Ohio Valley Conference

Saturday, November 7
Tennessee Tech at Georgia, 12:00 p.m. (ESPN360)
Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky, 12:00 p.m. (ESPN360)
*Austin Peay at Murray State, 1:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
*#15 Jacksonville State at Southeast Missouri, 1:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)
*UT Martin at Tennessee State, 5:00 p.m. (OVCSports.TV)

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Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (5-3, 4-2 OVC)
at Georgia Bulldogs (4-4, 3-3 SEC)
Saturday, Nov. 7 • 12:00 p.m. CT
Sanford Stadium (92,746) • Athens, Ga.
TV: ESPN360
Live Stats: http://www.georgiadogs.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml
Series Record: Georgia leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Georgia won 67-0 (1943)
Watson Brown at Tennessee Tech: 12-19 (3 yrs.)
Watson Brown Overall: 106-170-1 (25 yrs.)
Mark Richt at Georgia: 86-26 (9 yrs.)
Mark Richt Overall: same
Georgia Last Week: L, 41-17 vs. #1 Florida
Tennessee Tech Last Week: W, 20-13 vs. Tennessee State

GAME NOTES: Tennessee Tech travels to Georgia to face the SEC power on Saturday for the first second in program history and first time since 1943. The game is the second against a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent this season for the Golden Eagles, who played at Kansas State on Sept. 26. It marks the 23rd time Tech has played a FBS opponent; the Golden Eagles have never won one of those contests. It marks the second time in three years Tennessee Tech has played a SEC foe; the team matched up with Auburn in the 2007 season.

SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: Tennessee Tech won its second game in a row and inched towards a winning season (which would be the program’s first since 2004) with a big win over in-state rival Tennessee State. The 20-13 victory completed three games in the Sgt. York Trophy series (competed for amongst the four OVC schools from the state of Tennessee) for Tech, who was 3-0 in the competition and claimed the trophy for the first time in three years the trophy has been awarded. Despite being held to just 280 yards of offense in the game, Tech found a way to win. One of the big offensive reasons was sophomore wideout Tim Benford, who was named OVC Co-Offensive Player of the Week. Benford caught five passes for 122 yards, including the game-winning touchdown which came in double coverage with just three minutes to play in the game. On defense it was an all-around effort by redshirt freshman Caleb Mitchell, who was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week, that made a big difference. Mitchell made 13 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, 2.0 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Mitchell sacked the TSU quarterback and forced a fumble in the first quarter, as TTU recovered and scored to go up 7-0 in the first quarter. Later in the quarter he picked off a pass that setup Tech’s second score of the game as the score went to 14-0. Junior Dustin Dillehay also added 13 tackles in the victory. Tech also picked off three TSU passes. Quarterback Lee Sweeney completed 12 passes to increase his career total to 592, which is now third all-time in league history. He passed two individuals, including former Eastern Illinois and now Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

SCOUTING GEORGIA: Georgia is coming off a 41-17 loss to No. 1 Florida in Jacksonville on Saturday. Overall the Bulldogs have lost three of its last four games, falling to LSU, Tennessee and UF over that stretch. The team’s lone win over that stretch came at Vanderbilt on Oct. 17. In the loss to the Gators, quarterback Joe Cox completed 11 passes for 165 yards and two scores. Washaun Ealey rushed for 70 yards for UGA. Ealey is the team’s second-leading rusher on the season, behind Richard Samuel (375 yards). Cox has 15 touchdown passes and 1,746 passing yards in eight starts this year.

Eastern Kentucky Colonels (5-3, 5-2 OVC)
at Kentucky Wildcats (4-4, 1-4 SEC)
Saturday, Nov. 7 • 12:00 p.m. CT
Commonwealth Stadium (67,942) • Lexington, Ky.
TV: ESPN360
Live Stats: http://www.ukathletics.com/multimedia/live-stats.html
Series Record: Kentucky leads 2-0
Last Meeting: Kentucky won 50-10 (9/1/07)
Dean Hood at Eastern Kentucky: 13-7 (2 yrs.)
Dean Hood Overall: same
Rich Brooks at Kentucky: 36-45 (7 yrs.)
Rich Brooks Overall: 127-154-4 (25 yrs.)
Eastern Kentucky Last Week: W, 20-6 vs. Southeast Missouri
Kentucky Last Week: L, 31-24 vs. Mississippi State

GAME NOTES: Eastern Kentucky will play its second game of the season against a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team when it makes the short drive up I-75 to battle Kentucky (EKU played Indiana earlier this season and nearly beat the Hoosiers). This marks the third meeting between the two teams who last played in 2007. Overall UK has outscored EKU 103-17 in the two previous meetings. In the 2007 contest, EKU (who would go on to win the OVC Championship) rushed for 130 yards as a team (including 70 by Mark Dunn) but were outgained 568 to 202 as a team as Andre Woodson tossed three touchdowns for the Wildcats.

SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY: Eastern Kentucky got back on the winning track with a 20-6 home victory over Southeast Missouri on Saturday. EKU used its tough defense and its ball control offense to put the Redhawks away. Senior running back C.J. Walker ran for 81 yards including a 9-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and a 1-yard score in the second quarter to put the Colonels up 13-0. After Southeast Missouri had scored with four minutes to play to pull within seven points, Bruce Frieson broke off a 28-yard run to put the game away. Junior defensive lineman Andrew Soucy had six tackles on the day and blocked his fifth kick of the season, on a Southeast PAT attempt in the fourth quarter. As a team EKU has blocked nine kicks this season. The team has blocked at least one kick in six of its last seven games. The key for the Colonels this season has been turnover margin. EKU is +8 in five OVC victories this season but -6 in two OVC losses (and not forced a turnover in both of those games). The matchup with Kentucky is only the second non-conference game of the season for the team, who will also play a non-conference tilt next week when they host Western Carolina. EKU opened the season with a six-point loss at FBS Indiana, followed that with a bye week and then has played seven straight conference contests. Eastern Kentucky is closing in on getting back into the Top 25 polls, as they are unofficially 28th in each poll. EKU is 4-15 all-time against FBS opponents, last winning at Louisville in the 1985 season.

SCOUTING KENTUCKY: Kentucky enters the game with a 17-game winning streak against non-conference opponents dating back to the 2006 season. The streak is tied for the longest in Kentucky history and is the second longest active streak nationally behind only LSU (22 straight non-conference wins). The Wildcats are coming off a 31-24 loss to Mississippi State on Homecoming. That ended a two-game winning streak for the Cats, a streak that included a road win at Auburn. Kentucky starts true freshman quarterback Morgan Newton, who has started the last three games. Wide receiver Randall Cobb also sees action in the "Wildcat formation." Cobb ranks 23rd nationally in all-purpose yards. The team’s strength is its rushing game, which at 186.6 yards/game is the team’s best mark since the 1995 season.

Austin Peay Governors (3-5, 2-3 OVC)
at Murray State Racers (2-6, 1-4 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 7 • 1:00 p.m. CT
Roy Stewart Stadium (16,800) • Murray, Ky.
TV: OVCSports.TV
Live Stats: http://www.goracers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=576250&SPID=2441&DB_OEM_ID=6700&ATCLID=612425
Series Record: Murray State leads 29-13
Last Meeting: Murray State won 32-12 (10/4/08)
Rick Christophel at Austin Peay: 12-18 (3 yrs.)
Rick Christophel Overall: same
Matt Griffin at Murray State: 10-32 (4 yrs.)
Matt Griffin Overall: 20-56 (7 yrs.)
Austin Peay Last Week: L, 28-10 vs. #20 Jacksonville State
Murray State Last Week: L, 16-10 vs. #19 Eastern Illinois

GAME NOTES: Austin Peay and Murray State will meet for the 43rd time on the gridiron on Saturday. Both are coming off losses to nationally-ranked teams last week. The series, which dates back to 1953, as been controlled by Murray State who has won eight of the last nine and 15 of the last 17 games overall. Last season the Racers won 32-12 in Clarksville. In that game a year ago, Austin Peay kicked a 20-yard field goal on its first possession but Murray State responded with 20 unanswered points to grab a 20-3 lead (and led 20-10 at halftime). MSU quarterback Jeff Ehrhardt passes for 304 yards and a touchdown and Paul McKinnis rushed for 61 yards and the team had 157 total rushing yards. Murray State had 461 yards of total offense while holding APSU to just 226 yards. T.C. Jennings passed for 107 yards and a score for the Governors while Theo Townsend rushed for 57 yards. Zach Kutch had 14 tackles to lead Murray State while Jason Vanatta had 17 tackles for Austin Peay.

SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY: Austin Peay saw its two-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday when No. 20 Jacksonville State came to Clarksville and won 28-10. Jacksonville State scored first but a Stephen Stansell 32-yard field goal with 6:54 to play in the first half cut the advantage to 7-3. Later in the quarter Jeremy Ross returned a blocked punt 34 yards for a touchdown to put APSU up 10-7. But the Gamecocks used a four-play drive and scored quickly to re-gain the lead for good just before halftime. After rushing for 263 yards against Eastern Kentucky the previous week, the Govs were held to just 106 yards on 41 carries. Ryan White, who ranks seventh nationally in rushing, had 72 yards while Terrence Holt had 35 yards. The passing attack was also limited as Jake Ryan completed only 3-of-22 passes for 23 yards and was picked off twice. Ryan did not complete a pass until late in the second quarter and was replaced in the second half by Gary Orr. Senior linebacker Daniel Becker recorded 11 tackles and two pass break-ups in the game. Junior punter Ryan Key averaged 40.2 yards/punt on eight punts, including putting five punts inside the JSU 20-yard line. Key had a long punt of 52 yards.

SCOUTING MURRAY STATE: Murray State played nationally-ranked (No. 19) Eastern Illinois tough but came up just short at home on Saturday. The Racers were on the board first when Charlie Jordan scored from three yards out. Eastern Illinois scored the next 10 points to lead at the break before neither team scored in the third quarter. In the fourth Kienan Cullen kicked a 29-yard field goal to tie the game with 13:03 to play. The Racers offense would prevent any more touchdowns but Austin Signor did kick two field goals to account for the final margin. For the game MSU did not allow an offensive touchdown, as the Panthers only touchdown came on an interception return. Jordan had 38 total yards of rushing while quarterback Nico Yantko was 16-of-28 for 127 yards. Erik Fennell had 12 tackles while Austen Lane added five tackles, 2.0 tackles-for-loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry. Cullen not only converted on a field goal for Murray State, but averaged 42.0 yards per punt, including a long of 62.

#15 Jacksonville State Gamecocks (5-3, 3-1 OVC)
at Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (1-7, 0-6 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 7 • 1:00 p.m. CT
Houck Stadium (10,000) • Cape Girardeau, Mo.
TV: OVCSports.TV
Live Stats: none
Series Record: Jacksonville State leads 8-5
Last Meeting: Jacksonville State won 38-17 (10/4/08)
Jack Crowe at Jacksonville State: 62-45 (10 yrs.)
Jack Crowe Overall: 76-75 (15 yrs.)
Tony Samuel at Southeast Missouri: 12-30 (4 yrs.)
Tony Samuel Overall: 46-87 (11 yrs.)
Jacksonville State Last Week: W, 28-10 at Austin Peay
Southeast Missouri Last Week: L, 20-6 at Eastern Kentucky

GAME NOTES: Jacksonville State will travel to Cape Girardeau for a Saturday showdown with Southeast Missouri State. The two squads have played 13 times previously with Jax State holding an 8-5 advantage in the series. JSU won a season ago at home, but Southeast Missouri State claimed a 32-25 victory in the series in 2007. In last year’s meeting, JSU led 21-3 at halftime and 31-3 with 26 seconds to play in the third quarter before the Redhawks scored two fourth quarter touchdowns. Ryan Perrilloux completed 16-of-22 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns while Brandon George rushed for a team-high 114 yards and a score. Coming off the bench, Redhawk quarterback Matt Scheible completed 3-of-4 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown.

SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: After a loss to nationally-ranked Eastern Illinois a week ago, Jacksonville State got back on the winning track with a 28-10 road win over Austin Peay. It marks the team’s fifth win in its last six games overall. The Gamecocks moved back up in the national polls and are now No. 15 in the FCS Coaches Poll and No. 17 in the Sports Network Top 25. Against Austin Peay, the Gamecocks trailed 10-7 in the second quarter before scoring three unanswered touchdowns to win by 18 points. Ryan Perrilloux had another solid game, completing 12-of-22 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown and rushing for another score. Perrilloux continues to rank first nationally in passing efficiency and fourth nationally in points responsible for. Perrilloux also registered his first career punt, which traveled 38 yards. Junior transfer Jamal Young rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown. Receiver James Wilkerson had 70 receiving yards and moved into fourth place on the school’s career list (1,657 receiving yards). Senior defensive back Josh Cain had a career-high 14 tackles and keyed a Jax State defense that limited Austin Peay to just 23 passes yards on the night. T.J. Heath picked off his sixth past of the season and ranks third nationally in that category and first nationally in passes defended (2.00/game). A.J. Davis capped the scoring in the game with a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown. It marked the third time this season JSU has returned an interception for a touchdown.

