Good news, bad news

So the good news is, the Samford Bulldogs did what they were supposed to, dispatching D-II Miles College with aplomb, 37-7.

The bad news is Tennessee Tech did nothing for the OVC's standing in the I-AA world, going down at home to UT-Chattanooga 31-7. The Golden Eagles had just 165 yards of total offense, only 59 rushing. UTC had 434 yards in all, 336 of that coming on the ground.

Thursday Gameday

EDIT (8:08 p.m.): If you're checking in here tonight, click on the comments link at the bottom of this post and chime in.
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If you're following the first night of 2006 OVC action online, here are some must-have links for tonight's two games:

Both games, of course, are available via live streaming video from OVCSports.tv.


Miles College at Samford
7 p.m. Central time, Seibert Stadium, Homewood, Ala.

Samford's live game audio from WVSU
Samford Football page
Samford game notes

Miles' live game audio from WAGG
Miles Football page
Miles quick facts


UT-Chattanooga at Tennessee Tech
7 p.m. Central time, Tucker Stadium, Cookeville, Tenn.

Tennessee Tech live game audio from Teamline
Tennessee Tech Football page
Tennessee Tech game notes

UT-Chattanooga live game audio from WGOW
UT-Chattanooga Football page
UT-Chattanooga game notes

If you're following either of these two games, feel free to comment by clicking the "Comment" link below. I'll be at work tonight, so my participation might be minimal. Also, be sure to check in with the wider I-AA world over at AnyGivenSaturday.com.

Football season is here, folks!

Thursday news

Here's what's in papers around the OVC today. First, stories about the teams in action tonight:

The Birmingham (Ala.) News takes a brief looks at Samford's contest tonight against Miles College. The paper says Samford's passing attack may be challenged by an experienced Miles Secondary.

The (Cookeville, Tenn.) Herald-Citizen says Doug Malone, Tennessee Tech's acting head coach, is adjusting to the idea that he'll be on the sidelines and not in the booth at tonight's opener with UT-Chattanooga.

Now, for the rest of the league:

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle says Austin Peay State's offensive line is a force to be reckoned with this fall.

The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier has a trio of Eastern Illinois stories today. First, an update on coach Bob Spoo, whose surgery Tuesday in St. Louis appears to have gone well. Another story says EIU and Illinois players used to get together for pickup 7-on-7 sames a few years ago, but stopped after things got a little testy between the teams. Eastern apparently is going in with the right mindset: “I don’t want people to use it as an excuse Saturday when we beat them that they’re going through a coaching change,” linebacker Donnell Thomas told the paper. “I want them to bring their best because we’re bringing our best come Sept. 2.” In a cloumn today, sports editor Brian Nielsen says the game against Illinois is drawing much more media attention the Panthers' way this week. That's ironic, he notes, because as big a game as this is, the dates against Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State mean much more.

He's right about that attention, too. Here's two EIU stories I've found: The Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star looks at local product Jon Rueter, now a senior right guard for the Panthers. The Springfield (Ill.) Journal-Register carries the same story.

The Richmond (Ky.) Register today looks at EKU's special teams units, a group that acquitted itself well last year despite a lack of experience. Now, all the specialists are back and ready to their part in the hunt for an OVC title for the Colonels.

The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only) today looks at the big question mark in Jax State's offense: backup quarterback Shea Allen. The redshirt freshman plans to give the best answer he can in the Gamecocks' opener Saturday at Furman. Coach Jack Crowe plans to play him in the third series of the game, if all is going well.

The Gadsden (Ala.) Times, meanwhile, looks at JSU's #1 quarterback, Matt Hardin, who plans to answer questions about his size (he's listed at 5' 8 ") with touchdown passes.

The Murray (Ky.) Ledger & Times notes that sophomore Ryne Salyer will start at quarterback in Saturday's opener at Missouri. Coach Matt Griffin made the call on Monday. Salyer played in every game of the Racers' 2-9 season in 2005, starting in five games.

The (Nashville) Tennessean says Javarris Williams has his regained his starting running back slot. Williams became the #2 back behind Maurice Young when he showed up to camp out of shape. Apparently the coaches kicked his butt in camp, and now he's ready to go Saturday against Alabama A&M.

The Huntsville (Ala.) Times, meanwhile, looks at all the transfers TSU will have when it lines up accross from A&M. Sportswriter Reggie Benson calls them "Division I transfers." While that's technically correct, I'm sure he means "I-A transfers." TSU is a Division I team, Reggie, as is A&M.

And the Jackson (Tenn.) Sun finally checks in on the UT-Martin Skyhawks, just as the season is set to begin. The paper says new head coach Jason Simpson is happy to be worrying about football after some off-thefield shenanigans during the offseason. In another story, the paper says freshman Markei Guy has a lot to adjust to at UTM: the speed of the college game, a new position (he's a cornerback, after playing running back in high school). He won't however, have to adjust the stadium or life in a dorm. Guy played for Westview High, which uses UTM's stadium for home games, and he's still living with his folks.

TSN says OVC to go 2-7 in Week 1

First, the good news: Matt Dougherty's published his weekly "Extra Point" column over at The Sports Network, including his top-to-bottom predictions for every game.

The bad news: Dougherty picks the OVC to go 2-7 in Week One. The only victories he predicts are Samford over D-II Miles College and Southeast Missouri State over an Austin Peay State team that will have 30 players under scholarship.

Matt predicted just the winner for four games: Samford over Miles, SEMO over APSU, Missouri over Murray State and Ohio over UT-Martin.

He gave the following score predictions for the remaining games:

Cincinnati 28, Eastern Kentucky 21
Illinois 24, Eastern Illinois 10
UT-Chattanooga 38, Tennessee Tech 30
Alabama A&M 21, Tennessee State 10
Furman 24, Jacksonville State 17

It's interesting to note that Matt picks every one of those games with a two-touchdown or smaller margin of victory, even the I-A games. The average predicted margin is 9.4 points. With all those games expected to be that tight, will the OVC really lose them all? I'm not really into making predictions (I prefer to pick apart the predictions of others), but I think the OVC does better than 2-7 this week.

Wednesday papers

Here's what papers around the OVC have on league teams this morning:

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf-Chronicle says Austin Peay State's players are tired of hitting eachother; they're ready for their Saturday contest against Southeast Missouri State. Another story says both teams are adjusting to new realities: APSU to players once again getting scholarships to play, and SEMO to new coach Tony Samuel.

The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Couier examines the perceived differences between Eastern Illinois and "Big Brother" Illinois. The Illini apparently aren't taking the defnding OVC champs lightly. Unfortunately, sportswriter Mark Tupper stumbles right out of the gate, saying Illinois "plays in the NCAA's upper echelon, Division I" while EIU "is a Division I team." Mark, both teams play in Division I, which has two subclassifications. I-A and I-AA. Another story surveys the state of starting quarterback slots throughout the OVC.

