Eastern Illinois Looks To Play OVC Spoiler Panthers Travel To Tennessee State

Transcription

1 Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State Saturday - November 8-1 p.m. - LP Field (68,798) Contact: Rich Moser rlmoser@eiu.edu (217) Fax (217) Game 10 Eastern Illinois Looks To Play OVC Spoiler Panthers Travel To Tennessee State Eastern Illinois (4-5, 2-3 OVC) at No. 22 Tennessee State (7-2, 4-1 OVC) LP Field (68,798) Nashville, Tenn. November 8, p.m. TV: None Quick Facts COACHES: Bob Spoo (Purdue, 1960) EIU Record (21st year) OVC Record (12th year) vs. Tennessee State James Webster (North Carolina, 1972) TSU Record (4th year) Overall Record...Same OVC Record (4th year) vs. EIU SERIES 12th meeting (EIU leads 7-4) last MEETING EIU 38, TSU 35 on Oct. 27, 2007 at Nashville s LP Field RANKINGS Eastern Illinois... --/-- Tennessee State...22/22... Sports Network/FCS Coaches RADIO Hit Mix 88.9 FM Play-by-Play... Mike Bradd Analyst... Jack Ashmore TELEVISION None INTERNET Live Stats... Vidoe Stream... The Game In one of several preseason publications this week s Ohio Valley Conference clash between Eastern Illinois and Tennessee State was picked as the OVC game of the year that could decide the conference champion. While EIU is no longer in the race to win the title for themselves this game will still go a long way towards determining the OVC champion as Tennessee State is currently one of three OVC teams with just one conference loss. EIU has had success against the Tigers winning seven of the last meetings. EIU enters the weekend playing the role of spoiler as the Panthers look to finish out the season strong in search of a fourth straight winning season. The Panthers rolled over Murray State on Saturday as they rushed for a season high 226 yards with three backs finishing with more than 80 yards rushing. Tennessee State improved to 4-1 in the OVC on Saturday with an easy win over Tennessee Tech. TSU features the league s top rusher in Javarris Williams who had 125 yards against TTU. Transfer quarterback Dominic Grooms was also called to duty throwing for 138 yards and two scores with a 15-for-19 effort. EASTERN ILLINOIS - TENNESSEE STATE SERIES This will be the 12th meeting between Eastern Illinois and Tennessee State. The two schools first met in 1982 with TSU knocking off EIU in the NCAA I-AA quarterfinals. Since joining the OVC in 1998, EIU has won seven of ten meetings including four in a row. The Panthers are 3-2 against Tennessee State in games played at LP Field including a victory last season as Tyler Wilke won the contest with a 30 yard field goal as time expired. Eastern Illinois (4-5, 2-3 OVC) Date Opponent Score/Time Aug. 28 at Central Michigan L Sept. 6 at Illinois L Sept. 13 INDIANA STATE W 38-3 Sept. 20 at Illinois State W Sept. 27 * JACKSONVILLE ST. L Oct. 9 * at UT Martin L Oct. 18 * SOUTHEAST MISSOURI W Oct. 25 * at Eastern Kentucky L 7-20 Nov. 1 * MURRAY STATE W 34-6 Nov. 8 * at Tennessee State 1 pm Nov. 15 * AUSTIN PEAY 1:30 pm Nov. 22 * at Tennessee Tech 1:30 p * Ohio Valley Conference Game All Times Central Tennessee State (7-2, 4-1 OVC) Date Opponent Score/Time Aug. 30 at Alabama A&M W Sept. 6 SOUTHERN W Sept. 13 vs. Jackson State W Sept. 20 * EASTERN KENTUCKY W Sept. 27 vs. Florida A&M L Oct. 4 * at UT Martin W (o) Oct. 18 * AUSTIN PEAY W Oct. 25 * at Southeast Missouri L (o) Nov. 1 * TENNESSEE TECH W Nov. 8 * EASTERN ILLINOIS 1 pm Nov. 15 * at Jacksonville State 2 pm Nov. 22 * at Murray State 1 pm * Ohio Valley Conference Game Times Central

2 November 8, 2008 Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State Page SPORTS NETWORK TOP 25 (Week 10) Rk. Team 2008 Record 1. James Madison (91) Appalachian State (17) Cal Poly (1) Northern Iowa Montana Villanova Richmond New Hampshire Weber State Wofford Elon Southern Illinois Massachusetts William & Mary Furman Central Arkansas Western Illinois McNeese State South Carolina State UT Martin Harvard Tennessee State Northern Arizona Colgate Liberty 7-2 EASTERN ILLINOIS HEAD COACH BOB SPOO The dean of Ohio Valley Conference Coaches, Eastern Illinois head coach Bob Spoo returns to the sidelines for his 21st season on the sidelines and 22nd season overall. Spoo missed the 2006 season with a medical illness. His career record is at EIU including a mark in OVC action. Since taking over the program in 1987, Spoo has become one of the most respected coaches in the game with numerous assistants moving on to succeed at all levels of the coaching business. He was the 1995 Football Gazette I-AA Coach of the Year and runner-up for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award in A 1960 graduate of Purdue University, Spoo has coached the Panthers to 8 NCAA FCS playoff berths and ten Top 25 national rankings. tennessee STATE HEAD COACH james webster James Webster is in his fourth season as the Tennessee State head coach and enters November with his Tigers squad in contention for the Ohio Valley Conference championship. Webster has compiled a overall record including a mark in the OVC. A 1972 graduate of North Carolina, Webster served as an assistant coach at several schools including UNC, Florida, Kansas, Colorado and Northwestern prior to taking over the TSU program. SCOUTING TENNESSEE STATE Tennessee State features a diverse offense that ranks 18th in the country in passing and 25th in the nation overall. Senior Javarris Williams leads the OVC in rushing at yards per game while quarterback Antonio Heffner is a dual threat ranking 14th in the nation in total offense. Heffner was hurt in the loss to Southeast Missouri and did not play against Tennessee Tech. The Tigers defense has also stepped up ranking 28th in the nation with Kellan Woodard collecting five sacks on the year FCS Coaches Poll (Week 10) Rk. Team 2008 Record 1. James Madison (28) Appalachian State Cal Poly Northern Iowa Montana Richmond New Hampshire Villanova Southern Illinois Weber State Elon Wofford Massachusetts Central Arkansas McNeese State William & Mary Furman South Carolina State Western Illinois UT Martin Harvard Tennessee State North Dakota State Northern Arizona Liberty 7-2 NUMBER TO REMEMBER This week s number to remember is 60, that is the average number of yards the Panthers defense has held Javarris Williams to during his three previous games against EIU. Williams is one of the best running backs in the history of the Ohio Valley Conference rushing for 4,236 yards, an average of yards per game. In 2005 the EIU defense stuffed Williams for 57 yards while he was limited to only 38 yards in Last year at LP Field, Williams did break free for 86 yards as both teams combined for 517 yards on the ground. A LITTLE HISTORY Eastern Illinois will travel to LP Field for the sixth time on Saturday as the Panthers have posted a 3-2 record at the home of the Tennessee Titans. Including Tennessee State, EIU has played three different opponents at National Football League Stadiums with a combined record of 4-3 all time. The Panthers lost to San Diego State in 2001 at Quallcomm Stadium (San Diego Chargers) and rebounded to win against Florida Atlantic in 2001 with a win at Pro Player Stadium (Miami Dolphins). MATCH-UP TO WATCH THIS WEEK Eastern Illinois Run Defense Versus Tennessee State Offense Eastern Illinois had one of its best run stopping days of the season on Saturday afternoon against Murray State as the Panthers allowed only 88 yards on the ground. That marked the third straight game that the EIU defense has clamped down on the run allowing only 133 yards to Southeast Missouri and 108 yards to Eastern Kentucky. This week EIU will once again have its hands full with a running offense as TSU ranks second in the OVC in rushing and 18th in the nation. Javarris Williams is averaging yards per contest and ranks 18th in the nation. Should the Tigers have quarterback Antonio Heffner back then they have a double threat as Heffner is the second ranked TSU rusher at 48 yards per game along with throwing for 224 yards per game. Against Tennessee Tech last week transfer Dominic Grooms went the distance as more of a drop back passer completing 15-of-19 for 138 yards while rushing for only 16 yards on 11 attempts.

