Ohio Valley Conference

OVC Storylines/Highlights
The 2008 regular season came to an end on Saturday with Eastern Kentucky topped UT Martin on the road to claim its record 20th OVC Championship and second in a row...The Eastern Kentucky defense picked off UTM quarterback Cade Thompson four times and built a 24-6 lead before hanging on to win 33-31 when Defensive Player of the Week Brandon Gathof blocked a 45-yard field goal attempt by the Skyhawks which would have won the game...EKU, now ranked No. 21 nationally, was matched up with No. 6 Richmond in the FCS Playoffs for the second straight season; Richmond came out on top in last year’s matchup...It marks the 19th playoff appearance for Eastern Kentucky, which is the most in FCS history...Jacksonville State (8-3 overall), now ranked No. 22, and Tennessee State (8-4) were not awarded at-large bids to the playoffs...It marked the first time in three seasons that the league had not put multiple teams into the playoffs...It also marked the first time since the playoffs expanded to 16 teams in 1986 that an 8 Division I win team from the OVC had failed to make the playoffs...Although only one team made the playoffs from the OVC, the league did have four teams win eight games for the first time in league history; the OVC was one of just two FCS conferences nationally (the CAA being the other) to have four or more teams win eight games in 2008...Murray State senior linebacker Nathan Williams is one of the candidates on the final Buck Buchanan Award ballot which was released this week; Williams leads all players nationally in tackles.

Game Preview

#21 Eastern Kentucky Colonels (8-3, 7-1 OVC)
at #6 Richmond Spiders (9-3, 6-2 CAA)
Saturday, Nov. 29 ? 12:00 p.m. CT
Univ. of Richmond Stadium (21,319) ? Richmond, Va.
TV: none
Live Stats: http://www.ncaa.com/gametracker/launch/gt_mfootbl.html?event=748898&school=rich&sport=mfootbl&camefrom=&startschool=&
Series Record: Richmond leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Richmond won 31-14 (11/24/07)
Dean Hood at Eastern Kentucky: 8-3 (1 yr.)
Dean Hood Overall: same
Mike London at Richmond: 9-3 (1 yr.)
Mike London Overall: same
Eastern Kentucky Last Week: W, 33-31 at #16 UT Martin
Richmond Last Week: W, 23-20 at #16 William & Mary (OT)

GAME NOTES: Eastern Kentucky and Richmond will meet for the second straight year in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs on Saturday. It marks the first time since 2001 and 2002 that two teams have played each other in back-to-back years in the first round of the playoffs (Montana/Northwestern State). The two teams are once again nationally-ranked and once again Eastern Kentucky is the champion of the Ohio Valley Conference. Richmond won the game a year ago by outgaining EKU 417-288 on offense and pulling out to a 17-0 lead. 2007 OVC Offensive Player of the Year Allan Holland suffered an injury and had to leave the game after throwing only 12 passes. EKU was limited to just 54 yards on the ground. The winner will advance to play the winner of the Appalachian State/South Carolina State matchup.

SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY: Eastern Kentucky claimed its record 20th OVC Championship on Saturday, topping UT Martin 33-31 on the road to finish 7-1 in the Conference. The Colonels withstood a rally by UT Martin, who had a 45-yard field goal attempt at the end of regulation to win the game. But senior defensive back Brandon Gathof, who was named The Sports Network National Specialist of the Week, blocked the attempt to preserve the victory. Gathof, a first-team All-OVC selection and the OVC Defensive Player of the Week last week, finishing the game with 12 tackles, two interceptions (one of which he returned for a touchdown and the other set up another EKU touchdown) and the blocked field goal at the end. In total, Eastern Kentucky scored 24 points off five UT Martin turnovers. The team also blocked a point after attempt and ran the ball back for a two-point conversion. EKU had five players named to the All-OVC first-team (Gathof, DL Chris Coy, OT Derek Hardman, K Taylor Long and TE Stephen Sizemore) and three players to the All-OVC second-team (DB Zach Denton, LB Tyjuan Jones and C Sam Reid). Head coach Dean Hood, in his first-year with the program, was named the OVC Roy Kidd Coach of the Year. It marks the 12th time an EKU coach has been named to that honor (10 times were by legendary coach Roy Kidd, who the award is now named after).

