It's Sullivan

I'm sitting here watching the tube, and Birmingham ABC affiliate 33/40 just broke in with a special announcement that Pat Sullivan has been hired as Samford's new head coach, on a five-year contract.

Actually, the short report was more about how Sullivan won't be the next head coach at UAB, since he's accepted an offer at Samford. But hey, they still broke in with a special report about an OVC team. Cool.

EDIT (8:35 p.m.): ABC 33/40 has added an item to the top of their home page about Sullivan's hiring at Samford. Look at the top of the page next to the "Latest Details" graphic.

First coaching candidate

Pat Sullivan's come out for Samford, according to the AP.

Would the Bulldogs would want someone who's climbed down the ladder, though, from TCU head coach to offensive coordinator at UAB, to running backs coach for the Blazers? Don't know abything about Sullivan, though, so maybe he'd be a better coach than that two-second record indicates. Got an opion? Click comment below to share it.

PsOTY & all-conference team

The conference office has released the OVC Players of the Year and the all-conference team.

Offenseive POTY honors are shared by running backs Vincent Webb of Eastern Illinois and Donald Chapman of UT-Martin. EIU llinebacker Donald Thomas is the defenseive POTY. Tennessee Tech quarterback Lee Sweeney is the newcomer of the year. Earning the Roy Kidd Coach of the Year award is UTM's Jason Simpson.

Monday news

Here's what's up:

Chris Austin's column in the (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle says Austin Peay State has improved more than its 3-8 record shows. Against the five teams who also appeared on the Govs' 2005 schedule, APSU was 3-2 this year; last year they were 1-4. Factor in the team's youth - 50 of the 85 players were freshman - and it looks like that improvement can only continue.

The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier says Eastern Illinois' defense played well Saturday against Illinois State, but ISU's played better. By limiting wide receiver Micah Rucker and bottling up running back Vincent Webb, the Rebirds held EIU to just 138 yards of offense. The paper also says the loss was tough for the Panthers to take, ending as it did a season in which the team was without its venerable head coach, lost an all-American linebacker on the first play of the season, suffered through a number of other injuries and still managed to win a share of the conference title and an at-large bid to the playoffs.

Marty Mishow's blog over at the Southeast Missourian asks SEMO fans whether they think coach Tony Samuel has the team headed in the right direction after going 4-7 in his first season. Mishow urges patience; the fans' opinions are mixed. What's yours?

By the way, look for these daily news updates to become once- or twice-weekly soon, probably on Mondays and/or Fridays. Fear not, though, if a big story breaks (team leaves/joins conference or hires/fires coach) I'll get it up as soon as I know it. Of course, feel free to feed me all the information you've got ... ovc@cableone.net.

Sunday news roundup

Here's what's up this morning:

The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier says Eastern Illinois might have started celebrating a little early after the Panthers took a 13-10 lead over Illinois State in the fourth quarter on an interception return. ISU came back to win 24-13. "Any loss is difficult," EIU coach Mark Hutson . "The expectations were to go further into the I-AA playoffs. Losing to a longtime rival just compounds that."

The Jackson (Tenn.) Sun says that there was more to see than a narrow 36-30 Skyhawks loss yesterday in Carbondale, Ill.; there also was the birth of a perennial contender. The Sun also runs a gamer that points to Arkee Whitlock's 207-yard running effort for Southern Illinois as the difference in the contest.

Here's a couple of important stories I missed while I was chowing down on turkey, dressing and sweet potato pie:

The (Nashville) Tennessean's Mike Organ says University of Kentucky assisstant Randy Sanders is a potential candidate for the head coaching job at Tennessee Tech. Sanders wouldn't confirm it, and TTU AD Mark Wilson would either, but Organ assures us it's so. Sanders spent seven years as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Tennessee before heading north to UK. The only known candidate at this point is Doug Malone, the Golden Eagles' offensive coordinator who led the team as acting head coach this season during Mike Hennigan's leave of absence.

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle provides a comprehensive review of Austin Peay State's season, with a look ahead to the Govs' return to OVC competition next year. The paper honors several players: newcomer of the year Kit Hartsfield, most-improved player Lanis Frederick, offensive MVP Chris Fletcher, and defensive MVP Daniel Becker.

Stay tuned this week, as I'll have some post-season analysis, and a look ahead to next year. I do enjoy following OVC basketball, but I live in Alabama, folks. It's always football season here.

Sigh

We'll have to wait another year for an OVC playoff victory, but we got as close today as we have in years. Here are the finals:

Southern Illinois 36, UT-Martin 30 - From the box scsore at ESPN.com, it looks like UT-Martin sloyly ran out of gas while SIU gradually picked up steam. The Skyhawks had a 21-7 lead at the half, then stretched it to 27-7 before the Salukis rattled off three straight touchdowns to take a 1-point lead. UTM answered with a late field goal to retake the lead, but SIU scored with less than a minute remaining to seal the win. Martin running back Donald Chapman had a good day with 108 yards and two TDs, but SIU's Arkee Whitlock outclassed him in the end, getting 207 yards and four scores. UTM's dream season comes to end, but look to be strong contenders next year.

