EASTERN ILLINOIS PANTHER FOOTBALL

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1 EASTERN ILLINOIS PANTHER FOOTBALL Contact: Rich Moser (217) Fax (217) Game 1 Eastern Illinois Hosts Illinois State To Open 98th Edition Of The Prairie State Rivalry Eastern Illinois (0-0, 0-0 OVC) vs. Illinois State (0-0, 0-0 MVFC) O Brien Field (10,000) Charleston, Ill. September 3, p.m. TV: WEIU Channel 51 Quick Facts COACHES: Bob Spoo (Purdue, 1960) EIU Record (22nd year) OVC Record (13th year) vs. Illinois State Brock Spack (Purdue, 1983) ILST Record (1st year) Overall Record...Same MVFC Record (1st year) vs. EIU...First Meeting SERIES 98th meeting (ILST leads ) last MEETING EIU 25, ILST 21 on Sept. 20, 2008 at ILST s Hancock Stadium RANKINGS Eastern Illinois... RV/RV Illinois State...RV/--... Sports Network/FCS Coaches RADIO Panther Radio Network Hit Mix 88.9 FM - flagship station WHOW 1510 AM & WMKR 94.3 FM Play-by-Play... Mike Bradd Analyst... Jack Ashmore TELEVISION WEIU TV Channel 51 Play-by-Play... Mike Bradd Analyst... Jack Ashmore Sideline...John Twork The Game Eastern Illinois opens up its 109th year of football on Thursday, September 3 against long time rival Illinois State. This will be the 98th meeting in the series and first between EIU head coach Bob Spoo and one of his former assistants Brock Spack. EIU is coming off a 5-7 season and has been picked to finish in third place in the OVC preseason football poll. The Panthers have been listed among those schools also receiving votes in both the Sports Network and FCS Coaches poll. ISU is coming off a 3-8 season and is under the direction of new head coach Brock Spack. The Redbirds were picked to finish 8th in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They are listed among those schools also receiving votes in the Sports Network poll. THE SERIES This is the 98th meeting in the Prairie State Rivalry between Eastern Illinois and Illinois State. The series began in 1901 and is the longest series in the state of Illinois. It is also one of the longest running series among FCS level schools. Illinois State holds a advantage with the Panthers ending a five game losing streak last year with a win in Normal. Illinois State has won the last four meetings at O Brien Field including a win in the 2006 NCAA FCS playoffs. Eastern Illinois (0-0, 0-0 OVC) Date Opponent Score/Time Sept. 3 ILLINOIS STATE 7 pm Sept. 12 at Indiana State 11 am Sept. 19 * at Southeast Missouri 6 pm Sept. 26 * at Austin Peay 6 pm Oct. 3 * EASTERN KENTUCKY 1:30 pm Oct. 10 at Penn State TBA Oct. 17 * TENNESSEE TECH (HC) 1:30 pm Oct. 24 * at Jacksonville State 1 pm Oct. 31 * at Murray State 1 pm Nov. 14 * UT MARTIN 1:30 pm Nov. 19 * TENNESSEE STATE 5:30 pm FCS Long Time Series Schools... # of meetings Lafayette/Lehigh Yale/Princeton Yale/Harvard William & Mary/Richmond Penn/Cornell Yale/Brown Harvard/Dartmouth North Dakota/North Dakota State Harvard Brown Montana/Montana State South Dakota State/South Dakota Princeton/Harvard Princeton/Penn Eastern Illinois/Illinois State Illinois State (0-0, 0-0 OVC) Date Opponent Score/Time Sept. 3 at Eastern Illinois 7 pm Sept. 12 at Illinois 6 pm Sept. 19 AUSTIN PEAY 6:30 pm Sept. 26 * SOUTH DAKOTA ST. 7 pm Oct. 3 * at North Dakota State 1 pm Oct. 10 * at Southern Illinois 2 pm Oct. 17 * INDIANA STATE (HC) 2 pm Oct. 31 * at Missouri State 1 pm Nov. 7 * WESTERN ILLINOIS 1 pm Nov. 14 * at Youngstown State Noon Nov. 21 * NORTHERN IOWA Noon INTERNET Live Stats... Vidoe Stream... * Ohio Valley Conference Game All Times Central * Missouri Valley Football Conference Game All Times Central Believe In Blue 12 NCAA FCS Playoff Appearances OVC Champs 2006, 2005, 2002, 2001

2 September 3, 2009 Eastern Illinois vs. Illinois State Page SPORTS NETWORK TOP 25 (Preseason Poll) Rk. Team 2008 Record 1. Appalachian State (79) Richmond (72) Montana (2) Northern Iowa (2) Villanova (2) James Madison (1) Southern Illinois New Hampshire Weber State (1) Wofford Elon Cal Poly Central Arkansas William & Mary McNeese State South Carolina State (1) Massachusetts Eastern Washington Maine Texas State Jacksonville State South Dakota State Harvard Eastern Kentucky 8-4 T25. Grambling State 11-2 T25. Holy Cross 7-4 Also receiving votes: Eastern Illinois 2009 FCS Coaches Poll (Preseason Poll) Rk. Team 2008 Record 1. Appalachian Stae (13) Richmond (10) Montana Northern Iowa (1) Villanova (1) James Madison Southern Illinois New Hampshire Weber State Wofford Elon Central Arkansas Cal Poly William & Mary McNeese State South Carolina State Eastern Washington Massachusetts (1) 7-5 T19. Jacksonville State 8-3 T19. Maine Texas State Harvard South Dakota State Hofstra Grambling State 11-2 Also receiving votes: Eastern Illinois 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 22nd season on the sidelines and 23rd 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 Longest Tenured Division I Head Coaches (at same school) 1...Joe Paterno (Penn State)...since Bob Ford (Albany)...since Bobby Bowden (Florida State)...since Andy Talley (Villanova)...since Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech)...since Bob Spoo (Eastern Illinois)... since 1987 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 runnerup 