Week 11 Ohio Valley Conference Game Breakdowns
The conference title race is coming down to the wire, and a few matchups this week will decide a lot. Last week Jacksonville State came up a missed extra point, and then a failed two point conversion away from staying in the hunt. The win for Tennessee-Martin may have the surprising Skyhawks in the driver’s seat now. Tennessee State has taken a hard fall from that driver seat the past few weeks and after a loss Saturday to Murray State the Tigers just hope to hang on to a playoff wildcard spot.
Southeast Missouri State (3-6) at Eastern Illinois (6-3), Saturday, 10:00
SEMO was no match for Eastern Kentucky a week ago when the Redhawks only scored a late rushing touchdown in the final minutes of a 31-7 loss to EKU. With the season winding down and the Redhawks not playing for much, not to mention they’re going up against a really good team, it’s hard to expect a different outcome this weekend. Eastern Illinois was caught a little off-guard when they fell behind Tennessee Tech last week 10-0 in the first, but the Panthers pulled it together to outscore the Golden Eagles 31-14 in the remaining three quarters to win 31-24. Panther QB Jimmy Garappolo continues to have a hot hand and should be able to get through the SEMO defense without much trouble.
Projection score: Eastern Illinois 38, Southeast Missouri State 16
Murray State (4-5) at #25 Eastern Kentucky (7-3), Saturday, 11:00
The Racers took a late surge to pull past Tennessee State scoring the final 29 points in the game to beat the Tigers 49-28. Quarterback Casey Brockman passed for 271 yards and two touchdowns while running back Jaamal Berry rushed for 163 yards and three touchdowns. Eastern Kentucky handled Southeast Missouri State without much trouble, but the Racers pose a much tougher challenge. The game has huge implications towards the OVC title race. If EKU wins it could hand the title to Tennessee-Martin if the Skyhawks handle business. A Murray State win gives the Racers a better season and takes the Colonels out of contention.
Projection score: Murray State 42, Eastern Kentucky 37
#20 Tennessee-Martin (7-2) at Tennessee Tech (2-7), Saturday, 12:30
UT-Martin prevailed a week ago over Jacksonville State with QB Derek Carr’s seven TD passes and over 400 yards passing. The Gamecocks missed an extra point, which caused them to have to go for two at the end of the game which ultimately failed and gave UT-Martin a slim win for their seventh win of the season. Tennessee Tech has been disappointed the past two weeks after hanging close with two really good teams and losing late. There’s not much the Golden Eagles have to play for, but a chance to really hurt the Skyhawks’ dream season, which just saw the team enter the Top 25 and could be enough to spark a better game. Still, UT-Martin has such an explosive offense it’s hard to see the Skyhawks falling now.
Projection score: Tennessee-Martin 39, Tennessee Tech 20
Austin Peay (1-8) at Jacksonville State (5-4), Saturday, 2:00
The Govs picked up their first win of the season last week against Culver-Stockton College. Jacksonville State, as previously mention, lost a heartbreaker to UTM. The Gamecocks are 5-4 and could easily be 7-2, having let two late chances slip away. A few weeks ago the Gamecocks led EIU all game until late and, as JSU marched back down the field in the final minute, poor clock management and not being able to stop the clock for a field goal attempt lost the game. JSU returns home for the final OVC game of the season where they have yet to lose this season.
Projection score: Jacksonville State 34, Austin Peay 21
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