SCOUTING RICHMOND: Richmond won its fifth game in a row on Saturday, topping William & Mary 23-20 on the road in overtime to improve to 9-3 overall. Andrew Howard nailed three kicks for Richmond, including the 37-yard game-winner in overtime to lift the Spiders to the victory. The Richmond defense was impressive, taking the ball away from William & Mary seven times and blocking a field goal in overtime. UR had built a 20-0 lead at halftime but had to withstand the furious rally. Richmond had 12 players named All-CAA following the regular season. That included three first-team offensive and three first-team defensive selections. One of those players is running back Josh Vaughan who has rushed for 1,413 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. Mike London, a 1983 UR alum, is in his first year as head coach. He took over for Dave Clawson who resigned after leading Richmond to the FCS Semifinals last season to take over as offensive coordinator at Tennessee.

Notes From Around the League

FCS Playoffs: For the first time since 2005, the Ohio Valley Conference placed just one team in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs. Eastern Kentucky earned the league’s automatic bid but no OVC team received an at-large bid. Two other teams (Jacksonville State and Tennessee State) finished with eight Division I victories but did not receive an at-large bid. It marked the first time since the playoffs expanded to 16 teams in 1986 that an OVC team with eight Division I wins did not receive an at-large bid. In 30 years of the FCS playoffs, OVC teams are 27-49 overall. Eastern Kentucky has the league’s best record (16-16) and claimed national championships in 1979 and 1982. The OVC has not won a FCS playoff game since Western Kentucky’s first round victory in 2000.

Four OVC Teams Reach Eight Overall Wins: For the first time in 61 years of competition, the OVC finished the season with eight teams with eight overall victories. The OVC was one of just two FCS conferences to have four or more teams with eight wins (the CAA was the other, who had five teams reach eight or more wins; each of those five CAA teams made the playoffs this season).

Three OVC Teams Ranked: Three OVC teams were ranked in each the Sports Network and FCS Coaches Poll; there will be one more poll following the FCS Championship game. The OVC has not had three teams ranked in the final poll of a season since 2002 when four OVC schools finished the season in the Top 25.

Eastern Kentucky Wins 20th OVC Championship, Makes Record 19th FCS Playoff Appearance: Eastern Kentucky finished the year 7-1 in OVC play and won its record 20th OVC Championship and second in as many seasons. The 20 conference titles are the second most in FCS history (the CAA’s UMass has 21) but the 16 outright conference crowns are the most in FCS history. The OVC Championship secured the team’s automatic bid into the FCS playoffs, the 19th time EKU has played in the event. That is tied for the most all-time (with Montana). EKU claimed the OVC Championship with a head-to-head win over fellow first-place team UT Martin in the final game of the year. It marked the sixth time in the past 17 years (and first time since 2002) that the OVC title was determined in a head-to-head matchup on the final week of the regular season. EKU won the game over UT Martin by a 33-31 margin.

Eastern Kentucky Clinches 31st Consecutive Winning Season, 36th Consecutive Non-Losing Season: Eastern Kentucky enters this weekend with a 7-3 overall record and is assured of its 31st consecutive winning season. That mark is the second longest streak nationally in all of Division I, trailing only Florida State’s 32 consecutive winning seasons (which includes a winning season this year). Eastern has not had a non-winning season since finishing 5-5 in 1977. The Colonels have also clinched their 36th consecutive non-losing season, as you have to go back all the way to 1972 to find a year EKU had a losing season (they were 5-6 that year, the only time in the last 42 years they have had a losing season). Entering the season that was the second-longest streak nationally behind 40 straight years by Michigan; however, Michigan is assured of having a losing season this year, making EKU’s streak now the longest in all of Division I.

