0). As a team Tennessee State has taken care of the ball while forcing turnovers, as TSU ranks fourth nationally in turnover margin (+2.0/game). Returner Weldon Garlington is currently eighth nationally in kickoff returns (32.25 yards/return); he had four returns for 129 yards against Murray State, including a long of 62 yards.SCOUTING AIR FORCE: Air Force is coming off a bye week after opening the season with back-to-back home games. The Falcons topped FCS foe South Dakota 37-20 in the opening game of the season before losing to Mountain West opponent TCU (ranked No. 25 nationally) 35-19 on Sept. 10. That win snapped a five-game winning streak for Air Force dating back to the 2010 season. In the loss the Falcons had 249 rushing yards with Mike DeWitt leading the way with 48 yards. Quarterback Tim Jefferson threw for 83 yards and rushed for 40. For the season Jefferson has completed 54.2 percent of his passes (13-of-24) for 179 yards and a score and is second on the team with 109 rushing yard and two scores. The Falcons defense has three interceptions this season with Jon Davis netting one of those; Davis also leads the team in tackles (17). Following this week's home game for Air Force, the team will go on the road for nationally-televised games at Navy and Notre Dame.Eastern Illinois Panthers (1-2, 0-1 OVC)at #15 Jacksonville State Gamecocks (2-1, 1-0 OVC)Saturday, Sept. 24 • 6:00 p.m. CTBurgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium (24,000) • Jacksonville, Ala.TV:................................ ESPN3/WJXS-TV/OVCSports.TVLive Stats: http://www.jsugamecocksports.com/sports/2010/9/1/FB_0901102541.aspxSeries Record:........................................... Series tied 4-4Last Meeting:......... Jacksonville State won 28-23 (9/25/10)Bob Spoo at Eastern Illinois:................ 143-124-1 (24 yrs.)Bob Spoo Overall:.................................................. sameJack Crowe at Jacksonville State:............... 76-49 (12 yrs.)Jack Crowe Overall:.................................... 90-79 (17 yrs.)Eastern Illinois Last Week:..... L, 31-20 vs. Tennessee TechJacksonville State Last Week:.. W, 37-21 vs. Georgia StateGAME NOTES: Since Jacksonville State joined the OVC in the 2003 season, the Eastern Illinois/Jacksonville State rivalry has been one of the best in the league. The teams have split the previous eight meetings, including non back-to-back victories over last four years. All eight of the games have been decided by less than two touchdowns, as 13 points is the greatest margin of victory (done by EIU in 2007 and JSU in 2008). The game is also important in the title/playoff race as in seven of the past eight years the winner has gone on to advance to the FCS Playoffs (the lone exception was in 2008 when JSU won, finished second in the league but did not receive an at-large bid). A year ago Jax State built a 28-9 lead with 6:28 to play in the game and withstood a late EIU flurry that saw the Panthers score 14 points and recover the ensuing on-side kick only to see its final drive end on an interception at the Gamecocks 3-yard line with one second to go.SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS: Eastern Illinois was limited to -6 yards rushing and fell behind 31-7 but scored two fourth quarter touchdowns before coming up short (31-20) against Tennessee Tech on Saturday. The Panthers took a 7-0 lead early in the game with Jimmy Garoppolo hooked up with Chris Wright for a 28-yard touchdown strike. But TTU would score the next 31 points in building a big lead. Garoppolo finished the game 29-of-52 for 301 yards and three touchdowns but was sacked four times and tossed three interceptions. Garoppolo is currently ranked 13th nationally in passing yards/game (271.33). Wide receiver Lorence Ricks caught six passes for 73 yards and had 69 yards in kickoff returns during the game. Ricks ranks first in the OVC and 11th nationally in all-purpose yards (177.0/game). Punter Scott Weatherford was named OVC Specialist of the Week after averaging 44.8 yards on six total points. Weatherford had a long punt of 60 yards and two punts downed inside the 20-yard line.SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: Jacksonville State enters the week No. 15 in the FCS Coaches poll and No. 16 in the Sports Network Top 25. After suffering a loss to nationally-ranked Chattanooga two weeks ago, the Gamecock got back in the win column last week with a 37-21 non-conference victory over Georgia State. Ole Miss transfer Clarence Jackson made an immediate impact for JSU in his debut, starting with a tackle he made on the opening kickoff. The