(STATS) -- Mark Elder and his Eastern Kentucky players cant wait to face Purdue this weekend. Marcus Maye Youth Jersey .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. ArDarius Stewart Youth Jersey . -- Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice bubble. Marcus Maye Jets Jersey .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. http://www.jetsfootballofficial.com/authentic-ardarius-stewart-jets-jersey/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Whichever way Ange Postecoglou goes with his striker selection for Tuesdays World Cup qualifier against Japan, he cant lose.Does he go with Tim Cahill, who has more goals than any other in the history of the fixture, or Tomi Juric, whos in the form of his life?Its a win-win proposition that the Socceroos coach is relishing ahead of the meeting of the Asian arch-rivals in Melbourne.Juric has come of age in a Socceroos shirt in this final stage of qualifying, scoring twice in three starts and looking at home in the international arena.Hes going well, hes been working hard, hes the best physically since Ive been in charge weve had him, Postecoglou said.Hes fit, strong and hes got a couple of goals already in the qualifying series.Hes a handful for oppositions and I like Tomi because hes got the right mentality, hes not really fazed by anything, whether thats an opposition or the fact that he may have missed a chance.Juric said the most important thing for him was to stay fit to give him the chance to be selected next timeThere are no guarantees in life, he said, but every time I am here I leave everything on the park knowing it may be last,Thats the only way you can guarantee yourself the chance of being in the next camp. ArDarius Stewart Womens Jersey. Of his 47 international goals, Cahills most famous pair came against the Blue Samurai at the 2006 World Cup.But given his lack of match fitness - as a A-League returnee he has yet to start a match this season - Postecoglou would need to take a leap of faith to change lanes.The canny coach isnt likely to reveal his plans until the last moment but one things for sure, he isnt flattered by Cahills goals from years past.Theres not many teams he hasnt scored against. If that was the measure hed play every game, he said.With Timmy weve got to be really careful, hes the only A-League player in here because he is unique but the physical toll that these games take on players people dont realise.Once the A-League kicks in and hes up and running hell be right to start for us no problem, but weve got to be really careful about how we use him in these early stages. 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