Four Different Schools Share Major OVC Awards: The OVC annual awards were announced on Nov. 25 and four different schools shared the four major awards. Tennessee State running back Javarris Williams was named Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 1,037 yards and 15 touchdowns in 10 games. Murray State senior linebacker Nathan Williams was named Defensive Player of the Year after leading every player nationally (all divisions) with 179 tackles. Tennessee Tech wide receiver Tim Benford was named Freshman of the Year after setting TTU records for receptions (68) and touchdowns (10). Eastern Kentucky head coach Dean Hood earned the OVC Roy Kidd Coach of the Year award in his first season with the Colonels. Hood is one of 20 candidates for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year award.

EKU’s Gathof Named Sports Network National Player of the Week: Eastern Kentucky senior defensive back Brandon Gathof was named National Specialist of the Week on Nov. 24 following his outstanding defensive performance against UT Martin. Gathof recorded 12 tackles and had two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown and the other which set up an EKU score. But his biggest play of the game came on the final play of regulation, when he blocked a 45-yard UTM field goal attempt to preserve the 33-31 EKU title and give the Colonels the OVC Championship.

Nathan Williams on Final Ballot for The Sports Network’s Buchanan Award: Murray State senior linebacker Nathan Williams was the only OVC player on the final ballot for The Sports Network’s Buck Buchanan award, which is given to the nation’s top defensive player. Through the end of the regular season, Williams led all FCS players with 14.98 tackles/game, including a game earlier this season where he had 23 tackles. The original lists were released in August and at that time Tennessee State senior running back Javarris Williams was on the Payton list while Eastern Illinois senior defensive lineman Pierre Walters was on the Buchanan list; both fell off this updated release of the lists in October. The final ballots were sent out to a panel of sports information directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries on Nov. 24. The Sports Network awards banquet will be held Dec. 18 in Chattanooga, Tenn., on the eve of before the NCAA Division I national championship game. The Payton Award goes to the FCS national player of the year, with the Buchanan Award honoring the FCS national defensive player of the year. The Eddie Robinson Award, which goes to the FCS national coach of the year, will also be awarded that night. The Sports Network established the Payton and Robinson awards in 1987, and began sponsoring the Buchanan Award in 1995. Georgia Southern quarterback Jayson Foster was the 2007 Payton Award winner, while Montana defensive end Kroy Biermann took home the Buchanan Award.

Five OVC Student-Athletes Named to ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team: Five Ohio Valley Conference football student-athletes were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team as selected by CoSIDA. Two were selected to the first-team and will go on to the national ballot for consideration for Academic All-American while three others were second-team selections. Tennessee Tech had both of the first-team selections which include sophomore offensive lineman Taylor Askew and junior defensive lineman Bradley Thompson. Askew carries a 4.00 in political science while Thompson has a 3.97 in mechanical engineering. Both now move on to the national ballot where they will have the chance to be voted an Academic All-American. The second-team selections included Austin Peay junior offensive lineman Stanley Brooks, Austin Peay senior defensive lineman P.R. Morris and Tennessee State sophomore offensive lineman Charles Sparkman. Brooks carries a 3.56 in criminal justice, Morris holds a 3.56 in agriculture and Sparkman has a 3.92 in communications. 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.

Austin Peay’s Holt Sets OVC Single-Season Kick Return Record for Second Straight Year: For the second straight season, Austin Peay sophomore kick returner Terrence Holt has set the OVC single-season record for kickoff return yardage. Holt finished the season with 1,285 kick return yards, which was more than the 1,104 yards he had as a freshman in 2007 when he initially set the record.

OVC Players at Top of Individual Tackling Performances This Season: OVC linebackers have been making lots of stops this season, as the league’s top tacklers have combined for eight of the top 11 tackling performances among Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) players this season are by OVC players. Those performances include Nathan Williams’ 23 tackles against Illinois State, which is the top tackle performance in FCS football this season. Four times OVC players have recorded 21 tackles in a game, the fourth-highest total in FCS this season: Williams, Nick Stauffer from Southeast Missouri and Alexander Henderson from Jacksonville State (twice). Corey Reed from Tennessee Tech and Stauffer are tied for the eighth-highest total this season (20) and Williams has the 11th highest performance (19).

