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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Defense of the OVC title begins Saturday
night for the Tennessee Tech football team when the Golden Eagles
open conference play in a 6 p.m. game at Southeast Missouri. It's
the first time Tech goes into a conference opener as defending
champ in 36 years.
For the first time since their conference opener back in 1976,
the Golden Eagles will play an Ohio Valley Conference contest in
defense of the league crown. After taking the 1975 OVC title,
Tech’s first game back in the league in 1976 resulted in a
24-7 win against Murray State.
This year’s Golden Eagle squad (2-1) is hoping for similar
success, but must do so on the road against a Redhawk unit that won
the OVC crown in 2010 and is out to avenge a late, 38-31 loss in
Cookeville last time around. Tech has won five of the last six
meetings with SEMO and owns a 12-8 all-time advantage in the
series. However, SEMO claimed a victory on its home turf the last
time the two met in Missouri.
The Golden Eagles look to rebound following a 63-14 loss at No. 4
Oregon last Saturday. SEMO, meanwhile, is also hoping to bounce
back after suffering a 35-14 setback at Southern Illinois.
It’s been an interesting conflict in styles through the
first three weeks for these two teams; the Golden Eagles rank high
in the OVC in several passing categories
while SEMO is among league leaders on the ground.
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (2-1, 0-0
OVC)
at Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (1-2, 0-0 OVC)
Saturday, Sept. 22 • 6:00 p.m. CT
Houck Stadium (10,000) • Cape Girardeau, Mo.
TV:...................................................
OVC Digital Network
Live Stats: http://www.redhawkstv.com/LiveStats/2013Live/Football/xlive.htm
Series Record:........................ Tennessee
Tech leads 12-8
Last Meeting:............. Tennessee Tech won 38-31 (9/24/11)
Watson Brown at Tennessee Tech:................ 27-32 (6 yrs.)
Watson Brown Overall:......................... 121-183-1 (28
yrs.)
Tony Samuel at Southeast Missouri:............. 26-45 (7 yrs.)
Tony Samuel Overall:................................ 60-102 (15
yrs.)
Tennessee Tech Last Week:............. L, 63-14 at #4 Oregon
Southeast Missouri Last Week: L, 35-14 at Southern Illinois
GAME NOTES: Tennessee Tech will travel to
Southeast Missouri on Saturday night for the 21st all-time meeting
between the two schools. TTU has won five of the last six in the
series including a season ago when they won 38-21. In that game Tre
Lamb completed 27-of-37 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown while
Dontey Gay rushed for 146 yards and two scores. The Redhawks were
led by Levi Terrell, who carried the ball 15 times for 154 yards
(10.3 ypc) and three touchdowns.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH: After starting the season with a
pair of victories, Tennessee Tech suffered its first loss of the
season on Saturday, losing at No. 4 Oregon from the Football Bowl
Subdivision (FBS). The Golden Eagles scored the first points of the
game, following a fumbled punt return, as Tre Lamb hit
Da’Rick Rogers for a 23-yard touchdown pass early in the
first quarter. It marked the first touchdown against Oregon in the
first quarter of a game this season. But it would take the Ducks
just a minute to tie the score and a halftime the home team led
35-7 on its way to the 63-14 victory. Overall Tech netted two
interceptions (Howard Griffin and Taylor Hennigan) and blocked a
field goal on the afternoon. Tra’Darius Goff topped the
defense with nine tackles and also blocked a punt while freshman
William Dillard had eight tackles and broke up a pass. Sophomore
Stephen Bush led the TTU rushing attack, netting a career-high 63
yards and 14 carries. Lamb finished the game 8-of-13 for 46 yards
and his touchdown while being intercepted once and sacked five
times. Despite the rough day Lamb still ranks fourth nationally in
passing efficiency (172.64) this season. Rogers has now caught a
touchdown pass in each of his first three games in a Golden Eagle
uniform. Junior punter Chad Zinchini tied the Tennessee Tech record
with 12 punts and broke the program mark with 492 punt yards.
Included in that total was a career-long 62 yard punt; he finished
the game averaging 41.0 yards/punt.
SCOUTING SOUTHEAST MISSOURI: The Southeast
Missouri defense netted four takeaways against Southern Illinois on
Saturday and have now forced multiple turnovers in five-straight
games dating back to last season. Through three games this season
the Redhawks rank first nationally in turnovers gained (13), second
in turnover margin (+2.67/game), second in passes intercepted (7)
and fourth in fumbles recovered (6). Despite the turnovers
Southeast lost 35-14 at regional rival Southern Illinois. Senior
linebacker Blake Peiffer had 18 tackles in the loss, the most
tackles by an OVC player in a game this season, and one shy of the
most by a FCS player this season. Peiffer, who is on the Buck
Buchanan Award Watch List, has posted double-digit tackles for the
first time this season and 12th time in his career. Teammate
Branden Spann had the first career interception and fumble recovery
of his career in the game. Junior punter Joe Vucic punted a
career-high nine times for a 45.3 yards/punt average. Three of his
punts went inside the SIU 20-yard line and two were downed inside
the 5-yard line. He had a long of 53 yards on the night and
currently ranks first in the OVC and seventh nationally with a 44.5
yards/punt average this season.