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. This season EIU will play at Penn State matching two of the longest tenured head coaches head-to-head on Oct. 10. ILLINOIS STATE HEAD COACH BROCK SPACK Illinois State is under the direction of a new head coach as 1983 Purdue alumnus Brock Spack was hired following the 2008 season. Spack coached at Purdue as the defensive coordinator for 12 seasons on coach Joe Tiller s staff helping the Boilermakers to ten bowl game appearances. Spack played at Purdue from when current EIU head coach Bob Spoo was the quarterbacks coach at Purdue. Spack would later joining Spoo s first Eastern Illinois coaching staff as the linebackers coach from SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE Illinois State enters the season opener following a 3-8 season last year. The Redbirds have been picked to finish 8th in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Sophomore Drew Kiel has been tabbed the game one starter after appearing in only five games last season going 14-of-22 for 149 yards. The Redbirds top returning target is senior receiver Eyad Salem who hauled in 63 passes for 843 yards and eight touchdowns last year. The top returning tackler for ISU is junior defensive back Kelvyn Hemphill with 79 tackles. ON THIS DATE IN EIU HISTORY September 3, 1983 Al Molde coached his first game for EIU picking up a 38-7 win over Illinois State. In the game a young Sean Payton saw his first collegiate action throwing two passes, one an interception. On defense Chris Nicholson returned an interception 76 yards for a score recording 10 tackles with two sacks. THURSDAY NIGHT OPENERS Eastern Illinois will open its season on a Thursday night for the third straight season and fourth time in the last five years. Overall it will be the 12th Thursday night opener for the Panthers who have posted a 7-4 record in previous contests. Last season EIU lost at Central Michigan ending a three game Thursday night opener win streak. SEASON OPENERS Eastern Illinois will be opening its 109th year of intercollegiate football and its 29th year as an NCAA FCS school. EIU has gone in its previous season openers as a Division I program. This will mark only the 9th time in the last 29 years that Eastern Illinois has opened the season with a home contest. The Panthers are 7-2 in those games including a win over Tennessee Tech on Thursday night to open the 2007 season, the last EIU season/home opener. In his previous openers EIU head coach Bob Spoo is ILLINOIS STATE OPENERS Eastern Illinois will open a season against Illinois State for the first time since 1988 when the Panthers knocked off the Redbirds, 16-7 in Normal, during a Gateway Football Conference contest. EIU has opened a season playing Illinois State eight previous times with the Panthers owning a 6-2 margin. Believe In Blue 12 NCAA FCS Playoff Appearances OVC Champs 2006, 2005, 2002, 2001

3 September 3, 2009 Eastern Illinois vs. Illinois State Page 3 CHRISTENSEN WINS STARTING JOB Eastern Illinois will have a new quarterback at the helm when the Panthers open the 2009 season against Illinois State. Graduate student Jake Christensen was a late summer transfer to Eastern Illinois and was granted his final year of eligibility by the NCAA during the Panthers fall camp. Christensen had been in a battle for the starting position with last year s starter Bodie Reeder. Christensen was the starter at Iowa two seasons ago and made two starts last year before being replaced as the Hawkeyes starter. He passed for 2,950 yards and 20 touchdowns in three seasons at Iowa. Reeder passed for 1,931 yards last season with 13 touchdowns. MILLARD NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN Senior Chaz Millard has been named a preseason All-American by several publications after earning honorable mention All-American honors each of the past two seasons at right guard. During the spring due to injuries on the offensive line Millard moved over to the center position and played so well he won the starting job at that spot. He enters the 2009 season with a streak of 26 games without allowing a sack. He graded out at 93 percent last season with 57 decleater blocks. PROGRAM TIES The coaching staffs at Eastern Illinois and Illinois State have several coaching ties as they enter the 98th meeting in this long series. Illinois State head coach Brock Spack is a former Eastern Illinois assistant coach having served on Coach Spoo s staff from Spack also was a player at Purdue in the early 1980 s when Spoo was the Boilermakers offensive coordinator. Illinois State offensive coordinator Steve Farmer was also a former EIU assistant coach working on Spoo s staff as from OFFENSIVE LINE REMAINS INTACT Eastern Illinois returns nearly all of its 2008 offensive line in a year that the Panthers had to run ten different starting combinations during the twelve game schedule. The lone loss from the line was Kevin Mahoney who was a medical disqualification following an injury suffered in the season opener at Central Michigan. EIU has the same faces back this year with some intense competition at the right guard position. Seniors Mike Scheibel and Chris Vaccaro are both in a battle for the spot. Vaccaro was the starting center last season and