Dontrell Miller Records Fifth Defensive Touchdown of the Season; UTM Sets NCAA Record for Team Fumble Recoveries for Touchdowns (6): UT Martin junior safety Dontrell Miller now has five defensive touchdowns on the season. Although no official record exists, it believes that the five defensive touchdowns by one player in a season is a NCAA record. Miller returned fumbles for touchdowns against South Florida (64 yards), Murray State (32 yards) and Tennessee Tech (60 yards). He intercepted passes and returned them for touchdowns against Murray State (10 yards) and Tennessee State (25 yards). Previously the record for fumble returns for a touchdown by a team (not an individual) was three by Texas State in 2000. UT Martin has a team has returned six fumbles for a touchdown (Miller’s three, Dorsett Pendleton has two and Chip Martin has one).

Hallford Sets OVC Career Scoring By Kicking Record; Ranks Second on All-Time Scoring List: Jacksonville State senior kicker Gavin Hallford finished his record among the OVC all-time greats in scoring. Earlier this season he pushed past Middle Tennessee’s Garth Petrilli (1991-94) for the most points scored in OVC history by a kicker. He finished his career with 311 points, which is second all-time among all position players. The all-time scoring record (by any position) is 322 by EKU running back Markus Thomas.

Tennessee State Wins Second Annual Sgt. York Trophy: With a perfect 3-0 record in series games in 2008, Tennessee State has won the Sgt. York Trophy for the second year in a row. The 2008 season marks the second for the Sgt. York Trophy, a challenge trophy which will go to the annual winner of the quadrangular season series between the four OVC institutions in the state of Tennessee (Austin Peay, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech and UT Martin). Last summer the Nashville Sports Council and the Ohio Valley Conference announced the creation of the trophy, which is only the second traveling trophy involving more than two schools nationwide (the other is the Commander in Chief’s Trophy). It is named after Sgt. Alvin C. York, a native of Pall Mall, Tenn. and a Soldier who was one of the most honored of World War I. He received the Congressional Medal of Honor after the war and returned to his home state to dedicate his life to improving education and facilitating educational opportunities for children in the state of Tennessee. The trophy goes to the team with the best record against the other schools, and in case of a tie there will be co-champions and the actual trophy will go to the institution that has gone the most seasons without winning the trophy. Last season Tennessee State and Austin Peay finished in a tie for the trophy with identical 2-1 records. Both shared the award but Tennessee State went home with the hardware due to a 1-point win in the head-to-head meeting during the season. After going 3-0 in 2008, Tennessee State now has a 5-1 record in Sgt. York games.

TSU/TTU Crowd is the Sixth Largest to See an OVC Game: On Nov. 1 a crowd of 24,361 turned out at LP Field to see Tennessee State beat Tennessee Tech 41-14. That crowd was the sixth largest to ever see two OVC teams play in a Conference matchup. Those two teams also share the largest OVC crowd when 41,132 showed up on Nov. 6, 1999 to see a contest between the in-state rivals.

OVC Schools Play in Front of Large Crowds: OVC schools played in front of some large crowds this year, including a crowd of 85,365 on Nov. 8 when UT Martin played at Auburn. That marked the second largest crowd to ever see an OVC school play (trailing only the 85,754 that saw Tennessee Tech battle Auburn a year ago). A crowd of 62,305 on Sept. 6 saw Southeast Missouri play at No. 6 Missouri; that crowd is now the 11th largest ever to see an OVC school play. A crowd of 60,131 saw Eastern Illinois play at No. 24 Illinois, which marked the 14th largest crowd to see an OVC school play. A crowd of 50,794 saw Tennessee State play Jackson State at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis on Sept. 13 and 50,428 filled the Georgia Dome on Sept. 27 to see Tennessee State battled Florida A&M. In all, 12 games have had a crowd of 20,000 or more this season including 28,830 for a Tennessee State home game against Southern on Sept. 6 and 24,361 for a Conference game between Tennessee Tech and Tennessee Tech on Nov. 1.

