Gamecocks stood to benefit from upset

Other than Southeast Missouri State, no team was probably more disappointed by the Redhawks' last-second loss at Eastern Kentucky on Saturday than Jacksonville State.

Another defeat for the Colonels would have cleared the way for the Gamecocks to totally control their own destiny regarding the Ohio Valley Conference's automatic Division I-AA playoff berth.

Eastern Illinois leads the league with a 4-0 record, while two-time defending champion Jacksonville State and Eastern Kentucky are both 4-1.

If the three squads continue to win, then Jacksonville State can force a three-way tie for the title by beating Eastern Illinois in the regular-season finale on Nov. 19.

Since Jacksonville State's loss was to Eastern Kentucky, and since Eastern Illinois beat Eastern Kentucky, if the Gamecocks do defeat the Panthers, head-to-head results would not be able to break the tie for the playoff berth.

And, since those three teams would have beaten everybody else in the league, no other tie-breakers would apply, forcing a probable random drawing

Had Eastern Kentucky not scored a touchdown with 1.4 seconds left to beat Southeast Missouri 33-32, the opening would have been there for Jacksonville State to enter the playoffs for certain by beating Eastern Illinois.

Speaking during Tuesday's OVC coaches teleconference, Jacksonville State coach Jack Crowe said he certainly would not have been upset by an Eastern Kentucky defeat -- or an Eastern Illinois loss, for that matter. The Panthers also had a struggle on Saturday before subduing Murray State 35-28.

"As much as I respect what Eastern Illinois and Eastern Kentucky are doing, we do pull for the teams they're playing," acknowledged Crowe.

Of course, a lot of things can still happen between now and the time the Gamecocks host the Panthers on Nov. 19 -- and Crowe said all the Gamecocks can do is worry about what they control.

"We just really have to take care of our own business. Our challenge is tough enough," said Crowe, whose squad has won three straight since losing to Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 1. "We're going to try to keep improving and make these last three games the best we've played all year."

The three teams battling for the championship had varying degrees of difficulty in remaining on course Saturday.

Nobody had a more difficult time than Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels trailed visiting Southeast Missouri 32-27 as they faced a fourth-and-16 situation from the Redhawks' 23-yard line with 10 seconds remaining.

But quarterback Josh Greco hit Patrick Bugg -- who was being defended by two players -- in the right corner of the end zone with 1.4 seconds left to pull off the miracle victory.

"I'd like to refer to it as not a way to win, but escape with a win," Eastern Kentucky coach Danny Hope said.

Eastern Illinois also faced its share of trouble at Murray State as the Racers piled up 433 yards of offense.

But Eastern Illinois forced six turnovers and returned three for touchdowns, which helped propel the Panthers to their fourth straight win.

After safety Tristan Burge scored a pair of defensive touchdowns -- returning a fumble 68 yards and recovering a fumble in the end zone -- linebacker Lucius Seymour had the game's key play.

Seymour had his second touchdown in as many weeks when he intercepted a pass and returned it 43 yards to break a 28-28 tie with 6:26 remaining in the third quarter. Neither team scored the rest of the way.

"After the first period we were pretty ineffective offensively, so our defense really had to rise to the occasion, and they did," Eastern Illinois coach Bob Spoo said. "We found a way to win."

Jacksonville State did not have to sweat out its victory as the Gamecocks rolled past host Tennessee State 33-3, scoring 30 unanswered points after the Tigers took an early 3-0 lead.

Clay Green had his fifth consecutive 100-yard rushing performance, gaining 125 yards on 18 carries and scoring two touchdowns.

Saturday's other OVC game saw surprising Samford continue to play well as the Bulldogs won at Tennessee-Martin 30-22.

Samford, in fourth place in the league at 3-2, intercepted five passes and returned two for touchdowns as the Bulldogs posted their first road victory of the season.

Tennessee-Martin, still off to its best start since 1995, fell to fifth place in the league at 2-2. The 4-3 Skyhawks remain one of only two OVC teams with a winning overall record (Eastern Illinois is 5-2).

Tennessee State (1-2) and Tennessee Tech (1-3) are sixth and seventh in the conference, while Murray State and Southeast share last place at 0-4, although one of them will escape the basement this week as the teams play each other.

Players of the week

Southeast Missouri freshman tailback Tim Holloman earned OVC offensive player of the week and newcomer of the week honors after racking up 250 all-purpose yards against Eastern Kentucky. Holloman rushed for 155 yards on 31 carries, caught six passes for 95 yards and scored four touchdowns.

Burge, Eastern Illinois' junior safety, earned the defensive award, after he scored two touchdowns on fumble recoveries and intercepted a pass against Murray State. Burge also had eight tackles.

Also honored was Jacksonville State senior safety Darren Williams (special teams). He recorded his first career blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown against Tennessee State.