The game has brought EIU a little extra attention in the state. The (Bloomington, Ill.) Pantagraphs carries a story on former high school teammates who will face off against eachother for the Pathers and Illini. The (Mount Carmel, Ill.) Daily Republican Register carries a short note about EIU in its state football roundup today. The Peoria Journal Star also has a shorty, focusing on coach Bob Spoo's likely absence.

The Richmond (Ky.) Registers exmaines Eastern Kentucky's secondary, coached by former Tennessee State defensive coordinator Orlando Mitjans.

The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only) analyzes Jacksonville State's opening matchup against Furman. Getting past the Paladins has been a fixation for JSU's program since December 2004, when the teams met in the first round of the playoffs. The Gamecocks got waxed in that one, 49-7, but last year's season opener was much tighter, with a 37-35 Furman victory. The Star says the teams are mirror images this year, both replacing starting quarterbacks and adjusting their offensive styles accordingly.

The Southeast Missourian, like the JGTC above, examines the league's quarterbacks. Apparently it was a topic of discussion in the the OVC coaches' teleconference this week.

The (Nashville) Tennessean says Tennessee State's six I-A transfers all will start in Saturday's opener against Alabama A&M. In a column, Mike Organ praises TSU's practice of honoring its seniors at a pre-season luncheon rather than the final home game. Better to applaud the vets while the year still holds promise than later, when their fate is largely sealed, Organ says.

Tuesday ink

Here's what's online about the OVC from newspapers around the league today:

The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier says Eastern Illinois will have a lot of experience on the field when the Panthers line up against Illinois Saturday. Only one starter is new to the team, Minnesota transfer Micah Rucker, and seven starters return on both sides of the ball. Meanwhile, the Illini list 10 rookies on their depth chart, and may start three freshmen. Is that enough to even the odds in a I-A vs. I-AA matchup. To answer pantherblue's question: I like EIU's chances in this one.

The Richmond (Ky.) Register looks today at the Eastern Kentucky linebackers, one of the team's younger units.

The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only) says Jacksonville State is hoping to play smarter against Furman on Saturday than it did in last year's opener. Star sports editor Scott Adamson's column today heaps praise on Jax State for opening against a team such as Furman, and on I-AA and its playoffs, which give teams the confidence to schedule tough non-conference competition, unlike the poll-enslaved teams in I-A.

The Gadsden (Ala.) Times also previews JSU's matchup with Furman, with a look back to last year's heartbreaking loss.

Contrast the Star's column above with this one: The Birmingham (Ala.) News' Mike Perrin says Samford's matchup with D-II Miles College Thursday night is a victory for both schools.

The Southeast Missourian says SEMO will have a more experienced lineup on the field against Austin Peay State on Saturday, with 11 seniors and juniors starting.

Tnnessee State will release its depth chart today, according to a story in the (Nashville) Tennessean.

The (Cookeville, Tenn.) Herald-Citizen says Jims Ledford and Alec Hatson will anchor a Tennessee Tech offensive line that hopes to get its hits in when the season starts against Chattanooga Saturday.

Eyes & ears

At long last, it's game week. And it's the week of our first OVC Game of the Year, at that.

Eastern Kentucky opens the season at Cincinnati on Saturday in a game that readers of the OVC Football Blog said was the biggest matchup of the season between an OVC team and a I-A team.

Given that, I'm looking for readers who are planning to be at the game on Saturday, who can give us firsthand reports of the actiont Cincy. I'd love to have digital pictures from the game, and if you can use a cell phone to send text messages and/or photos live from the stands that would be good, too. If you're interested, please send an e-mail to ovc@cableone.net.

Monday paper

After that deluge yesterday, I find just one OVC story online today:

The Richmond (Ky.) Register looks today at Eastern Kentucky's defensive line, anchored by senior Mark Cristiani, who plays left tackle. Cristiani, the story says, was a bit disappointed with his squad's performance last year. After all, they were only second in the league in total defense with 328 yards per game, second in rushing defense with 138 yards per game and second in sacks with 26.

Low expections

The Sports Network's I-AA writer, Matt Dougherty, has handicapped the conferences and predicted the 2006 playoff field, all the way down the title game in Chattanooga (he predicts an Appalachian State repeat with a victory over Cal-Poly). He's also ranked the 12 I-AA conferences. The OVC comes in at seventh, just behind the fifth-ranked Southern Conference and the #6 Southland.

In the Ohio Valley section, Dougherty begins by saying three league teams are capable of making it into the playoffs - Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State. He then proceeds to tell us EKU will and the others won't. "The nonconference games will keep Eastern Illinois and Jacksonville State from advancing to the playoffs," Matt says. Meanwhile, the Colonels "have the schedule to get it done."

For the record, here are the non-conferernce games for each team.
EKU: Cincinatti, Western Kentucky, Western Carolina
EIU: Illinois, Indiana State, Illinois State, Hawaii
JSU: Furman, Mississippi State, Chattanooga

Matt apparently is predicting the Panthers and Gamecocks won't be able to hang with their non-con opponents, while the Colonels are expected to have little trouble. That's an interesting assumption. If you take losses to the I-A opponents as a given (with Cincy and the Fighting Illini, that's debateable), EIU definitely falls a game behind. Western Carolina, Indiana State and Chattanooga all are beatable, with UTC probably the toughest of those three. Illinois State is expected to be strong, Furman has their annual preseason top-5 spot locked up, and Western Kentucky is never a slouch, especially when playing Eastern. We'll have to see how it plays out.

Of course, Matt's prediction of EKU as OVC champs also assumes they'll be able to survive the games against EIU and JSU. That's another big assumption.

Oh, and as for the Colonels in the playoffs: Matt says they draw a visit to Appalachain State in the first round, losing 31-24.

Sunday stories

With the first week of the season upon us and with many papers' college football previews coming out today, the Web is chock-full of OVC stories. Here's what I've found:

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle says Austin Peay State is glad to have finished camp Saturday. The Govs get today off, then Monday they'll start classes and preparations for the opener against Southeast Missouri State. A short item at the end of the story notes that Jeff Sagarin thinks APSU is the worst team in Division I - almost. Sagarin ranked the Govs 240th out of 241, ahead of only Butler.

The Richmond (Ky.) Register continues its day-by-day look at different units of the Eastern Kentucky squad. Today it's the offensive line, where coach Danny Hope has done a little tinkering to get a little more experience and athleticism up front.

The Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader's college preview has a look at EKU, with a story on Patrick Bugg's transformation from a redshirt freshman recruited to play quarterback to an all-American tight end. There's also a scouting report and a list of five players to watch. The Herald-Leader also previews Murray State's season, with a look at the changes new coach Matt Griffin has wrought on the team. Again, a scouting report, and a list of five players to watch.

The Lousiville (Ky.) Courier-Journal also has a college preview today with a story on EKU and Josh Greco's transformation from mistake-prone freshman to OVC offensive player of the year. The Courier-Journal also looks at Murray State, and like the Herald-Leader focuses on Matt Griffin's turnaround project. There's also a run-down on the rest of the league, schedules for every team, and last year's final standings. Nice job by the Courier-Journal.