Illinois State 24, Eastern Illinois 13 - Eastern's defense appeared to keep them in the game, giving the the Panthers their only touchdown of an interception to take the lead in the fourth quarter at 13-10, but Illinois State eventually got things going, scoring to take the lead with just over two minutes left, then returning an interception of their own for the final. Had the Panther offense showed up for the game they might have had a chance. ISU held them to 138 yards overall, with Cole Stinson earning just 79 yards on 15 of 30 attempts, and running back Vincent Webb getting a mere 54 yards.

Even with the losses, the OVC appears to have narrowed the gap considerably this year. With plenty of strong teams returning, and other hoping to see success in rebuilding their programs, next year could be when the league finally turns the corner. This year, we'll have to settle for peeking around it.

Just in

Hi, OVC fans. Just back from my Thanksgiving trip, where the Internet connectivity was spottier than I imagined. Sorry about that.

On the bright side, I've just checked the scores at Sportsnetwork.com, where I see that UT-Martin is up 21-7 on Southern Illinois at halftime. Keep it up, Skyhawks!

Eastern Illinois, meanwhile was down 10-6 against Illinois State with about a minute to go before the fourth quarter. That game certainly isn't out of reach for the Panthers.

Whatever happens, these games appear to be a long way from the thrashings predicted by some Gateway Conference fans over at AnyGivenSaturday.org. That makes me smile.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hello all. I'm hitting the road to be with family for the holiday. Internet connection will be spotty, but I should be able to post each day through Saturday, and I'll be home to write about the playoff results by that night, for sure. Stay tuned!

How thankful I am to live a life where I can devote so much time to enjoyment of a simple game. I'm also thankful for the education I received from Jacksonville State that allows me to lead this life. I know you're all just as thankful for your time at your institutions, and for the enjoyment you derive from watching their teams play ball. Everyone please take a moment this week to consider such things, and to remember those who aren't as fortunate.

Thanks to all of you for the kind comments over the last few days. They're appreciated.

Best of luck to the Skyhawks and Panthers. Go OVC!

Wednesday news

Here's today's ink:

Austin Peay State can look forward to a bright future, according the program's seniors, in a story in today's (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle. Perhaps proving the seniors' point is the fact that there are only four of them. The Govs' 82-man roster listed 50 freshmen this year.

Just because the regular season's over, by the way, doesn't mean you should stop checking the OVC Football Blog every day. This could turn out to be the newsiest time of the year: Samford's looking for a new coach, and may be looking at a new conference home. Tennessee Tech will have to decide whether to keep Mike Hennigan, and we're all wondering how Bob Spoo's doing up in Charleston. And then there's the scheduling ... who will the OVC teams take on out-of-conference next year?

And of course, we'll be following the Skyhawks and Panthers throughout their playoff runs ... as long as possible.

Thanks to all of you who've followed the conference with us since we started up back in February. This has been fun, and I'm already looking forward to next year.

Last polls and Tuesday news

The final regular season top 25 polls are out, and the OVC's playoff representatives are in good standing heading into the first round. UT-Martin held its ground at #12 in the Sports Network's official poll of sportswriters, and also is 12th in the College Sporting News coaches poll, and the AnyGivenSaturday.com fan poll. Eastern Illinois rose to 14th in the TSN poll, and is 16th in both the other polls.

Here's today's news:

Let the conference-hopping talk begin. The Birmingham (Ala.) News' Mike Perrin says Samford officials are seriously weighing overtures from the Southern Conference. That's a turning of the tables on the OVC, which was rebuffed by UT-Chattanooga earlier this year.

The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier reports on the rankings, and begins to preview Eastern Illinois' opponents, Illinois State.

There weren't as many wins as he'd like to have had, but coach Tony Samuel thinks Southeast Missouri State is on the right track, according to the Southeast Missourian.

The (Cookeville, Tenn.) Herald-Citizen says Tennessee Tech's win over SEMO on Saturday was an emotional one. Acting coach Doug Malone didn't get long to celebrate, though. He's got to update his resume to get in the running for keeping the job full-time. Here's a link to the HC sports section.

Monday news

Here's what's up today:

Jacksonville State's Clay Green was the difference in Saturday's game aginst Eastern Illinois, reports the (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier. The running back wound up returning punts Saturday, to counter EIU's low, rugby-style kicks. He returned one for a touchdown in the first half to give the Gamecocks a 14-7 edge. But he mishandled one in the fourth quarter with JSU up by three. EIU recovered the ball on the 36, and it wasn't long before the Panthers were in the end zone, and on their way to the playoffs. The paper says the Panthers are relishing the chance to avenge their regular-season 44-30 loss to Illinois State in week three. A few players think the Redbirds insulted them by running in a touchdown with 35 seconds left while the outcome of the game no longer was in doubt.

JSU coach Jack Crowe points to another Gamecock whose play was crucial to the outcome of Saturday's game, according to The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only) - quarterback Matt Hardin. Crowe believes the junior should have been able to make more plays with his legs. In college football roundup items, The Star says Crowe may be backing off on the Gamecocks' scheduling, forgoing national powers such as Furman in favor of D-II teams such as North Alabama. The item says Chattanooga's reluctance to move the date of its 2007 contest with JSU has all but killed hopes of an Atlanta date with Georgia Southern to open the season. I'm just thinking out loud here, but is there some reason the GSU game can't be played Sept. 1? The folks at MocFans.com list the JSU-UTC game as Sept. 8, the second week of the season.

