EIU takes first step in defending title, wins OVC opener

~ The Panthers debuted with a 45-24 victory over Tennessee Tech.

Eastern Illinois was apparently not flustered by playing in the earliest Ohio Valley Conference opener since 1999.

The two-time defending OVC champion Panthers rallied from an early 10-7 deficit Thursday to roll past visiting Tennessee Tech 45-24 Thursday night.

It marked the first time since 1999 that a conference matchup took place on the opening week of the season.

But, while the final score indicates the Panthers were in mid-season form -- they scored their most points in two seasons -- coach Bob Spoo knew better.

Murray State quarterback Jeff Ehrhardt tries to hold onto the ball as he is sacked by Louisville defender Earl Heyman during the first half of their college football game in Louisville, Ky., Thursday, Aug. 30, 2007. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

"I don't think we ran the ball very well," Spoo told the Charleston Times-Courier newspaper. "I was really disappointed with our running game."

Eastern Illinois defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni told the Times-Courier: "We've got to improve. Everything has to improve. We had some guys with some butterflies. They kind of had the deer in the headlights look even though we tried to get that out of them."

Still, the Panthers were good enough to spoil the Tennessee Tech coaching debut of Watson Brown -- thanks in large part to the combination of quarterback Cole Stinson and all-OVC wide receiver Micah Rucker.

Stinson completed 19 of 26 passes for a career-high 308 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

The 6-foot-6 Rucker, a former Minnesota transfer who is considered a legitimate NFL prospect, caught nine passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns.

Brown lamented the Eagles' three turnovers -- Eastern Illinois had none -- two of which led to 14 points by the Panthers in the final three minutes of the first half as they grabbed a 24-10 halftime lead.

Those miscues helped the Panthers dominate the scoreboard, even though they finished with only a narrow edge in total yardage (417 to 385).

"We had three turnovers in one quarter when we were ahead 10-7," Brown told the Herald-Citizen newspaper of Cookeville, Tenn. "Then they kept making big play after big play after big play.

"I don't think we're a good enough team to be able to win like that, but I sure know that we can't win against a team like this on the road like that. We've got a lot of work to do."

Tennessee Tech quarterback Lee Sweeney completed 28 of 41 attempts for 302 yards, but he was intercepted twice.

There will not be another OVC matchup until Sept. 15.

Treated rudely

Among the four OVC teams that opened their seasons on the road against Division I-A opponents for a large sum of money, Murray State and Southeast Missouri State were treated the most rudely.

Murray State was crushed 73-10 by 10th-ranked Louisville, while Southeast Missouri was pounded 59-3 by Cincinnati.

Also, Eastern Kentucky was hammered by Kentucky 50-10 and Tennessee-Martin dropped a 35-13 decision to Southern Mississippi.

Overall, it was not a good first week for the OVC.

Besides Eastern Illinois beating Tennessee Tech, only two of the league's 10 squads posted victories. And both of those came over lower-division opponents.

Samford squeezed past Division II West Alabama 23-21, while Austin Peay rolled past NAIA Bethel 43-19.

In the only Division I-AA matchups besides Eastern Illinois vs. Tennessee Tech, Tennessee State lost to Alabama A&M 49-23 and Jacksonville State fell at Alabama State 24-19.

All 10 OVC teams will again be in action this week, including two more games at Division I-A programs as Eastern Illinois visits Purdue and Samford plays at Georgia Tech.

Players of the week

Stinson captured OVC offensive player of the week honors for his performance in leading the Panthers to the lone league victory so far.

Tennessee-Martin defensive back Dontrell Miller won the defensive award as he had 11 tackles and forced a fumble against Southern Mississippi.

Austin Peay's Terrence Holt and Jacksonville State's Gavin Hallford shared specialist honors. Holt returned three kickoffs for 143 yards against Bethel, including a 75-yard touchdown. Hallford set a school record with four field goals against Alabama State.

Southeast Missouri quarterback Victor Anderson won the newcomer award. The junior college transfer rushed for 118 yards on 13 carries against Cincinnati, while also completing eight of 16 passes for 58 yards.

Noteworthy

• Eastern Illinois moved up in all three of the national I-AA polls. The Panthers are 12th (Sports Network), 13th (SME Network) and 14th (FCS coaches poll).
• Tennessee-Martin, the only other ranked OVC team, remained 22nd in the FCS Coaches Poll, fell to 16th in the SME Network poll and jumped to 20th in the Sports Network poll.
• Tennessee Tech senior wide receiver Larry Shipp caught six passes against Eastern Illinois to increase his career total to 148, tying him for first place in school history. Shipp is 10th in OVC history for career receptions.
• Austin Peay senior tailback Chris Fletcher scored his 32nd career touchdown against Bethel, tying him for first place in school history.