The (Columbia) Missourian, in a preview of Missouri's season, says a Murray State adminstrator hopes the Racers return from their Saturday visit to Mizzou with a check and no dead players.

The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only) has a story on Jacksonville State's Josh Cain, a redhsirt freshman walk-on who has impressed the coaches enough to earn a spot on the Gamecocks' travel roster. The Star's college preview also is out today, but I can't find it anywhere on the paper's Web site. There's a four-story, eight-page section on JSU. One story says JSU is counting on an improved defense to bring the Gamecocks another OVC championship. Coach Jack Crowe says improved salaries for assistant coaches could help the school retain staff, and keep winning those conference titles. There's also a look at the QB-WR combo of Matt Hardin and Josh Moten, plus a feature on senior safety Kenny Brown, who put off the NFL draft to give JSU one more year.

The Birmingham (Ala.) News also previews the college season today. There's a story on Samford's defense being the key to the Bulldogs' title hopes, ratings for the each of the team's units, and a list of "top 5" lists with a lot of JSU and Samford items. Pretty weak offering for a big paper with two OVC teams in its coverage area. The news should look to the Courier-Journal to see how it's done.

The Huntsville (Ala.) Times has a short item on Jax State in its football preview, and the The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News includes AP stories on Samford and Jax State in its college preview.

The Southeast Missourian has a story on SMEO starting quarterback Kevin Ballatore, leading the Redhawks after sitting out much of 2005 with a broken foot. In a column where he predicts the outcome of Arkansas' 2006 season, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Rob Keys says SEMO, "a bunch of homecoming chumps," will go down to the Razorbacks 44-6, with no discussion of the two teams whatsover in his his prediction.

And, last but not least, today's Chicago Sun-Times carries a story on Eastern Illinois tarting the season without coach Bob Spoo, in a roundup of state teams.

EDIT (12:24 p.m.): I missed The (Nashville) Tennssean's excellent football preview. It includes a look at Tennssee State's big changes for 2006, APSU's impending return to the OVC, the beginning of the Doug Malone era at Tennessee Tech, capsules for all OVC teams, Tennessee State coach James Webster's three biggest concerns (in PDF), and the sports staff's prediction for a variety of things in 2006, including the OVC champion (six votes for EKU, one for EIU) (also in PDF)

Whew. Just five days to go, folks. Hang in there.

Saturday news

It's a light day for news around the OVC:

The Richmond (Ky.) Register carries a look at Eastern Kentucky's corps of receivers, led by all-American tight end Patrick Bugg. The group will try to maintain last year's production as top passing offense, but they'll do it without wide receiver Andre Ralston who set school records for career receptions with 165 and career receiving yards with 3,095.

With the papers empty, here's a quick roundup of items at the teams' officials sites:

Jacksonville State set its two-deep depth chart after Thursday's scrimmage. Samford got started preparing for Miles College on Friday.

UTC coach disses OVC in remarks on move

UT-Chattanooga coach Rodney Allison, in remarks to a Civitan Club this week, said he'd rather his team stay put than move to the OVC. According to the Chattanooga Times-Free Press, he said. "I think the Southern Conference is the SEC of Division 1-AA. I didn't come here to beat Jacksonville State." The paper appears to have already archived the story, but it's available at MocFans.com, a fan forum. Understandably, it's generated some discussion.

EDIT (Aug. 25, 9:42 p.m.): I got a Google alert with a link to the TFP story. Here it is, if you're interested.

I won't dispute the strength of the SoCon. Some of its teams are and have been powerhouses. UTC isn't among those programs, however. And I don't think they would automatically be among the OVC's top teams, either. The Mocs were better last year, yes, but they're not all that far removed from 65-20 and 52-34. They beat JSU and Tennessee Tech last year by a combined 10 points. I'd pick them fourth, maybe third, if they were in the OVC this year.

Would a school make a decision like this over the stated desires of its coach? Of course, there are other sports to consider besides football. The Mocs would fit in the OVC just fine in men's basketball, though they might be a bit surprised at the full arenas in places like Murray and Cape Girardeau.

Friday's news

Here's what the papers have on the OVC today:

The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier says Eastern Illinois coach Bob Spoo was at the Panthers' practice Thursday, ahead of surgery planned for Tuesday. The school says Spoo will miss four to six weeks as he recovers. Spoo told the paper his goal is to be back by the Panthers' OVC opener Sept. 23 at Samford.

As if having 2005 OVC player of the year Josh Greco at quarterback wasn't enough, the Richmond (Ky.) Register says Eastern Kentucky will have a serious triple threat at running back this season. Returning starter Mark Dunn is joined by redshirt freshman C.J. Walker and N.C. State transfer Bobby Washington.

Speaking of threats at running back, The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only), says Jacksonville State star Clay Green gave everyone a scare at Thursday's scrimmage. Green left the field with a knee injury midway through the practice game, though he remained on the sidelines and walked around without a noticeable limp afterward, the paper said. Green expects to play at Furman Sept. 2. And if that happens during a real game, it'll be Green #2 stepping in for Green #1. JSU coach Jack Crowe confirmed the team will play true freshman Shawn Green this season. Former #2 back Markus Douglas is said to have left the team because of the decision. If the coaches still had any doubt their decision, it was likely gone after Green #2 returned the scrimmage's opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown.

Southeast Missouri State has signed a deal to play the Big East's Cincinatti Bearcats in 2007 and 2009, the Southeast Missourian reports. Maybe UC is looking to join the OVC? They open the 2006 season against Eastern Kentucky next week.

The (Nashville) Tennessean says Tennessee State will head to LP Field Saturday for a run-though of what they expect in their Sept. 2 season opener against Alabama A&M. Also, the Tennessean's had an item Thursday I missed - a short report on Austin Peay and its return to scholarship ball and the OVC. I've also missed two columns from TSU beat writer Mike Organ - one on the Tigers' improved offense, and another on coach James Webster being anxious to start the season.

Thursday news

Here's what's in the papers around the OVC today:

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle says Austin Peay State's defensive line has dialed it up a notch over the last few days, which has helped spark the rest of the defense to better performance in practice.

The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier says Eastern Illinois players were "stunned" at the news that coach Bob Spoo will miss four to six weeks of the season to recover from surgery that is scheduled for Tuesday. In a column, sports editor Brian Nielsen says among the orders Spoo left behind was to play loud music through the stadium speakers at the Panthers' Wednesday practice, to prepare for the noise of their Sept. 2 opener at Illinois.

The Richmond (Ky.) Register says neither Josh Greco nor his coaches are surprised at the junior quarterback's achievements since a disastrous start as a freshman two years ago. The Sports Network Wednesday named Greco him to its watch list for the Payton Award, which honors I-AA's best player annually.

The Murray (Ky.) Ledger & Times says coach Matt Griffin gave no clue at Murray State's media Day Wednesday as to who the Racers' starting quarterback would be in the opener at Missouri Sept. 2.