The Nashville City Paper says four I-A transfers who wound uip starting for Tennessee State helped turn the Tigers' fortunes around in 2006. But after defensive tackle Lamar Divens was ruled ineligible, linebacker Kelvin Baker was injured and sent out of the season, and quarterback Antonio Heffner and wide receiver Mike Mason spent several games banged up on the sidelines, playoff hopes simply slipped away.

Selection Sunday

EDIT (1:01 p.m.): So just to review, your OVC playoff pairings for Saturday, Nov. 25 are as follows:
#6 Illinois State (8-3, 5-2) at #17 Eastern Illinois (8-4, 7-1)
#12 UT-Martin (9-2, 6-1) at #11 Southern Illinois (8-3, 4-3)

EDIT (12:4 p.m.): ESPN is carrying two first-round games next weekend, neither of them involving our OVC representatives. Stay tuned here throughout the week to see if any other network picks up our games.

EDIT (12:46 p.m.): UT-Martin is on the road, visiting SIU. Should they win, they'll face the winner of the game between No. 2 seed Montana and McNeese State. In the other half of that bracket, UMass is the No. 3 seed, hosting Lafayette. The winner of that game plays the winner of the contest between Hampton and New Hampshire.

EDIT (12:42 p.m.): Sorry, naturally that was Southern Illinois visiting EIU in the first round last year, and earning the 21-6 victory. EIU and Illinois State squared off in the regular season this year, with ISU getting a 44-30 win.

EDIT (12:38 p.m.): EIU is in! They host Illinois State in the first round. Isn't this a rematch of last year's first-round game? They're in the bracket with the #4 seed Youngstown State, who host James Madison, the 2004 champs.

EDIT (12:36 p.m.): First bracket ... #1 seed is Appalachian State. They host Coastal Carolina. The it's Montana State hosting Furman. Could make for a SoCon matchup in the quarterfinal round.

EDIT (12:33 p.m.): Now here we go ... for real this time.

EDIT (12:31 p.m.): Show now on ESPN News. Here we go. ... oops gotta preview the NFL first.

EDIT (12:24 p.m.): ESPN News has a promo on the screen in advance of the selection show. It reads "Div. I Football Selections 1:30ET" ... that looks nice.

ORIGINAL POST: Stay tuned here as we blog the playoff field as it's announced. Coming in 15 minutes from ESPN News. Also, you can follow along with the folks at CSN Waves (formerly I-AA waves), as they do their own selection show, streaming live on the Web. UT-Martin Coach and Eastern Illinois interim coach Mark Hutson are listed as guests. The show will be archived so you can listen later.

Sunday season's-end news

Hard to believe it's already here, but here's the last round of regular-season post-game news:

Austin Peay State gave Western Kentucky more game than most had imagined possible, according to the (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle, trailing by just 3 at halftime. But the Govs' typical second-half slowdown cost them, with the Hilltoppers taking the 27-14 victory. APSU finishes 3-8, and will rejoin the OVC next year.

Eastern Kentucky piled up 391 yards of total offense, holding Tennessee State to 95 yards rushing, to secure the Colonels' 29th consecutive winning season. The Richmond (Ky.) Register reports the EKU locker room was hip-deep in emotion after the game. Senior defensive tackle Mark Cristiani tells the paper: “I just thank all the coaches that brought me here. If I have a son, he is going to be an Eastern Kentucky Colonel. I promise you that. I’ll be a Colonel for the rest of my life.”

The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only) says Jacksonville State came out flat in the second half, and let their 21-7 lead over Eastern Illnois slip away. The team's seniors, while losing this one, finish as the winningest class in JSU's Division I history. Eastern Illinois defensive end Donovan Johnson, meanwhile, says he'd rather be playing football next Saturday than nibbling on leftover turkey back in Anniston. He'll find out if that's the case today when the playoff field is announced.

The Southeast Missourian expresses a bit of the amazement I imagine SEMO feels, after Tennessee Tech came back from a 29-6 deficit to win the game 39-29. Tech quarterback Lee Sweeney was 32-of-57 for 437 yards. That was most of the Eagles' 562 yards of offense in the game. "Not even Arkansas gained more yards against the Redhawks," the paper notes.

Antonio Heffner and Mike Mason were back for Tennessee State, but apparently forgot to bring their skills with them. The (Nashville) Tennessean says TSU's offense was non-existant in the 20-3 loss to EKU. Putting a positive spin on the loss, the paper notes that it made the conference title picture much clearer than a Tigers' victory would have.

UT-Martin made history yesterday, according to the Jackson (Tenn.) Sun, winning the school's first conference championship. Ever. In doing so, they beat the team coached by the man who showed them the way, besting Matt Griffin's Murray State Racers 42-14. There's more uncharted territory ahead, as the Skyhawks get the leauge's automatic bid to the Division I Championship Playoffs. Stay tuned to find out where the next chapter will be written.

