Monday news

Here's what's up today:

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle says UT-Martin's defense was as good as advertised, according to Austin Peay State players and staff after Saturday's 20-10 loss to the Skyhawks.
"They were a bit physical up front, and that got to us late in the ballgame," Austin Peay head coach Carroll McCray told the paper.

The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier says Eastern Illinois managed to get 117 yards from running back Vincent Webb on Saturday, but the Hawai'i passing game was too much for the Panthers to overcome in the ventual 44-9 loss.

In his column in The Anniston (Ala.) Star today (sorry, subscribers only), Al Muskewitz says Jacksonville State must maintain the intensity it showed in Saturday's shutout win at Eastern Kentucky. The column also notes that JSU will play an OVC game at home for the fourth straight year during race week at nearby Talladega Superspeedway. That traditionally has caused hotel and travel headaches for the visiting team, and JSU officials have been unable to convince the conference to shift the schedule so the Gamecocks are out of town. Ths year, Murray State visits on Thursday, which one might expect would make things easier. The Racers, however, are staying in Guntersville, a 1.5-hour drive north of Jacksonville.

The (Nashville) Tennessean says the NCAA has ruled Tennessee State defenseive lineman Lamar Divens not eligible to play. Divens transfered across town from Vanderbilt in the offseason after some academic trouble, and played in two games for the Tigers. Then Vandy sent TSU a letter saying it believed he was ineligible to play ... just before the TSU-Vandy game. TSU plans an appeal. The paper says there's a chance the Tigers could have to forfeit the two victories they earned with Divens on the field. In his column today, Mike Organ profiles the coach of TSU's upcoming opponent, Tennessee Tech's Doug Malone - make that interim coach. After two consecutive wins, Malone says the pressure of the job is easing up a bit.