Winless Saturday for OVC includes a severe injury

The conference has more on its mind than just five losses.

By Marty Mishow ~ Southeast Missourian

It was a black Saturday for Ohio Valley Conference football teams as OVC squads went 0-5 -- and only one of those defeats was by less than 14 points.

But four of the five losers could somewhat be excused because they all ran into rugged opposition.

Southeast Missouri State University and Tennessee Tech both fell on the road at the hands of Division I-A foes.

Bowling Green hammered Southeast 49-10. The Indians (0-2) have been outscored 92-13 so far, the other defeat being 42-3 at Southern Illinois, the nation's second-ranked Division I-AA team. And Southeast plays another Division I-A squad this week, visiting Central Michigan.

"It's a tough schedule, but that's kind of what we've got and the kids are handling it pretty well," Southeast coach Tim Billings said during Tuesday's weekly OVC coaches teleconference. "I think the players' attitudes are still pretty good, which is a positive for us."

Tennessee Tech (1-1) actually hung tough with South Florida, trailing by just seven points in the fourth quarter before an interception return for a touchdown sealed the Bulls' 21-7 victory. The Eagles limited the Bulls to 278 total yards.

"The defense played extremely well," Eagles coach Mike Hennigan said. "It was a game we felt like we were physical again, ran to the ball. All the scores came from short field position and our turnovers."

Eastern Kentucky and Samford were thumped by nationally ranked Division I-AA teams.

Eastern Kentucky, the OVC preseason favorite, opened its campaign with a 49-21 loss at No. 20 Appalachian State. The squads were tied 14-14 at halftime before the Mountaineers pulled away in the second half.

Samford scored the game's first touchdown but then was mauled at home by No. 4 Furman 45-10. The Bulldogs (1-2) allowed 524 yards, including 331 rushing.

"We played a good football team Saturday and we definitely need a week to regroup," said Bulldogs coach Bill Gray, whose squad has an open date this week.

Saturday's toughest setback was suffered by Eastern Illinois, which opened its season at home with a 33-30 overtime loss to Indiana State.

The Panthers, who led by 14 points early in the fourth quarter before falling behind 27-24, went ahead 30-27 on a touchdown with one minute remaining, but Steve Kuehn missed the extra point. That left the door open for Indiana State's Kyle Hooper to kick a tying 40-yard field goal on the final play of regulation. Hooper's 20-yard field goal in overtime proved decisive.

"We did a lot of good things, but it came down to really the kicking game," Panthers coach Bob Spoo said. "If we make an extra point after our last touchdown, they would have obviously had to score a touchdown to beat us.

"It was just one of those things, we just didn't get it done."

One OVC team did pick up a win last week, that coming Thursday as Tennessee State (2-0) slipped past host Tennessee-Martin (0-2) 27-13 in the only conference game played so far. The Tigers led just 14-13 late in the fourth quarter before pulling away.

"UTM gave us everything we could handle and had us on our heels for a bit, and then our guys settled in late in the game and started playing football like they know how to play," Tigers coach James Reese said.

Jacksonville State (1-0) and Murray State (1-1) also came out of the week unscathed -- they had open dates.

Tech player seriously injured

Tennessee Tech's loss at South Florida became secondary after a serious injury suffered by senior wide receiver Drew Hixon as a result of a helmet-to-helmet collision during the second quarter.

Hixon is in a medically induced coma and listed in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, Fla.

Hixon was unconscious at the time of the injury, and has not regained consciousness. He underwent tests Saturday night that indicated a brain injury. Tennessee Tech officials said Hixon's vital signs are stable and he is resting comfortably.

"Right now, all of our thoughts and prayers are with Drew," said Hennigan. "What little reports we're getting out of Tampa is that Drew is making slight progress and we're very hopeful."

Hixon is the son of Washington Redskins assistant coach Stan Hixon. Prior to the injury, he was the Eagles' leading receiver with 10 catches for 102 yards.

Extra points

Tennessee State swept the OVC's offensive and defensive player of the week awards. Tailback Charles Anthony rushed for 161 yards against Tennessee-Martin while defensive back Justin Williams had two fourth-quarter interceptions, running one back for a touchdown. Anthony has 363 yards in the season's first two games.

No OVC team is currently nationally ranked after Eastern Kentucky fell out of the top 25. The Colonels were 20th last week.