3 November 8, 2008 Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State Page 3 LAST TIME OUT For the second time in three weeks freshman Desmin Ward scored three rushing touchdowns as the Panthers built an early 21-0 lead and rolled to a 34-6 win over Murray State. Ward scored on runs of 1, 3, and 1 yards to give the Panthers the early cushion. EIU then made a goal line stand to end the second quarter as William Hodor stopped Racers quarterback Jeff Ehrhardt short of the goal line on fourth down. EIU would add a pair of second half Tyler Wilke field goals and a Chevon Walker touchdown for the final margin of victory. Murray State was limited to a pair of Kienan Cullen field goals in the second and third quarters. WALTERS off BUCHANAN list Senior defensive end Pierre Walters was dropped from the midseason list of finalists for Buck Buchanan Award after opening as one of the sixteen preseason selections. Walters was a 2007 Associated Press All-American and selected as the OVC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Despite not putting up national leading numbers, Walters has 35 tackles with a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. He also had one pass break-up, five quarterback pressures and one forced fumble. SCORING STREAKS With Desmin Ward s one yard plunge in the first quarter the Panthers have now scored a touchdown in 19 straight games dating back to the loss at Purdue last year. EIU s streak of consecutive games without being shutout was also extended to 63 games as the last time EIU s offense was held scoreless was October 11, a 41-0 loss versus Eastern Kentucky. EIU longest streak of consecutive games without being shutout was 197 from which ranks fourth alltime among FCS schools. NOVEMBER STREAK CONTINUES Eastern Illinois extended its streak of regular-season wins in the month of November to 10 straight with Saturday s win over Murray State. The Panthers last regular-season loss in November came back in 2004 when EIU dropped a game against Jacksonville State on Nov. 13. EIU would close out that regular-season with a win over Samford before going 3-0 in 2005, 3-0 in 2006 and 2-0 in EIU will play four November regular-season games this year. TALE OF THE TAPE Points Per Game Average Points Allowed First Downs Rushing Yards Per Game Rushing Touchdowns Passing Yards Per Game Passing Touchdowns Average Yards Per Game Interceptions Thrown Fumbles - Lost Turnovers Gained Punting Average Field Goals (ATT/MADE)...11-for for-14 3rd Down Conversions (41%) (45%) 4th Down Conversions Sacks (Yards)...10 (62) (124) Penalties (Yards)...46 (436) (868) Time of Possession (Game)...29: :29 Cradle of NFL Coaches Still Rockin With the retirement of Washington Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs, Eastern Illinois and USC stand out as the lone schools that can claim the title - NFL Cradle of Coaches. The Panthers have three former alumni now working the sidelines for NFL teams. In 2006, Sean Payton was named the NFL Coach of the Year during his first season while Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan has two Super Bowl titles to his credit. EIU Head Coaches Mike Shanahan...Denver Broncos Sean Payton... New Orleans Saints Brad Childress...Minnesota Vikings USC Mike Holmgren (Seattle), Jeff Fisher (Tennessee), Jack Del Rio (Jacksonville) WARD CHASING SCORING TITLE Eastern Illinois freshman running back Desmin Ward is currently in a heated battle with senior kicker Tyler Wilke for the individual scoring title on the Panther football team. Wilke currently holds a slight lead with 53 points making 20 extra points and 11 field goals. Ward has scored 48 points all coming on rushing touchdowns including six in the last three games. Should Ward win the team scoring title he would become the fourth freshman to lead the Panthers in scoring for a season. The last was Vincent Webb in 2003 with 36 points while Poke Cobb in 1976 and Mark Stettner in 1974 were the others. Should Wilke win the team scoring title he would become the first kicker since Bill Besenhofer in 2000 to win the title and the eighth kicker since 1963 to lead the squad. In addition to being in the team scoring race Ward also ranks in the top 15 in the FCS ranks for scoring by freshman and second in the OVC. Only Tim Benford of Tennessee Tech with 54 points is ahead of Ward for top freshman OVC scoring honors.

