Colonels remain unbeaten heading into Panthers’ game

Aldo Soto, Sports Reporter

The Eastern Kentucky football team snapped a two-game losing streak against Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tenn., beating the Governors 31-0 on Saturday.

The Colonels improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference, while Austin Peay dropped to 0-5 and 0-2 in the OVC. The Governors’ losing streak was extended to 17, dating back to last season. Austin Peay has been shutout twice this season and has scored a combined 19 points this season.

The Colonels are 5-0 for the ninth time in program history and the first time since 1990.

Eastern Kentucky had three different running backs score touchdowns, including junior Dy’Shawn Mobley, who also had a team-high 55 rushing yards. Through five games, Mobley leads the OVC with 530 rushing yards.

Wide receiver Jeff Glover caught the only passing touchdown of the game that came on a Hail Mary at the end of the first half. The 42-yard pass from quarterback Bennie Coney gave the Colonels a 17-0 lead at halftime.

Austin Peay coach Kirby Cannon said it was a great play by Glover.

“You’re going to lose some of those,” Cannon said after the game. “You see them every week, the Hail Mary, and you got a 6’4 receiver, who went well above all of us. We had guys in position.”

Eastern Kentucky hosts Eastern at 5 p.m. Saturday in Richmond, Ky.

Around the OVC

Southeast Missouri beat its second ranked opponent in three weeks, defeating No. 20 Tennessee State 28-21 Saturday at Houck Stadium in Cape Girardeau, Mo

Running back Lennies McFerren scampered around Tennessee State defenders and scored a seven-yard touchdown, with 4:41 left to play that gave Southeast Missouri a 28-14 lead. The touchdown run by McFerren capped of a 10-play, 57-yard drive that took 6:14 off the clock.

Michael German threw a two-yard touchdown to cut the lead down to seven, but with 2:11 remaining in the fourth quarter the Tigers could not recover their on-side kick attempt. The Redhawks improved to 4-2 and 2-0 in conference play.

Southeast Missouri coach Tom Matukewicz said his team had to be as mistake-free as it could be to get the win.

“We really executed our game plan well,” he said. “The margin between winning and losing is very thin.”

The Redhawks’ offense gained 505 yards and did not have a turnover or allowed a sack.

With the loss, Tennessee State dropped to 1-1 in the OVC and 4-2 overall.

Tennessee State coach Rod Reed was not happy with his defense’s performance that allowed 226 rushing yards.

“I thought that we put up enough points on the board to win,” Reed said. “I thought our defense played poorly (Saturday). We gave up an uncharacteristic amount of rushing.”

German was 34-of-59 for 362 yards, but had 12 of his 25 incompletions broken up by Redhawks’ defenders. Senior corner back Tim Hamm-Bey led the Southeast Missouri defense with five pass breakups, while adding six tackles.

Hamm-Bey also blocked a field-goal attempt in the first quarter and was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week. Tennessee State also missed two other field-goal attempts.

Along with Eastern Kentucky and Southeast Missouri, Jacksonville State also won its second conference game of the season, beating Tennessee-Martin 38-14 at home Saturday.

The No. 8 Gamecocks are now 4-1, with their only loss coming against Michigan State.

Running back Miles Jones carried the ball 24 times for a career-high 150 yards and a touchdown, leading Jacksonville State to 284 total rushing yards.

Jones’ two-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter put the Gamecocks ahead 21-0. He is now the fourth Jacksonville State player to rush for at least 100 yards in a game this season. Jones was named co-OVC Offensive Player of the Week.

Meanwhile, the Skyhawks fell to 1-5 overall and 0-3 in the OVC, tying a season-low with 14 points. Tennessee-Martin coach Jason Simpson said he was disappointed with the offense.

“This was the first time this year I felt that we really laid an egg,” Simpson said.

The Skyhawks are the only team in the OVC with a 0-3 conference record.

Tennessee Tech evened its OVC record, with a 30-27 overtime win over Murray State in Cookeville, Tenn., on Saturday.

John Arnold kicked the winning field goal to lift the Golden Eagles above the Racers, dropping Murray State to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in conference play, while Tennessee Tech improved to 2-3.

Arnold sent the game to overtime, making a 41-yard field goal with nine seconds left in the fourth quarter. Murray State missed its 35-yard field goal in its first and only possession of overtime that set up Arnold’s game-winner.

Red-shirt freshman linebacker Trey Thompson made his second career start and tallied 15 tackles for the Tennessee Tech defense. He was named OVC Newcomer of the Week.

Despite the loss, Murray State quarterback KD Humphries set the OVC single-game completions record by completing 48-of-62 passes. The sophomore broke the previous record of 45 set by Murray State’s Casey Brockman in both 2011 and 2012.

Humphries finished the game with a career-high 404 passing yards and no interceptions, while throwing a touchdown pass in the third quarter and rushing for touchdowns of 24 and seven yards in the second quarter. He was also co-OVC Offensive Player of the Week.

Aldo Soto (@Aldo_Soto21) can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].