Ohio Valley Conference

Eastern Kentucky Colonels (4-3, 3-1 OVC)
at Murray State Racers (4-3, 2-2 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 29 • 1:00 p.m. CT
Stewart Stadium (16,800) • Murray, Ky.
TV:........................................................... OVCSports.TV
Live Stats: http://goracers.com/sports/2010/7/6/GEN_0706100406.aspx?id=186
Series Record:................. Eastern Kentucky leads 41-25-4
Last Meeting:......... Eastern Kentucky won 28-21 (10/30/10)
Dean Hood at Eastern Kentucky:.................. 23-18 (4 yrs.)
Dean Hood Overall:................................................ same
Chris Hatcher at Murray State:........................ 10-8 (2 yrs.)
Chris Hatcher Overall:............................... 104-35 (12 yrs.)
Eastern Kentucky Last Week: W, 33-22 vs. Tennessee State
Murray State Last Week:............................................. Idle

GAME NOTES: The Eastern Kentucky/Murray State rivalry dates back to the 1929 season, with the teams beginning to play annually just prior to the OVC founding in 1948. Saturday will mark the 71st meeting all-time between the in-state rivals. Eastern Kentucky has won six in a row and nine of the last 10 overall in the series. Last season the Colonels broke a 21-21 fourth quarter tie when T.J. Pryor rushed for a 29-yard touchdown with 4:19 to play in the game. It was one of two touchdowns on the day for Pryor who rushed for 79 yards and passed for 140 yards and another touchdown on his way to OVC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Casey Brockman passed for 299 yards for MSU while Mike Harris rushed for two scores. With a win on Saturday EKU can keep pace or possibly tie Jacksonville State for first place while a win for the Racers would keep them in contention in the race and also for a potential at-large FCS Playoff berth.

SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY: Eastern Kentucky won its third-straight game on Saturday in topping Tennessee State 33-22. It was the eight-straight home win for the Colonels who are now 13-1 in OVC home games under fourth-year head coach Dean Hood. Junior Matt Denham continued his recent rushing success by carrying the ball 35 times for a career-high 226 and two touchdowns in the victory; that performance earned him OVC Offensive Player of the Week honors. The 226 yards were the most in the OVC this season and marked the second time in three weeks Denham had rushed for 200 or more yards in a game. Over the past three games he has 584 rushing yards and six touchdowns (his three multi-rushing TD games of the season also leads the OVC). The always stout EKU defense limited TSU to a season-low 22 points on the game and forced the Tigers into three turnovers. One of those came when junior defensive back Justin Bell picked off Michael German (the first interception thrown by German all season) and returned it 79 yards for his first career score. That play put the Colonels up 7-3 and they would not trail from that point forward. Junior quarterback T.J. Pryor rushed for 29 yards in the game and now has 1,000 rushing yards for his career.

SCOUTING MURRAY STATE: After suffering back-to-back losses Murray State rebounded with wins over non-conference foe Georgia State and OVC opponent Eastern Illinois on Homecoming before its bye week. The Racers currently find themselves in a four-way tie for fourth place in the league, two games behind Jacksonville State in the OVC standings. In its win over EIU two weeks ago, MSU trailed 27-17 at the end of the third quarter and by three points late in the game before the team went 75 yards and six plays in a drive capped by a 16-yard touchdown pass from Casey Brockman to Hannibal Beauford. On the ensuing possession the Panthers fumbled and four plays later Mike Harris rushed for a touchdown to make the final score 36-27. That was one of a school-record four scores on the day for Harris who was named OVC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. Harris had 133 yards on the afternoon and has four 100-yard rushing games this season. Brockman completed 23 passes for 207 yards and the game-winning score. Senior kicker Kienan Cullen had a 39-yard field goal in the game, the 50th of his career; he is just two field goals away from tying the OVC career record that has stood since 1984.

Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (2-5, 2-3 OVC)
at UT Martin Skyhawks (4-3, 3-2 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 29 • 2:00 p.m. CT
Graham Stadium (7,500) • Martin, Tenn.
TV:.................................................. WLJT/OVCSports.TV
Live Stats: http://www.utmsports.com/livestats/football/xlive.htm
Series Record:.................. Southeast Missouri leads 14-12
Last Meeting:...... Southeast Missouri won 24-17 (10/30/10)
Tony Samuel at Southeast Missouri:............. 24-40 (6 yrs.)
Tony Samuel Overall:.................................. 58-97 (14 yrs.)
Jason Simpson at UT Martin:........................ 36-28 (6 yrs.)
Jason Simpson Overall:.......................................... same
Southeast Missouri Last Week:... W, 17-13 vs. Austin Peay
UT Martin Last Week:............... W, 24-23 at Eastern Illinois

GAME NOTES: Saturday will mark the 27th meeting between Southeast Missouri and UT Martin. The game was originally scheduled for 6:30 p.m. but changed to a 2:00 p.m. afternoon start earlier this week. The series has seen its share of streaks with the Redhawks winning eight-straight games between 1998 and 2004 followed by the Skyhawks winning the next five. Southeast snapped the streak a year ago, however, winning 24-17 in Cape Girardeau. In that game the Redhawks defense limited UTM's Derek Carr to just 67 yards passing, sacking him three times and picking him off once. Henry Harris ran for two touchdowns for the Redhawks while Matt Scheible rushed for 68 yards and another score while also passing for 108 yards.

SCOUTING SOUTHEAST MISSOURI: Southeast Missouri snapped a two-game losing streak by recording a Homecoming victory over Austin Peay on Saturday in Cape Girardeau. The Redhawks were buoyed by a good defensive effort by true freshman Tim Hamm-Bey who picked off two passes in the game. Hamm-Bey returned the first interception 36 yards and the second one 26 yards. The second interception set up what proved to be the game-winning score for Southeast. His two interceptions doubled the Redhawks total through the first six games of the season. Quarterback Matt Scheible completed 9-of-12 passes for 128 yards and moved into fifth place on Southeast's career passing list (4,229). Scheible is now just 164 total yards of offense away from joining the OVC's career top 10. For the sixth time in seven games this season Blake Peiffer had double-digit tackles (10). Sophomore punter Joe Vucic punted four times in the game, averaging 45.0 yards/punt. Three of his punts pinned Austin Peay inside its own 10-yard line.

SCOUTING UT MARTIN: After losing three games by a combined seven points this season, UT Martin finally came out on the winning side of a close game, topping Eastern Illinois 24-23 in Charleston. It its three prior wins to last Saturday, the Skyhawks had won by an average of 41 points/game. The win marked the first for UTM in Charleston in nine total games in the series. With UT Martin trailing early in the fourth quarter junior quarterback Derek Carr hooked up with Quentin Sims on a 12-yard touchdown completion to put the team on top for good. It was Sims' second touchdown of the game as he finished the contest with four receptions for 57 yards. It marked Sims second multi-touchdown game of the season. Carr completed 12-of-21 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns, his fourth multi-passing touchdown game of the season. Running back Jason McNair led all rushers with 111 yards on 17 carries; it marked his sixth career 100-yard rushing game. Junior nose guard Montori Hughes, a transfer from Tennessee, had his best game of the season, netting 10 tackles (4 solo), a sack, 5.5 tackles-for-loss, a quarterback hurry as well as forcing and recovery a fumble. Overall the Skyhawk defense had 14 tackles-for-loss and limited Eastern Illinois to -5 rushing yards on the day (on 34 total carries). UT Martin ranks first nationally in red zone offense (97%), second nationally in scoring offense (40.0 points/game) and seventh in total offense (451.57 yards/game) while CJ Estelle ranks first nationally in punt returns (22.08 yards/return).