4 November 8, 2008 Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State Page 4 The Eastern Illinois 2-Minute Drill OVC Standings Team... OVC...Pct...All... Pct. #19 UT Martin Eastern Kentucky #22 Tennessee State Jacksonville State Eastern Illinois Murray State Southeast Missouri Tennessee Tech Austin Peay Sophomore Rashad Haynes moved up one spot on the EIU career interceptions list on Saturday as he picked off his fifth pass of the season and ninth of his career. Haynes leaped up to seventh place on the career list tied with Kourtney Young ( ) and Daryl Holcombe ( ). Haynes also moved up to 12th on the FCS active leaders for career interceptions. Senior Travorus Bess keeps chugging away at the 1,000 yard mark for the season as he increased his season total to 759 yards with an 83 yard effort against Murray State. Bess needs to average 80.3 yards per game over his final three games to make him just the 9th running back in EIU history with 1,000 yards for a season. Bess increased his career rushing total to 1,706 yards making him 14th on the EIU career charts. This Week In The OVC Saturday - November 8 EASTERN ILLINOIS at Tennessee State Southeast Missouri at Murray State Jacksonville State at Tennessee Tech UT Martin at Auburn Austin Peay - Open Eastern Kentucky - Open LAST WEEK S OVC RESULTS Eastern Kentucky 29, Southeast Missouri 16 Eastern Illinois 34, Murray State 6 Jacksonville State 35, Austin Peay 22 Tennessee State 41, Tennessee Tech 14 UT Martin - Open OVC Predicted Order Of Finish 1. Jacksonville State (6) 2. Eastern Kentucky (6) 3. EASTERN ILLINOIS (6) 4. Tennessee State 5. UT Martin 6. Tennessee Tech 7. Austin Peay 8. Murray State 9. Southeast Missouri (first place votes in parenthesis) Eastern Illinois Players On All-OVC Preseason Team Offense Chaz Millard - Offensive Guard Defense Pierre Walters - Defensive End Rashad Haynes - Corner Back Ke Andre Sams - Rover Walters Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Senior Tyler Wilke moved up the career field goals list on Saturday with kicks from 39 and 27 yards against Murray State. Wilke now has 22 career field goals which ties Jeff Sanders ( ) for fourth place on the career list. Wilke jumped over current teammate Zach Yates who was 5th on the career list with 21 makes. With 11 made field goals on the season Wilke also moved into 7th on the single season list. Senior Pierre Walters added one tackle for loss to his career total against Murray State which allowed Walters to move up to fourth place on the Panthers career tackles for loss list with 36.5 tackles for loss. Walters moved past Kory Lothe ( ) and is now chasing John Jurkovic for third place. Walters 10.5 tackles for loss this season also put him in striking distance of cracking the single season top ten list which has three players tied for 8th with 14 tackles for loss. Place kicker Tyler Wilke was called into emergency duty as the Panthers punter on Saturday as normal punter Kevin Cook had a leg injury. Wilke only had one chance to punt going for 36 yards. Last season Wilke was called into duty late in the year when Cook suffered a torn ACL. In 10 punts last year Wilke averaged 46.1 yards per punt with five punts downed inside the 20 yard line. Eastern Illinois added two more sacks to its season total on Saturday with two new players recording sacks. With 10 total team sacks registered on the year, seven different players have been credited with sacks with Pierre Walters ranking first with 3 sacks and Donovan Johnson is second with 2.5 sacks. Freshman Perry Burge and senior William Hodor were the two players who collected sacks against Murray State. EIU s defense continues to swarm and meet opposing players in the backfield as the Panthers rank 15th in the nation in tackles for loss. EIU added 9 more tackles for loss on Saturday against Murray State with no player registering more than 1.5 tackles for loss. This season it truly has been a team effort as no EIU player ranks in the Top 50 in the FCS in tackles for loss as an individual. The highest individual effort this season was by Donovan Johnson with 3 tackles for loss against Indiana State. The Panthers 226 yards rushing on Saturday against Murray State was the best effort of the season for EIU. It was also the highest team rushing total in 11 games dating back to last years win over Tennessee State. In that game EIU rushed for 351 yards during a win over the Tigers. EIU also scored four times on the ground against Murray State, the best effort since a 7 rushing touchdown performance against Indiana State in With his two OVC wins this season EIU head football coach Bob Spoo increased his OVC football win total to 58. Spoo ranks sixth all time in career OVC football wins and trails former Tennessee Tech head coach Don Wade by two wins. Should the Panthers win over Tennessee State and Austin Peay, the season finale is against Tennessee Tech in a game that could have Spoo passing Wade on the career OVC wins list. Kick off specialist Austin Signor moved up to third in the NCAA FCS ranks over the weekend in kick offs sailed back for touchback. Signor now has 16 touchbacks on the season after five of seven kicks went the distance against Murray State. Signor only trails kickers from Weber State and Northern Arizona (both with 20) in the national race. The average starting field position for EIU opponents this year has been the 23 yard line.