The (Cookeville, Tenn.) Herald-Citizen says Tennessee Tech's players and staff feel as good after winning the SEMO game as they might have if they'd won a conference title (here's a link to the HC sports section). While there might be a bit of uncertainty surrounding the program, with acting coach Doug Malone unsure of his status, QB Sweeney isn't letting that cloud his vision of the future. He tells the paper: "You never know what's going to happen. If it is the coaches' last game, they are going to go out with a win. If not, it's something to build on. We are going to come back next year and work even harder and win an OVC championship."

And there you have it, your first official prediction for the 2007 OVC championship. For now, It's Eastern Illinois' - and especially UT-Martin's - turn to celebrate.

Check back later today, as we blog about the OVC's hopes in the Division I Championship Playoffs, following the announcement of the brackets at 12:30 on ESPNews.

Pre-post-season look

With the sun setting on the final weekend of OVC play, the OVC looks to be in its best shape for two playoff bids since the last time that feat was accomplished, in 2002.

Here's a quick look at who did what today:

UT-Martin 42, Murray State 14 - Martin left no doubt in Matt Griffin's mind exactly how far he'd taken the team before bolting to Murray State. The Skyhawks schooled the Racers and their former coach 42-14, to earn UTM's first playoff bid in school history.

Eastern Illinois 28, Jacksonville State 24 - EIU earned a share of its second-straight conference title and a good line on an at-large playoff spot with a come-from-behind win over JSU. The Gamecocks were up 21-7 at the break, but couldn't hold the Panthers back in the second half.

Eastern Kentucky 20, Tennessee State 3 - EKU finished its 29th-straight winning season with the victory over the Tigers, who had playoff aspirations heading into the game.

Tennessee Tech 32, Southeast Missouri State 29 - Tech ralled from 21-0 in the first half but managed to rally for the win to finish at .500 in OVC play.

Playoff hopes: UT-Martin is in for sure, and EIU makes a strong case with plenty of other team on the bubble at 7-4 ... though there's no telling what the committee will do. At least one knowledgeable prognosticator, The Sports Network's Matt Dougherty, figures the Panthers are in. He sees Martin visiting Illinois State in the first round, and EIU on the road at predicted fourth-seed Youngstown State.

The playoff committee makes its selections Sunday at 12:30 Central Time, with a live broadcast on ESPNews. See you then.

Saturday gameday news

Here's what's happening on the final weekend of OVC action:

Tennessee State at Eastern Kentucky, noon
#12 UT-Martin at Murray State, 1 p.m.
Tennessee Tech at Southeast Missouri State, 1 p.m.
Jacksonville State at #17 Eastern Illinois, 1:30 p.m.

and at 4 p.m. Austin Peay State plays their final game before rejoining the OVC. They'll face another former OVC team in transition - Western Kentucky.

And here's the news:

Most folks aren't giving APSU a chance in Bowling Green, according to the (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle. But the Govs aren't counting themselves out. Freshman linebacker Daniel Becker tells the paper, "For us coming out of non-shcolarship, they're the biggest team we've played all year, they're perinneally a power house and won a national championship in 2002. So it's going to be big for our program. Everybody is going to be hyped up because Western overlooked all the guys here."

Most folks from Anniston, Ala., will be pulling for Jax State in today's game at Eastern Illinois (Anniston is Jacksonville's bigger next-door neighbor to the south). Not so Donovan Johnson, according to the (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier. This Annistonian not only will be pulling for the Panthers, he'll be playing defensive end.

The once-predicted conference championship now is out of reach, but The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal says that Eastern Kentucky has 29 years of winning tradition to play for today against TSU. The paper also briefs the Martin-Murray game and the APSU-WKU contest (think they realize that neither team is actually in the OVC?).

A long way from 29 winning seasons, the Murray (Ky.) Ledger & Times says Murray State is hoping to win a conference game today, something it hasn't done in at least two years. Doing it against one of the league leaders, a team the Racers' current coach apparently built into a powerhouse, will be no small task.

A winning season is out the window, so Southeast Missouri State will be looking to end with a win and their dignity today against Tennessee Tech, according to the Southeast Missourian.

They've only played in four games together, thanks to injuries, if there was ever a good time to play a fifth, it's today. Tennessee State will have both quarterback Antonio Heffner and wide receiver Mike Mason available for today's contest against at EKU, according to The (Nashville) Tennessean.

It's not quite like being in the conference title hunt, but for a team that was picked to finish near dead-last, it's something. Tennessee Tech can finish in 5th place in the OVC race, if they win and games around the league go their way today, according to the (Cookeville, Tenn.) Herald-Citizen. Here's a link to the HC sports section.

Friday news

Here's what the papers have today on the OVC:

Austin Peay State may not have a lot to celebrate at 3-7, but entering Saturday's contest against Western Kentucky they can at least take pride in putting a I-AA top-10 running back on the field, according to the (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle. Junior Chris Fletcher has 1,297 yards on the season, and at 129.7 yards, is seventh nationally in the per-game average.

Eastern Illinois apaprently is feeling confident headed into the weekend. According to the (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier, EIU will host a playoff selection show party Sunday at 11:45 a.m. in the lobby of the EIU Fitness Center. Fans are welcome.

The (Nashville) Tennessean says sophomore defensive tackle Maurice Davis saw the light last week in Tennessee State's game against Southeast Missouri State - he really can be an outstanding football player. His realization might have had something to do with the three sacks he recorded in the game.

