Teleconference Audio
Below is embedded audio from this week's OVC Football Coaches media teleconference. For a listing of this week's games and previews scroll down below the audio links.
This Week’s Schedule
Saturday, November 1
*UT Martin at Murray State, 1:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Eastern Illinois at Tennessee Tech, 1:30 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*#16 Eastern Kentucky at Tennessee State, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN3)
*Austin Peay at #5 Jacksonville State, 3:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
UT Martin Skyhawks (4-5, 3-3 OVC)
at Murray State Racers (3-5, 1-3 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 1 • 1:00 p.m. CT
Roy Stewart Stadium (16,800) • Murray, Ky.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=55006
Series Record:......................... Murray State leads 35-17-1
Last Meeting:...................... UT Martin won 45-17 (11/2/13)
Jason Simpson at UT Martin:........................ 56-44 (9 yrs.)
Jason Simpson Overall:........................................... same
Chris Hatcher at Murray State:....................... 27-26 (5 yrs.)
Chris Hatcher Overall:............................... 121-53 (15 yrs.)
UT Martin Last Week:..................... W, 37-7 vs. Austin Peay
Murray State Last Week:. W, 86-29 vs. Kentucky Wesleyan
GAME NOTES: UT Martin will travel to Murray State for the 54th all-time meeting between the schools located about 50 miles apart. The series has seen a lot of offensive in recent years with the winning team having scored at least 38 points in each of the last 12 meetings. UT Martin has won the last three games and eight of the last nine overall in the series after Murray State won 12-straight from 1993-2004. Last season Murray State jumped out to a 14-0 advantage before UT Martin outscored them 45-3 the remainder of the way including 28-0 in the second half. Jarod Neal completed 18-of-24 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns as Jeremy Butler caught nine passes for 133 yards and two scores. DJ McNeil rushed for 111 yards and two scores for the Skyhawks while Jaamal Berry had 134 rushing yards for the Racers. Tony Bell had 16 tackles and 4.5 sacks for UTM while Thad Williams added two interceptions.
SCOUTING UT MARTIN: UT Martin won its third-straight game by topping Austin Peay 37-7. With the victory the Skyhawks finished 3-0 in Sgt. York Trophy play to claim its second outright title and first since the 2010 season (the team shared the title but did not take home the trophy in 2012); the championship is contested between the four OVC football-playing schools in the state of Tennessee and now in its eighth season. The Skyhawks jumped out to a 23-0 halftime advantage and racked up 496 yards of total offense in the victory. The UTM defense limited APSU to just 170 yards of total offense as All-American Tony Bell helped key the defensive attack. Bell had 11 tackles, two sacks and a quarterback hurry in the victory. After a slow start to the season Bell now ranks second nationally in fumbles recovered (3) and 11th in tackles-for-loss/game (1.7). Overall the UTM defense has held three-straight opponents to under 17 points for the first time since the 2006 season (when the team won the OVC Championship). Abou Toure had 114 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the win; it marked his fifth career 100-plus yards game and his second career multi-touchdown game. Dylan Favre had a season-high 205 yards passing and two scores after Jarod Neal started the game by going 9-of-11 for 55 yards. The game was the last home contest of the season for the Skyhawks who play the final three games of the season on the road.
SCOUTING MURRAY STATE: Murray State shook off a loss to Austin Peay with an 86-29 rout of Division II Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday. The 86 points were a new MSU single-game record and the most points scored in a game by a FCS team in 2014. The Racers also set program records for touchdowns in a game (12) and yards/rush (12.0). The Racers had 720 yards of total offense (the fourth-most by a FCS team this season) and limited KWC to just 14 yards rushing on the evening. Pokey Harris rushed for 176 yards (his first career 100-yard game) and returned a kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown in the game to finish with 251 yards of total offense (the third-most by an OVC player in a game this season). Harris now ranks 10th nationally in rushing yards/carry (6.62) and 23rd in all-purpose yards (146.75 yards/game). DeQavius Walker also returned a kickoff 84 yards for a score while Janawski Davis had a 64-yard punt return for a score for the Racers special teams unit which now has five kickoff/punt returns for scores this season. KD Humphries completed 19-of-23 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns; he ranks eighth nationally in completion percentage (66.9%) and 22nd nationally in passing yards/game (236.1).