SCOUTING SOUTHEAST MISSOURI: Southeast Missouri lost its seventh game in a row on Saturday when they lost 20-6 at Eastern Kentucky. Despite trailing 13-0 at halftime, Southeast kept the game close and scored on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Matt Scheible to Walter Peoples with 4:05 to play. On the next possession the Redhawks forced a fourth down situation for EKU, but Bruce Frieson broke off a 28-yard touchdown run which capped the game. Peoples finished the game with three catches including his 100th career reception. Southeast did rush for 150 total yards with Henry Harris leading the way with 83 yards. Junior linebacker Justin Woodlief had a career-high 16 tackles, including 10 solo stops. He had 1.5 tackles-for-loss as well and has reached double-digit tackles in five of eight games this season. The 16 tackles were the second most by a single player in the OVC this season. Woodlief is averaging 9.63 tackles/game, which is tops in the OVC and 29th nationally. Philip Klaproth added 12 tackles.

UT Martin Skyhawks (3-5, 2-3 OVC)
at Tennessee State Tigers (3-5, 2-2 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 7 • 5:00 p.m. CT
LP Field (67,500) • Nashville, Tenn.
TV: OVCSports.TV
Live Stats: http://www.tsutigers.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml?SPSID=576250&SPID=2441&&DB_OEM_ID=19600
Series Record: Tennessee State leads 13-5
Last Meeting: Tennessee State won 30-27 in OT (10/4/08)
Jason Simpson at UT Martin: 24-19 (4 yrs.)
Jason Simpson Overall: same
James Webster at Tennessee State: 24-29 (5 yrs.)
James Webster Overall: same
UT Martin Last Week: Idle
Tennessee State Last Week: L, 20-13 at Tennessee Tech

GAME NOTES: UT Martin, fresh off a bye week, will travel to Nashville to battle Tennessee State on Saturday. The game is part of the Sgt. York Trophy series (a quadrangular challenge series between the four OVC schools from the state of Tennessee), which has already been clinched by Tennessee Tech this year. The two teams have played 18 previous times with TSU winning 30-27 in overtime in Martin last season. That win snapped a two-game winning streak in the series for the Skyhawks. In a game that saw 57 combined points, the game was within three points most of the way. TSU quarterback Antonio Heffner tied the game at 24 on a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:04 to play in regulation. UTM got the first chance in overtime and scored on a 40-yard field goal by Tom Hansen. TSU All-American running back Javarris Williams then carried the ball 14 times for a first down and then 11 yards for a touchdown to end the game. Williams finished the game with 163 yards on the ground while Heffner had 155 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Cade Thompson threw for one touchdown and Brandyn Young ran for another for UT Martin.

SCOUTING UT MARTIN: UT Martin is coming off a bye week. The Skyhawks were last in action two weeks ago when they snapped a three-game losing streak with a 38-24 home victory over Murray State. In that contest redshirt freshman Jason McNair (who was named OVC Newcomer of the Week after the game) caught a 73-yard touchdown pass from Cade Thompson early in the first quarter. The Skyhawks would actually fall behind 21-14 midway through the second quarter before a field goal trimmed the halftime margin to 21-17. Late in the game Miguel Barnes scored to give UTM the lead for good and Brandyn Young solidified the game with a 1-yard score in the fourth. UT Martin rushed for 252 yards as a team and passed for 254 additional yards. Barnes led the way with 125 rushing yards while Young had 99 on the ground. Thompson completed 13-of-20 passes for 254 yards and two scores. The Skyhawk defense was sharp, limiting Murray State to just 39 yards rushing and 156 yards of total offense.

SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE: After upsetting No. 16 Eastern Kentucky 20-17 in Richmond two weeks ago, Tennessee State has lost two games in a row, falling 9-6 to Murray State two weeks ago and 20-13 at Tennessee Tech on Saturday. The biggest play of the game for the Tigers was an 89-yard interception return for a touchdown by Sidney Tarver in the first quarter. It was the longest interception return for a score since the 1979 season when Dave Coleman returned one 97 yards against Grambling. In the fourth quarter Calvin McNairl rushed for a 12-yard touchdown to tie the game at 13. But Tech marched the field and scored with 3:08 to play and TSU’s final drive came up short as a pass fell incomplete in the end zone as time expired. Dominic Grooms returned from his injury to complete seven passes for 75 yards for the Tigers. Preston Brown led the team with 54 rushing yards as the team had 152 total rushing yards.