Only one OVC team recorded a win last week while four of the conference’s seven teams are still searching for their first win of the season as they enter Week 3 of play. 

Tennessee-Martin, 3rd in the conference, was the only OVC team to record a win last week with a score of 33-27 over Samford.  

It was Tennessee-Martin’s first win after trailing by 14 points or more since 2015. The Skyhawks tallied 469 yards of total offense while limiting Samford to just 254 yards. Skyhawk quarterback Keon Howard was 18-of-39 passing for 229 and 2 touchdowns.  

The rest of the conference suffered losses.  

Eastern was limited to just five offensive plays in the third quarter against Dayton, resulting in a 17-10 loss. The Panthers tallied 300 yards of total offense compared to Dayton’s 266 yards. The Panther’s starting quarterback, Chris Katrenick, was 12-of-27 passing for 129 yards and 1 interception.  

OVC leader Austin Peay enters this week ranked No. 19 in the Stats Perform Top 25 and No. 21 in the FCS Coaches Top 25 poll.  

The No. 19 Governors were ranked 17th last week, but were bumped down after suffering a 54-17 loss to nationally ranked SEC opponent, Ole Miss.  

It was the fourth time in the last nine games that the team scored 17 points against a FBS foe. Quarterback Draylen Ellis was 22-of-41 passing for 226 yards and 1 touchdown.  

Murray State, 2nd in the conference, was 47 points shy of the 25th spot this week in the top 25 poll. 

Murray State faced No. 7 Cincinnati, losing to the Bearcats 42-7. Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder threw for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns. The score was 7-7 at halftime, but Cincinnati scored 42 unanswered points for the win.  

Southeast Missouri is coming off a 52-14 loss to defending national champion, Sam Houston. The score was 14-14 in the second quarter, but Sam Houston scored 38 unanswered points to seal the win.  

Sam Houston had 561 yards of total offense. Bearkat running back Ramon Jefferson ran for 155 yards on 11 carries, including 2 touchdowns. 

Tennessee Tech saw a streak of scoring in 31-straight games come to an end after a 26-0 loss to Furman. The Golden Eagles were held to just 23 rushing yards with quarterback Davis Shanley passing for just 60 yards. 

Furman had a total of 167 rushing yards and 204 passing yards, compared to Tennessee Tech’s 98. Furman’s offense was led by quarterback Hamp Sisson who was 17-of-29 passing for 196 yards. 

Tennessee State played their second game of the season in the historic Southern Heritage Classic in front of 46,171 fans at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. 

Tennessee State recorded 264 yards of total offense while Jackson State recorded 404. 

Jackson State won the game 38-16. Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders was 30-of-40 passing for 362 yards, the third-most in Southern Heritage Classic history, along with 3 touchdowns. 

All seven OVC teams will play this Saturday, Sept. 18.

Autumn Schulz can be reached at 581-2812 or acschulz@eiu.edu