#19 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (4-2, 3-1 OVC)
at #13 Jacksonville State Gamecocks (5-2, 4-0 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 29 • 3:00 p.m. CT
Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium (24,000) • Jacksonville, Ala.
TV:..................................... ESPN3/WJXS/OVCSports.TV
Live Stats: http://www.jsugamecocksports.com/sports/2010/9/1/FB_0901102541.aspx
Series Record:....................... Jacksonville State leads 9-6
Last Meeting:........... Tennessee Tech won 35-24 (11/20/10)
Watson Brown at Tennessee Tech:................ 22-29 (5 yrs.)
Watson Brown Overall:......................... 116-180-1 (27 yrs.)
Jack Crowe at Jacksonville State:.............. 79-50 (12 yrs.)
Jack Crowe Overall:................................... 93-80 (17 yrs.)
Tennessee Tech Last Week:........................................ Idle
Jacksonville State Last Week:........... L, 38-14 at Kentucky

GAME NOTES: With just four weeks left in the season this matchup proves to be pivotal in the OVC Championship race. A win by Jacksonville State would keep them in first place while a win by Tennessee Tech (and an EKU win over Murray State) would create a three-way tie for first place. A season ago Jacksonville State traveled to Cookeville on the final week of the regular season with the nation's No. 4 ranking and needing to win to win its first OVC Championship since 2004. The Gamecocks pulled ahead 24-7 on a touchdown pass from Marques Ivory to Justin Howard with 13:40 to play and looked to be in the driver's seat. Nobody told that to Tennessee Tech, however, as the Golden Eagles scored four touchdowns in the final 11:33 to pull off the 35-24 upset and end a five-game losing streak in the all-time series to JSU. Jax State ran only 16 plays on its final four possession of that quarter. Quarterback Cass Barnes was the hero, leading TTU on its four scoring drives of 80, 84, 88 and 11 yards to win the game. In the final quarter he completed 10-of-11 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 49 yards (he finished the game with 271 yards passing and 88 yards rushing) on his way to National Player of the Week honors. With Jacksonville State ranked 13th, and Tennessee Tech ranked 19th, it marks the first meeting of OVC ranked foes since Nov. 13 of last season when No. 6 JSU hosted No. 7 Southeast Missouri.

SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: Due to a 10-game schedule this season, Tennessee Tech has played just one game in the past three weeks, sandwiching a pair of byes around a 42-40 shootout loss to Tennessee State on Oct. 15. That loss snapped a four-game winning streak for TTU and marked the team's first loss to a FCS foe this season. Despite setting a school record for first downs in a game (36), the Golden Eagles had four costly turnovers as they fell behind 42-20 in the third quarter. Then team nearly made the dramatic comeback before ultimately falling two points short. Tre Lamb set TTU single-game records for completions (34), attempts (58) and plays (69) as he passed for 348 yards and two scores in the loss. Senior wide receiver Tim Benford caught 10 passes (a high in the OVC this year) for 122 yards; Benford ranks sixth in OVC history in receptions (193) and seventh in receiving yards (2,789). His 2,789 receiving yards is second nationally among active FCS players.

SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: Jacksonville State saw its four-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday with a 38-14 loss at FBS foe Kentucky. Junior running back Washaun Ealey recorded his fourth-straight 100-yard rushing game (a first for JSU since the 2005 season) with 120 yards on 16 carries. Ealey is the first OVC player with four-straight 100-yard games since TSU's Preston Brown at the beginning of the 2010 season. Freshman Pierre Warren had seven tackles (6 solo) and recovered a pair of fumbles in the game for the JSU defense. It was the first time a Jax State player had recovered two fumbles in the same game since 2009. Freshman Gabriel Chambers returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown which was tied for the fourth-longest kickoff return in school history; it was the first kickoff return for a score that UK had allowed all season. The JSU defense allowed 340 rushing yards to the Wildcats, the first time the team had allowed 300 or more yards rushing since 2009 (Georgia Tech). The Gamecock offense was limited to 270 yards, snapping a four-game streak where it had produced 400 or more yards of offense.


