Monday news

Here's what's online this morning:

The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier says Eastern Illinois was more than satisfied with the results of quarterback Cole Stinson's first start. Stinson, a transfer from Ball State, was 16 of 22 for 208 yards Saturday against Southeast Missouri State. His favorite target: former high school teammate Micah Rucker, who transferred in from Minnesota. Rucker caught 10 of those passes, three of them for touchdowns in the Panthers' 21-o victory. In a column, Brian Nielsen says that while most people note the absence of pre-season all-American linebacker Clint Sellers when talking about the Panthers' defense, SEMO may not have noticed the difference, held as they were to 101 yards of offense.

The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only) says Jacksonville State isn't exactly predicting an upset Saturday at struggling Mississippi State (1-5, 0-3 SEC), but they're not conceding anything either. "“We're not a mismatch for Mississippi State,” JSU coach Jack Crowe told the paper. “An underdog, but not a mismatch.”

The Southeast Missourian notes that SEMO lost more than the game Saturday at EIU. The Redhawks also lost the distinction of being the only Division I team (props to writer Marty Mishow for getting the division labels 100 percent right here) that hadn't turned the ball over this season. The first-quarter fumble by SEMO was their first turnover in five games.

The (Nashville) Tennessean's Mike Organ notes in a column that Tennessee Tech quarterback Lee Sweeney would have played at LP Field in Nashville this month whether he'd transferred from Louisville or not. If he'd stayed, it would have been with the Cardinals against Middle Tennessee last Friday. Since he's a Golden Eagle, it will be against Tennessee State on Saturday.