Samford coach Bill Gray, meanwhile, told The Birmingham News that Jefferson Adcock will retain his job at the Bulldogs' starting QB. Alex Mortenson, who transfered from Arkansas, is third on the depth chart, the paper says.

The (Nashville) Tennessean says Tennessee State running back Javaris Williams showed up a little out of shape when he reported to camp, and that the coaches have responded by having him run. And run. And run some more. Another story says coach James Webster is planning for the Tigers' Sept. 2 opener with Alabama A&M, and trying to avoid another loss to the Bulldogs.

The (Cookeville, Tenn.) Herald-Citizen says Lee Sweeney was named Tennessee Tech's starting quarterback after Wednesday's scrimmage, the Golden Eagles' last before an Aug. 31 visit from UT-Chattanooga.

Three OVC players on Payton, Buchannan watch lists

The Sports Network has named Eastern Kentucky quarterback Josh Greco and Jacksonville State running back Clay Green to its Payton Award watch list, and Eastern Illinois linebacker Clint Sellers to its Buchannan Award list.

The Walter Payton Award honors I-AA's top player each year, and the Buck Buchannan Award goes to the division's top defensive player. The Sports Network administers the awards, voted on by I-AA media outlets and sports information directors. The watch lists will undergo three revisions throughout the season, with the winners announced in Chattanooga on Thursday, Dec. 14, the week of the NCAA Championship game. The official Payton Watch page is here. Click here for the official Buchannan Battle page.

Greco is a junior, in his third season starting for the Colonels. In 2005 he passed for 2,861 yards and 25 touchdowns on his way to being honored as the OVC offensive player of the year. An EKU release on his selection is here.

Green, now a senior, ran for 1,352 yards with the Gamecocks in 2005, the second-highest single-season total in school history. He added 562 yards on kick returns to rank second nationally in I-AA for all-purpose yards. A JSU release on Green's selection is here.

Sellers, now a senior, led the Panthers n 2005 with 121 tackles, 13 tackles for lost yardage, two fumble recoveries and five interceptions. He was #2 nationally in I-AA with 7.33 solo tackles per game.
An EIU release on Sellers selection is here.

Spoo back to surgery, out 4-6 weeks

Eastern Illinois announced today that head coach Bob Spoo will miss four to six weeks of the season, as he returns to a St. Louis hospital for surgery on Tuesday.

The school did not release details of Spoo's medical condition. The 68-year-old coach missed two days of camp last week for what was described as a minor procedure. The 2006 season is Spoo's 20th at EIU.

Assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mark Hutson will lead the defending OVC-champion Panthers in Spoo's absence. EIU opens play at Illinois Sept. 2.

Spoo is the second OVC coach to hand over the helm for health reasons this year. Tennessee Tech's Mike Hennigan stepped aside because of an undisclosed ailment in July. Doug Malone now is leading the Golden Eagles.

Here's the official school release on Spoo's absence, and here's an AP story at The Sporting News' Web site.

Here's hoping Spoo comes through OK.

Wednesday morning papers

Here's what's in papers around the OVC this morning:

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle reports on Austin Peay State's Tuesday scrimmage , in which the defense apaprently kept the offense under wraps. There's also a note at the end of the story about the NCAA's decsision to do away with the I-A and I-AA labels in Division I football. Writer James. D. HOrne does a good job of explaining things, up until he write that AP is "a full Division I member in every sport except football." No, James. It's every sport. Division I-AA football is Division I football. That's what the "I" in "I-AA" is for. And that's the other reason, for some reason not mentioned very much, that the NCAA made this move - because sportswriters, the general public and even I-AA team staff members keep misunderstanding that.

The Leaf Chronicle also says an anonymous donor who'd pledged a multi-million dollar gift to the Govs' football program has died, and the school won't be getting the money after all. APSU President Sherry Hoppe says the school has raised plenty of money for the program without the gift, and that not getting won't affect the Govs' jump back into scholarship-backed play.

The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only) says Jacksonville State coach Jack Crowe was mightily displeased with the team's performance in a Tuesday night scrimmage. Are they ready to face #5 Furman on Sept. 2? "Not by a long shot," Crowe told the paper. How much of that is coach-speak, and how much reflects reality? Who knows. Freshman running back Shawn Green, from nearby Weaver High School, might get to play this fall after all. Crowe is second-guessing his decision to redshirt Green after a 99-yard, 2-touchdown performance in Tuesday's scrimmage.

The (Cookeville, Tenn.) Herald-Citizen says Tennessee Tech is flush with options at quarterback after suffering through half of 2005 without its original starter Robert Craft, who went out with a knee injury. The guy who started the rest of the season, Stephen Britton, is back after an off-season injury of his own, and appears to have his job back. There are three other guys behind him on the depth chart who were vying for the starting job until Britton's return, the paper says.

The (Memphis, Tenn.) Commercial Appeal drops in on UT-Martin for a check on the Skyhawks' chances at the OVC title. The paper says those chances might be better than anyone's giving the team credit for, as new coach Jason Simpson inherits a strong team from Matt Griffin, who left for Murray State. It's nice to see the attention for Martin from a major-city paper, but as is always a danger in these cases, there's a big error. The writer, Bryan Brasher, says Simpson was offensive coordinator at UT-Chattanooga, which finished 6-5 in the OVC last year. Bryan, the Mocs haven't decided to join the OVC yet, though they're thinking about it. Regardless, they were definitely in the Southern Conference last year, where that 6-5 record is even more impressive.

Tuesday news

Here's what's online this morning:

The Birmingham (Ala.) News has a column from Mike Perrin this morning on Jacksonville State's star running back Clay Green, and his time growing up the son of a Birmingham police detective.

The Southeast Missourian has a report on SEMO's Monday scrimmage; coach Tony Samuel says the Redhawks' offense showed improvement.

The (Nashville, Tenn.) City Paper has a story on the work-in-progress that is Tennessee State's defensive line.

The (Cookeville, Tenn.) Herlad-Citizen has a report on Tennessee Tech's Monday scrimmage. It seems coach Doug Malone is going to have a hard time picking his starting quarterback for the opener against Chattanooga on Aug. 31.

Monday news

It's a light day for OVC in papers around the league today:

The (Charleston, Ill. ) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier says Eastern Illinois players are happy to have coach Bob Spoo back after a minor medical proocedure last week. The paper says returning starter Mike Donato is leading the race for the No. 1 QB job against Ball State transfer Cole Stinson. Senior lineman Steve Sobolewski has moved to center, the paper says.

Two OVC teams got a little love today from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The paper talks with new Southeast Missouri State Coach Tony Samuel about his plan to break the mentality of losing. There's also a look at the defending OVC champs, EIU. Spoo says the Panthers likely won't sneak up on anyone again this year.

Murray State has a report on the Racers' Sunday practice. Samford has an announcement about its fall broadcast schedule, including a new coach's TV show on Saturdays, available in Charter cable markets in Alabama. SEMO has a report on this weekend's scrimmage, postponed to Sunday after rough weather Saturday. Tennessee State also reports on a weekend scrimmage. Tennessee Tech has an extensive report on its Saturday scrimmage.

