PANTHERS FAVORED TO WIN MAD SCRAMBLE; RACERS TAKE 16-GAME OVC WIN STREAK INTO SEASON

Murray State's football team enters 1997 riding a 16-game Ohio Valley Conference winning streak and coming off consecutive undefeated league seasons.

But the lack of a proven quarterback and numerous holes on defense have relegated the Racers to a role of OVC non-favorite as the 1997 campaign approaches.

The Racers -- featuring a new head coach in Denver Johnson -- were picked to finish only third in the preseason poll of the league's head coaches and sports information directors.

But the Racers garnered enough support that winning a third consecutive league championship wouldn't really qualify as a major surprise.

Murray State, which posted consecutive 8-0 OVC records the past two seasons under Houston Nutt -- who left to take over the Boise State program -- received four of 16 first-place votes in a poll that reflects the expectation of an extremely tight race between several teams.

Eastern Illinois, which tied for second in its first year in the league last season, was picked to capture the 1997 OVC title. The Panthers received six first-place votes.

Picked right behind the Panthers and just ahead of the Racers was perennial OVC power Eastern Kentucky, which received five first-place votes after tying with Eastern Illinois for second place a year ago.

Middle Tennessee State received the other first-place vote and is tabbed to finish fourth.

Making up the bottom four in the preseason poll are Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, Southeast Missouri State and Tennessee-Martin.

"I think it's going to be a heck of a league race," said Southeast coach John Mumford, who has high hopes for his squad despite a seventh-place prediction. "The teams that were picked at the top should all be strong and I think some of the other teams, including us, could be very dangerous as well.

"It looks like a really balanced race, as evidenced by how close some of the voting was. There doesn't appear to be any real clear-cut favorite."

The OVC is now down to eight teams for football after Austin Peay dropped out following last season and Morehead State left the year before, although both schools continue to compete in the OVC in other sports.

Johnson is one of two new head coaches in the league, the other being Tennessee-Martin's Jim Marshall.

Following is a look at the OVC's teams, along with last year's overall and conference records, in the order they were picked to finish (Southeast Missouri is being previewed separately):

Eastern Illinois

(8-4, 6-2 OVC)

The Panthers made a major impact on the OVC in their first year in the league last season, posting a second-place finish and earning a second straight berth in the I-AA playoffs.

Veteran coach Bob Spoo returns 13 starters from last year's squad as the Panthers set their sights squarely on the conference championship.

"The fact we've been chosen No. 1, we'll take that," said Spoo. "We've gotten our program to the point our kids think we can win. But you still have to play the games on Saturday."

EIU led the league and ranked 11th national in rushing (248.0 yards per game) last year and the backfield returns virtually intact, led by all-star quarterback Mike Simpson (163 of 247, 1,987 yards, 19 TDs), who completed a school-record 66 percent of his passes and ranked eighth in I-AA in pass efficiency.

Justin Lynch (921 yards, 11 TDs) and Jabarey McDavid (604 yards) are a potent combination at tailback while Conrad Praamsma (439 yards) returns at fullback. But three All-OVC players are gone from the offensive line, which could present a problem.

"We return a lot of key people on offense, but our offensive line was our forte and we lost three players there, which is important to point out," Spoo said.

The Panthers return seven starters from a defense that allowed only 268 yards per game last season. The strength of the unit is at linebacker, led by Rodney Wilson (71 tackles, 13 tackles for loss) and Rodney Pontes (82 tackles) return.

Eastern Kentucky

(6-5, 6-2 OVC)

The Colonels figure to be mighty upset this season after they failed to make the I-AA playoffs for the first time in more than a decade last year.

Coach Roy Kidd, entering his 34th season at EKU, welcomes back 13 starters from a team that tied for second place in the OVC a year ago.

EKU figures to build around a defense that returns seven starters, led by All-OVC performers Britt Bowan (122 tackles) at linebacker and Scooter Asel (96 tackles) at safety.

The Colonels have a lot of holes to fill offensively, but they do possess one of the league's top receiving tandems in Bobby Washington (42 receptions/721 yards) and Rondel Menendez (38 receptions/716 yards). Simon Fuentes, who saw limited action last season, is expected to start at quarterback.

