This Week's Schedule
Saturday, November 19
*UT Martin at Eastern Kentucky, 12:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
*Murray State at Southeast Missouri, 1:00 p.m. (ESPN3)
*Austin Peay at #21 Tennessee Tech, 1:30 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
*Jacksonville State at Tennessee State, 2:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
UT Martin Skyhawks (5-5, 4-3 OVC)
at Eastern Kentucky Colonels (6-4, 5-2 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 19 • 12:00 p.m. CT
Roy Kidd Stadium (20,000) • Richmond, Ky.
TV:........................................................... OVCSports.TV
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/eku/football/index.htm
Series Record:...................... Eastern Kentucky leads 20-1
Last Meeting:...................... UT Martin won 10-7 (10/16/10)
Jason Simpson at UT Martin:........................ 37-30 (6 yrs.)
Jason Simpson Overall:.......................................... same
Dean Hood at Eastern Kentucky:.................. 25-19 (4 yrs.)
Dean Hood Overall:................................................ same
UT Martin Last Week:.............. L, 35-30 at Tennessee State
Eastern Kentucky Last Week: L, 28-21 vs. #20 Tennessee Tech
GAME NOTES: Eastern Kentucky dropped a home contest with Tennessee Tech last week that would have given the team at least a share of the OVC crown. Now the Colonels need to win against UT Martin to have that share and hope that Tennessee Tech loses in order to earn the OVC's automatic bid into the FCS Playoffs. UT Martin is hoping to win and also have Jax State and TTU lose so it can gain a share of the OVC crown. Eastern Kentucky has dominated the all-time series, winning the first 20 games before UTM broke through with its first victory a season ago, 10-7 in Martin. In that game Derek Carr connected with Daniel Chamberlain on a 28-yard touchdown pass with 5:06 left to win the contest. The Skyhawks gained 110 more yards of total offense on the afternoon as Carr finished 15-of-25 for 290 yards and a touchdown. H.B. Banjoman led Eastern Kentucky with 70 yards on the ground.
SCOUTING UT MARTIN: UT Martin scored the first 17 points on Saturday at Tennessee State, racing out to that lead at the end of the first quarter. However, TSU would score the games next 28 points on its way to the 35-30 victory. The loss cost the Skyhawks a chance to retain the Sgt. York Trophy, which will now be shared by Tennessee State and the winner of the Austin Peay/Tennessee Tech game on Saturday. UTM junior quarterback Derek Carr completed 25-of-43 passes for 329 yards and four touchdowns against no interceptions in the loss. Carr had touchdown passes of 12, 16, 26 and 11 yards and each went to a different receiver. Carr now has 23 touchdown passes this season, two away from the school single-season record. Carr has 36 career touchdown passes, which is the second-most in UTM history. Junior transfer Quentin Sims caught a career-high 11 passes (the most by a receiver in the OVC this season) for 144 yards and a touchdown. With the emphasis on passing, the Skyhawks rushed for just 108 yards for the game, a season-low for the squad. UTM continues to lead the nation in both red zone offense (96%) and fewest sacks allowed (0.40/game).
SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY: Eastern Kentucky fell out of sole possession of first place with a 28-21 loss to No. 20 Tennessee Tech on Saturday and now finds itself in a three-way tie with Tech and Jacksonville State with one game to play. The Colonels were limited to just 194 yards of total offense for the game but despite that fact saw the game tied at 21 midway through the fourth quarter. Junior running back Matt Denham rushed for 151 yards, the sixth-straight game he has reached the 100-yard plateau; he is the first OVC player since 2005 season to have six-straight 100-yard games. Denham currently ranks ninth nationally in rushing (125.7 yards/game). Wide receiver Tyrone Goard tallied his 10th receiving touchdown of the season, becoming just the fifth Colonel to ever score 10 receiving touchdowns in a season. The EKU defense forced a turnover for the 11th-straight season dating back to last season; Eastern turned three TTU turnovers into 14 points. EKU ranks ninth nationally in turnover margin (+1.20). Senior Emory Attig posted a career-high 12 tackles and a sack in the contest.