Perrilloux’s 90 Percent Completion Percentage Tops Among FCS Players: In Jacksonville State’s 31-21 victory over Murray State on Oct. 18, junior quarterback Ryan Perrilloux completed 18-of-20 passes (90%). That mark tied the JSU single-game record for completion percentage and is the top performance this season by a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) player.

Young Nets Longest Rush of the Season in FCS Football: UT Martin junior running back Brandyn Young had a 94-yard run for a touchdown in the Skyhawks 29-26 win over Eastern Illinois on Oct. 9. The run is tied for the longest by a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) player in 2008. He matched the mark of Central Connecticut’s James Mallory. The next longest run this season is an 87-yarder.

Seven Former FBS Quarterbacks Starting in the OVC This Season: This season there are currently seven former Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) quarterbacks starting for Ohio Valley Conference schools. That number is the most among all Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) schools, with the Big Sky and MEAC coming in next with four FBS quarterback transfers apiece. The six OVC quarterbacks who transferred from FBS schools are Austin Peay’s T.C. Jennings (Arkansas State), Eastern Illinois’ Bodie Reeder (Wyoming), Eastern Kentucky’s Allan Holland (Wake Forest), Jacksonville State’s Ryan Perrilloux (LSU), Tennessee State’s Antonio Heffner (South Carolina), Tennessee Tech’s Lee Sweeney (Louisville) and UT Martin’s Cade Thompson (South Carolina).

Two OVC Student-Athletes Named Semifinalists for Draddy Trophy: Two Ohio Valley Conference football student-athletes were among the 164 semifinalists for the 2008 Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth, and the candidates for the 2008 NFF National Scholar- Athlete Awards as announced by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) on Wednesday. The two honored were Austin Peay senior defensive end P.R. Morris and Eastern Illinois senior kicker Tyler Wilke. The duo are two of just 43 individuals from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) who were honored. Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, semifinalists must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Established to honor former NFF Chairman Vincent dePaul Draddy, a Manhattan College quarterback who developed the Izod and Lacoste brands, the award comes with a 25- pound bronze trophy and a $25,000 post-graduate scholarship. Neither made the final cut to make the finalist round. Launched in 1959, the NFF scholar-athlete program became the first initiative in history to credit a player for both academic and athletic accomplishments. The Draddy, first awarded in 1990, adds to the program’s mystique, having previously honored two Rhodes Scholars, a Rhodes Scholar finalist and a Heisman winner.

Heffner Named National Offensive Player of the Week by The Sports Network: Tennessee State senior quarterback Antonio Heffner was named the National Offensive Player of the Week by The Sports Network on Sept. 22. Heffner led Tennessee State to a crucial OVC victory over defending champion Eastern Kentucky, completing 20-of-28 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns in the No. 25 Tigers 34-20 victory. With the win TSU improved to 4-0 overall for the first time since the 2001 season. It marked TSU’s first win over Eastern Kentucky since 1999 and only its third win over the Colonels in 19 tries. Heffner, who also carried the ball nine times for 47 yards (360 yards total yards of offense for the game), threw two of his touchdowns in the second half including a 3-yarder to Ronald Evans early in the fourth quarter to put the Tigers up by two scores. His first touchdown came on a 62-yard strike to Brandon Belvin in the first half. It marks the second time this season that Heffner has earned a National Player of the Week honor this season; he earned the same honor from the College Sporting News on Sept. 9 following his team’s win over Southern at the John Merritt Classic.

