Monday (and Sunday) news

Here's what happened Saturday around the league:

Eastern Kentucky 31, #8 UT-Martin 28 - The Colonels use a last-minute field goal to topple the league leader.
Jacksonville State 55, Samford 7 - The Gamecocks end their in-state rivals' season with what the president might call "a thumpin'."
Eastern Illinois 38, Tennessee Tech 14 - The Panthers kept their playoff hops alive win a win in Cookeville.
Tennessee State 31, Southeast Missouri State 0 - The Tigers, too, are thinking post-season again after posting their first shutout since 2001.
Austin Peay State 23, Morehead State 21 - The Govs win a "pseudo OVC" game.

And now, here's what papers around the league have had to say over the last two days:

A little bit of new delivered at halftime might have had something to do with Eastern Illinois' second-half domination of Tennessee Tech, the (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier reports. News of EKU's win over UT-Martin reached the Panther locker room, drawing a roar from the team as they realized they were abck in the hunt.

Taylor Long's last-second field goal for EKU was a career-long for him at 39 yards, the Richmond (Ky.) Register reports. It also was a return to consistency for the sophomore, who missed six of his first ten attempts this season. The Colonels, meanwhile, now have won three straight and are gunning to finish their 29th consecutive winning season next week against Tennessee State.

The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only) wonders if the JSU-Samford series can be called a rivalry after the Gamecocks' seventh straight win over the Bulldogs, especially considering the 55-7 score. Senior cornerback Craig Agee got things going early for JSU, intercepting a Samford pass on the first play of the game and running it in for six. It was a career-capping moment for Agee, who has played offense, special teams and defense for the Gamecocks in his four years with the team. JSU coach Jack Crowe told his team at halftime to play like it was losing, remembering how last year's lead over Samford vanished in the second half before an intercepted pass for a TD gave them the win.

Both starting quarterbacks were out in the contest between SEMO and Tennessee State, according to the Southeast Missourian. The Tigers had the best of what was left, especially on defense, posting their first shutout of an OVC opponent since 1998 (when they beat UT-Martin 76-0 ... yikes).

The (Nashville) Tennessean says TSU now has something to play for at EKU after the SEMO win - a chance at the playoffs. Of course, it requires a lot of other outcomes in other games they have no control over, but that doesn't mean they can't hope. Besides, half the OVC will be doing the same thing, as UTM, JSU, EIU and the Tigers all have a methematical shot, however remote, at winning the leauge. QB Antonio Heffner should be back for the EKU game, TSU coach James Webster tells the paper. Columnist Mike Organ says Webster had a theory why the talented Tigers lost at EIU two weeks back, but didn't want to talk about, seeing it as an excuse. And he doesn't want his players to get used to making excuses.

The Nashville City Paper uses the unfortuante phrase "no-name" in its lead for the TSU game story, to describe the reserve players on defense who managed the shutout over SEMO. It's unfortuante because the headline uses the wrong name, saying it was Eastern Illinois that got stuck with the goose egg.

The (Cookeville, Tenn.) Herald-Citizen says TTU looked primed for the upset through most of three quarters against EIU (yes, this is the team that actually played the Panthers). But EIU poured it in in the fourth. With six second left and the game well in EIU's control, TTU coach Doug Malone called a timeout. Why? To get senior Curtis Dunn on the field. Dunn had spent three years on the practice squad, only dressing at home when there was no limit, and had never played a single down for the Golden Eagles. Malone said Dunn never complained, never had a discipline issue. On the only play of his career, Dunn caught an eight-yard pass. Here's a link to the HC sports section.

The Jackson (Tenn.) Sun says UT-Martin's conference title party is on hold. After three turnovers and two blocked punts in the loss to EKU, the Skyhawks, like everyone else, will be watching the scoreboards on Saturday.