played three games at left guard while Scheibel was versatile enough to start left tackle, left guard and right tackle. DEFENSIVE LINE LOOKING TO RELOAD While the EIU offensive line returns nearly everyone the Panthers will need to replace three All-Conference starters on the defensive line. Gone are seniors Pierre Walters, Jeff Sobol and Donovan Johnson who accounted for 12 sacks and 39 tackles for loss last season. Seniors Andre Lima, a starter last season, and Trevor Frericks look like they will anchor the middle with newcomers Spyros Bazigos and Michael Letton as back-ups. The defensive end positions will be a season long battle with some young players all in contention to start during the year. Junior Nathan Galan and sophomore Perry Burge appear to have won the game one starting nods with senior Taylor Dunn, junior Colin Luczynksi and true freshman Artavious Dowdell all in the mix for playing time. TALE OF THE TAPE (2008 Stats) 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)...15-for for-14 3rd Down Conversions (41%) (42%) 4th Down Conversions Sacks (Yards)...17 (94) (64) Penalties (Yards)...62 (608) (586) Time of Possession (Game)...30: :59 Statistical Leaders (2008 Stats) RUSHING YARDS EASTERN ILLINOIS ILLINOIS STATE Chevon Walker Desmin Ward Geno Blow Clifton Gordon PASSING YARDS EASTERN ILLINOIS ILLINOIS STATE Bodie Reeder...1,931 Drew Kiel RECEPTIONS EASTERN ILLINOIS ILLINOIS STATE Charles Graves...40 Lorence Ricks...14 EASTERN ILLINOIS Seymour Loftman...72 Cory Leman...61 Eyad Salem...63 Garin Harcar...21 TACKLES ILLINOIS STATE Kelvyn Hemphill...79 Paul Wright...62 INTERCEPTIONS EASTERN ILLINOIS ILLINOIS STATE Rashad Haynes...4 Seymour Loftman...3 Believe In Blue 12 NCAA FCS Playoff Appearances OVC Champs 2006, 2005, 2002, 2001 None

4 September 3, 2009 Eastern Illinois vs. Illinois State Page OVC Standings Team... OVC...Pct...All... Pct. Austin Peay Eastern Illinois Eastern Kentucky Murray State Southeast Missouri Tennessee State Tennessee Tech UT Martin Jacksonville State This Week In The OVC Thursday - September 3 Illinois EASTERN ILLINOIS Eastern Indiana Kentucky Murray State Southeast Missouri Iowa UT Martin Saturday - September 5 Austin Peay Jacksonville Georgia Tech Alabama Tennessee State Tennessee Tech - Open Date LAST WEEK S OVC RESULTS No Games OVC Predicted Order Of Finish 1. Eatern Kentucky (10) 2. UT Martin (4) 3. EASTERN ILLINOIS (2) 4. Tennessee State (1) 5. Murray State (1) 6. Tennessee Tech 7. Austin Peay 8. Southeast Missouri * Jacksonville State (first place votes in parenthesis) JSU is not eligible for the OVC Championship or the NCAA FCS playoffs due to an NCAA APR penalty. They can receive votes for both national polls. Eastern Illinois Players On All-OVC Preseason Team Offense Chaz Millard - Offensive Guard stable of running backs Eastern Illinois should have a stable of running backs at their disposal this season with five healthy backs expected to open the season. Returning are Chevon Walker (365 yards, 2 TD) and Desmin Ward (322 yards, 11 TD) who are listed as one and two in the game one depth chart. Joining them are Florida transfer Mon Williams, Michigan transfer Jimmy Potempa and freshman Kenny Williams. senior safeties The Panthers strength in their defense this season should be the veteran leadership in the defensive backfield led by seniors and team captains Adrian Arrington and Seymour Loftman. Arrington was the top reserve at safety and corner back last season after starting in Loftman was second on the team in tackles last season with 72 tackles. HAYNES AMONG NCAA LEADERS Junior corner back Rashad Haynes enters this season as one of the best cover men in the OVC. He has led the Panthers in interceptions that last two seasons and ranks 9th on the EIU career list with 9 INT s. That number ranks Haynes 19th in the nation in active career interceptions and tied for second on the career interceptions per game list at 0.4. LEMAN MOVES TO THE OUTSIDE Sophomore linebacker Cory Leman will shift over to the outside linebacker position to start the season after playing most of last year in the middle. Leman ended the year as the team s third leading tackler with 61 stops after starting the last seven games of the season. Sophomore Gordy Kickels is slated to start in the middle for game one. Kickels made 11 tackles last year. new crop of receivers Eastern Illinois will look to a new crop of wide receivers this season as only one of the Panthers top five receivers from last year returns. Junior Charles Graves led EIU last season with 40 catches but you have to drop down to Lorence Ricks with 14 catches as the next top returning receiver. EIU will look at a handful of freshman to step up with Kenny Whittaker, Chris Wright, Chavar Watkins and Erik Lora all listed on the Panthers two deep for game one. LORA REPRESENTS TEAM USA Incoming freshman wide receiver Erik Lora got a little extra football in this summer as he was selected as a member of the junior U.S. National Football Team. Lora competed in the Junior World Football Games helping the USA win gold as he made six catches for 75 yards and one touchdown in the three game tournament. SIGNOR TO HANDLE ALL KICKS Senior kicker Austin Signor will handle all of the Panthers