Golden Eagle '08 season revs up Thursday with OVC opener at SEMO

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Things get interesting Thursday night for the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagle football team, which opens Ohio Valley Conference play on national TV against the Southeast Missouri Redhawks.

Both teams had little time to prepare for the battle, with each working through a short week after playing FBS opponents last Saturday.

Tech (1-1) lost at Louisville, 51-10, while the Redhawks (1-1) fell at No. 6 Missouri, 52-3. Each team opened the year with a win, Tech downing Gardner-Webb 28-12, while SEMO slipped past Southwest Baptist, 35-28, in overtime.

It's the first meeting between Tech and SEMO since the 2006 season finale, when the Golden Eagles rode the arm of then-freshman quarterback Lee Sweeney to a come-from-behind 32-29 victory under interim head coach Doug Malone. Sweeney passed for a school-record 437 yards to help Tech overcome a slow start and a 21-6 deficit.

Tech has won the last two games to grab a 9-7 lead in the all-time series with the Redhawks. Prior to that, SEMO had won three straight.

Kickoff in SEMO's Houck Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. In addition to being televised on ESPNU, the game can also be heard on the Golden Eagle Sports Network, or via Free Teamline.