The Nashville City Paper says the odds are stacked against TSU heading into Saturday's game against Eastern Kentucky. But the fact that there are even any odds to stack is something Tigers fans can smile about. Going from a 2-9 2005 season to 6-4 (5-1 in conference) and playing for a shot at the playoffs - however desperate - is an accomplishment, the paper notes.

The (Cookeville. Tenn.) Herald-Citizen's Buddy Pearson takes his turn expressing awe at the tight race for the OVC title. Here's a link to the HC sports section.

Thursday news

Here's what's online this morning:

Eastern Illinois defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni says he can't keep Jacksonville State running back Clay Green out of his mind, according to the (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier. Saturday the Panthers will be trying to keep him out of the end zone. Bellantoni says Green is the best back in the OVC.

JSU safety Kenny Brown will make his final start for JSU on Saturday. It'll also be his 45th start, and the final game game in a career that saw him start in every single game from the moment he took the field after his redshirt year, according to The Anniston (Ala.) Star.

The only new item from The Birmingham (Ala.) News about the dismissal of Samford coach Bill Gray is that Gray has been offered an administrative position in the athletics department. No word on whether he'll accept the job.

First coaching casualty

The Birmingham (Ala.) News says Bill Gray is out at Samford. Here's a link to a short item the paper posted tonight. More to come tomorrow, I'm sure.

Gray was 27-33 over five and a half years after taking over in midseason 2001 for the fired Pete Hurt. In 2003 he was the OVC's coach of the year after posting a 7-4 record. Gray's Bulldogs were 3-8 this year, 1-7 in OVC play, including a season-ending 55-7 loss to in-state rival Jacksonville State.

Samfordbulldogs.com gets credit for posting this first, about an hour and a half ago.

Who's next?

Wednesday news - photo finish coming

Today's papers are abuzz after the realization yesterday that the OVC race could come down to a two-, three- or four-way tie, with any of those four teams potentially getting the league's automatic bid to the playoffs. It apparently was all they could talk about on yesterday's coaches' teleconference.

The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier throws credit to The Anniston (Ala.) Star's Al Muskewitz for figuring out that Jacksonville State still has a shot. Musky realized that if Jax State wins, Murray State beats UT-Martin and Eastern Kentucky beats Tennessee State, JSU wins the autobid without a coin flip or blind draw.

The Richmond (Ky.) Register said the league's coaches were a bit flummoxed by all the different scenarios. Of course, every coach whose team has a shot knows there's only one thing they can do to influence the outcome. Said TSU coach James Webster: “I thought I understood it until I heard you guys talking about it. Now, I’m confused. All I know is that nothing matters unless we win.”

The Star (sorry, subscribers only) says JSU will have to rely on a mixed-up and untested offensive line for a chance to win Saturday's game at Eastern Illinois. The Gamecocks lost starter Keith Gergel to a broken leg in the fourth quarter against Samford last week, and all season only one player has started in the same spot on the line in every game. The paper also lists three reasons the game could be a classic: the title stakes, the matchups of strong running games and strong run defenses on both sides, and cold weather - temperatures in Charleston may be in the 30s or 40s at gametime.

The Southeast Missourian also revels in the complicated closeness. While any of the four teams supposedly has a shot, JSU coach Jack Crowe apparently is keeping the odds in mind. The paper quotes him saying: "The numbers give us a chance ... it is mathematically a low percentage."

TSU will have one thing going for it in the tight final weekend of games: quarterback Antonio Heffner will be back under center for the Tigers, according to The (Nashville) Tennessean.

Polls, Tuesday news & post-season specula/tion

First the I-AA polls:

UT-Martin fell to #12 from the eighth spot in The Sports Network's media poll and the fan poll at AnyGivenSaturday.com, and to 13th in the College Sporting News' coaches poll. Eastern Illinois climbed up to #17 in the TSN & CSN polls, with the fans putting them at #19.

Tennessee State picked up some votes in the media poll, getting 10 points for what would be 38th place. Eastern Kentucky impressed a coach or two, getting six points for an effective #39 ranking at CSN.

Now, the news, leading off with a few stories that discuss what might happen this week with respect to the OVC and the playoffs:

For the second straight year, Jacksonville State faces Eastern Illinois in the final game of the season, with the hope of completely screwing up the league title race. The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only) says JSU can end the season with a share of a four-way tie for the OVC title and the league's automatic berth to the playoffs. There are a lot of ifs - JSU must beat EIU, MUrray State must beat UT-Martin, and TSU must beat EKU - but here's what the paper says: "If everything works in JSU's favor, the race would end in a four-way tie at the top and the Gamecocks would claim the league's automatic bid — despite having lost to both Martin and TSU — because the tie-breaker would fall to everyone's Eastern Kentucky game. Martin and TSU both would have lost to EKU, the Gamecocks and EIU would have beaten the Colonels, and JSU would get the final tiebreaker by virtue of beating EIU Saturday."

Eastern Illinois, meanwhile, is pondering a different outcome. The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier examines the Panthers' chances for an at-large berth to the playoffs if they beat Jax State but fall short of the outright league title. The chances are probably the best the OVC has had at an at-large berth since 2002, according to Southeast Missouri Athletics Director Donald Kaverman, who is on the NCAA I-AA selection committee.

