Tuesday, September 4, 2007 11:10 PM CDT
Murray to face angry Illinois State
OVC FOOTBALL
BY BRIAN NIELSEN Sports Editor
bnielsen@jg-tc.com
Maybe next week’s game films will show Eastern Illinois the real Illinois State.
Before coming to O’Brien Stadium for a Sept. 15 rematch of last year’s playoff game against the Panthers, Illinois State gets to face Murray State with a chance to make amends for a season-opening 27-24 loss to non-scholarship Drake.
Such a score was not what Murray State coach Matt Griffin wanted to see as he prepares to take his rebuilding Racers to visit an Illinois State team still No. 18 in this week’s Football Championship Subdivision national rankings after a No. 7 preseason ranking.
“Without question, we would have liked to have seen them win by a hundred,” Griffin said of the ISU Redbirds. “That coupled with our score might have had them looking past us.”
Instead, after taking a 73-10 whipping from Football Bowl Subdivision’s 10th-ranked Louisville, Murray State is likely facing some angry Redbirds.
“They had three turnovers that were very costly,” Griffin said. “You have to give credit where credit is due and that’s to Drake. They played well in all phases and in some ways played harder than Illinois State. I’m sure Denver (Johnson, ISU’s coach) will address that.”
Illinois State beat Eastern Illinois both in the regular season and the postseason playoffs last year and is to visit the Panthers next week in a 6 p.m. game.
Drake’s win over Illinois State joined the season-opening upsets that included the FCS’s defending champion Appalachian State shocking Michigan.
This week the Ohio Valley has its chances for national attention with the likes of Eastern Illinois visiting Purdue and Samford taking on Georgia Tech.
“As far as drawing any parallel with us and Appalachian State, I don’t think you can do that,” Samford coach Pat Sullivan said.
While Samford opened its season edging NCAA Division II West Alabama 23-21, Georgia Tech gained some national spotlight blasting Notre Dame 33-3.
So if Illinois State received a wakeup call before its game against Murray State, maybe Georgia Tech will be sleeping on its laurels before Samford.
“They won’t be as excited playing us as Notre Dame, that’s just common sense,” Sullivan said.
As far as awakened OVC teams, Jacksonville State is likely to be on the top of the list after last week’s 24-19 loss to Alabama State.
“We had a very disappointing game,” Gamecocks coach Jack Crowe said. “They scored touchdowns on more long plays than any game since I’ve been here. We had more missed assignments since I’ve been here.
“Hopefully, we haven’t discouraged our fans too much. We’re better than the perception that came out of the last ballgame.”
Preparing for a Chattanooga team that got off to its own tough start losing to Carson-Newman 29-17, Jacksonville State might be rebounding quickly, according to Monday’s practice report.
“It was as intense as we’ve had,” Crowe said.
Tennessee State is preparing for Saturday’s Liberty Bowl game at Memphis, Tenn., against a Jackson State team that managed only 122 yards of total offense in a 27-15 loss to Division II Delta State.
“Oh, that doesn’t mean anything,” Tennessee State coach James Webster said. “As I recall that Division II team was a very good football team. I think nothing less of Jackson State because they lost to Delta State.”
Tennessee State also is 0-1 after losing to Alabama A&M 49-23.
“After watching the tape I’m not down on the team,” Webster said. “I’m encouraged by what I saw.”
However, the review was not all good about running back Javarris Williams who had 123 yards on 20 carries.
“I thought Javarris Williams ran the ball well,” Webster said. “He’s got to play better. He’s our leader. He played well but he has to play better.”
Less than a year after entering the NCAA Division I-AA’s top 25 for the first time in school history, Tennessee-Martin now after a first-week 35-13 loss to Southern Mississippi has remained in the national picture standing 16th, 20th and 22nd in FCS polls entering Thursday’s home opener against Missouri State.
“I think it gives you a little swagger in practice to stay in the polls even if you lose,” UT-Martin coach Jason Simpson said. “The thing is Missouri State doesn’t care about that.”
Contact Brian Nielsen at bnielsen@jg-tc.com or 238-6856.
QB controversies are brewing in OVC
Quarterback derbies continue this week for some Ohio Valley Conference schools, including one involving the 2005 Offensive Player of the Year Josh Greco.
Greco, after failing to complete any of his six pass attempts was replaced by Allan Holland, who was 16-for-25 for 72 yards in Eastern Kentucky’s 50-10 loss at Kentucky.
“We have some competition at the quarterback position,” Eastern Kentucky coach Danny Hope said.
Holland is a former Wake Forest recruit who came to Eastern Kentucky last year.
In Southeast Missouri’s quarterback competition, both junior college transfers, Victor Anderson and Houston Lillard started, one under center and one in the back field.
“That was an easy way out, wasn’t it?” SEMO coach Tony Samuel said. “They are both very good athletes. Victor had a very good game. Houston, he did some good things as well. I like the idea that we will have two quarterbacks. Victor will start this game.”
Anderson ran 13 times for 118 yards while completing eight of 16 passes for 58 yards in last week’s 59-3 loss to Cincinnati.
“They both have the ability to run,” Samuel said. “We’ll use their strengths and continue to run them both.”
Tennessee-Martin won a share of last year’s OVC title employing two quarterbacks through most of the season and now might be adding to that.
“I learned that we have three quarterbacks who can make some plays,” UT-Martin coach Jason Simpson said after a 35-13 loss at Southern Mississippi. “I’m very confident that we can have some depth at that position.
“I thought two of them played extensively. We ran out of time for the other one and he played all of last year. We’re still working through that. It will work itself out eventually.”
OVC STANDINGS
Conf. All
Eastern Illinois 1-0 1-0
Nation’s fifth-best FCS passing total
Austin Peay 0-0 1-0
Freshman Terrance Holt returned kickoff for TD
Samford 0-0 1-0
Tops nation in pass defense allowing 55 yards
Eastern Kentucky 0-0 0-1
Punted 10 times in loss to Kentucky
Jacksonville State 0-0 0-1
Gavin Halliford kicked four field goals in loss
Murray State 0-0 0-1
Called for league-least three penalties
Southeast Missouri 0-0 0-1
Javarris Williams ran 20 times for 123 yards
Tennessee State 0-0 0-1
Antonio Heffner threw three interceptions
Tennessee-Martin 0-0 0-1
OVC’s worst rushing total of 83 yards
Tennessee Tech 0-1 0-1
25 first downs were most by any OVC team
Last week’s scores
Eastern Illinois 45, Tennessee Tech 24
Cincinnati 59, Southeast Missouri 3
Louisville 73, Murray State 10
Samford 23, West Alabama 21
Kentucky 50, Eastern Kentucky 10
Alabama 49, Tennessee State 23
Austin Peay 43, Bethel College 19
Southern Mississipp 35, Tennessee-Martin 13
Alabama State 24, Jacksonville State 19
Thursday’s games
Missouri State at Tennessee-Martin
Cumberland University at Tennessee Tech
Saturday’s games
Eastern Illinois at Purdue
Samford at Georgia Tech
Chattanooga at Jacksonville State
Austin Peay at Indiana State
Western Carolina at Eastern Kentucky
Jacksonville State at Tennessee State
Southwest Baptist at Southeast Missouri
Murray State at Illinois State
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