linebacker finished the game with seven tackles and returned a blocked punt 34 yards for at touchdown. That debut performance earned him OVC Newcomer of the Week honors. After the game was tied at 14 at halftime, the Gamecocks outscored the Panthers 23-7 in the second half. Sophomore quarterback Coty Blanchard completed 9-of-11 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown and carried the ball 12 times for 77 yards and two more scores. Overall JSU rushed for 246 yards, as Calvin Middleton had 89 rushing yards and newcomer Washaun Ealey had 82 yards and a score. As a team JSU was a perfect 4-for-4 on scoring opportunities in the red zone and are 9-for-9 on the season (6 touchdowns, 3 field goals), a mark that ranks first nationally.Eastern Kentucky Colonels (1-2, 0-0 OVC)at Austin Peay Governors (0-2, 0-0 OVC)Saturday, Sept. 24 • 6:00 p.m. CTGovernors Stadium (10,000) • Clarksville, Tenn.TV:........................................................... OVCSports.TVLive Stats: http://www.apsugovernors.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbmlSeries Record:...................... Eastern Kentucky leads 39-4Last Meeting:.......... Eastern Kentucky won 17-3 (11/20/10)Dean Hood at Eastern Kentucky:.................. 20-17 (4 yrs.)Dean Hood Overall:................................................. sameRick Christophel at Austin Peay:................... 15-31 (5 yrs.)Rick Christophel Overall:.......................................... sameEastern Kentucky Last Week: L, 23-14 vs. #14 ChattanoogaAustin Peay Last Week:....................... L, 27-6 at MemphisGAME NOTES: Austin Peay and Eastern Kentucky will meet for the 44th time on Saturday night. Eastern Kentucky has dominated the series in winning 39 of the matches. The Colonels had won 21 in-a-row overall until the Governors broke through with a 24-20 victory in Clarksville in 2009. A year ago EKU claimed a 17-3 win in Richmond in the season finale for both teams. In that game Austin Peay got on the board first with a Stephen Stansell field goal in the first quarter but would not score again. Eastern added a field goal in the second quarter, a 69-yard punt return for a score by Jeremy Caldwell in the third quarter and a touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. EKU was able to nearly double APSU's yardage output, winning the battle 280 to 141. H.B. Banjoman led the ran with 89 rushing yards and a touchdown for the Colonels while T.J. Pryor threw for 80 yards and rushed for 60. APSU was limited to just 13 passing yards.SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY: Eastern Kentucky dropped a 23-14 decision to No. 14 Chattanooga on Saturday at Roy Kidd Stadium. It snapped a six-game home winning streak for the team dating back to the end of the 2009 season. The Colonels scored the first touchdown of the game as T.J. Pryor hooked up with Tyrone Goard for a 29-yard pass late in the first quarter. After 10-straight points by UTC, Pryor hit Matt Lengel for a 55-yard score just 16 seconds before halftime to give EKU a 14-10 lead at the break. With that play Pryor became just the fifth player in program history to throw for more than 4,000 yards in his career. The junior finished the game 15-of-28 for 164 yards and two scores. The Mocs would go up by three points with a touchdown in the third quarter and then added a final score with 54 seconds to play to ice the game. Senior Jeremy Caldwell picked off a pass in the third quarter, marking the 14th interception of his career; that is currently tied for second among active FCS players. Myer Nolan and Kevin Hamlin led EKU with 10 tackles apiece. As a team EKU is currently first nationally in tackles-for-loss (12.0/game).SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY: After a bye week during week two of the season, Austin Peay played its second Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent of the 2011 season on Saturday when the team traveled to Memphis for its first meeting with the Tigers since the 1957 season. The Governors offense was led by senior Ryan White who tallied 87 rushing yards on the evening; that moved him into fourth place on the APSU all-time list (2,601 yards). White also caught a 13-yard touchdown from Jake Ryan, marking the first receiving touchdown of his career. Ryan completed a career-high 23-of-44 passes for a career-best 245 yards and a score; he currently ranks 29th nationally in completions/game (19.5). Ryan moved past his coach Rick Christophel (who quarterbacked APSU from 1971-74) on the schools' all-time completions list (Ryan is now eighth) and the all-time passing yards list (Ryan is now 10th). Nine of those completions went to junior Devin Stark, who was returning to his hometown for the game. Stark netted 107 yards of receiving offense on the game for his first 100-plus yard contest of his career. It was the most receptions by a Gov since the 2006 season. Junior Antwaun Majors finished the game with a team-high eight tackles while also forcing and recovering a fumble.Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (0-2, 0-0 OVC)at Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (2-1, 1-0 OVC)Saturday, Sept. 24 • 7:00 p.m. CTTucker Stadium (16,500) • Cookeville, Tenn.TV:................................................. WCTE/OVCSports.TVLive Stats: http://livestats.prestosports.com/ttusports/fballSeries Record:........................ Tennessee Tech leads 11-8Last Meeting:........ Southeast Missouri won 23-21 (9/25/10)Tony Samuel at Southeast Missouri:............. 22-37 (6 yrs.)Tony Samuel Overall:.................................. 56-94 (14 yrs.)Watson Brown at Tennessee Tech:................ 20-28 (5 yrs.)Watson Brown Overall:......................... 114-179-1 (27 yrs.)Southeast Missouri Last Week:............... L, 59-0 at PurdueTennessee Tech Last Week:...... W, 31-20 at Eastern IllinoisGAME NOTES: Southeast Missouri State will play at Tennessee Tech on Saturday night in the 20th meeting all-time between the two schools. Tennessee Tech had won a series-best four in-a-row until the Redhawks won 23-21 a season ago. The Golden Eagles struck first last year with a Dontey Gay touchdown run before Southeast Missouri responded with 17 unanswered points to lead 17-7 midway through the third quarter. All-American Henry Harris added a score in the fourth quarter before a late TTU score accounted for the final margin. Southeast quarterback Matt Scheible completed 13-of-18 passes for 114 yards and a score and carried the ball 20 times for 82 yards. Harris, who would go on to be the OVC Offensive Player of the Year, carried the ball 32 times for 196 yards and a score. TTU's Tim Benford caught eight passes for 177 yards and two touchdown. Marty Jones and Dustin Dillehay had 14 tackles apiece for Tech.SCOUTING SOUTHEAST MISSOURI: Southeast Missouri suffered its first shutout in 47 games on Saturday when the team lost 59-0 at Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) foe Purdue. Early on the Redhawks offense struggled, making it past midfield just once the entire game and netting 57 yards of total offense in the opening half and 153 yards for the game (while Purdue finished with 627 yards). Redshirt freshman Spencer Davis returned five kickoffs for 96 yards on the afternoon; Davis currently ranks 24th nationally in all-purpose yards/game (147.0). Defensive back Bryan Blanfort forced a fumble in the game that was recovered by Ben Kargbo. Blanfort currently ranks second nationally in forced fumbles (1.0/game) while Kargbo is 11th in fumbles recovered (0.50/game). Blanfort finished the Purdue game with eight tackles, sharing the team lead with Blake Peiffer. The Redhawks have taken care of the ball so far this season, losing only one turnover, a mark that is fourth nationally.SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: Tennessee Tech used a stout defensive effort to open OVC play on Saturday, topping Eastern Illinois 31-20 on the road. The Golden Eagles limited EIU to -6 yards of rushing on the night, the second-lowest output that Tech has ever allowed in a game. TTU fell behind 7-0 after Eastern went 69 yards in seven plays early in the game. But the Golden Eagles would respond with 31 unanswered points, leading 24-7 at halftime and extending that margin to 31-7 early in the third quarter when Dontey Gay scored his third rushing touchdown of the night. Gay finished with 96 yards on 24 carries. TTU quarterback Tre Lamb continued to be efficient, completing 22-of-27 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown; Lamb currently ranks eighth nationally in passing efficiency (164.71). Senior wide receiver Tim Benford caught eight passes for 124 yards on the night; Benford set the tone for the game with a leaping catch and run that went 65 yards to the EIU one-yard line and set up the first Tech touchdown of the night. Benford moved into seventh place on the OVC career receptions list (172) and ninth place in career yardage (2,490) during the game. Senior Richmond Tooley was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week after making 10 tackles and breaking up three passes. Freshman kicker Zach Sharp made a 25-yard field goal and was a perfect 4-of-4 on point after attempts in the win.