The Nashville City Pape, meanwhile, says if EIU and UT-Martin lose but TSU wins, the Tigers get the automatic bid. Folks, just about everyone still is in this.

The Gadsden (Ala.) Times misses what The Star noticed, saying only that the Gamecocks can play the spoiler role at EIU Saturday.

The Birmingham (Ala.) News' Mike Perrin sticks up for Samford coach Bill Gray, saying that SU needs to invest more in facilities and the program as a whole if it expects the Bulldogs to win. Perrin withholds his opinion on whether the unviersity should invest in hiring a new coach who knows how to win.

The (Cookeville, Tenn.) Herald Citizen reports that Tennessee Tech coach Mike Hennigan, who took a medical leave of absence just before the start of the season, is officially leaving the university. The school is beginning a search for a new coach. Here's a link to the HC sports section.

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.

Saturday gameday news

Morning, folks. Here's what's in store around the Ohio Valley Conference today:

Samford at Jacksonville State, 11 a.m., live on CSS
Eastern Kentucky at UT-Martin, noon
Eastern Illinois at Tennessee Tech, 1:30 p.m.
Southeast Missouri at Tennessee State, 2:30 p.m.

Also, Austin Peay Plays at Morehead State at 2 p.m.

And now, the news:

Austin Peay's matchup with former conference foe (and erstwhile OVC member) Morehead State is something of a rivalry, the (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle notes.

Senior EIU cornerback Ben Brown is hoping for a little revenge today at Tennessee Tech, according to the (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier. Two years ago he lined up offsides on a late, crucial play, helping Tech to an overtime win and dashing EIU's playoff hopes.

The Birmongham (Ala.) News says Samford brings an improved defense into today's game at Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks' always-good defense is even better this year, the paper says.

Antonio Heffner may miss today's game for Tennessee State, but that's not what's got the offense off kilter. It's all the other players, the staff says, according to The (Nashville) Tennessean.

The (Cookeville, Tenn.) Herald-Citizen also reviews the past in anticipating the potential for an exciting game today etween EIU and TTU. Here's a link to the HC sports section. From there, click on the headline to read the story.

Friday papers

Here's what's up today:

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle swear Austin Peay State isn't giving up on the season at 2-6. The Govs visit Morehead State Saturday.

Eastern Kentucky coach Danny Hope weighs in on Western Kentucky's decision to jump to I-A. "Good for them," he tells the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader.

The (Nashville) Tennessean profiles linebacker Daniel Williams, who'll line up for his final home game game for Tennessee State Saturday. "Anybody who plays the game hopes they can play in (the NFL)," Williams tells the paper. "I'm going to go out and give it my best shot like I've been doing for these last 17 years, and if I get an opportunity I'm going to take it. But it also has been crossing my mind that my college career is coming to end."

Thursday news

Here's what's up:

More records could fall at Austin Peay State this week (no, not the won-loss record). The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle says Lanis Frederick could break the school's single-season receptions and receiving yards marks. He needs six catches and 116 yards. This comes just a week after Chris Fletcher went into the books as the Govs' career rushing leader.

When Eastern Illinois and Tennessee Tech face off this weekend, neither team's head coach will be on the sidelines, the (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gaette/Times-Courier notes. EIU's Bob Spoo still is recovring from pre-season surgery and Tech's Mike Hennigan took a medical leave of absence this summer. So Mark Hutson will lead the Panthers as he has all season, and Doug Malone will remain the man for TTU.

The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only) focuses in on inside linebacker Willie Swain, who will take the field with 11 other seniors for the last time at Jacksonville State's Paul Sow Stadium. “The experience being here, from the first ring, the first OVC championship, has been the best experience I can ever possibly ask for,” Swain tells the paper.

Wednesday news

Here's what's online today:

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle says Austin Peay State running back Chris Fletcher is happy to be the Gov's all-time leading rusher. But he's more concerned about winning at Morehead State next week.

The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier runs through the scenarios that would see Eastern Illinois into the playoffs. In short, the Panthers now are the biggest fans Tennessee State, Eastern Kentucky and Murray State have.

The Richmond (Ky.) Register says Eastern Kentucky's offense has been revived with the move to a two-quarterback system, with both Josh Greco and Allan Holland taking snaps. "They are both exceptional quarterbacks. We are scoring a lot of points right now and I think it’s helped us,” coach Danny Hope tells the paper.

The Anniston (Ala.) Star s(sorry, subscribers only) says Jacksonville State has done well in the red zone all season, scoring better than 90 percent of the time it crosses the 20. If they were getting touchdowns instead of field goals, though, they might still be contending for the OVC title.

The Murray (Ky.) Ledger & Times says Matt Griffin is disgusted with the way his Murray State team played against Eastern Kentucky in a 51-21 loss Saturday. “When these guys see the (game) tape, I hope it's embarrassing, and I hope it hurts. If it doesn't, then we'll get rid of some guys,” he tells the paper. The Racers have the week off to prepare for the final game against Griffin's old team, UT-Martin.

The Southeast Missourian also looks at EIU's chances of making the playoffs. Apart from hoping for two UT-Martin losses, the Panthers have to get past Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State intact.