Murray State Racers (6-4, 4-3 OVC)
at Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (3-7, 2-5 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 19 • 1:00 p.m. CT
Houck Stadium (10,000) • Cape Girardeau, Mo.
TV:.................... ESPN3/Racer TV Network/OVCSports.TV
Live Stats: http://www.redhawkstv.com/LiveStats/2012Live/Football/xlive.htm
Series Record:.......................... Murray State leads 36-8-1
Last Meeting:........ Southeast Missouri won 30-17 (9/11/10)
Chris Hatcher at Murray State:........................ 12-9 (2 yrs.)
Chris Hatcher Overall:............................... 106-36 (12 yrs.)
Tony Samuel at Southeast Missouri:............. 26-38 (6 yrs.)
Tony Samuel Overall:.................................. 60-95 (14 yrs.)
Murray State Last Week:.............. W, 56-24 at Austin Peay
Southeast Missouri Last Week: L, 22-21 vs. Jacksonville State
GAME NOTES: Murray State has won three of its last four games and is hoping to win on Saturday to improve to 7-4 on the season and garner consideration for an at-large berth to the FCS Playoffs. A Racers victory and losses by Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State and Tennessee Tech would give MSU a share of the OVC crown, its first since 2002. Murray State owns a large advantage in the series, having won 36 of the previous 45 meetings. Despite that advantage, Southeast Missouri has won the last two and four of the last six meetings in the series overall. A year ago Murray State led 17-13 midway through the third quarter before the Southeast Missouri exploded for three touchdowns over the final 20 minutes of the game. The final score came on a 33-yard run by Henry Harris with 6:37 to play to solidify the victory. Southeast quarterback Matt Scheible threw for 140 yards and a touchdown and ran for 134 yards, while Harris added 113 yards on the ground. Jeff Ehrhardt passed for 245 yards and a score for MSU.
SCOUTING MURRAY STATE: Murray State exploded for 56 points in its 56-24 victory over Austin Peay on Saturday. The Racers are now the top ranked offense in the OVC in terms of points (37.3/game) and yards (459.3/game). Senior kicker Kienan Cullen extended his OVC career field goal record to 58 by connecting on five field goals (including four on the first four offensive possessions for the Racers) in the game. Cullen scored 20 points in the game and moved up to fifth in OVC history for career scoring (290). Senior running back Mike Harris rushed for 134 yards and three touchdowns and also caught a touchdown pass. It marked his third-straight game with at least 50 rushing and 50 receiving yards. Harris currently ranks third in the OVC in rushing (98.67 yards/game). Junior quarterback Casey Brockman set the OVC single-season record for completions (285) in completing 25-of-39 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown; he also rushed for 67 yards; Brockman ranks fifth nationally in total offense (317.1 yards/game). Linebacker Qua Huzzie recovered a fumble and returned it for the game's first touchdown; he finished the game with five tackles and now leads the OVC with 12.5 tackles-for-loss.
SCOUTING SOUTHEAST MISSOURI: Despite leading 21-9 at halftime, Southeast Missouri allowed Jacksonville State to score the only points (13) in the second half in losing 22-21. The nine points allowed in the first half was the fewest for a Redhawks opponent this season and was the team's largest halftime lead of the season. Senior quarterback Matt Scheible rushed for a career-high 209 yards on 27 carries (7.7 ypc), including a 38-yard touchdown run in the second quarter; the 200 yards was the most ever by a Southeast quarterback. Scheible also added 26 passing yards and became the first Southeast player to go over 7,000 yards of total offense for a career. Scheible currently ranks seventh in OVC history in total offense (7,188) and fifth among active FCS players. The Redhawks defense had a season-high four takeaways (all fumble recoveries) against the Gamecocks. Linebacker Blake Peiffer had 19 tackles in the game, which matched the most by an OVC player this season. He is now averaging 13.6 tackles/game, which is second nationally. Peiffer has 136 tackles on the season and needs just 15 more to break the school's single-season record.
