Jacksonville State quarterback Eli Jenkins and Tennessee-Martin quarterback Jarod Neal both earned Ohio Valley Conference offensive players of the week, after both scored four touchdowns in Saturday’s game between the Gamecocks and the Skyhawks.

Jenkins scored three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, as the Gamecocks survived a fourth quarter comeback to win 48-41. Neal led the Skyhawks rally, throwing three of his four touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

The 48-20 lead by the Gamecocks became a seven-point game with 4:26 remaining. However the No. 1 ranked Gamecocks were able to run out the clock, and leave Martin with their third victory of the season.

Both quarterbacks combined for 687 yards of passing offense.

Jenkins became the first Gamecock since 2013 to account for four total touchdowns. He also moved into fifth place on the school’s all-time list for total offense. He has 5,638 yards in his career.

Neal also had a career day on Saturday. He completed 34-of-49 passes for 433 yards, setting a new career high for completions and passing yards. He is off to a much better start this season, scoring 10 touchdowns through his first three games.

He’s not far from eclipsing his career best of 14 touchdowns last year.

Goff leads Tech past Murray State

Murray State wide receiver Jeremy Harness was so close to scoring the two-point conversion that would’ve sent his team to overtime on Saturday against Tennessee Tech.

But senior linebacker Tra’Darius Goff forced him out of bounds at the two-yard line, which ended all hopes for the Racers.

Goff finished with a game-high 14 tackles, including eight solo, to help give the Golden Eagles a 31-29 victory in their OVC opener. He was named the conference defensive player of the week on Sunday,

That crucial two-point conversion would not have taken place, if it were not for Tennessee Tech junior cornerback Malik Hall. Hall blocked an extra point in the third quarter, which forced the Racers to go for two late.

He also blocked a 34-yard field goal on the final play of the first half, to keep the score tied at 14. Hall was named the OVC specialist of the week.

Murray State junior defensive end Elijah Daniel earned newcomer of the week for six tackles for loss Saturday. The Auburn transfer totaled nine tackles for the entire game.

Panthers begin conference play

Coach Kim Dameron and the Eastern football team will travel to Clarksville, Tenn. on Saturday for the first OVC game of the season.

The Panthers were victorious over the Governors last season, beating them 63-7, to give Dameron his first victory as a head coach.

Both teams will be looking for their first victory of the season. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. and can be seen online on the OVC Digital Network.

Blake Nash can be reached at 581-2812 or banash@eiu.edu