The teams of the Ohio Valley Conference shook up the conference this past weekend as they played in the second week of their seasons. There were a lot of close last second games in the action this weekend. The teams of the OVC are preparing for their week three matchups this weekend before OVC play ramps up in the next few weeks.

Lindenwood (1-0)

Lindenwood, the newest team in the OVC is at the top of the conference standings this week as they are now 1-0. They defeated Houston Baptist on the road in a close game. The Lions were behind the Huskies 20-15 and they blocked their punt with 28 seconds remaining in the game and were able to recover the ball in the end zone which resulted in them getting a game winning touchdown. The Lions’ 21-20 win was the first Division 1 win in program history and their first win against a Division 1 team in the last 11 years. Lindenwood takes the momentum with them as they have their first home game against Keiser University.

Southeast Missouri (1-1)

After the week one loss to Iowa State, SEMO traveled to Carbondale to take on the #17 ranked Southern Illinois team. SEMO also had a game winning touchdown in the back-and-forth battle against their longtime rivals. The Redhawks were able to take the 34-31 win with a pass from quarterback Paxton DeLaurent to Damoriea Vick with 11 second remaining. The Redhawks will have their home opener this Saturday afternoon as they take on Nicholls State University.

Tennessee Tech (1-1)

Tennessee Tech had a wild home opener against Texas A&M-Commerce last Saturday evening. The Golden Eagles struggled heavily in the first half but were able to overcome in the second half. In the fourth quarter, the Lions were up 19-6. The Golden Eagles scored a total of 20 points in the fourth quarter and were able to defeat the Lions 26-25. Tennessee Tech will play at home again this weekend as they face Samford Saturday evening.

UT Martin (1-1)

The No. 14 ranked UT Martin traveled to Missouri last Thursday to face the team that they beat in the first round of the FCS Division 1 Championship last season, No. 5 ranked Missouri State. The Bears were able to take revenge on the Skyhawks and take the 35-30 win. It was a battle throughout the game, but ultimate Missouri won. UT Martin moved on to 1-1 and will travel to Idaho to take on Boise State Saturday afternoon.

Eastern Illinois (0-2)

Eastern Illinois put up a tough fight against the No. 11 ranked University of Tennessee Chattanooga last Saturday evening. The Panthers were up on the Mocs in the first quarter and had the momentum on their side as Colin Bohanek snatched up an interception on the first play of Chattanooga’s first offensive drive. EIU was unable to keep up with Chattanooga’s offense as they put up 38 points against the Panthers. UTC beat EIU 38-20 which left EIU at 0-2 on the season. The Panthers will travel to Illinois State to take on the Redbirds in the annual Mid America Classic on Saturday evening.

Murray State (0-2)

Murray State lost in their home opener against Jacksonville State 34-3. Murray State fell to 0-2 even though had some decent plays throughout the game but were unable to capitalize against the now 3-0 Gamecocks. They will travel to Ball State to face the Cardinals in a Saturday afternoon matchup this weekend.

Tennessee State (0-2)

Tennessee State fell to 0-2 against the No. 13 ranked Jackson State as they lost 16-3 against them. Although Tennessee State had a decent defensive showing, they were unable to keep up with Jackson State. They hope to pick up the pace as they travel to Middle Tennessee to take on the 1-1 Blue Raiders on Saturday afternoon.

Kate Stevens can be reached at 581-2812 or kestevens2@eiu.edu