Austin Peay Governors (3-7, 2-5 OVC)
at #21 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (6-3, 5-2 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 19 • 1:30 p.m. CT
Tucker Stadium (16,500) • Cookeville, Tenn.
TV:................................................. WCTE/OVCSports.TV
Live Stats: http://livestats.prestosports.com/ttusports/fball
Series Record:...................... Tennessee Tech leads 27-16
Last Meeting:............. Tennessee Tech won 34-21 (10/9/10)
Rick Christophel at Austin Peay:................... 18-36 (5 yrs.)
Rick Christophel Overall:......................................... same
Watson Brown at Tennessee Tech:................ 24-30 (5 yrs.)
Watson Brown Overall:......................... 118-181-1 (27 yrs.)
Austin Peay Last Week:................ L, 56-24 at Murray State
Tennessee Tech Last Week: W, 28-21 at #25 Eastern Kentucky
GAME NOTES: Having won at No. 25 Eastern Kentucky last week, Tennessee Tech is in the driver's seat for the OVC Championship and the automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs. A win on Saturday would give the Golden Eagles at least share of the crown, its 10th overall and first since 1975, but more importantly it would give the team a berth into the FCS Playoffs for the first time. A victory would also give TTU a share of the Sgt. York Trophy with Tennessee State (although TSU would get to take home the actual trophy). A loss and TTU is not out of it, but the Golden Eagles would need both EKU and Jacksonville State to lose on Saturday. The matchup features two coaches who know each other very well. Austin Peay's Rick Christophel and Tennessee Tech's Watson Brown have coached together for 22 years, most recently at UAB prior to each taking jobs in the OVC. Tennessee Tech leads the all-time series 27-16 and has won the last two and four of the last six overall. Last year Tech scored the first 21 points of the game on its way to the 34-21 victory. Jocques Crawford rushed for two touchdowns for the Golden Eagles while Jake Ryan tossed two scoring strikes for the Governors.
SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY: Austin Peay lost its fifth-straight OVC game on Saturday, falling 56-24 at Murray State. The Governors fell behind 26-0 early in the second quarter and were never able to recover. Despite not playing in the first quarter, senior Ryan White still managed 92 yards on the ground, although it snapped a streak of three consecutive 100-plus yard games. Freshman quarterback Landon Curtis tossed his first collegiate touchdown in the third quarter, hooking up with Devin Stark for a 10-yard score. Curtis finished the game 11-of-16 for 69 yards. He split time with Jake Ryan, who had missed the last two games with an injury; Ryan completed 10-of-18 passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns (one of which also went to Stark). Stark finished the game with seven catches for 81 yards and the two scores.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: Tennessee Tech climbed back into first place in the OVC with an impressive 28-21 road win over No. 25 Eastern Kentucky on Saturday. It was the Tech's first win in Richmond since 2000, the first win for head coach Watson Brown against the Colonels and the team handed EKU just its second OVC loss at home under head coach Dean Hood. The game was tied at 7, 14 and 21 before Golden Eagle quarterback Tre Lamb scored on a four-yard run with 6:35 to play to put his team on top for good. Lamb finished the day completing 16-of-20 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns and rushing 16 times for 70 yards and the game-winning score. Junior transfer Adam Urbano rushed for 137 yards and caught a pass for 31 yards to finish with 168 all-purpose yards on the afternoon. Dontey Gay scored his league-leading 14th touchdown of the season in the game, tying the TTU single-season record; Gay ranks sixth nationally in scoring (9.33 points/game). The Tech defensive unit held Eastern Kentucky to just 194 yards of total offense, including 65 yards through the air. Austin Tallant racked up a game-high 12 tackles while Cory Webber added eight stops and a crucial sack in the game's closing minutes. The Golden Eagles also limited the Colonels to just 2-of-13 on third down while Tech converted on 10-of-19 on third down.