kicking duties this season after being a kick off specialist in Last season he ranked third in the nation in kick offs for touchback with 19. This year he will add field goal duties to his list. Signor is 5-of-8 in his career while kicking his first two seasons at Iowa. His career long is 41 yards. LONG SNAPPER The Panthers will have to replace both long snappers from last year s team. Entering the first game of the season it appears that linebacker Gordy Kickels will handle the duties with true freshman Adam Baker serving as the reserve. BOUNCING BACK Eastern Illinois will look to bounce back from only its fourth losing season in the last 15 seasons. Only one time in that span have the Panthers posted back-toback losing campaigns in 2003 & Following those two years EIU reeled off three straight NCAA FCS playoff appearances and a pair of OVC conference championships. DECADES BEST Eastern Illinois enters the final season of the decade with the second most wins of any OVC school over the last nine years with 64 wins. That number trails only Eastern Kentucky with 65 wins. Overall among FCS schools, EIU ranks 29th tied with Villanova. Wins Since Eastern Kentucky 64 - Eastern Illinois 57 - Jacksonville State 45 - Tennessee State 43 - Tennessee Tech 38 - Murray State 36 - UT Martin 36 - Southeast Missouri 32 - Austin Peay Believe In Blue 12 NCAA FCS Playoff Appearances OVC Champs 2006, 2005, 2002, 2001

5 September 3, 2009 Eastern Illinois vs. Illinois State Page 5 Eastern Illinois In The OVC/NCAA Stats (2008 final stats) TEAM NCAA...OVC Rushing Offense (143.0)... 57th...5th Passing Offense (160.92)... 92nd...8th Passing Efficiency (130.57)... 44th...4th Total Offense (303.92)... 95th...6th Scoring Offense (22.67)...73rd...4th Rushing Defense (189.58)... 96th...8th Pass Defense (173.00)... 25th... 1st Pass Efficiency Def. (123.80)... 59th...4th Total Defense (362.58)... 75th...6th Scoring Defense (23.42)... 48th...3rd Net Punting (33.79)... 39th... 1st Punt Returns (14.67)... 11th... 1st Kickoff Returns (21.09)... 39th...6th Turnover Margin (.42)... 35th...3rd Turnovers Gained (24)... 40th...5th Sacks (1.42)...93rd...8th Tackles For Loss (7.67)... 11th...2nd Sacks Allowed (1.83)... 57th...6th 3rd Down Conversion (40.74)... 50th...4th 4th Down Conversion (38.46)... 76th...7th 3rd Down Defense (42.77)... 90th...7th Red Zone Offense... 60th...6th Red Zone Defense...71st...6th Time of Possession (30:00)... 59th...3rd INDIVIDUAL (RETURNERS ONLY) NCAA...OVC Bodie Reeder (Pass Eff.)... 45th...5th Bodie Reeder (Total Off.)... 96th...7th Rashad Haynes (Interceptions)...63rd...4th panthers picked 3rd in ovc Eastern Illinois was selected to finish third in the OVC preseason coaches poll that was released mid-summer. The Panthers received two first place votes as five teams received at least one first place vote. Eastern Kentucky was selected to finish first with UT Martin picked second. Probable league favorite Jacksonville State was not eligible for the OVC title based on an NCAA APR penalty for this season. FATHER/SON COMBO When Jake Christensen suits up at quarterback for Eastern Illinois he will join his father as one of two recent Panther father/son combinations. Christensen s father Jeff played quarterback at EIU from and left as the school s career leading passer with 6,282 yards. He has since fallen to fourth but does still rank in many single season and career top ten lists at EIU. Last season linebacker Shannon Cobb was a member of the Panthers team after his father David was a defensive back on the 1978 EIU Division II National Championship team. pretty GOOD BACK-UP Eastern Illinois may have one of the best back-up quarterbacks in the Ohio Valley Conference this season after Jake Christensen beat out Bodie Reeder for the starting spot. Reeder was a two-year starter for the Panthers and has passed for 3,657 yards and 23 touchdowns in his career. In 2007, Reeder took over as the starter in game number four and led EIU to a third straight FCS playoff appearance. AVOIDING THE SHUTOUT Eastern Illinois enters the season with a streak of 66 straight games without being shutout. The last time EIU was held scoreless was Oct. 11, a 41-0 loss versus Eastern Kentucky. The Panthers also have a streak of 22 straight games in which they have scored a touchdown. EIU s longest streak of consecutive games without being shutout was 197 from which ranks fourth all-time among FCS schools. Longest OVC Active Streaks 97 - Jacksonville State 66 - Eastern Illinois 46 - UT Martin 42 - Murray State ncaa fbs transfers Like most schools at the NCAA FCS level, Eastern Illinois has its share of NCAA FBS level transfers into the program. This season EIU added three more FBS players giving them a total of ten FBS transfers. EIU FBS Transfers 2 - Jimmy Potempa (Michigan) 4 - Bodie Reeder (Wyoming) 5 - Chevon Walker (Florida) 7 - Mon Williams (Florida) 11 - Jake Christensen (Iowa) 25 - Shelton Penrow (Florida International) 48 - Austin Signor (Iowa) 63 - Otis Hudson (Minnesota) 92 - Michael Letton (Navy) 99 - Trevor Frericks (Bowling Green) same face, new number Several Eastern Illinois players changed uniforms numbers during the off season including starters Charles Graves and Lorence Ricks. Below