Eastern Illinois Panthers (3-5, 3-1 OVC)
at Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (3-5, 2-3 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 1 • 1:30 p.m. CT
Tucker Stadium (16,500) • Cookeville, Tenn.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:........................................
http://bit.ly/1xoY42K
Series Record:.......................... Eastern Illinois leads 14-6
Last Meeting:............... Eastern Illinois won 56-21 (11/2/13)
Kim Dameron at Eastern Illinois:......................... 3-5 (1 yr.)
Kim Dameron Overall:.............................................. same
Watson Brown at Tennessee Tech:................ 36-51 (8 yrs.)
Watson Brown Overall:......................... 130-202-1 (30 yrs.)
Eastern Illinois Last Week:..... W, 28-3 vs. Tennessee State
Tennessee Tech Last Week: L, 49-3 at #6 Jacksonville State
GAME NOTES: Eastern Illinois, 1-4 on the road this year, will travel to Cookeville to face a Tennessee Tech team that is 3-0 at home this season. EIU has won seven of the last nine in the series, with Tech winning back-to-back games in 2010 and 2011. Last season EIU led 28-0 just 19 minutes into the game on its way to a 56-21 victory. Jimmy Garoppolo completed 33 passes for 399 yards and four touchdowns while Erik Lora grabbed 12 of those completions for 119 yards and three scores. Taylor Duncan and Shepard Little combined for 143 rushing yards and two scores for the Panthers. Jared Davis threw three touchdown passes for Tennessee Tech, two of which went to Eric Belew.
SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS: Eastern Illinois won its second-straight OVC contest and kept its hopes of an OVC Championship alive by topping Tennessee State 28-3. The game was a defensive struggle in the first half as the Panthers scored on a Jalen Whitlow to Adam Drake pass early in the second quarter for the only points of the half. The Tigers then added a 42-yard field goal early in the third quarter before a defensive play by EIU turned the tide. With just over two minutes to play in the third quarter, Anthony Goodman picked off a pass and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown, a play that earned him OVC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Goodman now has three career touchdowns, having returned a fumble, blocked punt and interception for a score. After that play the EIU offense scored two more times in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. After not playing in the first half, junior running back Shepard Little carried the ball 12 times for 130 yards (10.8 yards/carry) and a 50-yard touchdown in the second half. His insertion into the lineup helped EIU run for 233 total yards of offense in the second half. Little was named OVC Offensive Player of the Week and in the process became the 15th player in program history to rush for 2,000 yards in a career. Whitlow finished the day with 91 rushing yards and a score to go along with his 76 passing yards and strike to Drake. Whitlow currently ranks 22nd nationally in rushing touchdowns (9) and 35th nationally in total offense (247.3 yards/game). Drake caught four passes for 54 yards for the Panthers and now ranks fourth nationally in receptions/game (7.5) and seventh in receiving yards/game (103.0).
SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: Coming off its biggest victory of the season, a 39-31 come-from-behind win over No. 12 Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee Tech struggled against its fourth nationally-ranked opponent of the season in losing 49-3 at No. 6 Jacksonville State. The Golden Eagles scored the first points of the game on a 33-yard John Arnold field goal with 4:57 to play in the first quarter but would not score again as JSU scored 35 second quarter points in the blowout victory. Tech was limited to just 16 total yards on 16 plays in the second quarter and finished the day with 174 yards of total offense. Quarterback Darian Stone rushed for a team-best 79 yards and completed 7-of-16 passes for 67 yards. Defensively James Huguely and Jay Rudwall had 10 tackles apiece to lead the TTU attack while Marty Jones, last week’s National Defensive Player of the Week, had nine tackles and a pass breakup. Jones currently ranks 31st nationally in tackles/game (9.4) and 12th in interceptions (0.5/game).