Sunday news

Here's the ink on the OVC in today's papers:

Austin Peay running back Chris Fletcher had a good scrimmage Saturday, according to the (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle, with 81 yards on 10 carries. The rest of the offense had a little trouble, however, with six fumbles, five of which were recovered by the defense.

The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal checks in on Eastern Kentucky today, with a story on defenseive linemen, Mark Cristiani and Cardius Dowell, who've lost their front teeth playing the game. I imagine all they want for Christmas is a I-AA title.

The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only) has a story on Jacksonville State's true freshman linebacker Andrew Ridgeway, who impressed the coaches in Saturday's scrimmage. Looks like he's ready for the 56-man roster. The rest of the Gamecocks, meanwhile, aren't ready for Furman yet, according to coach Jack Crowe, who was unhappy with the offense's performance.

The (Nashville) Tennessean continues to make things right with Tigers fans, with another story in today's paper. Today's is on Mark Drew, a 23-year-old walk-on who's getting a chance at a starting linebackers' spot.

AGS returns

Anygivensaturday.com is now back up. Disaster averted.

Saturday notes so far

Samford has a report up about the Bulldogs' Saturday morning scrimmage. Looks like coach Bill Gray has his pick of three decent quarterbacks to start against Miles, as Jefferson Adcock, Alex Mortenson, Dante Williams all did well this morning, though Williams' didn't throw for quite the number of yards as the other two.

Here's a bad sign - anygivensaturday.com appears o be having some major difficulty this afternoon. The forum brings up a 404 - Not found error, and the main page carries the message "there is no website configured at this address." I hope this is temporary and that it gets fixed soon. With less than two weeks to go before the I-AA season starts there could be a lot of fans out there going throughh serious AGS withdrawl.

EDIT (12:54 p.m.): In case you were wondering, I found no OVC news in the papers this morning.

Friday night notes - Saturday is scrimmage central

Here's what OVC teams have up on their Web sites this evening. Nearly every team in the league plans a scrimmage for Saturday:

Austin Peay is preparing for a Sturday scrimmage, the Governors' second (that's a PDF file). They'll have another Tuesday, as coach Carroll McCray tries to season a team with just four seniors and eight juniors.

Eastern Illinois has turned a 7 p.m. Saturday scrimmage into a 10:30 a.m. Saturday practice. It'll be the team's final practice before classes begin at EIU Monday. Coach Bob Spoo was back with the team Friday after a minor medical procedure in St. Louis on Wednesday.

Eastern Kentucky has an update on the Colonels' second week of camp. They'll also scrimmage on Saturday, with classes starting at EKU Monday.

Jacksonville State has nearly filled out its 56-man travel roster in advance of the opener Sept. 2 at Furman. The Gamecocks also will scrimmage Saturday, at 10:30 a.m.

Samford cancelled its second practice Friday to give players a chance to rest going into a Saturday scrimmage, set for 9 a.m. As always, there's a new photo album.

Southeast Missouri's getting ready for some scrimmage action on Saturday, too. It's at 6 p.m.

Friday press

Here's what's online from newspaper Web sites around the OVC this morning:

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle asys the defense dominated in an Austin Peay scrimmage Thursday. Kelvin Young set the tone on the first play, intercepting a pass from quarterback Mark Cunningham. Also, in a roundup of other APSU stuff, the paper says former linebacker Russ Coffee was surprised to learn he was the team's new placekicker. An APSU release (which for some reason is in PDF format) says Coffee's footwork Thursday was an audition for the spot.

The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only) says Jacksonville State defensive end Greg Green is upset over ending the 2005 season without recording a single sack. Apparently he plans to take his frustration out on OVC quarterbacks. The Star also says freshman running back Shawn Green will redshirt this season. Coaches were so impressed with Green early in camp they'd considered putting him on the field this year. Also, coach Jack Crowe's house in Anniston apparently is being used to film scenes for a movie. A JSU release says Crowe thinks the Gamecocks were inconsistent in a Thursday scrimmage. The only "great" part of the team was the kicking game, he said.

Bravo to The (Nashville) Tennesean! They've got a Tennessee State story for the fourth day this week. And for the second consecutive day it didn't take a I-A transfer player to get the Tigers some ink. Today's story profiles Daniel Williams, who is moving from his old starting fulback slot to defense, as an outside linebacker. Sounds like he's got the right attitude about it. When asked if the move bothered him, Williams told the paper, "Not as long as I still get to hit people."

The (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) Daily News Journal says Tennessee Tech's Sept. 16 visit to Middle Tennessee State will be broadcast on ESPNU. Meanwhile, TTU has a Q&A with senior offensive lineman Brandon Waters, who says Eastern Kentucky will be Tech's toughest OVC opponent this season. Oh, and he's afrais of snakes.

Meanwhile, from team Web sites:

Eastern Illinois says its Sept. 9 home contest against Indiana State will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Midwest. All other home games will be carries live on WEIU, the university's PBS station.

Murray State unveiled a new helmet design Thursday, replacing the six-year-old "M-and-horse" design with the word "RACERS" in yellow on the dark blue helmet. There's even a photo album of the new design from different angles.

Samford has a short rlease up from Thursday's practice, along with another photo album.

TSN says Colonels will be promoted to postseason

The Sports Network, the only national sports news organization to completely cover I-AA football, has predicted Eastern Kentucky to win the Ohio Valley Conference for 2006. Matt Dougherty, TSN's director of I-AA coverage, says a veteran offense is likely to lead the Colenels to the team's first postseason appearance in eight seasons and the team's 34th consecutive winning season.

Dougherty's picks for order-of-finish in the rest of the league, posted Thursday, closely follow what OVC coaches and sports information director predicted in July. He swaps only UT-Martin and Murray State into fifth and sixth place respectively, and puts Tennessee Tech at seventh and Tennessee State at eighth. Coaches and SIDs predicted the Golden Eagles and Tigers would tie for seventh place.

Here's TSN's full predicted order of finish:

1. Eastern Kentucky
2. Eastern Illinois
3. Jacksonville State
4. Samford
5. UT-Martin
6. Murray State
7. Tennessee Tech
8. Tennessee State
9. Southeast Missouri State

It's interesting that the predictions don't exactly match Dougherty's slotting of OVC teams in his top-to-bottom ranking of all 122 I-AA teams back in July. Murray State was the eighth-highest-ranked OVC team then. I guess the Racers' stock is on the rise.

Dougherty's exhaustive, team-by-team analysis is a must-read for OVC fans. He picks EKU quarterback Josh Greco as the league's offensive player of the year. EIU linebacker Clint Sellers is his defensive player of the year.

Thursday papers

Here's what's online today around the OVC:

The (Claksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle has two Austin Peay stories today. One looks at the Gov's conditioning and their preparation for a scrimmage today at 4 p.m. The other compares Chris Fletchers rapping ability with his running ability - he has 2,018 yards in two seasons with the Govs.

