Eastern Illinois Panther Football
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August 28, 2021 • Eastern Illinois at Indiana State • Page 1 • www.eiupanthers.com • #RunWithUs EASTERN ILLINOIS PANTHER FOOTBALL Contact: Rich Moser • [email protected] • (217) 508-8317 • www.EIUpanthers.com • @EIU_Panthers GAME 1 Panthers Kick Off 2021 With Week Zero Game At Indiana State Eastern Illinois at Indiana State Memorial Stadium (12,764) • Terre Haute, Ind. August 28, 2021 • 5 p.m. • TV: ESPN+ NOTES TO KNOW • Eastern Illinois gets an early start to the 2021 season as the Panthers travel to Terre Haute, COACHES: Ind., on Saturday night to face Indiana State in a Week Zero contest. The game is one Adam Cushing (Univ. of Chicago, 2002) of two FCS Week Zero contests and one of seven total overall Week Zero games. For EIU Record ............................. 2-16 (3rd) Indiana State it will be the Sycamores first game in 644 days as they opted out of the 2020- OVC Record ........................... 2-12 (3rd) 21 season. For EIU it will continue a span of 17 games in nine months as EIU played six vs. Indiana State ................................ 0-1 games in the spring of 2021. Curt Mallory (Michigan, 1992) • Jason Johnson was named a preseason first team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection INST Record .........................12-22 (5th) after earning first team All-OVC honors last season at linebacker. The third year player led MVFC Record .........................8-16 (5th) the OVC in tackles per game last season finishing the year with 66 tackles. His 11 tackles Overall Record ...............................Same vs. Eastern Illinois ............................. 2-1 per game ranked ninth in the FCS. Johnson ended the season with a streak of four straight games with double figure tackles including 15 against Tennessee Tech. SERIES 87th meeting, EIU leads 43-39-4 • Matt Judd was named a preseason first team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection at kick Last: @INST 16, EIU 6 on Sept. 21, 2019 returner. Last season he earned second team honors at the position leading the OVC in kick return average at 24.8 yards per return. Judd had a long return on the season of 53 yards at RANKINGS UT Martin. Judd also sees time at wide receiver hauling in eight passes for 109 yards and a Eastern Illinois .............................--- / --- touchdown in six games last season. Indiana State .................................--- / --- .............................. STATS Media/AFCA Coaches • The August 28 kickoff date marks the earliest calendar date EIU has ever opened a football season. This is the fourth time the EIU has played a season opener on August 28. The last time RADIO was in 2014 at Minnesota. EIU also has played Aug. 28 openers in 2008 at Central Michigan and Panther Radio Network 1997 at Western Illinois. Hit Mix 88.9 FM, WTIM 870 AM, WHOW 1520 AM & WMKR 94.3 FM • Eastern Illinois scored 13 offensive touchdowns during its shortened spring 2021 season. Of www.network1sports.com/station/wsvz those 13 scores, three were of the big play variety with two long touchdown runs and one pass www.weiu.net/hitmix/ Play-by-Play ........................ Mike Bradd play. DeWayne Cooks hauled in a 45-yard touchdown pass for one score. Kendi Young had a Analyst ..........Jason Fisher / Rich Moser 72-yard touchdown run in the opener and the final score was an 80-yard touchdown run. TELEVISION Eastern Illinois (0-0, 0-0 OVC) Indiana State (0-0, 0-0 OVC) ESPN+ Play-by-Play ....................Brian Jennings Date Opponent Score/Time Date Opponent Score/Time Analyst ...............................Katrell Moss Aug. 28 at Indiana State 5 pm Aug. 28 EASTERN ILLINOIS 5 pm Sept. 4 at South Carolina 6 pm Sept. 11 at Northwestern 12 pm FOLLOW-US Sept. 11 at Dayton 12 pm Sept. 18 at Eastern Kentucky 7 pm Live Stats ...................... eiupanthers.com Sept. 18 ILLINOIS STATE 6 pm Sept. 25 • SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 1 pm Live Video ...................................ESPN+ Sept. 25 • at Tennessee Tech 1:30 pm Oct. 2 • at South Dakota 3 pm Facebook ............................ EIUPanthers Oct. 2 at Murray State 4 pm Oct. 9 • WESTERN ILLINOIS 1 pm Twitter ...........................