#16 Eastern Kentucky Colonels (7-1, 4-1 OVC)
at Tennessee State Tigers (4-5, 1-4 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 1 • 2:00 p.m. CT
LP Field (69,143) • Nashville, Tenn.
TV:...................................................................... ESPN3
Live Stats:.......................................
http://bit.ly/1ww9gxN
Series Record:...................... Eastern Kentucky leads 21-5
Last Meeting:............ Eastern Kentucky won 44-0 (11/2/13)
Dean Hood at Eastern Kentucky:.................. 47-30 (7 yrs.)
Dean Hood Overall:................................................. same
Rod Reed at Tennessee State:...................... 30-26 (5 yrs.)
Rod Reed Overall:................................................... same
Eastern Kentucky Last Week: W, 33-21 vs. Southeast Missouri
Tennessee State Last Week:........ L, 28-3 at Eastern Illinois
GAME NOTES: The top two scoring defenses in the OVC (and two of the top 12 nationally) will meet on Saturday at LP Field in Nashville. A season ago Eastern Kentucky shut out the No. 23 ranked Tennessee State Tigers 44-0 in Richmond. That game had come one year after the Tigers had knocked off the nationally-ranked Colonels with eight seconds to play at Hale Stadium in Nashville. TSU has won three of the past five in the series. In last year’s matchup the Tigers were limited to just 172 yards of total offense in the loss. EKU was led by quarterback Jared McClain who passed for 129 yards and three scores and rushed for a game-high 73 yards. Ronald Butler passed for 101 yards for TSU but was sacked four times.
SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY: Eastern Kentucky bounced back from its loss at Tennessee Tech with a 33-21 victory over Southeast Missouri. It was the seventh win of the season for the Colonels, making them one of 10 FCS teams with seven or more wins on the season. As a team EKU now ranks second nationally in turnovers gained (23) and blocked kicks (6), third in red zone defense (60.0%), fifth in fumbles recovered (11) and blocked punts (2), sixth in passes intercepted (12) and 10th in rushing offense (243.8 yards/game) and kickoff returns (24.58 yards/return). With the 33 points in the game EKU has now scored 30 or more points in six-straight games. After struggling against Tennessee Tech, quarterback Jared McClain was much more efficient against Southeast Missouri, completing 15-of-18 passes for 203 yards and a score and rushing for 27 yards. Junior newcomer Dy’Shawn Mobley led the way with 111 rushing yards and three touchdowns to earn OVC Newcomer of the Week honors for the third time this season. Mobley had touchdown runs of 1, 9 and 13 yards and now ranks 11th nationally in rushing touchdowns (11); Mobley also leads the OVC in rushing yards (922). Sophomore Devin Borders caught five passes for 118 yards and a score; he now has five receiving touchdowns this season and is first nationally in blocked kicks (4). Defensively Kiante Northington had 17 tackles (a team season-high) and an interception in the end zone that ended a Southeast scoring threat in the third quarter. Wide receiver Jeff Glover blocked a punt that he returned for a score in the game; he has now thrown two touchdown passes, caught two touchdown passes and returned the blocked punt for a score.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE: Tennessee State suffered its fourth-straight loss (the first time that has happened to the program since 2011) in falling 28-3 at Eastern Illinois on Saturday. TSU was held without a point in the first half for the first time this season, trailing 7-0 at the break. The Tigers cut into the lead with a 42-yard field goal by Lane Clark with 11:40 to play in the third quarter and the scored remained 7-3 until late in that period. But backup quarterback Ronald Butler was intercepted by Anthony Goodman who returned the pick 46 yards for a touchdown and the game was not close again. The beat-up TSU defense allowed just 76 yards through the air but allowed EIU to rush for 294 yards (233 of those coming in the second half). Darion Hall carried the ball for the first time since Sept. 27 against Florida A&M and finished the game with a team-best 63 yards on 10 carries (6.3 ypc). Starter Michael German passed for 149 yards in the game and now ranks eighth in OVC history in career passing yards (7,485) and ninth in career total offense (7,549). Defensively Mike West and Nick Thrasher each had 10 tackles but TSU failed to get a takeaway from the second-straight game; the team ranks 12th nationally in turnovers gained (19) this season. TSU also continues to rank first nationally in pass defense (123.8 yards/game) and is fifth in total defense (264.4 yards/game) and 10th in scoring defense (17.6 points/game).
