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(STATS) -- Mark Elder and his Eastern Kentucky players cant wait to face Purdue this weekend.Making his head coaching debut Saturday against the Boilermakers, Elder expects big things right off the bat.We feel we have a very hungry team, said Elder, who spent the previous three seasons as special teams and tight ends coach at Tennessee.Were not heading to West Lafayette for a participation trophy, I can tell you that much. Were going there to compete. Were going there to win the game. Im not the kind of guy to predict wins and upsets, those types of things. But I know our guys are certainly excited about the opportunity.It would not be a major surprise for the Colonels to pull off the upset. EKU beat Miami, Ohio 17-10 in 2014.Despite last seasons disappointing 6-5 finish that cost longtime coach Dean Hood his job, EKU averaged 30.3 points, lost at Kentucky in overtime and comes back this year with 10 FBS players on its roster. Purdue, meanwhile, has gone 6-30 the past three seasons.The most intriguing question surrounding Elders debut is who will start at quarterback. There is no guarantee its Maty Mauk, who went 17-5 as a starter in three seasons at Missouri where he was suspended three times in four months before being dismissed early in 2016.Though Mauk has reportedly seen the error of his past ways and is poised to mature, senior Bennie Coney ranked 12th nationally with 23 passing touchdowns and threw for a career-high 2,471 yards in 2015. Redshirt sophomore Tyler Swafford is also in the mix.Weve got three guys that we are comfortable with, three guys that have battled all through camp, Elder said. We feel we can win many ballgames with any of those three.We might have more than one quarterback play (Saturday). Were not in a position to where we want to talk about that at this point.Elder is one of three new coaches in the Ohio Valley Conference. Marcus Satterfield comes over from assisting at Temples to replace the legendary Watson Brown at Tennessee Tech and Will Healy takes over at Austin Peay.At age 31, Healy is the second-youngest head coach in both the FCS and FBS. He inherits a program that is 1-34 over the past three seasons and has dropped 37 straight on the road.The chips are stacked against us, said Healy, who spent the previous seven seasons as an assistant at FCS power Chattanooga. Every week for us is a test. Were going to have to create some success early.ELDER STATESMANWhile that new coaching trio prepares to get its feet wet, UT Martins Jason Simpson begins his 11th season -- by far the longest tenure among league coaches.The first two weeks present an interesting challenge for the Skyhawks, who visit Cincinnati on Saturday then travel to Hawaii on Sept. 10.Its very unique, said Simpson, whose squad also plays FBS team Georgia State on Oct. 22. We play three FBS schools. Its probably the toughest schedule in school history.DO YOU HAVE A PEN?Murray State coach Mitch Stewart embarks on his second season guiding the Racers, but admits hell be in awe Saturday when he looks across the field to see Lovie Smith standing on the Illinois sideline.Smith, the former Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach, looks to revive a sagging Illini program. Regardless how that turns out, he has a fan in Stewart.When we meet at midfield for the handshake I hope he doesnt think its unprofessional for me to ask for his autograph, Stewart joked. I watched him coach in Super Bowls. Hes great.ALL ALONEChecking in at No. 3, reigning national runner-up Jacksonville State is the lone OVC team ranked in the STATS FCS Poll.All that matters is who is in that No. 1 spot at the end, coach John Grass said.The Gamecocks shouldnt have much trouble handling Division II North Alabama on Thursday, but things heat up with fifth-ranked LSU and Coastal Carolina awaiting the following two weeks. After that, Jacksonville State visits Liberty before league play begins.We dont schedule wins around here, Grass said. We schedule games that are going to be good for us.MARQUEE MATCHUPPerhaps the most intriguing opening contest among OVC teams comes Thursday when Eastern Illinois host No. 20 Western Illinois.The Panthers also opened last season against the Leathernecks, but are aiming for a better outcome after committing five turnovers in the 33-5 defeat. EIU managed to bounce back from that loss and ultimately earned an at-large playoff berth.All-OVC selection Devin Church returns from rushing for 743 yards while linebacker Seth McDonald leads the defense after he finished second in the league with 109 tackles.LOCAL KNOWLEDGESoutheast Missouri boasts seven players from Memphis, the city in which it opens Saturday against the Tigers at the Liberty Bowl.Less than 200 miles from SEMOs campus in Cape Girardeau, Memphis has become a favorable recruiting ground since coach Tom Matukewicz took over in 2014. Whether those hometown products get the opportunity to play a role in this contest remains to be seen, but Matukewicz might resort to anything to help the school improve on its 1-20 record against FBS opponents.HONORING TRADITIONTennessee State looks to improve to 13-5 in the annual John Merritt Classic on Saturday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The game is played at the home of the Tennessee Titans and a spirited way for the Tigers to open the season.Tennessee State started 4-1 in 2014 and 3-1 last season, but failed to make the playoffs both times.Weve got to be able to sustain our momentum, coach Rod Reed said. We want to start fast and finish strong. NBA Jerseys For Sale .