The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier syas Eastern Illinois coach Bob Spoo may be back at practice today or Friday. An undisclosed medical procedure in St. Louis appears to have gone well, offensive coordinator Mark Hutson told the paper. The story also says the defense stymied the offense throughout a Wednesday scrimmage, yielding only a single field goal.Despite that, coaches singled out wide receiver Micah Rucker for praise. Defensive coordinator Ric Bellantoni said "I'm glad he's on our team. I know if we can't cover him nobody else in the OVC will."

There's also an Associated Press story out on AP today, available at The Sporting News' web site. It chornicles the return of scholarship ball to Clarksville. Nice read.

The Southeast Missourian takes a look at two players, Stevelan Harper and Clinton Jones, who followed coach Tony Samuel from New Mexico State to Southeast Missouri. Sportswriter Marty Mishow gets special mention for using the I-A and I-AA terms correctly throughout the piece. Similar stories have tripped up other sportswriters at bigger papers since I started my daily review of the OVC press.

There's a Tennessee State item in The (Nashville) Tennesean today, and not a single I-A transfer was mentioned. Instead, the paper highlights a true freshman from a Nashville-area high school, Pearl-Cohn's Robert Nevels, who is in contention for a starting spot as an offensive tackle for the Tigers. There's also a few short roundup-type items. Surely, the folks at The Tennessean can't be reading my commentary on their coverage and adjusting, can they? No, I didn't think so either. Whatever the reason, this is an improvement. Please keep it up.

The (Nashville) City Paper, meanwhile, has an excellent team overview of TSU as part of its fall football preview. Just one bothersome item in the piece - it refers to "Division I transfers." I believe "I-A" transfers would have been more specific, but it's technically correct the way it's written, so Nate Rau gets a pass today.

And, from the teams' Web sites:

Eastern Illinois has a roundup on recent practice info.

Eastern Kentucky has a fan's guide for the Colonels' season-opener at Cincinatti.

Jacksonville State has a report from Wednesday's two workouts, with another video interview with coach Jack Crowe. The Gamecocks scrimmage this morning at 10:30 (as I'm typing this, no less).

Two items up at Murray State's site: the first is a scrimmage report, with another photo album. The other is a Q&A with coach Matt Griffin from the June 25 edition of the Paducah Sun.

Samford held media day Wednesday. The team unveiled new uniforms (which you can see in a photo album), announced plans for a new Daktronics scoreboard and a marketing plan to get Bulldogs merchandise in Birmingham sotres. There are quotes from Coach Bill Gray and several players.

Tennessee Tech has a report on Wednesday's practice that features the one-two tailback punch of Derek White and Anthony Ash. There's a great photo of White doing his best Superman impersonation.

Wednesday morning news

EDIT (10:17 P.M.): Just saw that the SEMO link below led to an Anniston Star story. Whoops. Now fixed. Sorry folks.

Here's what's online this morning from newspapers covering OVC teams:

Austin Peay got into pads for the first time Tuesday, and then got into it during a series of goal-line drills, according to the (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle. Coach Carroll McCray seemed impressed with the hitting.

Eastern Illinois Coach Bob Spoo will miss at least a few days of camp, as he heads to St. Louis today for an undisclosed medical procedure, according to the (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier. Offensive coordinator and assistant head coach Mark Hutson will run camp in Spoo's absence. Athletic director Rich McDuffie said Spoo may return by the weekend or early next week. Here's a release from EIU on Spoo's hiatus.

Jacksonville State junior Matt Hardin attempted to answer at least one of the question marks the Gamecocks have at the quarterback position, according to The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only). In a scrimmage Tuesday night, Hardin, taking over as the starter, threw six touchdown passes to five different receivers. There's still a big question at the No. 2 spot, however. Redshirt freshman Shea Allen was 0-for-3. Here's JSU's report on the scrimmage, including a video interview with coach Jack Crowe.

Southeast Missouri's defense dominated the Redhawks' first scrimmage Tuesday, according to the Southeast Missourian. The D kept the offense out of the end zone until the end of the scrimmage, when both units had backups on the field.

Finally, there's news out of the media black hole of Martin, Tenn. The Weakley County Press reports that UT-Martin's first week of camp has gone well. Coach Jason Simpson says James Pritchard is leading the race for the starting QB job; with Greg Preston and Dexter Anoka fighting for the backup slot.

News from other teams' Web sites:

Murray State worked on special teams play Tuesday. Today they'll scrimmage, at 3:35. And of course, there's the obligatory photo album.

Samford worked late after a storm blew through Birmingham in the afternoon. Coach Bill Gray says he'd rather have is team working in the heat of the day to improve their conditioning.

Tennessee State got the day off Tuesday. Coach James Webster said the team needs to be better conditioned. Offensive coordinator Fred Kaiss said the Tigers' passing game is looking good, but the ground game needs work.

Tennessee Tech says its Sept. 21 visit from Eastern Kentucky will be broadcast on ESPNU. Looks like the athletic department puts a local lead on an ESPN press release.

Tuesday papers & practice notes

Here's what's in the papers today on OVC teams:

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle says Austin Peay players got into pads for the first time Monday, and the Govs are choming at the bit to start hitting eachother. James D. Horne also has a column in today's paper. He says there are three attitudes in Clarksville toward APSU's return to sholarship ball: enthusiasm, apathy and downright hostility to the idea of football. To answer all three, Horne asks a series of Govs players why fans should come out to seem the team play.

The (Nashville) Tennessean has its second story in as many days on Tennessee State. I'd be shocked, but a I-A transfer is again the focus of the story. Former South Carolina quarterback Antonio Hefner is so far the leading candidate to start for the Tiger, according to coach James Webster. It is a good story that TSU fans will want to read. But on their behalf I ask: does it always take a former I-A player to get The Tennessean's attention?

Eastern Illinois is holding its third annual class for woman "Football 102," intended to give ladies a good look at the game, according to a story in the (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier. Panthers coaches are the instructors. I imagine they enjoy a chance to be surrounded by members of the fairer sex for a change a week or so of camp.

In a column in today's Birmingham News, Ray Melick says Jacksonville State athletic director Jim Fuller isn't pleased at the prospect of a 12th regular-season game for I-AA teams. Fuller believes the move would dilute the market for I-A money games, resulting in smaller checks. And he's not willing to see the Gamecocks play two I-A dates. I'm learning that Melick is always on unsteady ground when he writes about I-AA. He gets the Division I and I-A labels mixed up again in this column, though he makes the correct distinction between I-A and I-AA in a couple spots, so I'll call that an improvement. He may have been led astray, however, by none other than Fuller, who is quoted referring to I-A as "D-I." Come on, coach, your program is D-I. You should know better.

The Southeast Missourian reports on four local players who are listed at No. 1 on SEMO's depth chart for their respective positions. Among them, placekicker Colin Schermann, cornerback Monroe Hicks, linebacker Seth Harrell and offensive tackle Zach Leible.

