Eastern Illinois Panther Football
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
EASTERN ILLINOIS PANTHER FOOTBALL Contact: Rich Moser • [email protected] • (217) 581-7480 • Fax (217) 581-6434 • www.EIUpanthers.com GAME 7 Panthers Return To O’Brien Field For Homecoming Game Against Tennessee Tech No. 25 Eastern Illinois (4-2, 2-1 OVC) vs. Tennessee Tech (3-2, 2-1 OVC) O’Brien Field (10,000) • Charleston, Ill. October 17, 2009 • 1:30 p.m. • TV: WEIU Channel 51 QUICK FACTS THE GAME Eastern Illinois returns to Ohio Valley Conference action on Saturday afternoon as the Panthers host Tennessee Tech at O’Brien Field. Both teams enter the contest with a 2-1 record COACHES: in the OVC and sit tied for third in the conference race. The game will serve as the Panthers Bob Spoo (Purdue, 1960) homecoming contest and athletic hall of fame game. During the game Eastern Illinois will EIU Record ..........136-111-1 (22nd year) retire the No. 17 formerly worn by All-American quarterback Tony Romo. OVC Record ................61-30 (13th year) Eastern Illinois enters the game on a two game losing skid following a home loss to vs. Tennessee Tech .......................... 10-2 Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 3 and last weekend’s loss at Penn State. The Panthers were limited Watson Brown (Vanderbilt, 1973) to only three points against the Nittany Lions during the 52-3 set back in Happy Valley. EIU TTU Record ................. 10-18 (3rd year) has not lost a homecoming game since 1999, that loss was to Tennessee Tech. Overall Record .... 104-169-1 (25th year) Tennessee Tech enters the weekend with two straight OVC wins as they knocked off OVC Record ..................12-20 (5th year) Austin Peay on Oct. 3 before winning on the road at UT Martin over the weekend. In their vs. EIU ............................................... 0-2 two OVC wins TTU has won by eight points or less on both occasions. Their one OVC loss this year was a 17-7 loss at Eastern Kentucky. SERIES THE SERIES EIU leads 11-4 This will be the 16th meeting between Eastern Illinois and Tennessee Tech with the Last meeting, EIU won 38-20 Panthers holding an 11-4 all-time series lead. EIU has won four straight in the series and 11- on Nov. 22, 2008 at Cookeville, Tenn. of-13 since joining the Ohio Valley Conference. One of the two losses was to Tennessee Tech in 1999 during the Panthers homecoming contest, the last EIU loss during homecoming. Last RANKINGS year in Cookeville, EIU churned out 296 rushing yards during a 38-20 win over the Golden Eastern Illinois ........................... RV / 25 Penn State ..................................RV / NR Eagles. In that game Trevorus Bess (163) and Chevon Walker (109) both rushed for more than .............................. Sports Network/FCS Coaches 100 yards while Desmin Ward scored three rushing touchdowns. RADIO Eastern Illinois (4-2, 2-1 OVC) Tennessee Tech (3-2, 2-1 OVC) Panther Radio Network Hit Mix 88.9 FM - flagship station Date Opponent Score/Time Date Opponent Score/Time WHOW 1510 AM & WMKR 94.3 FM Sept. 3 ILLINOIS STATE W 31-6 Sept. 10 PIKEVILLE COLLEGE W 51-10 www.weiuhitmix.net Sept. 12 at Indiana State W 31-0 Sept. 19 * at Eastern Kentucky L 7-17 Play-by-Play ........................ Mike Bradd Sept. 19 * at Southeast Missouri W 23-14 Sept. 26 at Kansas State L 7-49 Analyst ............................. Jack Ashmore Sept. 26 * at Austin Peay W 30-20 Oct. 3 * AUSTIN PEAY W 31-23 Oct. 3 * EASTERN KENTUCKY L 31-36 Oct. 10 * at UT Martin W 35-28 TELEVISION Oct. 10 at Penn State L 3-52 Oct. 17 * at Eastern Illinois 1:30 pm WEIU - Channel 51 Oct. 17 * TENNESSEE TECH (HC) 1:30 pm Oct. 24 * SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1:30 pm Play-by-Play ........................ Mike Bradd Oct. 24 * at Jacksonville State 1 pm Oct. 31 * TENNESSEE STATE 1:30 pm Analyst ............................. Jack Ashmore Oct. 31 * at Murray State 1 pm Nov. 7 at Georgia Noon Sideline .................................John Twork Nov. 14 * UT MARTIN 1:30 pm Nov. 14 * at Jacksonville State Noon Nov. 19 * TENNESSEE STATE 5:30 pm Nov. 21 * MURRAY STATE 1:30 pm INTERNET Live Stats .............www.eiupanthers.com * Ohio Valley Conference Game * Ohio Valley Conference Game Video Stream ........ www.OVCSports.TV All Times Central All Times Central Believe In Blue • 12 NCAA FCS Playoff Appearances • OVC Champs 2006, 2005, 2002, 2001 October 17, 2009 • Eastern Illinois vs. Tennessee Tech • Page 2 • www.EIUpanthers.com EASTERN ILLINOIS HEAD COACH BOB SPOO 2009 SPORTS NETWORK The dean of Ohio Valley Conference Coaches, TOP 25 Eastern Illinois head coach Bob Spoo returns to LONGEST TENURED DIVISION I HEAD COACHES (AT SAME SCHOOL) (Week 6) the sidelines for his 22nd season on the sidelines and 23rd season overall. Spoo missed the 2006 1 ..Joe Paterno (Penn State) ........................since 1966 Rk. Team 2009 Record 2 ...Bob Ford (Albany) .................................since 1973 season with a medical illness. His career record 3 ...Bobby Bowden (Florida State) ..............since 1976 1. Richmond (119) 5-0 4 ...Andy Talley (Villanova) ........................since 1985 2. Northern Iowa (11) 5-1 is 136-111-1 at EIU including a 61-30 mark in 5 ...Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech) ...............since 1987 3. Montana 5-0 OVC action. Since taking over the program in ...Bob Spoo (Eastern Illinois) ................ since 1987 4. New Hampshire (1) 5-0 1987, Spoo has become one of the most respected 5. Southern Illinois 4-1 coaches in the game with numerous assistants moving on to succeed at all levels of the 6. Villanova 5-1 7. William & Mary 5-1 coaching business. He was the 1995 Football Gazette I-AA Coach of the Year and runner- 8. Elon 5-1 up for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award in 2000. A 1960 graduate of Purdue 9. Appalachian State 3-2 University, Spoo has coached the Panthers to 8 NCAA FCS playoff berths and ten Top 25 10. Central Arkansas 4-1 national rankings. This season EIU will play at Penn State matching two of the longest 11. South Carolina State 4-1 12. Jacksonville State 4-2 tenured head coaches head-to-head on Oct. 10. 13. McNeese State 3-2 14. South Dakota State 4-1 TENNESSEE TECH HEAD COACH WATSON BROWN 15. Weber State 3-3 16. James Madison 2-3 Watson Brown enters his 25th year as a collegiate head coach this year and his third 17. Colgate 6-0 season as the head man at Tennessee Tech. A native of Cookeville, Tenn., Brown had 18. Massachusetts 3-2 previously served as the head coach at Austin Peay, Cincinnati, Rice, Vanderbilt and UAB 19. Cal Poly 2-3 before taking over at Tennessee Tech in 2007. His career record is 104-169-1 while his 20. Stephen F. Austin 4-1 21. Eastern Washington 4-2 record at TTU is 10-18. Brown is a 1973 graduate of Vanderbilt where he played both 22. Florida A&M 4-1 football and baseball for the Commodores. 23. Delaware 4-2 24. Eastern Kentucky 3-2 25. Holy Cross 4-1 SCOUTING TENNESSEE TECH Tennessee Tech has one of the best quarterbacks in the Ohio Valley Conference in senior Also Receiving Votes Lee Sweeney. This season he has passed for 957 yards and 7 touchdowns spreading the ball EASTERN ILLINOIS 4-2 out to 14 different receivers. Last Saturday at UT Martin Sweeney became the Tennessee Tech career leader in passing yards with 6,346. His favorite target is Tim Benford with 19 catches for 355 yards. The defense is led by OVC Defensive Player of the Week Dustin Dillehay with 41 tackles. Dedrick Miley is the team leader in sacks with three. 2009 FCS Coaches Poll (Week 6) ON THIS DATE IN EIU HISTORY Rk. Team 2009 Record October 17, 1970 – Eastern Illinois failed on three point-after conversions and allowed a 1. Richmond (28) 5-0 90-yard kickoff return by Billy Lewis late in the third quarter as the Panthers dropped their 2. Montana 5-0 first homecoming game at Lincoln Field (later O’Brien Field) to Illinois State 29-20. Ron 3. Northern Iowa 5-1 Gustafson passed for two touchdowns and Ken Werner rushed for one score and caught 4. New Hampshire 5-0 5. Southern Illinois 4-1 another touchdown pass for EIU. 6. Villanova 5-1 7. William & Mary 5-1 PANTHERS ON HOMECOMING 8. Central Arkansas 4-1 9. Elon 5-1 Eastern Illinois will be playing its 93rd homecoming game this year when the Panthers host 10. Appalachian State 3-2 Tennessee Tech. This will mark only the second time that the Golden Eagles have been the 11. McNeese State 3-2 opponent for EIU’s homecoming contest with TTU winning that game 14-7 in 1999. Eastern 12. South Carolina State 4-1 Illinois has posted a 47-37-8 record all-time in homecoming games including nine straight 13. Jacksonville State 4-2 14. South Dakota State 4-1 wins. The first EIU homecoming game was in 1915 with the Panthers picking up a 52-6 win 15. Weber State 3-3 over Shurtleff College. Since moving to O’Brien Field for the 1970 season Eastern Illinois has 16. James Madison 2-3 posted a 27-10-2 record in homecoming games. 17. Eastern Washington 4-2 18. Colgate 6-0 19. Cal Poly 2-3 HALL OF fame HONOREES 20. Massachusetts 3-2 As part of the weekend festivities Eastern Illinois will also be inducting five people into 21. Stephen F. Austin 4-1 its athletics hall of fame.