EIU Will Be On OVC Game of Week Package

On Wednesday the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) revealed the final two games that are part of the league's eight-game football "Game of the Week" package that will be carried exclusively on ESPN3 this fall.

The third game in the series will feature UT Martin at Tennessee Tech to be played on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. CT while the fourth game in the series is Southeast Missouri at Eastern Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 10 (1 p.m. CT).

This is the second announced television game of the season for Eastern Illinois which will play Big Ten member Northwestern on Sept. 12 on ESPN News. EIU will have the opportunity to play in four ESPN3 Wildcard games between Oct. 31 and Nov. 21 with two of those home contests against Jacksonville State (Nov. 7) and Eastern Kentucky (Nov. 21). Season tickets are now on sale by calling 217-581-2106 or online at www.eiupanthertickets.com EIU opens the regular season on Thursday, Sept. 3 at Western Illinois.

The eight-game package also features four Wildcard Selections (Oct. 31, Nov. 7, Nov. 14 and Nov. 21) which will be announced roughly 12 days before the contest.

Tennessee Tech and UT Martin have split the last six years of games, with each program winning three times. Over that time period five of those six contests have been decided by a touchdown or less. UTM has won the last two games in the series, including a 17-10 decision at home last year.

Eastern Illinois has won the last three games against Southeast Missouri including a 52-13 win in Cape Girardeau last season. In that contest quarterback Jalen Whitlow threw for two touchdowns and rushed for three scores. EIU leads the all-time series by a 16-6 margin.

This marks the third-straight season the league has produced the Game of the Week package in conjunction with WebStream Sports.

WebStream Sports, an Indianapolis-based company which is a proven leader in video production, streaming video and content creation. The company, founded in 2006, produces more than 1,000 events annually and has also served as a web streaming consultant for the OVC for the past three years.

Kevin Ingram, host of "The Wake Up Zone" on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville, will handle play-by-play duties while Bob Belvin, on-air talent and contributor at 100.7 FM/AM 540 (ESPN Clarksville), will provide analysis. The duo has worked together each of the past three years in the league's TV package.

The OVC Football Game of the Week package is part of an overall multiyear agreement with ESPN which was announced in October 2013.

ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The network is currently available to more than 99 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. The network is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smartphones and tablets connected to on-campus educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks.

All other Conference football games and non-conference home contests (approximately 36 games) will be available on the OVC Digital Network, the League's web streaming platform that produces high-definition webcasts that are available at no cost on any computer, tablet or smart phone.

Complete 2015 OVC Football Game of the Week on ESPN3 Schedule

Sept. 19 - Tennessee State at Jacksonville State, 1:00 p.m. CT

Sept. 26 - Jacksonville State at UT Martin, 2:00 p.m. CT

Oct. 3 - UT Martin at Tennessee Tech, 6:00 p.m. CT

Oct. 10 - Southeast Missouri at Eastern Illinois, 1:00 p.m. CT

Oct. 31 - Wildcard Selection (Eastern Kentucky at Jacksonville State; Tennessee Tech at Southeast Missouri; Eastern Illinois at Murray State; Austin Peay at Tennessee State)

Nov. 7 - Wildcard Selection (UT Martin at Eastern Kentucky; Jacksonville State at Eastern Illinois; Murray State at Tennessee State; Southeast Missouri at Austin Peay)

Nov. 14 - Wildcard Selection (Southeast Missouri at Jacksonville State; Eastern Kentucky at Murray State; Austin Peay at Tennessee Tech; Eastern Illinois at UT Martin)

Nov. 21 - Wildcard Selection (Murray State at Jacksonville State; UT Martin at Southeast Missouri; Eastern Kentucky at Eastern Illinois; Tennessee State at Tennessee Tech)