OOC roundup and Sunday papers

The OVC was 4-3 in non-conference games this week, bringing the season total to 10-13. That's already better than last year's 7-21 mark. With seven non-con games left to play (four of them against I-A teams) the OVC stands to improve its reputation a bit, but not as much as it would have if Jacksonville State, Eastern Illinois and Eastern Kentucky had managed to win against Furman, Illinois State and Western Carolina, respectively.

Here's a roundup of this week's results:
Middle Tennessee 44, Tennessee Tech 0
Samford 17, Austin Peay 10
Murray State 59, Inidiana State 40
UT-Martin 35, Gardner Webb 9
Jacksonville Sate 38, Southeast Missouri State 7 (OVC game)
Western Carolina 20, #19 Eastern Kentucky 17
Tennessee State 31, Jackson State 30 (OT)
#7 Illinois State 44, #18 Eastern Illinois 30

Heres what in the Sunday papers after Saturday's action:

The Richmond (Ky.) Register says EKU appeared to dominate the first half, with 315 yards of offense and a 17-7 lead, but couldn't answer Western Carolina's second-half comeback. EKU quarterback Josh Greco threw three interceptions in the game, including two in the second half and the Colonels missed two field goals.

The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only) says JSU was more than convincing in the win over SEMO. The Gamecocks got 473 yards on offense, 303 on the ground, and allowed just 163 by the Redhawks. Another story says JSU's star running back Clay Green got a lot of extra work in the off week following the season-opening loss to Furman. He says the work helped him get 120 yards and three touchdowns yesterday. There's also a feature story on JSU's six players with relatives who are playing or have played in the NFL.

The Birmingham (Ala.) News highlights Green's performance (he's a product of Huffman High in the Birmingham area) in its coverage of the JSU victory.

The Southeast Missourian says SEMO coach Tony Samuel called JSU "a good, experienced football team." He told the paper, "We couldn't get them off the field. They just marched and marched and marched. It looked like my old Nebraska offense." Another piece notes that the Redhawks had no trouble with the 87-degree heat (maginified on the field by the artificial surface), and that all-American punter David Simonhoff booted eight punts for SEMO, with an average of 51.2 yards and a long of 66.

The (Nashville) Tennessean says TSU backup quarterback Richard Hartman made a snap decision to throw the winning two-point conversion pass to Brandon Williams in overtime. The Tigers might not have needed overtime to beat Jackson State if wide receiver Mike Mason hadn't been on the sidelines for much the game after straining a leg muscle in a kickoff return in the first quarter.