Sunday papers & gameday roundup

It was a decent weekend for the OVC. Better than last week, at least. The league was 4-2 in non-conference competition, 2-2 against Division I teams, 2-1 gainst I-AA squads. That includes two important wins for two teams picked to lead the OVC this season. Plus, we got league play underway in Nashville. For the record, the OVC is now 6-9 in non-conference play. Here's a round up of the week's results:

UT-Martin 28, Urbana 0 (Thursday)
Georgia Tech 38, Samford 6
Gardner-Webb 30, Tennessee Tech 26
Eastern Kentucky 26, Western Kentucky 21
Eastern Illinois 31, Indiana State 21
Tennessee State 25, Murray State 15
Southeast Missouri State 44, UM-Rolla 23

And here's what the papers have to say about yesterday's action in the OVC:

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf-Chronicle says Austin Peay State running back Chris Fletcher fought through bangs and brusies in the game's final minute to score the game-winning touchdown, making the final 28-21 over Cumberland. it snapped a streak of 13 staright losses on the road for the Govs. Of course, if you're a Division I team and you want a road win, visiting an NAIA team ought to be a sure way to do it (visiting an NAIA team?). Thank goodness for Fletcher.

Eastern Kentucky's defense forced four straight incomplete passes from Western Kentucky's Justin Haddix to kill any hopes of a Hilltopper comeback late in the fourth quarter, according to the Richmond (Ky.) Register. The Colonels' victory in the Battle of the Bluegrass was their first since 1999, when WKU was still an OVC team. The win was appropriately celebrated in Richmond Saturday, complete with field-mobbing and goal-post felling. The Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader notes it was EKU's first non-conference win in 10 tries, since besting Appalachian State in 2003. The (Louisville,Ky.) Courier-Journals says it's Western's sixth-straight loss dating back to last season, the longest slide since losing seven in a row in the mid-90's.

The Southeast Missourian says SEMO ran most of the way to its 44-23 victory over D-II UM-Rolla. The Redhawks had 303 yards of rsuhing offense, with two back over 100 yards apiece in the team's first victory of the season.

In the first OVC contest of the season, Tennessee State used a quick, no-huddle offense to find the end zone early and often in the first half against Murray State, according to The (Nashville) Tennessean. The Tigers jumped out to a 22-0 lead. The Racers started to come alive in the second half, but it wasn't enough, and TSU was on top at the end, 25-15. TSU coach James Webster said the quick-strike approach is the game plan for the rest of the year.

The (Cookeville, Tenn.) Herald-Citizen says Tennessee Tech battled back from a 21-6 deficit to take a 26-21 lead against Gardner-webb in the third quarter. But the Golden Eagles couldn't finish the job, falling 30-26.

Maybe I missed something, but The Birmingham (Ala.) News again appears to have completetly ignored Samford, this time carrying nothing on its Web site about the Bulldogs' visit to Georgia Tech Saturday.

Jacksonville State wasn't on the field Saturday, but Raynodd Zeine is glad to even be near a field for the Gamecocks this season. The Anniston (Ala.) Star takes a look at the senior fullback and the incident at a Jacksonville nightclub (since closed) this spring that left him with a six-inch gash on his neck and a better perspective on life.