The (Nashville) Tennessean pokes Tennessee State's sore, simply reminding us that the Tigers were chasing an OVC title and now are left to play for pride. And the paper throws in the Lamar Divens situation just for good measure.

Tuesday news

Here's what's up today:

Jacksonville State still has two games left on its schedule, but the team already is thinking about next year, according to The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only). Despite being out of contention for an OVC title, this year's senior class can become the winningest in JSU's Division I history with a win over Samford Saturday.

The Gadsden (Ala.) Times ntoes that the JSU-Samford game is becoming something of a rivalry. "I told our players it is highly unlikely that somewhere in the future they will run into someone and talk about playing Eastern Illinois; but it is pretty likely that the times they played against Samford will be something that they will hear about in later years," JSU coach Jack Crowe told the paper.

The Birmingham (Ala.) News also plays up the Gamecocks-Bulldogs rivalry. (As a Jax State fan, I'll say that I certainly want to see Samford lose, but I stop short of calling this a "fierce rivalry." They're not Troy, after all.)

The Southeast Missourian says SEMO coach Tony Samuel was pleased with his defenses' performance Saturday, despite the 28-14 loss to UT-Martin. "We gave up the big run near the end and a couple of third-down conversions ... but it was a great effort by the defense," Samuel tells the paper.

Tennessee State quarterback Antonio Heffner may miss another game, with his shoulder slow to heal, according to The (Nashville) Tennessean.

Also, Martin's Jessie Burton, who returns kicks for the Skyhawks, has been named national special teams player of the week by The Sports Network.

Polls & players

The polls are out, with UT-Martin up to #8 in all three polls we follow here at the blog, after the Skyhawks' 28-14 win over SEMO. Check out The Sports Network's media poll here, the AnyGivenSaturday.com fan poll here, and the College Sporting News' coaches poll here (the link's not updated yet, but the poll is posted in a thread at AGS).

Eastern Illinois held steady at #20 in the TSN and CSN polls. But the fans at AGS dropped them to #22 after a 29-3 win over Tennessee State, who previously was undefeated in league play. Hmm.

All four of the players of the week, meanwhile, are Skyhawks and Panthers. Martin running back Donald Chapman is offensive player of the week. EIU linebacker Donald Thomas gets the defensive award. Martin kick returner Jessie Burton is the specialist of the week, and EIU quarterback Cole Stinson is the newcomer of the week. Here's an EIU release on the awards, and here's one from UTM.

Monday (and Sunday) news

Hi folks. It's not often I completely miss a day of bringing you the latest news from around the OVC, but I did yesterday. Sometimes the real kind of crowds out football. Blasphemey, I know. Anyway, here's the latest from around the league, including links to stories from Sunday's papers. Stay tuned for players of the week and the top 25 update later today.

Austin Peay fell back into old habits Saturday, according to the (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle, frittering away a halftime lead to fall 44-35 to North Greenville, a Division II team. On the bright side, Chris Fletcher's 163 yards made him the Govs' all-time career rushing leader.

Antonio Heffner missed the game and Tennessee State missed its chance to remain in the lead of the OVC title chase Saturday, according to the (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier, falling to Eastern Illinois 29-3. With quarterback Heffner nursing a shoulder injury on the sidelines, the paper says, the Tigers had only running back Javarris Williams to turn to, and the Panthers held him to 38 yards. EIU coach Bob Spoo, still recovering from pre-season surgery, was able to watch the game from a booth in the press box.

The Richmond (Ky.) Register says quarterback Josh Greco started Saturday for Eastern Kentucky in the game against Murray State, but wound up splitting time with sophomore transfer Allan Holland. The result: a 51-21 victory, with 495 yards of offense. The Colonels managed to get two other quarterbacks in the game as well.

The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal also reports on EKU's QB situation. Coach Danny Hope told the paper the quarterbacks would continue to split time. "Competition is something really, really good for your football team," Hope told the paper. "It's funny. When you have competition at any position, it's just called a competition. When you have that at the quarterback spot, they call it a controversy. It's not a quarterback controversy."

Jacksonville State might have gone on to win in overtime Saturday, but they didn't have to, as Chattanooga coach Rodney Allison opted to give back the game-tying field goal with seconds to play after a roughing-the-kicker penalty on Jax State. The Mocs were unable to score in four downs, and the Gamecocks hung on for a 13-10 win. The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only) reports today that JSU coach Jack Crowe won't criticize Allison's call, but he's happy with the way the game turned out. I've gotta say, I didn't know how serious Allison was about not wanting to beat Jax State until he handed them the win. The Star examined that call in detail in a story from Sunday's paper, and noted in another that when running back Clay Green gets more than 100 yards, the Gamecocks win. He had 163 Saturday.

The Birmingham (Ala.) News says Samford couldn't take advantage of a late Tennessee Tech fumble to score, and three turnovers by the Bulldogs helped the Golden Eagles to a 20-14 win.

In a column in today's Murray (Ky.) Ledger & Times, Scott Naney compares Murray State's football and men's basketball programs (guess which one comes off looking better). Both are working under first-year head coaches who both are billing this season a rebuilding time.