are the six players who will be donning a new number for the Panthers this season. Player...New...Old Lorence Ricks Cory Leman Charles Graves Nick Martinez James Cooper Alain Marcelin panthers to play on ESPNU EIU will make its first ever football appearance on ESPNU this season when the Panthers host Tennessee State in the regular season finale. The game was moved to Thursday, Nov. 19 for television purposes and will be a 5 p.m. kick off. EIU currently has every home game televised in the Central Illinois region by WEIU TV. The last nationally televised contest was on CSTV during the 2007 season opener against Tennessee Tech. making the big ten rounds The Panthers will continue to make their trip around the Big Ten Conference this season as they play at Penn State on Oct. 10. After not playing a Big Ten school for more than 100 years of football, EIU will be facing a Big Ten opponent for the fourth straight year. That string will continue over the next two years with a trip to Iowa set for 2010 and Northwestern in Believe In Blue 12 NCAA FCS Playoff Appearances OVC Champs 2006, 2005, 2002, 2001

6 September 3, 2009 Eastern Illinois vs. Illinois State Page 6 HOW DO YOU SAY THAT - EIU Pronunciation Guide 2...Jimmy Potempa...poe-TIM-pah 8...Cory Leman...coor-EE * Lay-man 12...Bobson Mercier...Mur-sear 30...Sean Sobolewski...so-bo-lou-ski 44...Alain Marcelin... mar-sa-lynn 58...Alex Luhring...lure-Ring 60...Seth Knolhoff... knoll-off 89...Daniel Vehovic...Va-hoe-vick 90...Spyros Bazigos...Spear-ros * bah-zee-gos 94...Andre Lima... lee-mah 95...Nathan Galan... gah-lon 96...Colin Luczynski...Loo-chin-ski 97...Judes Amilcar... jewd-es * AH-mil-car 99...Trevor Frericks... Fra-air-ricks EIU 2008 ROSTER BREAKDOWN BY STATE/YEAR EIU Roster By Home State Illinois Florida Ohio... 5 Wisconsin... 5 Indiana... 3 Arizona... 2 Texas... 2 California... 1 Kentucky... 1 Iowa... 1 EIU Roster By Class Graduate... 1 Senior Junior Sophomore Redshirt Freshman Freshman EASTERN ILLINOIS CAPTAINS OFFENSE 4...Bodie Reeder...Quarterback 74...Chaz Millard...Offensive Guard DEFENSE 1...Adrian Arrington...Rover 9...Seymour Loftman...Free Safety PANTHERS INSTALL NEW VIDEO SCOREBOARD Home games at O Brien Field will have a little different feel this season as the Panthers have installed a new video scoreboard in the north end of the field. The video board also includes a new stateof-the-art sound system. The scoreboard system was purchased from Daktronics, Inc., and will provide a new dimension to the Panthers home game experience. The only catch is that Panther fans will now have to get accustomed to turning north instead of south were the previous scoreboards have stood for 40 years. o brien field turns 40 Eastern Illinois will play its 40th season of intercollegiate football at O Brien Field this season. The field was originally opened as Lincoln Field in 1970 with the Panthers losing the dedication game on Sept. 12 against Indiana State, The field complex was later renamed O Brien Field in honor of former football, track and cross country coach Maynard Pat O Brien. In the previous 39 years at O Brien, EIU has posted a record (68 percent) with seven undefeated seasons. GOING OVER A 1,000 Eastern Illinois will look to have a running back go over 1,000 yards for the sixth straight season when they open up on Thursday night. The Panthers have had three different running backs go over the 1,000 yard mark in each of the last three seasons. The lead candidate for this year is Chevon Walker who ended the 2008 season with a 109 yard performance at Tennessee Tech. In the history of the program only nine running backs have eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark for a season with those nine individuals combining for 19 seasons over 1,000 yards. TOUCHDOWN MAN Sophomore running back Desmin Ward became the touchdown man last season as a true freshman when he scored 11 of the Panthers 17 rushing touchdowns. He was sixth in the OVC in touchdowns and second on the team in scoring trailing only kicker Tyler Wilke. Ward rushed for 322 yards and three times scored three touchdowns in a game. Desmin Ward 3 Touchdown Games Oct. 18, vs. Southeast Missouri (6 rushes, 15 yards, 3 TD) Nov. 1 vs. Murray State (20 rushes, 94 yards, 3 TD) Nov. 22 at Tennessee Tech (9 rushes, 19 yards, 3 TD) STOPPING THEM IN THE BACKFIELD Eastern Illinois was one of the best in the nation at stopping the opponent in the backfield last season. The Panthers ranked 11th nationally in tackles for loss with 7.67 tackles for loss per game. The defense made a combined 92 stops for loss for a total of 347 yards last season. The Panthers lost 55 of those tackles from last season s team. Returning Tackles for Loss Leaders Andre Lima (8 TFL, 26 yards) Trevor Frericks (5 TFL, 19 yards) Perry Burge (4 TFL, 17 yards) Colin Luczynski (3 TFL, 6 yards) Believe In Blue 12 NCAA FCS Playoff Appearances OVC Champs 2006, 2005, 2002, 2001

