Eastern Illinois keeps OVC winning streak intact

And then there was one.

That pretty well sums up how the Ohio Valley Conference football favorites have fared during what has so far been one of the most unpredictable league seasons in recent memory.

Before the year started, most people figured the eventual champion would be decided among three squads.

In the preseason poll voted on by the conference's coaches and sports information directors, Eastern Kentucky garnered 11 first-place ballots and 120 points. The Colonels lost just one OVC game last year and finished second in the standings.

Defending champion Eastern Illinois, which ran through the 2005 league schedule without a defeat, grabbed the remaining seven first-place votes and 117 points.

Jacksonville State, which captured OVC titles in 2003 and 2004 before finishing third last year, was not all that far behind with 102 points.

Among the league's other six squads, none received more than 75 points as none were considered serious threats.

But how times have changed roughly halfway through the OVC schedule.

Eastern Illinois has held up its end of the bargain. The Panthers, ranked 14th nationally, are 4-0 in conference play after rallying past visiting Murray State 20-10 Saturday. Eastern Illinois, 5-3 overall, has won 13 straight OVC games.

But Eastern Kentucky (3-5, 2-3) and Jacksonville State (3-4, 3-2) are virtually eliminated from title contention. The last time the OVC champion finished with more than one loss was 1962.

Replacing the Colonels and Gamecocks toward the top of the conference standings are Tennessee-Martin (6-1, 3-0) and Tennessee State (4-3, 3-0). They are tied for second place, just one-half game behind the Panthers.

Tennessee State, which tied for seventh in the preseason poll, made the biggest splash Saturday by winning at Jacksonville State 38-31.

"I think there were some people doubting us whether we were contenders or pretenders," Tigers coach James Webster said during Tuesday's weekly OVC teleconference. "I think this gave us a stamp of credibility where our program is now."

Tennessee-Martin continued its remarkable resurgence by winning at Samford 10-6 for its sixth straight victory. The Skyhawks, ranked nationally this season for the first time as a Division I-AA program, are No. 12. They were picked sixth in the OVC's preseason poll.

"We've had an opportunity to be 6-1 and had an opportunity to still be in the conference race to this point ... we're very excited," Skyhawks first-year coach Jason Simpson said.

Last year, the Skyhawks snapped a string of 11 consecutive losing seasons by going 6-5, compiling their best OVC record since 1995, a 4-4 mark.

Coach Matt Griffin, the architect of the big turnaround -- Tennessee-Martin went winless in OVC play from 1997 through 2002 and posted just one league victory each season in 2003 and 2004 -- left after last season to take over the Murray State program.

But Simpson and the Skyhawks haven't missed a beat. They have already clinched consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1976 and 1977, and with a seventh victory will have their best campaign since moving to Division I-AA in 1992.

"As far as where this program's coming from, to be able to put back-to-back winning seasons together ... if we could get our seventh win, that's something this program hasn't done -- I believe -- since 1988," Simpson said.

The Skyhawks last exceeded six wins with an 11-2 record in 1988 as a Division II program.

Eastern Illinois assistant head coach Mark Hutson was happy the Panthers were able to avoid an upset bid by the only team without an OVC victory.

Murray State (1-7, 0-5) led 10-0 at halftime, but Eastern Illinois scored 20 unanswered points in the final half.

"The first half really didn't go the way we wanted to, but I was really proud to see the way we responded in the second half," Hutson said. "We were able to come out and play well in the second half."

The Panthers visit Tennessee-Martin this week -- and the Skyhawks figure to be primed on homecoming.

"We're playing an outstanding Eastern Illinois team ... it's a huge challenge for our team," Simpson said. "We're at home, so we're excited about that. It's our homecoming. Hopefully we'll have a good crowd."

Saturday's other conference game saw Eastern Kentucky score all its points in the third quarter during a 27-21 win at Southeast Missouri State (3-4, 1-3).

Jacksonville State is currently fourth in the conference standings, followed by Tennessee Tech (2-5, 2-2), Eastern Kentucky, Southeast Missouri, Samford (3-5, 1-4) and Murray State.

Players of the week

Eastern Illinois sophomore tailback Norris Smith is the OVC offensive player of the week. He rushed for 154 yards on 22 carries and scored two touchdowns against Murray State.

Tennessee-Martin senior linebacker Markeseo Jackson earned the defensive award. He had eight tackles and a fumble recovery as the Skyhawks held Samford to just 228 yards of offense.

Southeast Missouri senior punter David Simonhoff and Tennessee State sophomore quarterback Antonio Heffner nabbed specialist and newcomer honors, respectively.

Simonhoff averaged 50.7 yards on six punts against Eastern Kentucky. He had a 69-yard punt and placed two punts inside the 20-yard line.

The All-American ranks second nationally with a 45.9-yard average.

Heffner, a transfer from South Carolina, completed 13 of 23 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns against Jacksonville State. He also rushed for a touchdown.