5 November 8, 2008 Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State Page 5 MORE EIU 2-MINUTE DRILL... For the fourth time this season Eastern Illinois was perfect in red zone scoring opportunities as the Panthers scored points on all five trips into the red zone. Desmin Ward scored three rushing touchdowns, Chevon Walker added one rushing score and Tyler Wilke a field goal. EIU averaged 6.2 points on red zone chances. For the season EIU is averaging 4.2 points when venturing into the red zone scoring on 25 of 32 chances (78.1 percent). Thanks in large part to an electrifying 68 yard punt return by freshman Shawn Williams on Saturday, Eastern Illinois moved up to fifth in the FCS ranks in punt return average. This season EIU is averaging 17.7 yards per punt which does include two blocked punts returned. With his punt return on Saturday Williams is now averaging 32.7 yards per return for the season. The Panther defense added three more turnovers on Saturday versus Murray State to increase its season total to 20. EIU ranks 22nd in the country in turnovers gained with Morgan State the national leader with 27 turnovers gained. 12 of those 20 turnovers have been gained via interceptions which ranks EIU 20th in the nation in that category. Junior quarterback Bodie Reeder had one of his most effective days of the season passing the ball against Murray State despite his efforts not really being needed. Reeder completed 10 of 11 passes for only 68 yards with six of his completions coming on third down plays which turned into first downs. For the season Reeder is completing 63.7 percent of his passes. The race for individual team tackles leader continues to come down to three players as the Panthers enter the final three games of the season. Senior Ke Andre Sams holds a slight team lead with 59 tackles on the year. Seymour Loftman is second on the squad with 53 stops while corner back Rashad Haynes is third with 50 tackles. Haynes is the team leader with 39 solo tackles. Eastern Illinois held an opponent without a touchdown for the second time this season as Murray State was held to two field goals in a 34-6 loss to EIU. EIU ranks second in scoring defense in the Ohio Valley Conference allowing 22.3 points per game. When you throw out the two contests against FBS schools, the Panthers are allowing only 17.5 points per game. WHERE THEY RANK IN (Week 10) SPECIAL AWARD NOTES millard a preseason all-american Eastern Illinois junior guard Chaz Millard has been named a preseason first team All-American by the Sporting News football magazine. Millard was a first team All-OVC selection last season after anchoring an offensive line that ranked 4th in the nation in the least amount of sacks allowed. Millard ended the year also earning honorable mention All-American honors by the Sports Network. cook A preseason all-american Eastern Illinois sophomore punter Kevin Cook will open the season with three preseason All-American nods as the Sports Network listed Cook as a preseason third team selection. Early in the summer Cook was tabbed a preseason first team selection by the Sporting News and a second team All-American by Lindy s Football. Last season Cook ranked fourth in the NCAA FCS ranks in punting average. OUT FOR THE YEAR Before the first snap of the 2008 season officially arrives, several Eastern Illinois have already had their seasons put on the shelf with season ending injuries suffered either during spring or fall practices. Senior defensive end Ryan Bennett will miss his final season of eligibility after suffering a broken leg in the first week of camp. Bennett had made 30 tackles in 25 games over the past two seasons. Freshman wide receiver Von Wise will have to wait one more season to start his career after suffering a torn ACL on the second day of fall camp. Wise was expected to be a possible contributor as a true freshman out of Cincinnati, Ohio. The final casualty to start the year is redshirt sophomore Louis Cairo who suffered a torn ACL during the spring workouts. Cairo had appeared in 10 games making four special teams tackles last season. WELCOME BACK EIU will regain the services of several players who missed the 2007 season due to medical redshirts. Returning this season are free safety Seymour Loftman, linebacker Sean Campbell, defensive tackle William Hodor, wide receiver Adam Kesler and linebacker Nathan Shortridge. All five missed the entire year with injury after contributing during the 2006 season. Category... NCAA (Statistics)... OVC (Leader)...FCS LEADER (Statistics) Rush Offense... 72nd (128.9)... 6th (UT Martin)...Wofford (354.4) Pass Offense... 95th (157.9)... 8th (Murray State)...Portland State (413.3) Total Offense th (286.8)... 9th (UT Martin)...Cal Poly (487.7) Scoring Offense... 80th (21.9)... 6th (UT Martin)...Cal Poly (45.4) Rush Defense... 98th (188.5)... 8th (Tennessee State)...Northern Arizona (41.4) Pass Defense... 24th (170.1)... 1st (Eastern Illinois)...North Dakota State (104.2) Total Defense... T63rd (358.7)... 4th (Tennessee State)...Morgan State (207.9) Scoring Defense... T41st (22.3)... 2nd (Eastern Kentucky)...Yale (13.1) Turnover Margin... 30th (0.56)... 3rd (Eastern Kentucky)...Grambling (1,67) Sacks nd (1.11)... 8th (UT Martin)...Northern Arizona (4.56) Least Sacks Allowed... 79th (2.22)... 8th (UT Martin)...Wofford (0.25)

6 November 8, 2008 Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State Page 6 HOW DO YOU SAY THAT - EIU Pronunciation Guide 3...Ke Andre Sams... KEY-on-Dre 4...Bodie Reeder... Read-err 7...Alicus Nozinor...Al-ah-cuss 8...Travorus Bess...Tra-vore-us 12...Bobson Mercier...Mur-sear 15...Quinten Ponius...Poe-knee-us 18...Joel Evers... Joe-L 24...Irvin Jean-Charles... Jean (like blue jeans) 51...Alain Marcelin... mar-sa-lynn 55...Cory Leman...coor-EE * Lay-man 58...Alex Luhring...lure-Ring 60...Seth Knolhoff... knoll-off 89...Daniel Vehovic...Va-hoe-vick 90...Spyros Bazigos...Spear-ros * bah-zah-gos 94...Andre Lima... lee-mah 96...Colin Luczynski...Loo-chin-ski 99...Trevor Frericks... Fra-air-ricks EIU 2008 ROSTER BREAKDOWN BY STATE/YEAR PIERRE WALTERS - ON TAP PIERRE WALTERS - ALL-AMERICAN Eastern Illinois senior defensive end Pierre Walters enters the season as a preseason All-American as named by the Sports Network. Walters was named the OVC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year after earning first team All-OVC and third team Associated Press All-American honors last season. Walters was a preseason candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award which is handed out to the top defensive player in the NCAA FCS ranks. Walters is currently tied for 6th on the career tackles for loss chart with 32. Against Illinois State he jumped into the career Top 10 for sacks with 14 passing former OVC Defensive Player of the Year Nick Ricks who had 13 career sacks. Walters ranks 6th among active FCS players in career sacks. EIU Roster By Home State Illinois Florida Ohio... 5 Wisconsin... 4 Indiana... 2 Alabama... 1 California... 1 Idaho... 1 Iowa... 1 Missouri... 1 Texas... 1 EIU Roster By Class Senior Junior Sophomore Redshirt Freshman Freshman EASTERN ILLINOIS CAPTAINS OFFENSE 4...Bodie Reeder...Quarterback 74...Chaz Millard...Offensive Guard DEFENSE 3...Ke Andre Sams...Rover 91...Pierre Walters...Defensive End Pierre Walters Career Sack Games Opponent...Tackles... SACKS... Yards Oct. 8, 2005 vs. Southeast Missouri Sept. 2, 2006 at Illinois Sept. 9, 2006 vs. Indiana State Sept. 23, 2006 at Samford Nov. 25, 2006 vs. Illinois State Sept. 8, 2007 at Purdue Sept. 22, 2007 at Indiana State Nov. 10, 2007 at Jacksonville State Nov. 24, 2007 at Southern Illinois Aug. 28, 2008 at Central Michigan Sept. 20, 2008 at Illinois State Sack Totals