7 September 3, 2009 Eastern Illinois vs. Illinois State Page 7 #11 - Jake Christensen (Quarterback) 6-1, 215, Grad., Lockport, Ill. (Iowa) NEW PLAYERS ON THE EIU ROSTER IOWA: 2008: Started two games against Maine and Pittsburgh as Iowa finished the season playing the Outback Bowl... appeared in eight games passing for 396 yards and two touchdowns... was 36-of-63 with one interception Listed as first team quarterback following spring practice... started at quarterback and played every offensive play in opening win over Northern Illinois as offense rushed for 250 yards and gained 383 yards total offense... completed passes for 133 yards and one touchdown, a five-yard toss in the second quarter... started at quarterback in win over Syracuse as offense gained 408 yards total offense... completed passes for 278 yards vs. Syracuse, with four touchdown passes and one interception... scoring strikes covered 52, 36, five and six yards... started at quarterback and played every offensive down in loss at Iowa State, completing attempts for 118 yards, with no turnovers... scored Iowa s only touchdown on 11-yard run in the third period for first career rushing touchdown... started at quarterback and played every offensive down in loss at Wisconsin... completed passes for 169 yards and one touchdown, with no interceptions... also rushed eight times for 11 yards... scoring strike covered 21 yards with four seconds remaining in second period... started at quarterback and played every offensive down in loss to Indiana... completed passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception... scoring passes covered 33, 10 and 18 yards... started at quarterback and played every offensive down in loss at Penn State... completed passes for 146 yards, with an 11-yard touchdown strike and no interceptions... started at quarterback and played every offensive down in win over 18thranked Illinois... completed passes for 182 yards and one touchdown, with no interceptions, vs. Illinois... completed 20-yard scoring strike in final minute of third period for only touchdown of the game in 10-6 win... started at quarterback in loss at Purdue... completed passes for 177 yards at Purdue, with one interception, stopping a streak of 111 passes between interceptions... started at quarterback and played every offensive down in double OT win over Michigan State... completed 5-15 passes for 53 yards and one score vs. MSU, with the TD pass covering 23 yards in the first overtime period... started at quarterback and played every offensive down in win at Northwestern as offense gained 299 passing yards and 369 yards total offense... completed passes for 299 yards and one touchdown at Northwestern, with no interceptions... scoring pass covered 20 yards for Iowa s first score of the game... started at quarterback and played every offensive down in win over Minnesota... completed passes for 157 yards and one touchdown, with one interception... connected with TE Brandon Myers on eight-yard scoring pass for first touchdown of the game... started at quarterback and played every offensive down in loss to Western Michigan as offense gained 397 yards total offense... completed passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns vs. Western Michigan, with two interceptions and 45 yards on 12 rushing attempts Listed as third team quarterback following spring practice... saw action in 41-7 win over Montana as offense gained 416 yards total offense... competed all three pass attempts for 19 yards vs. Montana in first action of career... did not see action in win at Syracuse... did not see action in win over Iowa State... did not see action in win at Illinois... did not see action in loss to top-ranked Ohio State... saw action in win over Purdue as offense reached season high marks in points (47) and rushing yards (286)... did not see action in loss at Indiana... did not see action in loss at Michigan... started first game of his career in Northern Illinois, leading offense to 405 yards total offense in win... completed passes for 256 yards and two scores, with one interception... completed scoring passes of six and 10 yards, with final TD pass sealing the victory in the fourth quarter... did not see action in loss to Northwestern... did not see action in loss to Wisconsin... saw action in loss at Minnesota, completing 1-2 passes for 10 yards, with one interception, as offense gained season-best 546 yards total offense... saw action vs. Texas in Alamo Bowl, gaining one yard on two rushing attempts Redshirted... Team Leader Award, offense. HIGH SCHOOL: Earned all-american recognition from USA Today, SuperPrep, Rivals.com and Parade Magazine... named Illinois Player of the Year by Champaign News-Gazette... was first team all-state and all-conference as a senior... earned first team allconference, all-area and all-state honors as a junior after leading prep team to second straight Class 8A state title... Career - - career totals include for 6,555 yards and 69 touchdowns... completed attempts as a senior for 2,874 yards and 36 touchdowns as a senior, with 11 interceptions... passed for 3,681 yards and 33 touchdowns, with five interceptions as a junior, completing pass attempts... earned three letters in football and three letters as baseball outfielder... PERSONAL: - - parents are Linda Freveletti and Jeff Christensen... member of prep Honor Roll for four years... father played with Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Cleveland in the NFL... high school coach was Bret Kooi. #2 - Jimmy