Austin Peay Governors (1-7, 1-3 OVC)
at #5 Jacksonville State Gamecocks (6-1, 4-0)
Saturday, Nov. 1 • 3:00 p.m. CT
Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium (24,000) • Jacksonville, Ala.
TV:................................................... OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=62621
Series Record:.................... Jacksonville State lead 15-6-3
Last Meeting:......... Jacksonville State won 42-10 (11/2/13)
Kirby Cannon at Austin Peay:......................... 1-19 (2 yrs.)
Kirby Cannon Overall:............................... 36-105 (13 yrs.)
John Grass at Jacksonville State:...................... 6-1 (1 yr.)
John Grass Overall:................................................. same
Austin Peay Last Week:.................... L, 37-7 at UT Martin
Jacksonville State Last Week: W, 49-3 vs. Tennessee Tech
GAME NOTES: The 25th all-time meeting between Austin Peay and Jacksonville State will take place on Saturday at Burgess-Snow Field in Jacksonville. The two teams have played 24 previous times with the seven most recent (2007-present) coming after the Governors came back to the OVC after playing non-scholarship football. The Gamecocks have won all seven of those meetings by an average margin of 40-13. Austin Peay last won in 1979, 21-13 in Jacksonville. In last year’s meeting Jacksonville State led 28-3 at halftime on its way to a 42-10 victory over the Govs. All-American DaMarcus James tied the OVC record with five rushing touchdowns while Josh Barge caught nine passes for 115 yards for the Gamecocks. The Govs were led by Omar Williams who had 179 rushing yards on 35 carries. Saturday is the annual Homecoming game for Jacksonville State.
SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY: Coming off its first win of the season last week, Austin Peay suffered a 37-7 loss at UT Martin on Saturday, its 29th-straight overall road loss dating back to the 2010 season. Austin Peay was shut out until the fourth quarter when Darien Boone hooked up with Wesley Thomas for a 43-yard touchdown pass; Thomas finished the game with three catches for 50 yards. Boone was one of three different quarterbacks who played; the trio finished the game 10-of-20 for 79 yards and a score. Justin Roberson had a team-best 53 rushing yards while Julian Franklin added 48 yards on the ground. Through eight games this season the Govs have yet to attempt a field goal. Senior punter Ben Campbell punted eight more times and has 71 punt attempts on the season; he set the program record with 87 punts a season ago and already owns the school marks for career punts and punt yardage. The OVC single-season punt record is 93 set in the 1982 season. Defensively junior linebacker Adam Noble had 10 tackles to lead the Govs.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: Jacksonville State won its sixth-straight game (the seventh-longest active streak nationally) and moved up to No. 5 in the national polls. It is the highest-ranking of the season for the Gamecocks and highest national mark since being ranked No. 2 during the 2010 season. After not scoring in the first quarter against Tennessee Tech, JSU exploded for a school-record 35 points in the second quarter on its way to the 49-3 victory. Jax State racked up 596 yards of total offense while limiting TTU to just 174 yards. The rushing attack for the Gamecocks totaled 335 yard with DaMarcus James leading the way with 93 yards and a touchdown. James has now scored a touchdown in 16-straight games against FCS opponents. The team now ranks sixth nationally in rushing (265.4 yards/game) and 11th in total offense (486.6 yards/game) despite facing a tough Michigan State defense the first game of the season (where they were limited to 244 yards of offense by the No. 6 ranked FBS defense in the country). Eli Jenkins completed 11-of-17 passes for 136 yards and a score and rushed for 68 yards. He made way for Georgia transfer Christian LeMay in the second half and LeMay completed 6-of-10 passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 49 yards on five carries (9.8 ypc). Punter Hamish MacInnes was named OVC Specialist of the Week after averaging 50.5 yards on two punts. Defensively senior linebacker Ben Endress had 12 tackles, including a pair of tackles-for-loss in the game.