#2 Jacksonville State Gamecocks (8-0, 5-0 OVC)
at Eastern Kentucky Colonels (3-5, 2-2 OVC)
Saturday, Nov. 6 • 6:00 p.m. CT
Roy Kidd Stadium (20,000) • Richmond, Ky.
TV: OVC Game of the Week (Wazoo, ESPN3.com, WQWQ, WEIU)
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/eku/football/index.htm
Series Record:………………….. Jacksonville State leads 4-3
Last Meeting:…….. Jacksonville State won 34-26 (11/21/09)
Jack Crowe at Jacksonville State:…………… 73-45 (11 yrs.)
Jack Crowe Overall:……………………………… 87-75 (16 yrs.)
Dean Hood at Eastern Kentucky:……………… 16-15 (3 yrs.)
Dean Hood Overall:…………………………………………. same
Jacksonville State Last Week:……………………………… Idle
Eastern Kentucky Last Week:…. W, 28-21 vs. Murray State
GAME NOTES: Since Jacksonville State joined the OVC in 2003, the Gamecocks have won 47 OVC games, the most in the league and one more than Eastern Kentucky (46). The teams have been nearly even in the all-time series, with Jax State winning four of the seven including 34-26 a year ago in Jacksonville. That game snapped a two-game winning streak for the Colonels in the series. In that game a year ago (the season finale for both squads), Jacksonville State’s Ryan Perrilloux passed for 191 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 115 yards and two more scores. Calvin Middleton added 98 rushing yards and two touchdowns for the Gamecocks. EKU’s T.J. Pryor threw for 252 yards and two scores in the losing effort.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: Jacksonville State is coming off a bye week after topping Austin Peay 56-3 two weeks ago in its annual Homecoming game. The Gamecocks racked up 539 yards of total offense and limited the Governors to just 157 yards. For the second-straight game Jacksonville State did not allow a touchdown, as they shutout TSU the week prior and held APSU to just a field goal. The quarterback duo of Marques Ivory and Coty Blanchard each threw two touchdown passes and Jamal Young rushed for 105 of JSU’s 307 yards on the ground. Brannon Byrd was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week following that game, after posting seven tackles, two tackles-for-loss, and picking off a pass. The Gamecocks remain ranked No. 2 in both national FCS polls, the highest an OVC team has been ranked since the 1999 season and the highest Division I ranking in program history. The team’s 12-game winning streak dating back to last season in currently the longest in FCS and second in all of Division I (behind only Boise State). Jacksonville State is currently one of three FCS teams undefeated on the season (Appalachian State and Bethune-Cookman being the others).
SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY: Eastern Kentucky snapped a two-game losing streak on Saturday, topping in-state foe Murray State 28-21 in the 70th all-time meeting between the two schools. The win was the ninth in the last 10 games against the Racers for EKU. Eastern improved to 3-0 in home games this season but are 0-5 away from Roy Kidd Stadium this season. Sophomore quarterback T.J. Pryor was named OVC Offensive Player of the Week after accounting for three of EKU’s four touchdowns. The biggest play of the game came on 4th and 1 with the score tied in the fourth quarter, as Pryor rushed 29 yards for what proved to be the game-winning score. Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Shawn Shupperd also had a big day, recording a career-high seven tackles, intercepting a pass (that led to an EKU score) and forcing a fumble deep in its own territory.
