Southeast Missouri State QB evokes praise from coaches around OVC

John Grass, coach of the top-ranked Jacksonville State football team, was asked about the quarterback his team would face when the Gamecocks play Murray State in their regular-season finale during the Ohio Valley Conference's weekly media teleconference Tuesday.

Grass, whose team defeated Southeast Missouri State 56-28 last week to lock up a share of its second consecutive Ohio Valley Conference title, used his answer to praise Redhawks true freshman QB Dante Vandeven, who threw for a career-high 239 yards vs. JSU.

"We've got a lot of good quarterbacks in our league," Grass said. "I think that's one of the reasons why our league is so strong and you do see the parity -- everybody scores points and everybody's got a good quarterback who can make plays. We just played one this past weekend that's going to be a great one. He may be the best young quarterback in our league. He is the best young quarterback in our league. That guy can make plays. He's got a bright future."

Vandeven, a Jackson graduate, was named the OVC's Newcomer of the Week for the second time this season following his performance against the No. 1 Gamecocks.

He completed 19 of 35 passes and went without an interception for the fourth straight game. He rushed for a touchdown and threw for a touchdown. He did lose a fumble in the red zone on the Redhawks' opening drive Saturday.

"We knew his ability to make plays was there, and that's kind of why we ended up giving him the nod. That's always been there," Matukewicz said during the OVC teleconference. "The thing that early on was not great was just the efficiency of the offense, running the offense, communication, those type of things, and it has gotten lots better.

"Now we're really focusing on him trying to make plays within the pocket, staying in there, and we feel like he's improving. But we also know that if he doesn't improve we're not eventually going to compete for a championship. He's not playing at that level yet, but we certainly feel like he can get there."

UT Martin coach Jason Simpson, whose team comes to Cape Girardeau on Saturday, said Vandeven, who has thrown for 1,342 yards and nine TDs and rushed for 261 yards and six TDs, is part of a "three-headed monster" for Southeast along with star receiver Paul McRoberts and standout running back Tremane McCullough.

"The quarterback just really carries himself well," Simpson said. "He's a playmaker. I remember seeing him on high school tape, and he fits their system really well. They've got a bright future at that position."

Vandeven's fellow freshman Cam Sanders received recognition from the OVC as the conference's Specialist of the Week.

Sanders returned a kickoff a school-record 99 yards for a touchdown against JSU.

Matukewicz said kickoff returns is the one area of special teams the Redhawks had underperformed this season.

"Cam is 210 pounds, but he runs like he's 160," Matukewicz said. "He has a good gear and he's able to break arm tackles. If you don't get shoulders on him, then he's going to be able to break a lot of those tackles. It finally showed up in a game what we've been seeing in practice. It's the same thing [as Dante.] It feels good that you've got a guy like him for three years."

Only two other OVC players have returned a kickoff for a touchdown this season -- Murray State's Janawski Davis and Eastern Illinois' Tray Mitchell.

"A lot of those get kicked out of the end zone so there's a lot less opportunities," Matukewicz said. "Eight years ago, punt returners and kick returners were game changers, and it's really hard to change the game in the return game because our specialists are good. They'll roll punts or rugby balls on the ground. It's just hard to get those things set up like it used to be. Certainly we've been able to do some things, but special teams is a big part of it."

Playoff implications

Southeast's game against UTM at 1 p.m. Saturday has playoff implications for the Skyhawks, who are 5-2 and 6-4 in the OVC.

JSU gets the league's automatic bid while UTM, Eastern Illinois and Eastern Kentucky are fighting for an at-large berth in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

EKU (6-4, 5-2 OVC) and EIU (6-4, 6-1 OVC) face each other Saturday.

The Panthers defeated UTM 23-21 last weekend. UTM's only other losses on the season were to Southeastern Conference opponents Ole Miss and Arkansas, and a 48-41 loss to JSU to open conference play.

Simpson was asked if he thought the EIU loss knocked his team out of playoff contention during Tuesday's teleconference.

"I'm going to say no, but I don't have any power, any control over that," Simpson said with a laugh. "...The math tells you that we could end up with three 6-2 teams or whatever the scenarios could be. My thing is this: if we're worthy enough, and I certainly think we are, and Jacksonville State's the No. 1 team in the country, which I think they are, then that gives our conference certainly a tremendous amount of validity."

"I'm going to fight for my team if somehow we're able to win this week and be 6-2," Simpson added. "Our top half of our league right now this year can play with, I think, anybody in the country, and I stand by that."

EKU coach Dean Hood, whose team snapped a two-game losing streak with a 41-34 win vs. Murray State on Saturday, agreed JSU deservedly holding the top spot helped the OVC's chances of getting in at least another team.

"I think the committee's got to say then, 'Well, wow, they've got the No. 1 team in the nation. What else do they got in there?'" Hood said. "And when they say, 'What else do they got?' I think they've got to look at EIU and Eastern Kentucky and UT Martin, because I think those three teams are all balled up right there."

EKU lost 34-0 to JSU and 42-35 to UTM before beating Murray. The Colonels led late against both North Carolina State and Kentucky before falling in overtime.

Hood and EIU coach Kim Dameron, whose team's only conference loss is to JSU, both consider this weekend's match up to be a playoff game. The Panthers were tied with JSU 3-3 until late in the third quarter before the Gamecocks pulled away for a 24-3 victory.

"We've got one more [game] that we have to win, and that's against an extremely good football team that is very well coached and...is a playoff team," Dameron said. "Our task is not over. Our task, the hardest part of it is finishing it off. Our kids right now are trying to get ready to play, really, our second playoff game because we really felt like the Martin game was a playoff game."

EKU is the only team besides JSU that is ranked. The Colonels are No. 23 in the STATS FCS Poll. They received 16 points in the FCS Coaches Poll this week.

EIU received 13 points in the FCS Coaches Poll while UTM got two.

The Panthers received 73 votes in the STATS poll and UTM got had 29.

"It still don't get the respect it deserves when you look at the rankings," Grass said. "I felt like that EIU and Martin should've been ranked at some point in time during the year more than what they have been, and should've been in the Top 25."