Week 5 of Play for football teams of the OVC was filled with mixed success as two nationally ranked teams continue to dominate the standings.  

UT Martin was picked to finish first in the OVC and currently, it seems that it will end that way as the Skyhawks are 3-0 with an overall record of 4-2. The Skyhawks are also currently ranked #14 in the FCS. 

The Skyhawks are first in the OVC in both scoring offense and scoring defense.  

The Skyhawks are coming off a 45-16 win over Murray State. One of reasons for the big win was that the Skyhawks managed to rack up 691 yards of total offense. The defense also had five interceptions. 

Skyhawk quarterback Dresser Winn was 27-of-47 with a career-high of 441 yards with one rushing touchdown. Wide receivers Colton Dowell and DeVonte Tanksley combined for 388 yards on 21 receptions. 

Running backs Sam Franklin and Zak Wallace combined for four of the six rushing touchdowns while Franklin had 157 yards on eight carries. Wallace is second in the OVC in rushing yards with 567 for the season. 

The Racers are not having too much luck this season as they are 0-6 overall and 0-2 in the OVC, putting them in last place. The Racers were picked to finish third in the conference. 

The Racers are last in the conference in both scoring offense and scoring defense. Their most recent game against the Skyhawks proved that Racers have been struggling offensively this season.  

The Skyhawks limited the Racers to just 287 yards of total offense, 114 yards on the ground and 173 yards in the air. Quarterback Jayden Stinson was 10-of-25, throwing for 173 yards and one touchdown. 

Southeast Missouri was picked to finish second in the OVC preseason poll and the Redhawks are currently in second place with a 2-0 record and a 5-1 overall record. 

The Redhawks are currently #21 in the FCS as they are coming off a 34-20 win over Tennessee Tech. The Golden Eagles are tied for last place in the conference with a 0-2 record and an overall record of 1-4. 

Redhawk wide receiver Ryan Flournoy caught five passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Geno Hess ran for 88 yards on 13 attempts with one touchdown. Hess leads the OVC in rushing yards with 630 on the season. 

Bryce Norman and Lawrence Johnson led the Redhawks with 12 and 10 tackles, respectively. 

The Golden Eagles were led by Jeremiah Oatsvall who finished with 270 yards on 27-of-48 passing. Brad Clark led the receivers with four catches for 70 yards. Defensively, Samari Burns led with nine tackles. 

Eastern Illinois is 1-0 in conference play and 2-3 overall after taking the 35-27 over Northwestern State, putting them in third place. 

The Panthers rushed for 340 yards, led by quarterback Dom Shoffner, who rushed for 134 yards on 18 carries. The Panthers are first in the OVC for rushing offense with 961 yards for the season. 

Both Lindenwood and Tennessee State are 0-2 in conference play while the Lions have a 3-2 overall record, the Tigers have a 1-4 record.  

The Tigers have yet to play an OVC game this season. 

The Lions had an impressive win over Central Arkansas 52-49. The Lions had 641 yards of total offense and converted eight times in the red zone. 

Quarterback Cade Brister had 475 yards of total offense with seven touchdowns. Chase Lanckriet caught six passes for 119 yards while Payton Rose had five receptions for 103 yards. 

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