7 November 8, 2008 Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State Page 7 #36 - Shannon Cobb (Linebacker) 5-11, 220, Jr., Normal, Ill. (Joliet JC) NEW PLAYERS ON THE EIU ROSTER #63 - Otis Hudson (Offensive Line) 6-5, 300, R-Jr., Barrington, Ill. (Minnesota) 2008: Signed with EIU in summer and is eligible... JOLIET JUNIOR COLLEGE: Two year starter at linebacker for Joliet Junior College... first team All-Iowa Community College Athletic Conference East selection... member of defense that ranked 8th in the NJCAA in rush defense and 17th in total defense... team posted a 10-2 record defeating North Iowa Area CC in Graphic Printing Bowl Game... had 39 tackles including seven for loss as a sophomore... added 1.5 sacks... had 20 tackles with three tackles for loss and three sacks as a freshman... HIGH SCHOOL: Played at Normal Community High School helping team to a Class 6A state runner-up finish in st Team All State Chicago Sun Times, Chicago Tribune and Champaign News Gazzette... 1st Team All State Rivals.com, Defense MVP of the 2006 Ilinois Shriner State All Star Game, three time 1st Team All Big 12 Conference selection... team captain and MVP... PERSONAL: Father David Cobb was a reserve defensive back on EIU s 1978 National Championship team... majoring in business marketing. #48 - Austin Signor (Kicker) 6-4, 230, R-Jr., Urbandale, Iowa (Iowa) 2008: Transferred to Eastern Illinois and is eligible to play... IOWA: Played two seasons at the University of Iowa in 2006 and redshirted 2005 season with the Hawkeyes... handled most of the kick off duties averaging 60.8 yards per kick off in 2007 with six touchbacks on 29 kickoffs... also was 3- of-6 on field goal attempts in 2007 with a long of 41 yards... converted 8-of-10 PAT s... averaged 62.0 yards during 48 kickoff attempts with 16 touchbacks... also connected on 2-of-2 on field goal attempts with a long of of-5 on PAT s... HIGH SCHOOL: Earned All-Conference as a junior and senior... set school record for career PAT s and career field goals... averaged 68 yards on kickoffs and 85 percent of kickoffs were touchbacks... connected on 12-of-19 career field goal attempts and 90-of-93 PAT s... career best 49-yard field goal as a senior... lettered as a kicker and defensive end... lettered in basketball and soccer helping soccer team place third in state tournament as a junior... played for coach Sam Anderson... PERSONAL: Son of Trish and Tom Signor... majoring in International Business... Academic All-Big Ten Conference pick. 2008: Transferred to Eastern Illinois and is eligible... MINNESOTA: Played 2006 and 2007 seasons at the University of Minnesota... redshirted the 2005 season... played in four games as a reserve defensive lineman in 2007 before moving to offensive line.. on defense had tackles against Florida Atlantic and Indiana... appeared in five games in 2006 making first career appearance versus Kent State... played 31 snaps against Temple... had three tackles and forced a fumble versus Ohio State... HIGH SCHOOL: Played for coach Joe Sanchez at Barrington HS... All-Conference and All-Area performer.. named to Chicago Tribune s Top 100 list... four year letterwinner in track and basketball... PERSONAL: Son of Otis and Lottie Neal. #92 - D Angelo McCray (Defensive Line) 6-4, 333, R-Fr., Jacksonville, Fla. (Illinois) 2008: Transferred to Eastern Illinois and is eligible for the season... ILLINOIS: Redshirted at the University of Illinois... HIGH SCHOOL: Second team USA Today All-American... rated the 45thbest player in the country by Rivals. com... ranked 43rd on PrepStar s Top 100 team East U.S. Army All- American... SuperPrep All-American... rated the No. 14 recruit in the state of Florida by SuperPrep... PrepStar Dream Team... ranked No. 64 on ESPN s Top 150 list... named the 16th best player in the state of Florida by the Orlando Sentinel... earned All-State and All-Conference honors as a senior posting 40 tackles, eight sacks in just six games... five-star recruit, ranking as the fourth best defensive tackle nationally by Scout.com... listed among the top 100 players in the South... record 80 tackles as a junior, including 26 for loss and 13 sacks... high school won three district and one conference championship... played for coach Kevin Sullivan... high school teammate of Torie Haywood... PERSONAL: Son of Reggie McCray and Michelle Davis.

8 EIU OFFENSE November 8, 2008 Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State Page 8 QUARTERBACK 4...Bodie Reeder R-Jr 10...Luke Hockaday R-Fr RUNNING BACK 8...Travorus Bess R-Sr 5...Chevon Walker R-So H-BACK 44...Chip Keys R-Sr 43...Trent Steckel R-Sr FLANKER 7...Alicus Nozinor R-Sr 15...Quinten Ponius R-Sr WIDE RECEIVER 87...Charles Graves R-So 81...Lorence Ricks R-Fr TIGHT END 85...Sean McGrath R-So 43...Trent Steckel R-Sr LEFT TACKLE 68...Mike Scheibel R-Jr 66...Chris Campbell R-Jr LEFT GUARD 70...Chris Vaccaro R-Jr 78...Eric Rettke R-Fr CENTER 61...Willie Henderson R-Fr 70...Chris Vaccaro R-Jr RIGHT GUARD 74...Chaz Millard R-Jr 60...Seth Knolhoff R-Fr RIGHT TACKLE 63...Otis Hudson R-Jr 77...Ryan Grossman R-Fr EIU COACHING STAFF Head Coach: Bob Spoo (Purdue, st year) (Career Record ; OVC Record 58-27) Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator: Roc Bellantoni (8th year) Offensive Coordinator: Roy Wittke (14th year) Special Teams Coach: Justin Lustig (3rd year) Offensive Line Coach: Jeff Hoover (2nd year) Wide Receivers: Mike Lynch (4th year) Linebackers: Forrest Jackson (5th year) Secondary Coach: Bobby Babich (2nd year) Offensive Assistant: Antoine Livingston (3rd year) Defensive