Potempa (Running Back) 5-7, 171, R-So., Mundelein, Ill. (Michigan) MICHIGAN: Sophomore (2008): Redshirted at Michigan... Freshman (2007)... played in three games at tailback... made career debut vs. Notre Dame (Sept. 15), rushing twice for nine yards... carried three times for six yards against Eastern Michigan (Oct. 6)... had a one-yard carry vs. Minnesota (Oct. 27)... HIGH SCHOOL: attended Carmel Catholic High School (2007)... National Honor Society member... four-year varsity letterman... played on kickoff team for state championship squad as a freshman... Key Statistics... set school records for career rushing yards and career touchdowns... carried the ball 150 times for 1,368 yards and scored 21 touchdowns as a senior... gained 976 rushing yards and scored 12 TDs junior year... gained 1,203 rushing yards and scored 15 TDs as a sophomore... Honors and Rankings... Class 7A All-State selection from the Illinois High School Coaches Association as a senior... Class 7A Academic All-State senior year... Tom Lemming s Prep Football Report All-Area selection as a sophomore, junior and senior... East Suburban Catholic Conference Offensive Player of the Year as a senior... earned All-East Suburban Catholic Conference honors as sophomore, junior and senior... three-time team MVP... Daily Herald All- Area selection three straight seasons... Other Sports... two-year letterman in track... fourth-place finisher in the 100-meter dash and a fifth-place finisher in the 200-meter dash at the East Suburban Catholic Conference Championship senior year... member of 4x200-meter relay team that won conference title... earned varsity letters in basketball and baseball... PERSONAL: father, Gary, played football at Notre Dame ( )... brother, Dan, played football at Iowa State ( ) and Millikin University ( ). Believe In Blue 12 NCAA FCS Playoff Appearances OVC Champs 2006, 2005, 2002, 2001

8 EIU OFFENSE September 3, 2009 Eastern Illinois vs. Illinois State Page 8 QUARTERBACK 11...Jake Christensen Grad 4...Bodie Reeder R-Sr RUNNING BACK 5...Chevon Walker R-Jr 34...Desmin Ward So 2...Jimmy Potempa R-So SPLIT 3...Lorence Ricks R-So 81...Chris Wright Fr FLANKER 18...Charles Graves R-Jr 86...Chavar Watkins R-Fr SLOT 15...Kenny Whittaker Fr 22...Erik Lora Fr TIGHT END 89...Danny Vehovic R-Jr 45...Keagan Robinson R-Fr LEFT TACKLE 77...Ryan Grossman R-So 66...Chris Campbell R-Sr LEFT GUARD 76...Eric Zink So 67...Mike O Neill R-Fr CENTER 74...Chaz Millard R-Sr 61...Willie Henderson R-So RIGHT GUARD 70...Chris Vaccaro R-Sr or 68...Mike Scheibel R-Sr RIGHT TACKLE 63...Otis Hudson R-Sr 66...Chris Campbell R-Sr EIU COACHING STAFF Head Coach: Bob Spoo (Purdue, st year) (Career Record ; OVC Record 59-29) Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator: Roc Bellantoni (9th year) Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator: Roy Wittke (15thth year) Special Teams Coach: Matthew Smiley (1st year) Offensive Line Coach: Jeff Hoover (3rd year) Wide Receivers: Mike Lynch (5th year) Defensive Line: Forrest Jackson (6th year) Secondary Coach: Bobby Babich (3rd year) Offensive Assistant: Jason Fisher (1st year) Defensive Assistant: Chad Cleveland (2nd year) Quality Control Coaches: Nick Kray Trainer: Jen Tymkew (4th year) Strength Coach: Eric Cash (1st year) Volunteer Football Operations: Cole Spencer (1st year) EIU DEFENSE LEFT END 95...Nathan Galan R-Jr 84...Taylor Dunn Sr 32...Artavious Dowdell Fr LEFT TACKLE 94...Andre Lima R-Sr 92...Michael Letton R-Fr RIGHT TACKLE 99...Trevor Frericks R-Sr 90...Spyros Bazigos R-Jr RIGHT END 98...Perry Burge So 96...Colin Luczynski R-Jr OUTSIDE LINEBACKER 8...Cory Leman R-So 44...Alain Marcelin Jr MIDDLE LINEBACKER 46...Gordy Kickels So 8...Cory Leman R-So OUTSIDE LINEBACKER 56...Nick Nasti Jr 54...Perry Maynard R-Fr LEFT CORNERBACK 26...Rashad Haynes R-Jr 24...James Cooper R-Fr ROVER 1...Adrian Arrington R-Sr 12...Bobson Mercier R-Jr FREE SAFETY 9...Seymour Loftman R-Sr 6...Carlos Reyna So RIGHT CORNERBACK 21...CJ James Jr 25...Shelton Penrow R-Sr EIU SPECIALISTS PLACEKICKER 48...Austin Signor R-Sr 38...Jason Baker Fr PUNTER 41...Kevin Cook R-Jr KICK OFFS 48...Austin Signor R-Sr HOLDER 41...Kevin Cook R-Jr LONG SNAPPER 46...Gordy Kickels So 51...Adam Baker Fr PUNT RETURNS 26...Rashad Haynes R-Jr 18...Charles Graves R-Jr KICK RETURNS 21...CJ James Jr 26...Rashad Haynes R-Jr Believe In Blue 12 NCAA FCS Playoff Appearances OVC Champs 2006, 2005, 2002, 2001

9 September 3, 2009 Eastern Illinois vs. Illinois 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. Tennessee Tech (Nov. 22, 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 EASTERN ILLINOIS QUICK FACTS LOCATION:...Charleston, Illinois FOUNDED: ENROLLMENT:... 12,129 COLORS:...Blue & Gray CONFERENCE:... Ohio Valley STADIUM:... O Brien Field (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, Sept. 1. 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, assistant coaches and selected players 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 third 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. Blocked a field goal... Pierre Walters, 1 vs. Austin Peay (Nov. 15, 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) 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 PANTHER RADIO NETWORK: Eastern Illinois football can be heard live on the radio via the Panther Football Radio Network. Games will be broadcast by the Voice of the Panthers Mike Bradd with color commentary by Jack Ashmore and sideline reporting of home games by John Twork. Hit Mix 88.9 FM WEIU is the flagship station with games also being carried on WHOW 1510 AM and WMKR 94.3 FM. Believe In Blue 12 NCAA FCS Playoff Appearances OVC Champs 2006, 2005, 2002, 2001