OVC Strong Against FCS Teams: OVC schools have faired well against fellow Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) competition this year, having completed the non-conference portion of their schedule. OVC schools have compiled a 10-6 record in 16 FCS non-conference matchups (with two of those losses coming against nationally-ranked teams). OVC schools were 0-12 this season against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams and 5-0 against non Division I squads.

Williams Named National Defensive Player of the Week: Murray State redshirt senior linebacker Nathan Williams was named the National Defensive Player of the Week by The Sports Network on Sept. 15. The honor came after Williams posted 23 tackles in the Racers game against Illinois State on Sept. 13. That total is tied for the most nationally at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) this season (with Nathan Totino of Duquesne).

Hansen Sets OVC Record for Single-Game Extra Points: UT Martin junior kicker Tom Hansen set the OVC single-game record for extra points made when he converted on 12 in the Skyhawks 87-21 victory over Concordia (Ala.) on Sept. 11. Hansen broke the record of 10 previously held by four other people, including a 10-make performance by Hansen last year against Murray State. In doing so, Hansen also set the OVC record for consecutive extra points made in a game.

Heffner Named National All-Star of the Week by College Sporting News: Tennessee State quarterback Antonio Heffner was named one of four National All-Stars of the Week by the College Sporting News on Sept. 9 for his performance in the Tigers win over Southern at the John Merritt Classic. Down 11-0 at halftime Heffner led his offense to five straight touchdowns on the first five drives in the second half to give Tennessee State a 34-32 come-from-behind victory and their first victory over Southern in the last three years. The Memphis, Tenn. native would go 23-for-29 passing for 315 yards, completing three touchdown passes (87, 8 and 38 yards) in the first three offensive drives of the second half. He would also add 8 rushes for 68 yards, giving Heffner 383 yards of total offense on the evening.

Holt Sets OVC Single-Game Kickoff Return Record: Austin Peay sophomore Terrence Holt set the OVC’s single-game kickoff yardage record in the opening weekend, returning 250 yards of kicks against No. 2 North Dakota State (Aug. 28). That broke the 11-year old record previously held by UT Martin’s Daniel Ruffin (215 yards against Murray State in 1997). During his freshman season in which he was named an OVC All-Newcomer selection, Holt set the OVC single-season record for kickoff return yardage (1,104), a mark he has also equaled this season.

I-AA No More: Although some people may accidentally 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 retired. Beginning with the 2006 National Championship game, the term Football Championship Subdivision (or FCS) is to be used. FCS is the only Division I football rank to host a NCAA-sponsored national championship (one of 88 championships the NCAA sponsors). The division formerly known as I-A was changed to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and those teams compete for the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) national championship. Teams who play at the FCS level can offer a maximum of 63 scholarships (FBS teams can offer 85) and compete in a 16-team playoff at the end of the season to determine the national champion.

OVCSports.TV: For the third consecutive year, fans can watch nearly every Conference matchup and all non-conference home contests this season at OVCSports.TV. The venture with JumpTV Sports allows fans to access live and on-demand streaming video and audio of all conference matchups on their home computer. The premium Web site was launched in July 2006 and streamed nearly a thousand events in its first two years, including all Conference matchups in football and men’s and women’s basketball as well as select baseball, soccer, softball and volleyball games and OVC Championship events. Packages are available on a yearly, seasonally, monthly or per-event basis.

OVC Looks to Put Two in Playoffs For Third Straight Season: In 2007, the OVC put multiple teams in the FCS playoffs for the second straight year, which marked the first time since the mid-90s that had occurred. Eastern Illinois and UT Martin were playoff participants in 2006 while Eastern Illinois and Eastern Kentucky were participants last season. The OVC has now put multiple teams in the playoffs in three straight years since 1994-96.