The Colonels got a major lift just last week when it was announced that tailback Derrick Logan, the Southeastern Conference's freshman of the year after gaining more than 700 yards, was transferring in from Kentucky after being booted off the Wildcat squad.

Murray State

(11-2, 8-0 OVC)

Even though the Racers aren't picked to make it three league championships in a row, they still should contend for the title based on the return of 13 starters.

The Racers' offense returns seven regulars from a unit that averaged a league-high 438 yards per game and scored an OVC record 426 points.

MSU's ground game should be strong with All-OVC tailback Anthony Downs (1,029 yards, 9 TDs) back along with four starters on the offensive line, led by center Brian Cox and guard Mark Robinson. The receiving corps is led by second-team All-American Reginald Swinton (66 receptions/1,042 yards, 8 TDs).

The big hole for the MSU offense is at quarterback, where All-OVC Mike Cherry graduated and was selected in the NFL draft.

"If we can find somebody to replace Cherry, we could be a good offensive football team," said Johnson, who will likely county on Arizona State transfer Dan Loyd as his quarterback.

MSU's top-ranked OVC defense will have to reload after losing seven starters. The unit will be built around two-time All-OVC standout linebacker Ronnie Merritt (94 tackles).

A big weapon will be All-OVC kicker Rob Hart, who set league records last season with 22 field goals and 112 points.

Middle Tennessee State

(6-5, 4-4 OVC)

The Blue Raiders closed the 1996 season on a three-game winning streak and veteran coach Boots Donnelly is hoping to carry that momentum into the fall. The squad returns 11 starters from last year and Donnelly isn't sure what to think.

"It's unusual for us to be ranked No. 4 (in the conference in the preseason poll). That hasn't been done in a long time," said Donnelly, who added, "It's also a little high for us.

"We have revamped the staff and revamped the football team. We've got a lot of no-name players."

Leading the offense for MTSU will be tailbacks Lebrian McGill (542 yards in seven games) and Kelverick Green (655 yards in six games), along with quarterback Jonathan Quinn, who struggled last year but threw for 1,700 yards as a sophomore.

Defensively, MTSU appears to be solid at linebacker with leading tackler Brian Chastain (82 tackles) and in the secondary, but five regulars on the line must be replaced.

Kicker Keegan Ray is a weapon after booting 13 field goals last year.

Tennessee State

(4-7, 3-5 OVC)

The Tigers have their sights set on a winning season after showing improvement in their first year under coach L.C. Cole. TSU returns 13 starters and has added several Division I-A transfers.

"Our goal this year is to compete for the OVC title," said Cole. "I really feel that way about our team."

TSU's offense averaged a league-high 251 yards per game through the air last season. Quarterback Todd Valentine (2,080 yards, 17 TDs) was solid as a freshman but he could be challenged by TCU transfer Fred Taylor.

All-OVC receiver Juan Hall is back after making a TSU-record 72 catches for 1,021 yards in 1996. The backfield is a question mark.

The Tigers' defense allowed just 297 yards per game last year and back is All-OVC end Lamar Carter, who had a league-high 12 sacks and 21 tackles for loss in '96.

Tennessee Tech

(5-6, 4-4 OVC)

The Golden Eagles were perhaps the biggest surprise in the OVC last season, finishing tied for fourth in their first year under coach Mike Hennigan. With 14 starters returning, Hennigan will try to build on that success.

Tech's offense revolves around all-purpose quarterback Andre Caballero (971 yards passing, 179 yards rushing). Tailback Brant Billen (466 yards) also returns.

Defense should be the Eagles' strength, led by All-OVC linebacker Sammy Sanders (126 tackles).

"We think our defense will have to carry the load again and hopefully our offense will step up," said Hennigan.

Tennessee-Martin

(1-10, 1-7 OVC)

Marshall takes over a struggling program at his alma matter. He does have 11 returning starters and will count heavily on numerous freshmen and transfers to get the Skyhawks moving in the right direction.

Quarterback Rick Wilson (820 yards in seven games) will lead the offense after a promising freshman season. UTM's top receiver is back in Shane Cowan (51 receptions), coming off a big freshman campaign.

Defensively, the Skyhawks will build around end Antonio Strobridge (74 tackles, 14 tackles for loss) and linebacker Jon Swift (134 tackles, seven fumble recoveries), the OVC's leading tackler last year.