Assistant: Chad Cleveland (1st year) Quality Control Coaches: Nick Kray & Jason Fisher Trainer: Jen Tymkew (3rd year) Strength Coach: Michael Hall (3rd year) EIU DEFENSE LEFT END 30...Donovan Johnson R-Sr 96...Colin Luczynski R-So LEFT TACKLE 94...Andre Lima R-Jr 57...William Hodor R-Sr RIGHT TACKLE 97...Jeff Sobol R-Sr 92...D Angelo McCray R-Fr RIGHT END 91...Pierre Walters R-Sr 98...Perry Burge Fr OUTSIDE LINEBACKER 59...James Larson R-Sr 49...Sean Campbell R-So MIDDLE LINEBACKER 55...Cory Leman R-Fr 51...Alain Marcelin So OUTSIDE LINEBACKER 56...Nick Nasti So 28...Jack Kosinski R-Sr LEFT CORNERBACK 26...Rashad Haynes R-So 12...Bobson Mercier R-So ROVER 3...Ke Andre Sams Sr 6...Carlos Reyna Fr FREE SAFETY 9...Seymour Loftman R-Jr 1...Adrian Arrington Sr RIGHT CORNERBACK 25...Shelton Penrow Sr 21...CJ James So EIU SPECIALISTS PLACEKICKER 33...Tyler Wilke R-Sr 27...Zach Yates Sr PUNTER 41...Kevin Cook R-So KICK OFFS 48...Austin Signor R-Jr HOLDER 41...Kevin Cook R-So LONG SNAPPER 50...Brady Woolverton R-Sr PUNT RETURNS 19...Adam Kesler R-Jr 2...Shawn Williams Fr KICK RETURNS 15...Quinten Ponius R-Sr 19...Adam Kesler R-Jr 5...Chevon Walker R-So

9 November 8, 2008 Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State Page 9 EASTERN ILLINOIS FOOTBALL INSIDE THE NUMBERS Eastern Illinois Football The Last Time It Happened... Passed for more than 300 yards... Cole Stinson, 308 vs. Tennessee Tech (August 30, 2007) Passed for more than 400 yards... Tony Romo, 414 at Toledo (Sept. 16, 2000) Threw four touchdown passes... Tony Romo, 4 at Tennessee State (Nov. 2, 2002) Rushed for more than 200 yards... Vincent Webb, 206 at Samford (Sept. 23, 2006) Rushed for three touchdowns... Desmin Ward, 3 vs. Murray State (Nov. 1, 2008) Desmin Ward, 3 vs. Southeast Missouri (Oct. 18, 2008) Rushed for four touchdowns... J.R. Taylor, 4 vs. Florida Atlantic (Nov. 16, 2002) Had 10 Receptions... Micah Rucker, 11 vs. Murray State (Oct. 13, 2007) Had 3 touchdown receptions... Micah Rucker, 3 vs. Southeast Missouri (Oct. 7, 2006) Had 200 yards receiving... Frank Cutolo, 239 vs. Tennessee State (Oct. 27, 2001) Returned a punt for a touchdown... Jermaine Mobley, 1 vs. Tennessee State (Oct. 30, 2004) Returned a kick-off for touchdown... Quinten Ponius, 1 at Jacksonville State (Nov. 10, 2007) Returned an interception for touchdown... Rashad Haynes, 1 vs. Indiana State (Sept. 13, 2008) Returned a fumble for touchdown... Irvin Jean-Charles, 1 at Illinois (Sept. 6, 2008) Recorded a safety... Trevor Frericks, 1 vs. Samford (Nov. 17, 2007) Blocked a punt... Kenny Kinchen, 1 vs. Jacksonville State (Sept. 27, 2008) Returned a blocked punt for touchdown - blocked by... Adrian Arrington, 1 vs. Jacksonville State (Sept. 27, 2008) - Kenny Kinchen Blocked a field goal... Donovan Johnson, 1 at UT Martin (Oct. 9, 2008) Returned a blocked field goal for touchdown - block by... Rashad Haynes, 1 vs. Samford (Nov. 17, 2007) - Trevor Frericks Won a game on a field goal... Tyler Wilke, 30-yards at Tennessee State (Oct. 27, 2007) Had 15 or more tackles on defense... Seymour Loftman, 15 at Illinois (Sept. 6, 2008) Had 3 or more sacks on defense... Kory Lothe, 4 vs. Tennessee Tech (Nov. 8, 2003) EASTERN ILLINOIS QUICK FACTS LOCATION:... Charleston, Illinois FOUNDED: ENROLLMENT:... 12,129 COLORS:... Blue & Gray CONFERENCE:...Ohio Valley STADIUM:... O Brien (10,000) SURFACE:... Pro-Grass PRESIDENT:... Dr. William L. Perry ATHLETIC DIRECTOR:...Barbara Burke O BRIEN PRESS BOX PHONE:... (217) EIU TICKET OFFICE:... (217) EIU SPORTS INFORMATION:... (217) EIU WEBSITE:... MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES OVC TELECONFERENCE: Each week during the football season all 9 head coaches in the Ohio Valley Conference will take part in a weekly teleconference on Tuesday mornings. The first teleconference will be Tuesday, August 26. EIU head coach will speak at 10:07 a.m. (Central) each Tuesday. Media members can obtain the phone number and pass code from the EIU Sports Information office. EXTRA POINT FOOTBALL LUNCHEONS: Each Wednesday throughout the football season Eastern Illinois will host an Extra Point Media Luncheon which will also be open to the public. The event will take place at Noon at the Panther Paw Bar & Grill in Charleston. Head coach Bob Spoo, a selected assistant coach and selected player will be available for media interviews along with some questions from the public. PANTHER SPORTS TALK: Each Monday night during the football season fans can listen to head coach Bob Spoo along with other special guests and players as they talk about the 2008 football season. The show will be broadcast on Hit Mix 88.9 FM with a live stream available at The show will also be simulcast live on Consolidated Channel Your 13 with tape delayed airings on Consolidated Your 13 on Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. OVCSPORTS.TV: For the second straight year, the Ohio Valley Conference will allow fans to watch live streams of its football games through the OVCSPORTS.TV website. Fans can purchase a season package or individual games to watch their favorite OVC team. This year EIU will have ten of its twelve games available on OVCSPORTS.TV. The only games not available will be road games at Central Michigan and Illinois. LIVE STATS: Live stats of most EIU games can be found on the EIU athletics webpage at INTERNET RADIO: Live streaming of all EIU football games can be heard at