@EIU_Panthers Oct. 16 • UT MARTIN 2 pm Oct. 16 • at Missouri State 3 pm Instagram ......................eiupanthernation Oct. 23 • TENNESSEE STATE 2 pm Oct. 23 • YOUNGSTOWN STATE 1 pm FB Twitter .............. @EIUPanthersMFB Oct. 30 • at Southeast Missouri 1 pm Oct. 30 • at North Dakota State 3:30 pm Nov. 6 • at Austin Peay 2 pm Nov. 13 • SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 1 pm Nov. 20 • MURRAY STATE 12 pm Nov. 20 • at Illinois State 1 pm #RunWithUs • Ohio Valley Conference Game All Times Central • Missouri Valley Football Conference Games All Times Central EASTERN ILLINOIS FOOTBALL • 16 NCAA FCS Playoff Appearances • OVC Champs 2013, 2012, 2009, 2006, 2005, 2002, 2001 August 28, 2021 • Eastern Illinois at Indiana State • Page 2 • www.eiupanthers.com • #RunWithUs • Eastern Illinois added a pair of NCAA Division II All-American transfers to the roster STATS FCS MEDIA TOP 25 during the offseason with both players expected to provide an impact this season. Logen Rk. Team Record 1. Sam Houston State (39) 10-0 Neidhardt was a two-time All-American at punter in 2018 and 2019 at Ohio Dominican. 2. James Madison (8) 7-1 He opted of playing in 2020. Justin Growel was an All-American at Lake Erie College in 3. South Dakota State (3) 8-2 2019 when he was a nominee for the Cliff Harris Award as a defensive lineman. The award 4. North Dakota State 7-3 is presented to the top small school defensive player in college football. 5. Delaware 7-1 6. Weber State 5-1 • Quarterback Otto Kuhns has been listed as the starter for the Week Zero game at Indiana 7. Southern Illinois 6-4 State. Kuhns appeared in four games last making three starts. He finished the year passing 8. North Dakota 5-2 for 509 yards and five touchdowns going 44-of-87 (50.6 pct). Kuhns added 86 yards 9. Montana 2-0 rushing on the ground with a long run of 22 yards. 10. Jacksonville State 10-3 11. Eastern Washington 5-2 • Otto Kuhns will have company in the quarterback room as the Panthers brought in two 12. Montana State DNP 13. Monmouth 3-1 FBS transfers and a high school quarterback to join Kuhns and Zach Weir. Chris Katrenick 14. Central Arkansas 5-4 is a transfer from Duke where he appeared in eight games during a four-year career with 15. Southeastern Louisiana 4-3 the Blue Devils. Grant Ciccarone is a transfer from Colorado while Zach Trainor is a high 16. Villanova 2-2 school product from Michigan. 17. VMI 6-2 18. Chattanooga 3-2 • Dynamic wide receiver Isaiah Hill is expected to return to the Panthers line-up this season 19. Kennsaw State 4-1 after missing all of last year with an injury. In 2019 Hill earned All-OVC Newcomer Team 20. Austin Peay 4-5 honors as he led the Panthers in receiving with 58 catches for 571 yards in eight games 21. Nothern Iowa 3-4 played. He scored six touchdowns on the season with four receiving and two rushing. 22. Nicholls State 4-3 23. UC Davis 3-2 • With Isaiah Hill out last season, EIU had three players finish with double figure receptions 24. Missouri State 5-5 25. North Carolina A&T DNP last season led by Univ. of Dayton transfer Jay Vallie. Playing the super back position he hauled in 18 passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns. Vallie will sit out this season due to injury. The Panthers two top returning receiving threats are DeWayne Cooks (15 catches / 241 yards) and Tyler Hamilton (13 catches / 80 yards). • Eastern Illinois added some transfer depth at the wide receiver position as the Panthers brought in Tyler Ringwood from UNC Charlotte and Adarius Dent from Florida State. FCS COACHES TOP 25 Ringwood caught 36 passes for 540 yards and three touchdowns in three seasons at Rk. Team Charlotte. He was the team’s third leading receiver when the 49ers made a bowl game in 1. Sam Houston State (18) 10-0 2019. Dent transferred to EIU during fall camp from FSU. He made three catches in two 2. James Madison (9) 7-1 seasons seeing a good deal of his playing time on special teams. 3. North Dakota State 7-3 4. South Dakota State (1) 8-2 5. Delaware 7-1 • EIU returns two of its top three rushers from last season with Jaelin Benefield and Kendi 6. Weber State 5-1 Young. Benefield was second on the team with 258 yards rushing after leading the Panthers 7. North Dakota 5-2 as a true freshman in 2019. Young was third on the team with 121 yards appearing in just 8. Jacksonville State 10-3 three games. Benefield also added nine receptions out of the backfield. 9. Montana 2-0 10. Southern Illinois 6-4 • EIU added some size and experience to its running back corps with transfer Markenzy 11. Montana State DNP Pierre and freshman Harrison Bey-Buie. Pierre is a transfer from Syracuse where he had 12. Monmouth 3-1 59 carries over the past four seasons playing for former EIU head coach Dino Babers. Bey- 13. Central Arkansas 5-4 Buie is in his second season as a Panther after missing the COVID-19 season due to injury. 14. Eastern Washington 5-2 As a senior in high school he rushed for more than 2,000 yards and 32 touchdowns to be 15. Villanova 2-2 16. Northern Iowa 3-4 named a finalist for the All-Iowa football player of the year. 17. Southeatern Louisiana 4-3 18.