Category: Eastern Illinois Panthers
Spoo, EIU Staff Find Ways to Beat the OVC Power
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – In this time of the year when some struggling football teams start blaming people, Eastern Illinois had its finger pointing Saturday.
All of it was praise following the Panthers’ finest hours in years, Saturday’s 28-20 upset win over a Jacksonville State team that had been looking nearly invincible in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Credit started at the top.
“I will tell you our head coach did a great job this week, not that he doesn’t every week,” defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni said. “But he had some ideas, he brought them to the staff and we used them. I don’t know if we outcoached them but our head coach did a great job even though he won’t want take the credit.”
Eastern Illinois Wins -- Again -- on Jacksonville State's Turf
The Eastern Illinois Panthers were not ready to let Jacksonville State claim the people’s Ohio Valley Conference championship, so they came to Paul Snow Stadium and beat the Gamecocks 28-20.
Saturday’s win spoiled JSU’s homecoming and ruined the APR-banned squad’s goal of going undefeated against fellow I-AA teams. Before Saturday, the 4-3 Gamecocks had lost only to No. 11 Georgia Tech and Florida State and had won four straight.
EIU Panthers Stifle ILS Redbirds in Opener, 31-6
Illinois State quarterback Drew Kiel was nearly perfect, completing 20-of-22 passes, but the effort wasn’t enough to keep pace with Eastern Illinois in a 31-6 season-opening loss at O’Brien Field Thursday night.
- 392 words - Illinois State Redbirds, Ohio Valley Conference, Eastern Illinois Panthers Defense makes goal-line stand; Spoo pleased with scrimmage
CHARLESTON – After a first and goal at the 4-year line, three straight times last year’s Eastern Illinois’ touchdown leader Desmin Ward was kept from running into the end zone.
The good news is he was stopped by EIU’s defense.
“All the stuff we’ve done in the off-season is paying off,” EIU defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni said. “Last year’s defense might have given up. They sucked it up and played really well.”
In their final preseason scrimmage before the Sept. 3 opener against Illinois State, the Panthers’ defense made three goal-line stands and forced two additional turnovers.
Pressure cooker in the OVC
With arguably the best team in the conference not eligible for the league title, the nine-team Ohio Valley Conference could see some serious competition in 2009.
- 2497 words - FCS News Articles, Ohio Valley Conference, Eastern Kentucky Colonels, Eastern Illinois Panthers, Austin Peay Governors, Tennessee State Tigers, Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, Murray State Racers, Jacksonville State Gamecocks, UT-Martin Skyhawks, Southeast Missouri State Redhawks Ex-Iowa QB Christensen has positioned himself academically for playing at EIU
CHARLESTON - Former Iowa quarterback Jake Christensen has positioned himself academically for a shot at playing this season at Eastern Illinois.
Christensen has passed 42 credit hours in seven months: three in the winter, 24 in the spring at Iowa and 15 this summer with classes at Iowa, Lake Forest and Eastern.
It enabled him to be accepted into graduate school at EIU and he is awaiting word from the NCAA on getting a final year of eligibility this season.
“It’s been a long road,” he said after Saturday’s first practice. “At times it seemed like it wasn’t going to happen. There is still one more hurdle to clear with the wavier from the NCAA.”
Eastern Kentucky Tabbed as 2009 OVC Favorite, Preseason OVC Team Named
In a balanced vote that saw five of the eight eligible teams receive at least one first-place vote, two-time defending champion Eastern Kentucky University has been picked as the 2009 Ohio Valley Conference preseason football favorite in a vote of league head coaches and sports information directors.
- 2443 words - Ohio Valley Conference, Eastern Kentucky Colonels, Eastern Illinois Panthers, Austin Peay Governors, Tennessee State Tigers, Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, Murray State Racers, Jacksonville State Gamecocks, UT-Martin Skyhawks, Southeast Missouri State Redhawks OVC and SportsUnlimited to Launch Ohio Valley Conference Football 2009 Magazine
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The Ohio Valley Conference has announced the launch of production of “Ohio Valley Conference Football 2009″ a full-color, limited edition football magazine that previews the 2009 football season. The venture with SportsUnlimited will be available in late August but is now available for pre-order. Detailed feature articles on all nine OVC teams will be included in the publication.
- 292 words - Ohio Valley Conference, Eastern Kentucky Colonels, Eastern Illinois Panthers, Austin Peay Governors, Tennessee State Tigers, Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, Murray State Racers, Jacksonville State Gamecocks, UT-Martin Skyhawks, Southeast Missouri State Redhawks Illinois State Extends Contract With EIU, Adds South Dakota
NORMAL, Ill. - The oldest football rivalry in the state of Illinois and the 12th-longest in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) will continue through 2013, thanks to a recently signed contract between Illinois State and Eastern Illinois. In addition, a three-year contract was signed with FCS opponent South Dakota of the Great West Conference beginning in 2011.
The new contract with Eastern Illinois adds a year to the current deal, which includes the 100th meeting between the two schools in 2011. To date, ISU and Eastern Illinois have met 97 times, with the first game taking place in 1901. The Redbirds lead the series, 50-38-9, and have won six out of the last seven meetings.