10 November 8, 2008 Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State Page 10 EASTERN ILLINOIS PLAYOFF HISTORY (FCS/I-AA Playoffs) 2007 (First Carbondale, Ill.) Southern Illinois def. Eastern Illinois, (First Charleston, Ill.) Illinois State def. Eastern Illinois, (First Charleston, Ill.) Southern Illinois def. Eastern Illinois, (First McComb, Ill.) Western Illinois def. Eastern Illinois, (First Charleston, Ill.) Northern Iowa def. Eastern Illinois, (First Missoula, Mont.) Montana def. Eastern Illinois, (First Cedar Falls, Iowa) Northern Iowa def. Eastern Illinois, (First Nacogdoches, Texas) Stephen F. Austin def. Eastern Illinois, (First Moscow, Ida.) Eastern Illinois def. Idaho, Missoula, Mont.) Montana def. Eastern Illinois, (First Charleston, Ill.) Eastern Illinois def. Murray State, Charleston, Ill.) Eastern Kentucky def. Eastern Illinois, (First Terre Haute, Ind.) Indiana State def. Eastern Illinois, (2OT) 1982 (First Charleston, Ill.) Eastern Illinois def. Jackson State, (OT) NCAA PLAYOFF APPEARANCES School... # Appearances (Last) Montana...18 (2007) Eastern Kentucky...18 (2007) Georgia Southern...16 (2005) Furman...15 (2006) Appalachian State (2007) Delaware...14 (2007) McNeese State...13 (2007) Northern Iowa...13 (2007) EASTERN ILLINOIS...12 (2007) Jackson State...12 (1997) Youngstown State...11 (2006) * Idaho...11 (1995) Idaho currently plays at the NCAA I level ACTIVE CONSECUTIVE NCAA PLAYOFF APPEARANCES School...# Appearances Montana...15 New Hamsphire...4 Southern Illinois...4 EASTERN ILLINOIS...3 Appalachian State...3 Division II Playoffs 1978 (National Champions) Eastern Illinois def. UC Davis, Eastern Illinois def. Youngstown State, Eastern Illinois def. Delaware, (National Runners-up) Eastern Illinois def. Northern Colorado, Eastern Illinois def. Northern Alabama, Cal Poly def. Eastern Illinois, Nashville, Tenn.) Tennessee State def. Eastern Illinois, All-Time Playoff Record: 3-12 Home Record: 2-4 Road Record: 1-8

11 November 8, 2008 Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State Page 11 GAME 1 - August 28, 2008 Eastern Illinois Central Michigan Mount Pleasant, Mich. Kelly/Shorts Stadium (A: 19,732) Scoring Final Eastern Illinois Central Michigan FIRST QUARTER CMU - Aguila 20 field goal (11:48) EIU - Wilke 29 field goal (2:06) SECOND QUARTER CMU - Sneed 23 run (Aguila kick) (11:58) CMU - Pitts 18 pass from LeFevour (Aguila kick) (1:57) THIRD QUARTER EIU - Wilke 29 field goal (5:51) CMU - Anderson 5 pass from LeFevour (Aguila kick) (2:11) FOURTH QUARTER EIU - McGrath 15 pass from Reeder (run failed) (12:29) CMU - Skergan 11 pass from LeFevour (Aguila kick) (8:02) TEAM STATS...EIU...CMU First Downs Rushes-Yards Passing-Yards Comp-Att-Int Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Int Returns-Yards-TD Time of Possession...29: :34 Sacks-Yards LEADERS RUSHING (No-Yds-TD) EIU - Ward , Bess CMU - Sneed , LeFevour PASSING (Att-Cmp-Int-Yds-TD) EIU - Reeder CMU - LeFevour RECEIVING (No -Yds -TD) EIU - McGrath , Graves CMU - Anderson , Sneed DEFENSE (Tackles - Solo, Assist, TFL) EIU - Kosinski 6-4-0, James 3-5-1, Walters CMU - Bellore , Gordy RECAP Central Michigan used two quick half scoring strikes in the second quarter to push the halftime lead to 17-3 as the Chippewas pulled away for a victory. EIU closed to within in the fourth quarter and Seymour Loftman had a potential interception for touchdown slip through his hands on the next drive that would have brought EIU to within five points. Bodie Reeder connected on 19-of-28 passes for 201 yards in the loss. GAME 2 - Sept. 6, 2008 Eastern Illinois Illinois Champaign, Ill. Memorial Stadium (A: 60,131) Scoring Final Eastern Illinois Illinois FIRST QUARTER ILL - Duvalt 16 pass from Williams (Eller kick) (10:31) EIU - Ward 5 run (Wilke kick) (9:20) SECOND QUARTER ILL - Eller 21 field goal (14:57) ILL - Eller 42 field goal (10:04) ILL - Williams 7 run (rush failed) (2:44) ILL - Williams 1 run (Eller kick) (0:20) THIRD QUARTER ILL - Benn 4 run (Eller kick) (7:28) ILL - Benn 13 run (Eller kick) (5:42) FOURTH QUARTER ILL - Pollard 25 run (Eller kick) (11:52) EIU - Ricks 15 pass from Reeder (Wilke kick) (8:43) EIU - Jean-Charles 9 fumble return (Wilke kick) (8:24) TEAM STATS...EIU... ILL First Downs Rushes-Yards Passing-Yards Comp-Att-Int Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Int Returns-Yards-TD Time of Possession...24: :20 Sacks-Yards LEADERS RUSHING (No-Yds-TD) EIU - Bess , Ward ILL - Williams , Dufrene PASSING (Att-Cmp-Int-Yds-TD) EIU - Reeder ILL - Williams RECEIVING (No -Yds -TD) EIU - Graves , Bess , Ricks ILL - Benn , Duvault DEFENSE (Tackles - Solo, Assist, TFL) EIU - Loftman 9-6-0, Luczynski ILL - Miller , Wilson RECAP Eastern Illinois had two chances to take first half leads at Illinois but the Panthers watched a 52-yard field goal attempt sail wide left and were stuffed on a fourth and one at the six yard line on another attempt. Following the failed fourth and one attempt, Juice Williams marched Illinois 93 yards for a touchdown which put the Fighting Illini up 19-7 as they pulled away for a win. Williams would rush for 174 yards and throw for 124. EIU s ground game did find some life with Travorus Bess rushing for 183 yards on 15 carries. The defense was led by Seymour Loftman with 15 tackles and one interception as the Panthers forced five Illinois turnovers. GAME 3 - Sept. 13, 2008 Indiana State... 3 Eastern Illinois Charleston, Ill. O Brien Field (A: 5,507) Scoring Final Indiana State Eastern Illinois FIRST QUARTER EIU - Wilke 32 field goal (7:55) EIU - Haynes 23 interception return (Wilke kick) (7:50) SECOND QUARTER EIU - Bess 31 run (Wilke kick) (5:49) EIU - McGrath 8 pass from Reeder (Wilke kick) (2:51) THIRD QUARTER EIU - Graves 17 pass from Reeder (Wilke kick) (11:41) EIU - Ward 1 run (Wilke kick) (6:20) FOURTH QUARTER INS - Martinez 22 field goal (14:09) TEAM STATS...EIU... INS First Downs Rushes-Yards Passing-Yards Comp-Att-Int Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Int Returns-Yards-TD Time of Possession...24: :12 Sacks-Yards LEADERS RUSHING (No-Yds-TD) EIU - Bess ; Ward INS - Dowdell ; Gates PASSING (Att-Cmp-Int-Yds-TD) EIU - Reeder INS - Dowdell RECEIVING (No -Yds -TD) EIU - Graves ; Nozinor INS - Patrick ; Browns DEFENSE (Tackles - Solo, Assist, TFL) EIU - Johnson 3-5-3; Marcelin INS - Sewall 2-7-0; Scott RECAP Eastern Illinois held the ball for only 1:39 of the first quarter but was able to take advantage of some big special teams and defensive play to take an early 10-0 lead. The Panthers would roll to a 24-0 halftime cushion before pulling away Rashad Haynes scored the game s first touchdown with a 23-yard interception return while CJ James also scored blocking a punt and returning it to the five yard line. Quarterback Bodie Reeder completed 9-of-15 passes for 107 yards hitting Charles Graves and Sean McGrath for touchdowns. The Panther defense made 15 tackles for loss holding Indiana State to only 258 yards of total offense. The lone Sycamores score was a 22-yard field goal by Braul Martinez in the fourth quarter.