Jacksonville State Gamecocks (6-4, 5-2 OVC)
at Tennessee State Tigers (5-5, 4-3 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 19 • 2:00 p.m. CT
LP Field (68,798) • Nashville, Tenn.
TV:........................................................... OVCSports.TV
Live Stats: http://www.tsutigers.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=19600
Series Record:....................... Jacksonville State leads 5-1
Last Meeting:......... Jacksonville State won 24-0 (10/16/10)
Jack Crowe at Jacksonville State:............... 80-52 (12 yrs.)
Jack Crowe Overall:.................................... 94-82 (17 yrs.)
Rod Reed at Tennessee State:....................... 8-13 (2 yrs.)
Rod Reed Overall:.................................................. same
Jacksonville State Last Week: W, 22-21 at Southeast Missouri
Tennessee State Last Week:........... W, 35-30 vs. UT Martin
GAME NOTES: A lot will be on the line on Saturday as both teams are fighting for at least a piece of the OVC Championship. With a win Jacksonville State will earn that, its third crown and first since 2004. A Gamecocks victory and losses by Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee Tech would also give JSU the OVC's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs. A Tennessee State victory and losses by EKU and TTU would give the team its first share of the OVC title since 1999. The Tigers have two chances at the league's automatic bid but need some help. If it ends up in a 5-way tie (EKU, TTU and Murray State have to lose), then Tennessee State would win the tiebreaker, having a 3-1 composite record against those teams and having topped TTU head-to-head (TTU would also have a 3-1 composite record against those teams). If EKU and TTU were to lose and Murray State win, it would set up a six-way tie for the crown, and give TSU a chance to earn the bid based on a blind draw (which after all tiebreakers are figured out, would be between EKU, TTU and TSU). The Tigers are also looking to finish above .500 in OVC play after going winless in the league a year ago. Jacksonville State has won five of the six meetings with Tennessee State, although the teams did not play in the 2007 and 2009 season. TSU's lone victory came in the 2006 season at Jacksonville. A year ago the Gamecocks picked off two passes and recovered a fumble in shutting out the Tigers 24-0. Calvin Middleton had 86 rushing yards and scored a touchdown for JSU while Dante' Thomas had 94 yards on the ground for TSU.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: Jacksonville State snapped a three-game losing streak with a 22-21 come-from-behind win at Southeast Missouri on Saturday. The Gamecocks fell behind 14-3 after one quarter and 21-9 at halftime, but JSU scored the only 13 points of the second half in winning by one point. Jax State has now come from behind to win all six of its games this season. Despite having leading rusher Washaun Ealey not play in the game, JSU still rushed for 342 yards as a team. Senior running back Calvin Middleton earned OVC Offensive Player of the Week honors after carrying the ball 38 times (a school record) for 191 yards and three touchdowns. Middleton scored two of his touchdowns in the third quarter, on runs of 1 and 11 yards to put JSU on top for good. With the victory the JSU senior class improved to 31-13 over the last four years, the most wins by a four-year class in Jacksonville State history.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE: Tennessee State locked up at least a share of the Sgt. York Trophy (its first since winning the titles in 2007 and 2008) with a 35-30 Homecoming victory over UT Martin on Saturday. The Tigers will share the title with the winner of Saturday's Austin Peay/Tennessee Tech game. If Austin Peay wins they will take home the actual Sgt. York trophy; however, a TTU win would give TSU the tiebreaker (most seasons without winning the trophy) and the trophy would come back to Nashville for the first time since 2008. After trailing 17-0 at the end of the first quarter to UTM, the Tigers scored 28 unanswered points to grab a lead it would not relinquish. Michael German earned his fourth OVC Newcomer of the Week award after completing 16-of-25 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns. Trabis Ward added a career-high 180 yards on the ground and scored two second half touchdown to pace TSU. Ward is only 59 yards away from reaching 1,000 on the season; he would be the first TSU back since 2008 to reach that mark. Senior Rico Council had nine tackles and is now second in TSU history for career tackles (289).