- 464 words - Missouri Valley Football Conference, South Dakota Coyotes, Illinois State Redbirds, Eastern Illinois Panthers Team USA (w/FCS Players) Crowned Inaugural IFAF Junior World Champion
A collection of 45 American teenagers gathered in Canton in the middle of June to complete a mission on the football field.
The mission was to win the 2009 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Junior World Championship, an inaugural tournament being contested at Fawcett Stadium which consisted of players aged 19 and younger from eight countries, spanning four continents.
For USA Football’s Junior National Team, that mission was accomplished Sunday July 5, 2009.
- 1082 words - FCS News Articles, Holy Cross Crusaders, Eastern Illinois Panthers, Texas State Bobcats EIU/TSU Game Moved To ESPNU On Nov. 19
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - The scheduled Nov. 21 football game between Eastern Illinois and Tennessee State has been moved to Thursday, Nov. 19 and will now be televised live on ESPNU at 5:30 p.m. CT.
- 342 words - Ohio Valley Conference, Eastern Illinois Panthers, Tennessee State Tigers With Economy Slumping, Colleges Cut Teams to Save Money
After three decades of steady growth in the number of teams and student-athletes, colleges and universities large and small, private and public, east and west, are slashing millions of dollars from their sports budgets.
Colleges have dismissed athletic staff, reduced hours for pools and practice courts, and increased equipment and facility fees. Some have also cut the size of their travel squads, eliminated trips requiring air travel and done away with housing teams in hotels the night before home games.
Opinion: Delaware State? Montana State? Get Real
University of Michigan fans finally got to see Friday who would be rounding out the last open spot on the 2009 football schedule.
A matchup with a national powerhouse like Oklahoma, Florida, USC or Texas? Not quite.
On Oct. 17, the Wolverines will welcome Delaware State to the Big House. Get your tickets now.
Only Two RBs Return for EIU Next Season
Transfer, freshmen could key backfield.
The Eastern football team has had 19 1,000-yard rushers since 1963. Seven of those running backs put up multiple years of more than 1,000 yards rushing.
It’s been established that the Panthers need a running game in order for their offense to succeed.
They could get some more options with National Signing Day today as dozens of high school seniors will sign National Letter of Intents to play football at Eastern next season.
But it’s not always an easy process.
Former EIU DE Uses Time to Showcase Skills for NFL
Pierre Walters said he is lucky this week.
The former Eastern defensive end said a player above him got injured, and now he’ll be in the spotlight.
Walters was selected to participate in Saturday’s Texas vs. The Nation Collegiate All-Star Game at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.
“I was pretty high up on the waiting list,” Walters said.
Former FCS Stars on the 2009 Texas vs. The Nation Roster
17 former FCS studs to be featured in the all-star game this Saturday.
- 118 words - San Diego Toreros, Montana Grizzlies, Portland State Vikings, Weber State Wildcats, Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs, Maine Black Bears, Colgate Raiders, Georgetown Hoyas, Furman Paladins, Eastern Illinois Panthers, Tennessee State Tigers, Nicholls State Colonels, Northwestern State Demons, Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, Alcorn State Braves, FCS In The Pros EIU Coaches Hit Recruiting Trail
Illinois and Florida have been the standard recruiting hotbeds for Eastern’s football program. Wisconsin, Ohio and the west coast have also become more prominent in the past years.
As Eastern’s coaches continue to hit the recruiting trail this winter, Oklahoma, Iowa and Indiana will also be added to the mix.
Not counting recruiting dead periods, Eastern’s coaches have 55 days to solidify the Panthers’ 2009 recruiting class.
“I think we have to get this part of the calendar done, this recruiting effort,” Eastern head coach Bob Spoo said. “Bring in some of the best players we can find out there and get back on a competitive level again.”
EIU Runs Past Tennessee Tech
COOKEVILLE – Tennessee Tech will have to wait until 2009 to snap its losing skid.
The Golden Eagles were able to grab their first lead in nearly two months, but it was short-lived as Eastern Illinois surged ahead behind a three-touchdown performance by freshman Desmin Ward to roll to a 38-20 victory Saturday at Tucker Stadium.
The loss gave TTU seven straight to end a season that proved to be a difficult one for the talented, but extremely youthful Golden Eagles.
Opinion: Remaining Contests Will Test Eastern Illinois
RICHMOND, Ky. - No eight-win team has ever been denied a playoff spot in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Eastern proved that last year with its at-large bid following an 8-3 regular season.
But the Panthers won’t get a chance to test that premise following their 20-7 loss to Eastern Kentucky on Saturday afternoon at Roy Kidd Stadium.
Reeder Leads EIU Panthers' Offense Through First Half
Eastern quarterback ranked 30th in nation in completion percentage.
When quarterback Bodie Reeder drops back to pass, the odds are favorable it will be a completion.
The Ivesdale native has completed 62.9 percent of his passes this season - a statistic that ranks him second in the Ohio Valley Conference and 30th in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Only Murray State sophomore quarterback Jeff Ehrhardt has a higher completion percentage in the OVC (64.5), but Ehrhardt has also played in two fewer games. Bucknell junior quarterback Marcello Trigg leads the nation with a 72.3 completion percentage. Reeder has completed 95-of-151 passes for 1,121 yards and nine touchdowns with four interceptions in his first full year as Eastern’s starting quarterback. Reeder took the Panthers’ starting job for good last year against Indiana State on Sept. 22, 2007.
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