Week 2 Ohio Valley Conference Game Breakdowns
North Greenville at Tennessee Tech, Thursday, 8:00
Tennessee Tech got a nice win over Hampton to kick off their 2012 campaign. Tre Lamb had a great outing under center, passing for 339 yards and four touchdowns. The Golden Eagles defense let Hampton get back into the game in the second half and that is something that will need to be worked on. But when you play North Greenville, the luxury is there to work on a lot of different things, including getting new wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers even more comfortable in this system.
Projected Score: North Greenville 3, Tennessee Tech 52
Austin Peay at Virginia Tech, Saturday, 1:30
As lopsided as the Thursday night game may be, this one could be worse. Austin Peay could be considered lucky to only lose 10-42 to Western Kentucky in week one. Virginia Tech, of course, is a bit better than WKU. The Hokies struggled a bit on offense against Georgia Tech Monday night, and are coming off of a short week, but that will not be enough to keep the Governors in this game.
Projected Score: Austin Peay 0, Virginia Tech 45
Morehead State at #16 Eastern Kentucky, Saturday, 6:00
Eastern Kentucky could not hang with a surprisingly good looking Purdue squad during week one. Nothing lost for the Colonels with that showing. Jared McClain was horribly inconsistent throwing the ball, completing just eight passes. Two of his 14 incomplete passes found the wrong team. McClain started the first game in 2011 before handing the reigns over to T.J. Pryor, who proved to be a very capable dual-threat quarterback. EKU needs him back on the field and it will not be long before he is. This will be Morehead State’s first game against a DI opponent and, while they have some talent, they lack the overall depth EKU can put on the field.
Projected Score: Morehead State 14, Eastern Kentucky 31
Central Arkansas at #23 Murray State, Saturday, 7:00
A full slate of 7:00 games will give OVC fans plenty to get excited about. Murray State learned some lessons in their 69-3 loss at Florida State, but now they will face a very good FCS opponent in Central Arkansas. The Bears fared a little better in their contest against Mississippi, losing 27-49, but the slate is wiped clean now and this is a huge contest for both teams. An 0-2 start for either squad will be tough to overcome. Central Arkansas could not get much of a ground game going against Ole Miss and could struggle in that department against Murray State as well. But this game will come down to the air attacks. The Bears’ Wynrick Smothers gained some momentum against Mississippi, but Casey Brockman gives Murray State a catalyst under center for their explosive offense. It should be a shootout if both offenses can get past their week one blowouts, and in that case, the edge goes to Murray State at the friendly confines of Roy Stewart Stadium.
Projected Score: Central Arkansas 31, Murray State 38
Chattanooga at #12 Jacksonville State, Saturday, 7:00
Like Central Arkansas in the previous game, Chattanooga is another team knocking on the top 25’s door who will hit the road to play a ranked OVC squad. The Gamecocks got torched through the air in week one against Arkansas, but they did score 24 points against the Razorbacks…and none of them were meaningless fourth quarter points. Jacksonville State was up 14-7 at one point in the second quarter. JSU will need some more consistent passing from Marques Ivory, but he is still adjusting to life as a full-time starter. Another tough game may not give him much time to learn, but the defense will help keep the Mocs under control.
Projected Score: Chattanooga 24, Jacksonville State 27
Tennessee-Martin at Northern Illinois, Saturday, 7:00
A win over an FBS program is impressive even if nobody was all that surprised by Tennessee-Martin beating Memphis. But this week is an entirely different game. Northern Illinois may not be a great FBS team, but they are miles ahead of Memphis. The Huskies had Iowa on the ropes in week one, losing by a score of 17-18. That score had a lot more to do with Iowa playing horribly than NIU playing particularly well, but I’d like to see Memphis try and beat Iowa. The point is, the time for the Skyhawks to beat FBS opponents is done for now. DJ Roberts and the rest of the UTM defensive front four will need to step up again to keep this one close and Derek Carr must avoid throwing interceptions, which he did not do against Memphis.
Projected Score: Tennessee-Martin 10, Northern Illinois 31
Eastern Illinois at Western Michigan, Saturday, 7:00
If Eastern Illinois plays as well as they did in week one and Western Michigan plays as bad as they did, this could be a close game. The Panthers put up 49 points on a Southern Illinois squad that was hoping to rebound following a disappointing 2011 campaign. Western Michigan was hoping to take advantage of a new, albeit familiar, coaching staff at Illinois. The Broncos usually potent offense never got off the ground. That will change this week and the Broncos still have a potent offense and if they are clicking, the EIU defense will have their hands full. Either way, there should be a lot of points scored in this one.
Projected Score: Eastern Illinois 21, Western Michigan 41
Jackson State at Tennessee State, Saturday, 7:00
Tennessee State snuck past Florida A&M in week one. They will stay at home and host Jackson State on Saturday night. Jackson State hopes to compete for a SWAC title this year and they have all the weapons they need to do so. Tennessee State is riding pretty high though with strong performances from quarterback Michael German and running back Trabis Ward. Ward rushed for 124 yards and a score against Florida A&M and should be the workhorse again in week two. That successful running attack opened up the passing game for German, who completed 22 of 32 passes for 263 yards. Unless the Jackson State offense can find their stride and outperform Jackson State in a shootout, the battle of the Tigers should fall in the favor of the squad from the OVC.
Projected Score: Jackson State 17, Tennessee State 24
Mars Hill at Southeast Missouri State, Saturday, 7:00
When it comes to facing off against FCS programs, Mars Hill is more Aelois Mons than Olympus Mons. Look it up. But it means they are not very good and will have trouble against any team of this caliber. Southeast Missouri State, meanwhile, had a quality showing at Central Michigan. They were right in that game until the end, eventually losing 38-27. This should be a good way for SEMO to climb into the winning column.
Projected Score: Mars Hill 7, Southeast Missouri State 41
See All FCS Games of the Week Breakdowns
