No Ohio Valley Conference football team came close to producing an upset like Appalachian State’s win against Michigan in the first week.

In fact, the closest game between an OVC school and a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent was Tennessee-Martin’s 35-13 loss at Southern Mississippi.

“I don’t think we played particularly well,” UTM head coach Jason Simpson said. “I thought that we played hard in spots, but we didn’t execute on some simple things. I know there were some mismatches physically at a couple spots.’

The OVC was outscored 217-36 in its four games against FBS teams. Louisville scored the most points in its 73-10 rout of Murray State, while Cincinnati outscored Southeast Missouri by 56 points in the Bearcats’ 59-3 win. Kentucky blew out in-state foe Eastern Kentucky 50-10.

“Well, it was a heck of an environment to play in,” Murray State head coach Matt Griffin said. “Louisville’s an awesome ball club, one of the best I’ve seen first hand.”

Eastern Illinois plays at Purdue this week and Samford travels to face Georgia Tech in the only two games featuring an OVC school against an FBS team.

“Georgia Tech has got a great football team,” said Samford head coach Pat Sullivan. “They’re one of the best teams in there. You turn on the film and look at it, they just totally dominated Notre Dame.”

After this weekend, OVC schools only play three more games against FBS teams. Eastern Kentucky plays at long-standing rival Western Kentucky on Sept. 15. This is WKU’s first year at the FBS level.

And on Sept. 22 Jacksonville State plays at Memphis and Tennessee Tech plays at Auburn on Nov. 3.

Don’t expect a win from an OVC school against an FBS team.

The last time an OVC school won such a game was in the 2004 season, when Eastern Illinois beat Eastern Michigan 31-28.

OVC Quiz Question

When was the last time a player from the Ohio Valley Conference won the Walter Payton Award?

OVC Alums in the NFL

The start of the NFL season is officially this Thursday when former Eastern Illinois graduate Sean Payton’s New Orleans Saints take on the Indianapolis Colts. But that’s not the only OVC connection to the NFL. Fourteen past players from the OVC are currently on NFL rosters.

Headlining that is former Eastern Illinois quarterback Tony Romo, who made the 2006 Pro Bowl after his first year as starter for the Dallas Cowboys.

Other notable alums include second-year safety Cortland Finnegan of Samford (70 tackles in 2006) and first-year players Mike Mason of the Cleveland Browns (wide receiver from Tennessee State) and Edgar Jones of the Baltimore Ravens (defensive end from Southeast Missouri).

Besides Eastern Illinois’ trio of NFL head coaches (Brad Childress of the Minnesota Vikings and Mike Shanahan of the Denver Broncos), UTM graduate Jerry Reese is entering his first year as the general manager for the New York Giants.

Trio of players named to watch lists

Tennessee-Martin running back Donald Chapman began the 2007 season with 3,892 career rushing yards, only 1,257 yards behind all-time leader Markus Thomas’ total of 5,149.

While his opening-season effort of 20 yards didn’t garner much positive press for Chapman, the 5-foot-10, 215 senior garnered some last Thursday.

Chapman was the only OVC player named to the 16-player Walter Payton Award watch list, the award given to the top offensive player in the FCS.

Two OVC defenders made the Buck Buchanan watch list, given to the top defender in the FCS.

Eastern Illinois linebacker Donald Thomas and Tennessee State defensive back Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie are two of the 16 candidates for the honor this year.

Quote-worthy

“What happened up in Ann Arbor last weekend, Appalachian State set the bar very high for all of us now for playing with those guys. We’re still very much an underdog going into Purdue, no question about that.”

– Eastern Illinois head coach Bob Spoo about what Appalachian State’s win against Michigan has done to the FCS.

OVC Quiz Answer

Romo won the award in 2002.

-For the OVC standings, click here.

-For OVC statistics, click here.