And now, reports for the schools' Web sites on their recent practices:

JSU is preparing for an 80-play scrimmage today at 3:30, according this report. The Gamecocks also are getting ready for Fan Day, set for Sunday at 2 p.m. at Paul Snow Stadium. Coach Jack Crowe singled out three defensive linemen whose play impressed him in Monday's practice, Santez Mays, Duane Tolbert and Brandt Thomas. There's also a video interview with Crowe.

Murray State has a report on Monday's practice, which was a hot one. There's also another photo album. Also, Racers coach Matt Griffin is tabbed as one of 80 "hot coaches" in the country by the magazine American Football Monthly, according to this release form MSU.

Samford Coach Bill Gray named his team's captains after monday's practice. They are Josh Brennard, Graham Lemmond, T.C. Myers and Freddy Young. The Bulldogs also have another practice photo album available.

UT-Martin Coach Jason Simpson said the race for the Skyhawks' starting quarterback slot is among three players: junior college transfer James Pritchard, redshirt freshamn Greg Preston and true freshman Dexter Anoka.

Tennessee Tech has a detailed report up from Monday's practice. Of note: last year's starting quarterback Stephen Britton returned to the team after completing some summer class class requirements.

Monday papers

Here's what's up this morning:

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle profiles Austin Peay starting quarterback Mark Cunningham. Cunningham tells the paper the Govs' Pioneer Football League days are over. "Be there on Sept. 2, when we play Southeast Missouri," Cunningham said. "We're not a 2-9 team like we were last year." Of course, the outcome also depends on whether SEMO is a 2-9 team like last year." Unfortunately, in an otherwise fine story, Leaf Chronicle writer James D. Horne makes the classic I-AA blunder when writing about Cunningham's love of football video games. Horne writes, "Cunningham is a big fan of the video game College Football 2007, which has every team from Division I and every team in a conference from Division I-AA." James, that's redundant. "Every team in Division I" includes those in I-AA (including the PFL teams, by the way). What you mean is probably "all I-A teams and some I-AA teams." There's also a story today on how the Govs' move back to scholarship ball impacted recruiting this year. The paper says APSU landed some plum players from powerful high school programs.

The (Nashville) Tennessean finally checks in on Tennessee State today, but of course, the story is about a I-A transfer. Wide receiver Mike Mason came to TSU from North Carolina in January, and no one is quite sure why. The intrigue is interesting, I"ll admit. But the paper could do Tigers fans a favor and pay a visit to practice sometime and see how the team is coming together.

The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier has a report today on Eastern Illinois's Saturday scrimmage. Coach Bob Spoo tells the paper the staff still is evaluating the starting quarterback position, where returning starter Mike Donato is being challenged by Ball State transfer Cole Stinson.

At Jacksonville State, the question mark at quarterback is for the No. 2 slot. Matt Hardin appears to have the starters' job nailed down, and wide receiver Taurean Rhetta will be called in if the Gamecocks need a third-stringer. Coach Jack Crowe tells The Anniston Star (sorry, subscribers only) he's not yet comfortable with redshirt freshman Shea Allen. The team scrimmages Tuesday, where the staff hopes to get a good look him and plenty of other players contending for spots on JSU's 56-man travel roster.

Sunday papers & practice notes

Here's what newspapers around the OVC have on the league's teams today:

Austin Peay had a rough time with the heat Saturday, its second day of practice, according to the (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle. A couple of Governors sat out the end of practice, and one was helped off the field at the end of the day because of dehydration.

It looks like the (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal has a feature today on Murray State tailback Chad Cook, who lost his home to Hurricane Katrina last year. But only the first sentence of the story is available, for some reason.

And here's the roundup of practice reports from the teams' official sites:

Eastern Illinois scrimmaged on Saturday, and it looks like running back Vincent Webb might have a little competition from his teammates. The report said the Panthers have "seven or eight" talented players in the backfield behind the second-team all-conference pick Webb.

Eastern Kentucky finally checks in with a report from the Colenels' first week of camp. Coach Danny Hope said the offensive line appears to be clicking. The staff is looking at six wide receiver candidates to determine a starter, and redshirt freshman running back C.J. Walker may contribute to the backfield, where Mark Dunn and Bobby Washington already are established.

Murray State continues its excellent coverage of the Racers' camp with this report on Saturday's action. There was apparently a whole lotta passin' going' on in their scrimmage, with some long-yardage touchdown completions from multiple quaterbacks and receivers. And, as always, there's a photo album.

Samford also continues to keep us all up to date on the Bulldogs' progress, with a report on the team's first scrimmage. All three candidates for the starting QB position looked good, according to coach Bill Gray.

Southeast Missouri held its media day on Friday, and there's a whole lotta information from that event at the team's Web site.

UT-Martin has filed a report on its first week of practice. The Skyhawks are gearing up for a scrimmage sometime in the coming week.

Tennessee Tech has a feature on the Golden Eagles' offensive line. For inspiration, they're looking to former teammate Frank Omiyale, now plying his trade with the Atlanta Falcons.

Saturday ink

Here's what's in the papers about OVC teams today:

With the Tennessee Titans gone, The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle turns its attention to the opening of camp for Austin Peay. In all, 87 players reported for the Governors on Thursday, 42 veteran players and 45 freshman (who hold the first football scholarships APSU has doled out in a decade). They'll still be young when they begin OVC play next year, but that oughta be one deep, experienced team in three our four years. The headline for another story in the Leaf-Chronicle says the Govs' roster is full of lcoal players - then lists four from nearby high schools. Freshman running back Jeff Lyle tells the paper, "We're laying the foundation this year, and hopefully next year we'll progress and eventually become a contender for the OVC title."

Eastern Illinois, meanwhile, apparently has only one local player on its roster, backup tight end Brady Woolverton, who hails from Shelbyville, Ill. The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier features Woolverton in a story today. Unfortunately, sports writer Mike Monahan, in an otherwise fine story, says Woolverton is "the first player from Shelbyville to play at the Division I or Division I-AA level since Drew Daniels". That's a bit redunant, since I-AA is the Division I level. I assume what he meant was "the Division I-A or I-AA level." Of course, a simpler way to say that would be simply, "the Division I level." Hopefully that will be easier for sportswriters to understand after December, when the NCAA ditches those unnecessary A's.

Shawn Green, a Jacksonville State freshman from nearby Weaver High School, may carry the same last name as current star running back Clay Green, but it's a former No. 1-ball carrier that the coaches see in him. The Anniston (Ala.) Star today says some coaches are comparing the younger Green to Oscar Bonds, who powered the Gamecocks to their 2004 OVC title. He even wears Bonds' number, 43. The Star also says Jacksonville State coach Jack Crowe is looking for a new contract, always a touchy subject around the athletic department headed by Jim Fuller. Fuller, under a new department policy, wants to discuss a contract after the season. Crowe wants to do it now. All the talk in the story comes from his "representative" (lawyer?), who contends that a series of one-year extensions signed in 2004, with a base slary of $109,000, does not constitute a contract.