Jacksonville State Preseason Favorite Among Coaches/SID’s, Although Three Schools Split First-Place Votes: In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head football coaches and sports information directors, Jacksonville State University has been picked as the 2008 preseason favorite in the nine-team league. The Gamecocks claimed the 2003 and 2004 OVC Championships and were tabbed as the favorites for the second time in history (2005 was the other). Although Jax State was tabbed as the favorites, the votes indicated the pollsters predicted this year’s race should be extremely tight, as the 18 first-place votes were split evenly amongst three schools. JSU received six first-place votes and were followed by 2007 OVC Champion Eastern Kentucky, who was picked second and also received six first-place votes. Eastern Illinois, who was a 2007 at-large selection for the FCS Playoffs, also garnered six first-place votes and was tabbed third. The three teams were separated by just five points, as preseason favorite Jacksonville State ended up with 113 points, Eastern Kentucky followed with 111 points and Eastern Illinois received 108 points. It marked the closest preseason vote in Ohio Valley Conference history.

All-Time Preseason Predicted Order of Finish: Is being picked first in the Conference a good thing for Jacksonville State? If history holds true, then maybe not. In each of the past five seasons, the preseason favorite has not gone on to win the OVC crown. The last team picked to win it all in the preseason and actually accomplish the feat was Eastern Illinois, who did it in back-to-back years (2001 and 2002). In 29 years of preseason polls, the preseason favorite has gone on to win the championship only 12 times (41.4%).

Holland and Walters Headline Preseason All-OVC Team: Eastern Kentucky senior quarterback Allan Holland and Eastern Illinois senior defensive lineman Pierre Walters were tabbed the 2008 Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year in a vote on by the league’s head football coaches and sports information directors. Eastern Kentucky led the way with the most individual selections (5), following closely by four each from Eastern Illinois and Tennessee State. Each of the league’s nine teams had at least one player on the preseason squad. Returning players who were first-team All-OVC picks last season (9 in total) were automatic selections to the preseason team this year. The squad also included eight players who were second-team selections in 2007.

FCS Playoffs: For the 12th straight season, the FCS Championship game was held in Chattanooga, Tenn., this year on Friday, Dec. 19 at Finley Stadium/Davenport Field. The playoffs will begin on Saturday, Nov. 29 and continue with second round games on Dec. 6 and semifinal contests on Dec. 12/Dec. 13 before the title game. Last season the OVC had two teams (Eastern Kentucky and Eastern Illinois) make the playoffs.

New Faces: This season one new head coach makes his debut in the OVC. Eastern Kentucky is under the direction of first-year head coach Dean Hood, who served as an assistant coach for the Colonels from 1994-98, where the team compiled a 32-6 OVC record and made three FCS playoff appearances. Hood was most recently the defensive coordinator at Wake Forest, where the Demon Deacons made an appearance in the 2006 FedEx Orange Bowl and the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl.

NFL Connections: Currently there are 13 former Ohio Valley Conference football players are on NFL rosters for the 2008 season. That includes former EIU standout Tony Romo, who is the starting signal caller for the Dallas Cowboys. Among those players is former TSU defensive back Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who was a first round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals this season. He became only the fourth OVC player selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in 2008. Several NFL head coaches have connections to OVC schools including three current ones who played at Eastern Illinois - Brad Childress (Minnesota), Sean Payton (New Orleans) and Mike Shanahan (Denver). One of the NFL’s newest coaches - Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin - was a former assistant coach at UT Martin, who also got national recognition when a former player and coach, Jerry Reese, was named the general manager of the New York Giants prior to the 2007 season. In his first season as GM, Reese led the Giants to the Super Bowl Championship.

NCAA Rule Changes for 2008: There are several rule changes for the 2008 season that will make noticeable effects on the game. Among them are the banning of "horse-collar" tackles, a simplification of chop blocking rules and the elimination of the 5-yard face mask penalty for incidental contact (it will either be a 15-yard penalty or no foul at all). The major rule change involves the play clock which will have both 40 and 25-second settings. Whenever the ball becomes dead, the play clock will reset to 40 seconds and will start immediately. This includes when a runner is down in the field of play or out of bounds, a fumble out of bounds, backward pass out of bounds and after an incomplete pass. After a team has picked up a first down the game clock will stop but the play clock will go to 40 seconds and will start counting down.