10 September 3, 2009 Eastern Illinois vs. Illinois 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, NCAA PLAYOFF APPEARANCES School... # Appearances (Last) Montana...19 (2008) Eastern Kentucky...19 (2008) Georgia Southern...16 (2005) Appalachian State (2008) Furman...15 (2006) Northern Iowa...14 (2008) Delaware...14 (2007) McNeese State...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 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, 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) 1982 Nashville, Tenn.) Tennessee State def. Eastern Illinois, All-Time Playoff Record: 3-12 Home Record: 2-4 Road Record: 1-8 Believe In Blue 12 NCAA FCS Playoff Appearances OVC Champs 2006, 2005, 2002, 2001

11 2008 Eastern Illinois Final Statistics 2008 EIU PANTHERS FOOTBALL EASTERN ILLINOIS Game Results Overall Ohio Valley Date Opponent Score Record Record Time Attend Aug 28, 2008 at Central Michigan L : Sep 6, 2008 at Illinois L : Sep 13, 2008 INDIANA STATE W : Sep 20, 2008 at Illinois State W : * Sep 27, 2008 JACKSONVILLE STATE L : * Oct 9, 2008 at UT Martin L : * Oct 18, 2008 SOUTHEAST MISSOURI W : * Oct 25, 2008 at Eastern Kentucky 7-20 L : * Nov 1, 2008 MURRAY STATE W : * Nov 8, 2008 at Tennessee State L : * Nov 15, 2008 AUSTIN PEAY L : * Nov 22, 2008 at Tennessee Tech W : * indicates conference game 2008 EASTERN ILLINOIS STARTERS OPPONENT WR LT LG C RG RT TE WR QB RB H-Back Central Mich. Nozinor Grossman Mahoney Vaccaro Millard Scheibel McGrath Graves Reeder Jordan Keys Illinois Nozinor Grossman Scheibel Vaccaro Millard Hudson McGrath Graves Reeder Bess Keys Indiana State Nozinor Campbell Scheibel Vaccaro Millard Grossman McGrath Graves Reeder Bess Keys Illinois State Nozinor Campbell Scheibel Vaccaro Millard Hudson McGrath Graves Reeder Bess Keys Jacksonville St. Nozinor Campbell Scheibel Vaccaro Millard Hudson McGrath Graves Reeder Bess Keys UT Martin Nozinor Campbell Vaccaro Henderson Millard Hudson Steckel Graves Reeder Bess Keys SE Missouri Nozinor Grossman Vaccaro Henderson Millard Hudson McGrath Graves Reeder Bess Keys Eastern Ky. Nozinor Grossman Vaccaro Henderson Millard Scheibel McGrath Graves Reeder Bess Keys Murray State Nozinor Grossman Scheibel Vaccaro Millard Hudson McGrath Graves Reeder Bess Keys Tennessee St. Nozinor Grossman Scheibel Vaccaro Millard Hudson McGrath Graves Reeder Bess Keys Austin Peay Nozinor Grossman Zink Vaccaro Millard Hudson McGrath Graves Reeder Bess Keys Tennessee Tech Nozinor Scheibel Zink Vaccaro Millard Hudson McGrath Graves Reeder Bess Keys OPPONENT DE DT DT DE SAM MLB WILL CB ROVER FS CB Central Mich. Johnson Sobol Lima Walters Nasti Marcelin Larson James Sams Loftman Haynes Illinois Johnson Sobol Lima Walters Campbell Marcelin Larson James Sams Loftman Haynes Indiana State Johnson Sobol Frericks Walters Kosinski Marcelin Larson James Sams Loftman Haynes Illinois State Johnson Sobol Lima Walters Kosinski Marcelin Larson James Sams Loftman Haynes Jacksonville St. Johnson Sobol Lima Walters Kosinski Marcelin Larson James Sams Loftman Haynes UT Martin Johnson Sobol Lima Walters Kosinski Marcelin Leman Penrow Sams Loftman Haynes SE Missouri Johnson Sobol Lima Walters Nasti Leman Larson James Sams Loftman Haynes Eastern Ky. Johnson Sobol Lima Walters Nasti Leman Larson Mercier Sams Loftman Haynes Murray State Johnson Sobol Lima Walters Nasti Leman Larson Penrow Sams Loftman Haynes Tennessee St. Johnson Sobol Lima Walters Nasti Leman Larson Penrow Sams Loftman Haynes Austin Peay Johnson Sobol Lima Walters Kosinski Leman Larson Penrow Sams Loftman Haynes Tennessee Tech Johnson Sobol Lima Walters Nasti Leman Larson Penrow Sams Loftman Haynes

12 Eastern Illinois Overall Team Statistics (as of Nov 23, 2008) Team Statistics EIU OPP SCORING Points Per Game FIRST DOWNS Rushing Passing Penalty RUSHING YARDAGE Yards gained rushing Yards lost rushing Rushing Attempts Average Per Rush Average Per Game TDs Rushing PASSING YARDAGE Att-Comp-Int Average Per Pass Average Per Catch Average Per Game TDs Passing TOTAL OFFENSE Total Plays Average Per Play Average Per Game KICK RETURNS: #-Yards PUNT RETURNS: #-Yards INT RETURNS: #-Yards KICK RETURN AVERAGE PUNT RETURN AVERAGE INT RETURN AVERAGE FUMBLES-LOST PENALTIES-Yards Average Per Game PUNTS-Yards Average Per Punt Net punt average TIME OF POSSESSION/Game 30:00 30:00 3RD-DOWN Conversions 66/162 68/159 3rd-Down Pct 41% 43% 4TH-DOWN Conversions 5/13 5/19 4th-Down Pct 38% 26% SACKS BY-Yards MISC YARDS 0 1 TOUCHDOWNS SCORED FIELD GOALS-ATTEMPTS ON-SIDE KICKS RED-ZONE SCORES % % RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS % % PAT-ATTEMPTS % % ATTENDANCE Games/Avg Per Game 5/5089 7/15972 Neutral Site Games 0/0 Score by Quarters 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT Total Eastern Illinois Opponents