I don't know that I've ever seen this much JSU coverage in The Gadsden (Ala.) Times before. Of course, much of that coverage lately, like today's story, has focused on Auburn transfer Montavis Pitts. Pitts, who may or may not start as a cornerback for the Gamecocks this season depending on what happens to a DUI charge he picked up in June, is apparently just happy to be on a football field right now.

Someone else happy to still be playing is Southeast Missouri's Tim Holloman. According to the Southeast Missourian, the running back was barred from campus in December after an incident at a fraternity party where he and two other players were alleged to have assaulted another student. The charges were dropped, but Holloman was the only one of the three to return to the team. There's also a story on SEMO moving into two-a-days beginning today, and a rundown of player comings and goings.

Tennessee Tech apparently had a rough day on Friday, it's first practice in full pads, according to the Cookeville (Tenn.) Herald-Citizen. Players and coach Doug Malone blamed the heat and general fatigue. Malone told the paper, "We've got a long way to go. That (practice) wasn't great and that didn't help us a whole lot."

EDIT (10:51 a.m.): I'm having trouble linking to Herald-Citizen stories. For some reason, the URL doesn't work when used as a link from the blog. To see the story mentioned above click here for the main sports page. The TTU story is the first one listed.

EDIT #2 (10:55 a.m.): I missed this on my first go-around. The Southeast Missourian's Mike Mitchell blogs about area sports, and today he posted an interview with SEMO head coach Tony Samuel. Nothing really worth noting there, except that Mitchell misused division names. He asked about the differences Samuel sees from being around "Division 1 prgams like Nebraska and Purdue." Mike, SEMO is a Division I program (and it is "I," not "1," by the way). That's bad enough, but then at the end of the post he talks about SEMO AD Don Kaverman's thoughts about the divisional name changes that take effect in December, and really mucks it up. "Starting in December, the 1-AA label will be known as the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. Teams at the Division 1 level will be called the Football Bowl Subdivision," he writes. Mike, it's "I-AA" and "I-A." Both are Division I. The NCAA is making the change because people keep making the mistake you just made. I wonder how many people will even realize that?

Friday's news

Here's what I've found so far in Friday's papers about the OVC:

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf-Chronicle follows Austin Peay freshman linebacker Daniel Becker around campus as he checks in and gets ready for camp. "I'm really pumped up about it, because we're going to have a really good team. Once we get into the OVC, no one will see us coming," he tells the paper. There's also a story about the buzz that the beginning of camp has created among the team.

The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier has a report on Thursday's practice at Eastern Ilinois. The paper quizzed quarterback Mike Donato about the challengers for his position. He didn't say a lot.

The Gadsden (Ala.) Times has a story on former Jacksonville State quarterback Ed Lett (1979-82) joining the Gamecocks' radio broadcast team as the color analyst for new play-by-play man Matt Coulter. AD Jim Fuller apparently wanted to "upgrade and expand the school's sports network." I know this is a feature on Lett, who grew up in the Times' coverage area, but no mention of departing broadcaster Mike Parris, who held the job for 23 years? There's an elephant in the room, and it's not mentioned in the story. Oh, but the other elephant is: "I want him to be what Kenny Stabler is to Alabama fans," Fuller said of Lett.

Thursday P.M. update

Here are updates from teams' official Web sites on Thursday's practice sessions, most of which were disrupted by weather:

Jacksonville State cut its Thursday afternoon practice short as lighting flashed in the skies over town. (It's finally raining here in the 'ville ... my lawn could sure use it!). The Gamecocks worked inside for about an hour. They'll hit the field at 6:15 a.m. Friday, and early again on Saturday. Two-a-days begin Monday.

Weather also chased the Murray State Racers inside for a time. The team took cover in the stadium from lightning and wind. After the storm passed, they hit the field. They'll get going at 8:15 Friday morning for the first half of a two-a-day, then come back at at 3:35.

Samford got started outside on Friday for the first half of their practice, but the weather chased them inside for the evening session, as well. The Bulldogs will get going friday at 3:45 p.m. There's another photo gallery up at SU's Web site.

Tennessee Tech also got interrupted by storms, but simply extended practice to get all its work in. Like several teams, the Golden Eagles have a quarterback battle going on. QB coach Grant Swallows wouldn't say if sophomore John Conrad McCrary, redshirt freshmen Nate Xanders or redshirt freshman transfer Lee Sweeney was ahead. Tech also has another player profile up, this time on senior wide receiver Brent McNeil. Everybody probably already knows that McNeal will enter Tech's top 10 list for receptions and receiving yards. They may not know he's a poet and a whiz at whipping up baked deserts.

Thursday papers

Here's what's online at newspaper Web sites this morning around the OVC:

Austin Peay State players arrive for fall practice today, the school's first scholarship team since 1996. Players arrive around 1 p.m. and will hit the field about 3 p.m. Friday, according to the (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf-Chronicle.

The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier says Vincent Webb could break into Eastern Illinois' all-time top-five rushing yards list this season. The senior running back is hoping to have a big season, and apparently noticed that he didn't get a mention on any all-American teams.

The Richmond Register added this story late yesterday about local players hoping to make an impact with Eastern Kentucky. Three players from Madison County are in their first camp with the Colonels.

Gadsden Times columnist Jimmy Smothers had a clean-out-your-notebook piece today. In the last item, he writes about Jacksonville State coach Jack Crowe's weekly summer steaks with his teams seniors, including running back Carl Green. Who? Oh, that's Clay Green, Jimmy.

While that's all for the papers, there's more from Murray State, which added a report of its evening practice after I signed off last night. Matt Griffin's wasting no time getting his team going - the Racers ran a full scrimmage last night. And there's yet another photo album.

Wednesday P.M. update

Missed a story in The Anniston (Ala.) Star this morning. In the college beat roundup, the paper reported that ticket prices at Jacksonville State are rising this season. General admission is up to $12 from $8, and reserved seats are $15, up from $12. Also, AD Jim Fuler told the paper he and JSU President Bill Meehan are open to the idea of getting Alabama A&M back on the schedule. There was bad blood between the sometime-rivals after 2003, when A&M backed out of the last year of a four-year deal. The real kicker - JSU didn't find out about that until January, when the OVC called to say A&M also appeared on the schedule of league foe Tennessee State for the same date. There's since been a change of administration at A&M, leading JSU to ease up on its refusal to play the Bulldogs in any sport.

Here are schools with updates on Wednesday practice as of now:

Jax State donned shoulder pads today for the first time, but stopped short of full contact. The Gamecocks have another video up from practice. This was my first chance to watch one of these. There are clips of players running through various drills set to a catchy little rhytm track. An interesting way to let fans check out what's going on at camp.

Murray State started two-a-days this morning, and has a report up from the morning session. There's also another photo album. Murray and Jax State are leading the way in camp coverage, for sure.

Samford also donned shells for the first time today. The Bulldogs spent the first 30 minutes of practice inside because of lightning in the area. No photos from Birmingham today.