While TSU was without Antonio Heffner Saturday, coach James Webster said that had nothing to do with the offensive collapse in the loss to EIU, according to The (Nashville) Tennessean. Webster instead gives credit to the EIU defense and notes that the Tigers lost two fumbles. In a notebook roundup, the paper notes EIU's domination of Javarris Williams, and of wide receiver Mike Mason.

Friday news

Second cut: The Sports Network has announced the second revisions to the Payton and Buchannan awards lists, and again, the news is mixed for the OVC. First the good: UT-Martin linebacker Markeseo Jackson still is on the list for the the Buchannan Award, which recognizes the best defensive player in I-AA annually. Added to the Buchannan list is Edgar Jones, a defensive end for Southeast Missouri State. The OVC no longer has any players on the list for the Payton Award, which goes to the best offensive player in I-AA each year. Jacksonville State running back Clay Green was dropped from the list after a string of sub-100-yard games.

And now, here's today's papers:

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle tells the heart-breaking, or rather, ankle-breaking tale of P.R. Morris. That's the joint the Austin Peay State sophomore defensive end snapped back in spring practice. Fortunately, this tale ends well for young P.R. He's back to breaking other people's bones for the Govs, and has started two consecutive games, recording eight tackles.

Speaking of bouncing back from injuries to the lower extremities, Jacksonville State's Raynodd Zeine is expected to play tomorrow against Chattanooga, according to The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only). The senior fullback has missed three games with a foot sprain. The Gamecocks have gone 1-2 in that stretch, and Clay Green attributes some of his lack of yards to Zeine's absence.

Also from the injury beat, The (Nashville) Tennessean reports that Tennessee State quarterback Antonio Heffner still is questionable at best for tomorrow's game against Eastern Illinois. Coach James Webster says he'll likely make a game-time decision on Heffner. If that decision is to bench the South Carolina transfer, freshman Julian Sample may get the start instead. Sample directed a 70-yard touchdown drive after Heffner's shoulder injury last week against Samford.

With or without Miller, the Nashville City Paper reports the Tigers will have one advantage over EIU Saturday: defensive coordinator Ron Lambert, who worked as secondary coach for the Panthers before moving on to Illinois State, where he helped engineer three victories over Eastern. The story says Lambert left Charleston in part because of unspecified "racial things" in the small midwest city.

Thursday news

Here's what's up today:

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle profiles Austin Peay State linebacker Kit Hartsfield, the team's No. 2 tackler. Since getting his first start, the freshman has recorded double-digit tackles in each of the last four games.

Bob Spoo may attend his first game this weekend at Eastern Illinois, according to the (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier. The Panthers coach has been recuperating all season long following surgery just before the first game. If he attends EIU's matchup with Tennessee State, he'll be in the press bax, and not on the sidelines. Meanwhile, the EIU offense also will try to recover, after being held under 200 yards by UT-Martin last week.

The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only) profiles Jacksonville State nose guard John Scott, who has the unusual talent of walking on his hands.

The (Nashville) Tennessean catches up on the news that Tennessee State gets to keep credit for its win over Murray State, despite playing defenseive lineman Lamar Divens, who has since been ruled ineligible to play.

Wednesday ink

Here's what the papers have on OVC teams this morning:

With a good game against North Greenville this weekend, Chris Fletcher could become Austin Peay State's all-time leading rusher, according to the (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf Chronicle. Fletcher, a junior, needs 112 yards to surpass Jay Bailey's 2,992 yards from 2000-02. The paper also lauds freshman backup quarterback Gus Orr for his first college touchdown pass, thrown late in the game against Cumberland last weekend.

The (Charleston, Ill.) Journal Gazette/Times-Courier says the NCAA has told Tennessee State it won't have to forfeit its early season victory over Murray State for using an ineligible player. Defensive lineman Lamar Divens, a tranfer from Vanderbilt, turned out to have more issues than the Tigers had expected. That ensures that TSU's game against Eastern Illinois this weekend will have serious title implications.

The Richmond (Ky.) Register says Eastern Kentucky quarterback Josh Greco has healed nicely during the Colonels' week off, and will be ready to start against Murray State on Saturday. Greco had an injured finger, which staff said hurt his performance against Southeast Missouri State two weeks ago.

The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only) says Jacksonville State staffers seem to have learned their lesson: when the opposing team won't let you run, you've gotta learn to fly. Matt Hardin stepped up his passing game each of the last two contests, though the Gamecocks lost one of those to Tennessee State and needed overtime to put down Tennessee Tech. The paper also says fullback Raynodd Zeine may return for JSU's game against UT-Chattanooga this weekend. Zeine has missed three games with a foot sprain. Coach Jack Crowe says the Gamecocks still will rely heavily on Brody Thomas, who has started in his absence.

The Murray (Ky.) Ledger & Times again notes that Murray State is looking for a win, any win, as the season draws closer to its end. The Racers' last chance will come against coach Matt Griffin's former employer, UT-Martin, which is shocking everyone by leading the conference with Tennessee State.

The Southeast Missourian takes note of that rise by the Skyhawks, and their win over defending conference champs Eastern Illinois last week.

The (Nashville) Tennessean notes that if both Martin and TSU finish the season undefeated, the conference title and automatic bid to the I-AA playoffs will come down to a coin flip.