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. Jack Coleman Jersey Signed . Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season. https://www.cheapnbajerseysjustwholesale.com/khris-middleton-jersey-signed/ .In my heart and mind Im competing for India, luge competitor Shiva Keshavan told The Associated Press in an email interview. Every day Im flooded with messages from Indians all over the world telling me they are supporting me. Bob Sura Jersey Signed . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. Forest Able Jersey Signed . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. Western Michigan started getting some respect beyond the Mid-American Conference when it slipped past a Big Ten team to start the season, then thumped another one two weeks later. On Monday the AP Top 25 poll voters took notice of the Broncos and slotted them at No. 24 -- the first national ranking in school history.Hardly a perennial MAC power, Western Michigan is 6-0 for the first time since 1941, including a takedown of Northwestern 22-21 in the opener and a 34-10 win over Illinois on Sept. 17.The Broncos continue their potential dream season when they travel to play Akron (4-2, 2-0 MAC) on Saturday.This is what we wanted as a community, coach P.J. Fleck said. Its wonderful for Western Michigan University, its wonderful for Kalamazoo, our student body and our players. They deserve all the credit in the world.Two of Western Michigans stars, quarterback Zach Terrell and receiver Corey Davis, started as freshmen together on a 1-11 team in 2013.Davis broke the school record last week with his 40th touchdown catch, surpassing the mark set by former Green Bay Packer Greg Jennings. He finished the 45-30 win over Northern Illinois with six catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns -- including a terrific one-handed grab of a Terrell end zone pass that was the top play of the day on ESPN. Hes got 36 receptions for 589 yards, and his eight touchdowns is second in the FBS.Western Michigan has established a website to promote Davis candidacy for the Heisman Trophy, with Fleck saying, its our obligation to make sure the nation knows.Terrell has been almost as good, with a 71 percent completion rate (4th in the nation), 15 touchdowns and a QB rating of 188.2 (3rd in the nation). A pair of running backs -- Jamauri Bogan and Jarvion Franklin -- have split the majority of the carries, each surpassing the 500-yard mark and scoring five touchdowns apiecce.dddddddddddd.Their athletes are at the top level of this conference, Akron coach Terry Bowden said. Theyve got stars at every position, they play with great confidence and great talent. I dont see any weaknesses on their football team.With all the attention, of course, comes talk that the 35-year-old Fleck -- the youngest head coach in the FBS -- could be a candidate for one of the Power Five coaching jobs expected to open up after the season.AKRONS SUPER SUB: Akron quarterback TraVon Chapman stepped in for injured starter Thomas Woodson for the second straight week last Saturday and did a little bit of everything in the win over Miami (Ohio). The junior was 15 for 29 passing for 174 yards and three touchdowns, and picked up another 80 yards running the ball. The offense managed just 299 yards but kept Miami in check, despite being without its two starting defensive ends. Bowden said the defensive effort was the best of the year so far.THAT GUY LOOKS FAMILIAR: Akrons No. 1 running back to start the season was Warren Ball, who played three seasons at Ohio State and is using his final year of eligibility at the MAC school. Ball, a former four-star prospect from Columbus, rushed for 189 yards on 41 attempts for the Buckeyes, but was overshadowed by Carlos Hyde and then Ezekiel Elliott. He graduated from OSU and enrolled at Akron as a grad student so he could play for the Zips. He played in the first two games, picking up 181 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, but has not played in the last four because of an unspecified injury. He is one of 21 transfers on the Akron roster.---Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacyFor some of his other recent stories: http://bigstory.ap.org/content/mitch-stacy ' ' '