12 November 8, 2008 Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State Page 12 GAME 4 - Sept. 20, 2008 Eastern Illinois Illinois State Normal, Ill. Hancock Stadium (A: 14,023) Scoring Final Eastern Illinois Illinois State FIRST QUARTER ILST - Salem 15 pass from Brockway (Fetzer kick) (8:07) EIU - Bess 25 pass from Reeder (Wilke kick) (4:44) ILST - Chandler 43 pass from Brockway (Fetzer kick) (3:26) THIRD QUARTER ILST - Blow 3 run (Fetzer kick) (8:57) EIU - Wilke 20 field goal (5:01) FOURTH QUARTER EIU - Nozinor 44 pass from Reeder (pass failed) (9:37) EIU - Keys 4 run (pass failed) (7:06) EIU - Wilke 44 field goal (1:54) TEAM STATS...EIU...ILST First Downs Rushes-Yards Passing-Yards Comp-Att-Int Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Int Returns-Yards-TD Time of Possession...31: :44 Sacks-Yards LEADERS RUSHING (No-Yds-TD) EIU - Bess , Walker , Keys ILST - Blow , Fisher PASSING (Att-Cmp-Int-Yds-TD) EIU - Reeder ILST - Brockway RECEIVING (No -Yds -TD) EIU - Bess , Keys ILST - Salem , Chandler DEFENSE (Tackles - Solo, Assist, TFL) EIU - Kosinski 5-3-0, Hyanes 6-1-0, James ILST - Hemphill 7-3-0, Wright RECAP Eastern Illinois scored 18 unanswered second half points as the Panthers rallied for a come-from-behind win to end a six year draught against Illinois State. EIU started the rally converting three Illinois State turnovers into points late in the game. James Larson and Jack Kosinski each had big interceptions while D Angelo McCray recovered a fumble that led to EIU s go ahead score. On the go ahead touchdown drive Bodie Reeder hit a streaking Chip Keys for 25 yards to place the ball at the 4 yard line. Keys scored from 4 yards out on the next place to give EIU the lead. Reeder finished with 221 yards passing as he also hit Travorus Bess and Alicus Nozinor for scores. Kosinski led the defense with eight tackles to go along with his interception. GAME 5 - Sept. 27, 2008 Jacksonville State Eastern Illinois Charleston, Ill. O Brien Field (A: 7,996) Scoring Final Jacksonville State Eastern Illinois FIRST QUARTER JSU - Wilkerson 17 pass from Perrilloux (Hallford kick) (3:27) SECOND QUARTER JSU - Perrilloux 16 run (Hallford kick) (11:19) JSU - Perrilloux 2 run (Hallford kick) (2:39) THIRD QUARTER JSU - Team safety (10:03) EIU - Wilke 27 field goal (4:09) FOURTH QUARTER EIU - Arrington 16 blocked punt return (Wilke kick) (8:03) TEAM STATS...EIU...JSU First Downs Rushes-Yards Passing-Yards Comp-Att-Int Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Int Returns-Yards-TD Time of Possession...26: :30 Sacks-Yards LEADERS RUSHING (No-Yds-TD) EIU - Bess , Ward JSU - Jackson , Freeney PASSING (Att-Cmp-Int-Yds-TD) EIU - Reeder JSU - Perrilloux RECEIVING (No -Yds -TD) EIU - Nozinor , Graves JSU - Dupree , Wilkerson DEFENSE (Tackles - Solo, Assist, TFL) EIU - Haynes , Larson JSU - Bonner , Elston RECAP Jacksonville State quarterback Ryan Perrilloux rushed for two second quarter touchdowns and passed for another as the Gamecocks raced out to a 21-0 halftime lead en route to a win over Eastern Illinois. The Panthers marched down the field on their first possession only to lose the ball inside the JSU 10 yard line on a fumble. Perrilloux would guide JSU on touchdown drives of 99, 90 and 88 yards in the first half finishing with 281 yards passing and 19 yards rushing. Bodie Reeder kept the Panthers in the contest going 19-for-32 for 206 yards but the EIU offense failed to reach the end zone. The Panthers lone score was on a blocked punt by Kenny Kinchen that Adrian Arrington scooped up and returned 16 yards for a score. EIU s run game was limited to only 20 yards net rushing. GAME 6 - Oct. 9, 2008 Eastern Illinois UT Martin Martin, Tenn. Graham Stadium (A: 1,293) Scoring Final Eastern Illinois UT Martin FIRST QUARTER UTM - Young 3 run (Hansen kick) (9:24) EIU - Wilke 22 field goal (3:41) EIU - Walker 29 pass from Reeder (Wilke kick) (2:06) SECOND QUARTER EIU - Ricks 17 pass from Reeder (kick failed) (2:51) THIRD QUARTER UTM - Young 94 run (Hansen kick) (10:30) EIU - Wilke 41 field goal (2:02) FOURTH QUARTER UTM - Young 8 run (Thomas pass from Thompson) (12:18) UTM - Young 15 run (Hansen kick) (9:02) EIU - Graves 58 pass from Reeder (Wilke kick) (8:44) TEAM STATS...EIU...UTM First Downs Rushes-Yards Passing-Yards Comp-Att-Int Total Offense Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Int Returns-Yards-TD Time of Possession...32: :16 Sacks-Yards LEADERS RUSHING (No-Yds-TD) EIU - Bess , Ward UTM - Young , Thomas PASSING (Att-Cmp-Int-Yds-TD) EIU - Reeder UTM - Thompson RECEIVING (No -Yds -TD) EIU - Graves , Walker UTM - Thomas , Hicks DEFENSE (Tackles - Solo, Assist, TFL) EIU - Marcelin 7-4-1, Sams UTM - Bey 4-8-2; Acker RECAP Dante Harrold intercepted a Bodie Reeder pass with just under three minutes remaining to help UT Martin hold on for a win over Eastern Illinois. EIU had built a 16-7 halftime lead with Reeder hitting Chevon Walker and Lorence Ricks with touchdown strikes. Skyhawks running back Brandyn Young opened the second half with a 94 yard run from scrimmage to give UTM some life. Young would finish with 213 yards rushing finding the end zone four times for UTM. Reeder would keep the Panthers in the contest throwing for 284 yards and three touchdowns. Alain Marcelin led the EIU defense with 11 tackles including seven solo stops.