Sunday papers

Here's what's in this morning's papers after Saturday's OVC action:

First, the late game from Honolulu. Things did not go well for Eastern Illinois, which lost 44-9 at Hawai'i. The final was far too late for the Panthers' hometown press, but there is coverage from the Honolulu Advertiser, which calls the game "a rout." There's a photo gallery there, as well.

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle says turnovers and other mistakes cost them a victory in a game where they had a 10-6 lead on UT-Martin at halftime. Most significant: The Govs were called for having 12 men on the field at the SEMO one-yard line, down only 13-10. The penalty moved them back to the five, and APSU quarterback Mark Cunningham threw an interception on the next play.

The Richmond (Ky.) Register says the offenseive troubles that have plagued Eastern Kentucky in the second halves of recent games ballooned this week to the entire game against Jacksonville State. The Colonels only crossed midfield twice all day, were sacked five times, gave up two fumbles and an interception and, of course, failed to score for the second time this season.

The Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader takes the long view on the EKU loss, noting that it's been 45 years since the Colonels started OVC play 0-2. Their streak of 33 consecutive winning seasons also is in jeopardy.

The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only) says there was some question which JSU team would show up in Richmond Saturday: the one that dominated Southeast Missouri State two weeks ago with powerful offense and stout defense, or the one that fizzled in a loss at UT-Martin the next week? In case you couldn't tell from the above reports, it was the first one. Another story reports on the good day had by JSU's kickers, despite the 14-22-mph winds at Roy Kidd Stadium. Punter Zach Walden kicked a school-record 75-yarder with the wind at his back. Place-kicker Gavin Hallford was 2-for-2 on field goals, and turned a fake kick into a punt to pin the Colonels at their own five-yard-line.

The Southeast Missourian says SEMO's defense held fast late in the game to preserve the Redhawks' lead and earn a victory over Samford. The Bulldogs had blocked a punt and were set up at the SEMO 17, with the score at 19-14. They got no closer than the 16. SEMO linebacker Seth Harrell intercepted Samford's fourth-down pass with 1:38 to play to seal the win. In a notebook roundup, the paper says sophomore quarterback Markus Mosley saw some action, splitting time with starter Kevin Ballatore. Coach Tony Samuel apparently favors a two-QB setup. Mosely was 3-of-5 for 54 yard; Ballatore was 5-10 for 48 yards. Both had first-half touchdown passes.

The (Nashville) Tennessean says the Atlanta Football Classic was aptly named. Tennessee State was in position to take an overtime lead, but running back Javarris Williams fumbled at the one-yard-line. FLordia A&M took over and managed a field goal, winning 25-22. Apart from the fumble, Williams had 229 yards on 33 carries. In a notebook roundup, the paper says a crowd of 57,885 turned out for the game.

The (Cookeville, Tenn.) Herald-Citizen notes that Tennessee Tech's overtime win at Murray State ends a conference road losing streak stretching abck to 2002. Tech QB Lee Sweeney made up for three interceptions thrown in regulation with a touchdown pass to tight end Logan Wilks. The karma looked with a missed extra point, but the Golden Eagles defense kept Murray from getting past the Tech 14. Here's a link the the HC sports section. Click on the headline from there to read the story.