Eastern Illinois Panthers (1-7, 0-6 OVC)
at Austin Peay Governors (2-5, 2-3 OVC)
Saturday, Oct. 29 • 4:00 p.m. CT
Governors Stadium (10,000) • Clarksville, Tenn.
TV:........................................................... OVCSports.TV
Live Stats: http://www.apsugovernors.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml
Series Record:............................ Eastern Illinois leads 8-3
Last Meeting:............. Eastern Illinois won 28-10 (10/30/10)
Bob Spoo at Eastern Illinois:................ 143-129-1 (25 yrs.)
Bob Spoo Overall:................................................. same
Rick Christophel at Austin Peay:................... 17-34 (5 yrs.)
Rick Christophel Overall:......................................... same
Eastern Illinois Last Week:............... L, 24-23 vs. UT Martin
Austin Peay Last Week:...... L, 17-13 at Southeast Missouri

GAME NOTES: Austin Peay will host Eastern Illinois in its annual Homecoming game on Saturday afternoon. The meeting is the 12th all-time between the schools and EIU enters this weekend having won eight of the last nine games overall. Austin Peay won in 2008, but the Panthers have scored victories each of the past two years including 28-10 in Charleston a year ago. In that game Austin Peay rushed for 254 yards but Eastern Illinois passed for 219 and three touchdowns in picking up the win. Chris Wright hauled in two of the touchdown catches (his only two receptions on the day) and finished the game with 91 receiving yards. Terrence Holt had 130 yards and Ryan White added 107 on the ground for the Govs. Nick Nasti had eight tackles for EIU and also intercepted a pass that he returned 37 yards to set up the Panthers third score of the day.

SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS: Eastern Illinois suffered its seventh-straight loss on Saturday, falling by one points on Homecoming to visiting UT Martin. The game was back-and-forth the entire way with Eastern Illinois grabbing a 20-17 lead early in the fourth quarter when sophomore Jimmy Garoppolo connected with Sam Hendricks for a 12-yard touchdown pass. After the Skyhawks scored two minutes later and the Panthers added a field goal midway through the final quarter, EIU had one last chance to win the game. With 1:54 to play in the game Garoppolo hit Chris Wright for a 49-yard strike to put the ball at the UTM 10-yard line; however, a holding penalty wiped out the place and the Panthers failed to convert on fourth down, ending the game. Garoppolo finished the game 27-of-36 for 294 yards and three touchdowns; he also completed passes to nine different receivers. His passing helped boost the Panthers offense that was limited to -5 yards rushing for the game. Garoppolo has 31 touchdowns passes in his two-year career, placing him seventh on the EIU career list. Saturday marked his sixth multiple passing touchdown game of the season, the most in the OVC.

SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY: Austin Peay lost its third-straight game on Saturday, falling 17-13 at Southeast Missouri. The Governors led 10-7 at halftime but was outscored 10-0 in the third quarter by the Redhawks. Senior Ryan White recorded the 12th 100-yard rushing game of his career by carrying the ball 29 times for 148 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown capped a 13-play, 95-yard drive to start the game. White now has 3,057 career rushing yards, second place in APSU history. Austin Peay quarterback Jake Ryan left the game with an injury in the third quarter, forcing freshman Landon Curtis into action. Curtis completed 6-of-12 passes for 36 yards on the night. Stephen Stansell connected on a pair of field goals, hitting form 37 and 33 yards. He is now 6-of-10 on the season, but has hit five of his last six overall. Stansell has 142 career points scored, putting him seventh in APSU history. Amius Smith had a game-high 11 tackles for the game (his second-straight double-digit tackle output) and also added half of a sack. Smith was part of a defensive unit that gave up just 17 points, the fewest points the team has allowed all season.