Panther rewind: EIU takes back Mid-America Classic trophy with victory over ISU

Eastern Illinois celebrated its first win over rival Illinois State since 2016. (Photo by EIUPanthers.com)

By Dan Verdun

CHARLESTON – Justin Thomas went from a dark place last month into the spotlight Saturday.

Playing in his first game this season after sustaining an injury in fall camp, Thomas hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Pierce Holley with 30 seconds remaining to pull Eastern Illinois into a tie with rival Illinois State.

Redshirt sophomore Julian Patino added the extra point, lifting EIU to a 14-13 victory over ISU.

“It meant the world to me (to get back on the field),” Thomas said. “My teammates mean the world to me. When I was down in a dark place, they were there for me. Coaches, players, trainers, everybody was there for me.”

Things looked bleak for Eastern after Illinois State punter Ian Wagner boomed a 71-yard punt that left the Panthers starting their final drive on their own 7-yard line. Compounding matters, EIU had no timeouts and just 1:32 remaining.

EIU used six pass completions and a pivotal Illinois State targeting penalty to set the stage for Thomas’s heroics.

After spiking the ball to stop the clock, Holley saw something he liked in the ISU defensive alignment.

“The play was supposed to go to the post,” said Holley, who completed 7-of-8 passes – with the spike being the only incompletion – on the winning drive. “I saw press coverage (on Thomas). I knew I had to give him a chance.”

“He looked at me, checked out of the play and I knew it was coming my way,” Thomas said.

Lining up on the right side, Thomas beat his defender off the line and ran a go-route to the end zone. The Michigan native found himself wide open for the touchdown.

“Everybody kept believing. We had a great week of preparation,” EIU head coach Chris Wilkerson said. “All that matters is the 150 people in our program. We had a number of players step up.”

Wilkerson, a former Panther defensive lineman in his second year leading EIU, couldn’t say enough about his defense.

“Our starting two defensive tackles (Tre’Jon Lewis and Colby Smith) didn’t play a down tonight; both were out with injuries. One of our boundary corners (Russell Dandy) goes down late in the game, but it was the next person just stepping right in and continuing to believe,” Wilkerson said.

Illinois State was coming off a 276-yard rushing performance in last week’s win at Western Illinois. Eastern held ISU to 108 yards on the ground.

Wilkerson praised interior linemen Terence Simon, Alton Jefferson, Drake Van Hyfte and Jaron Hacha for their solid play.

“Those four really stepped up and shouldered the load inside,” Wilkerson said.

Armed with two timeouts, Illinois State completed a pair of passes to near midfield and appeared on the verge of moving into field goal territory.

However, EIU safety Blake Ruffin intercepted ISU quarterback Zack Annexstad to seal the win.

“I just had to stay deep and not let anything get behind me,” Ruffin said. “I was in the underneath zone . . . It was eyes on the quarterback and drive on the ball when he threw it.”

Eastern forced four ISU turnovers – three interceptions and a fumble.

It was EIU’s first win over a ranked opponent since 2017 when the Panthers beat No. 24 Tennessee State.

Both Eastern and Illinois State have 2-1 records.

Game changers

0:55, 4th quarter: A targeting call upheld by replay review on ISU defensive back C.J. Hodgdon against Thomas gave the Panthers a first down and moved the ball from the EIU 42 to the ISU 43.

0:30, 4th quarter: Thomas, who missed much of last season with an injury, hauled in the game-tying touchdown pass from Holley.

0:30, 4th quarter: Patino, who rejoined the team from EIU’s soccer program after regular kicker Stone Galloway was injured before the season opener, nailed the extra point to provide the winning margin.

What it means

The win broke an Eastern five-game losing streak in the series with Illinois State. The last EIU victory came in 2016 when the Panthers defeated Illinois State, 24-21, in Normal.

The last Eastern win over ISU at O’Brien Field was a 57-24 decision in 2013. Current NFL quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw for a school-record seven touchdowns in that victory.

Saturday’s win was the second this season for Eastern against a Missouri Valley Football Conference team. The Panthers shut out Indiana State, 27-0, in the season opener.

Primetime Panthers
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Panther players in the game:

Ruffin, S: The redshirt sophomore led EIU with nine tackles, one tackle for loss and the game-clinching interception.

Holley, QB: The Georgetown transfer overcame being sacked eight times to pass for 273 yards and two touchdowns. He started the game completing his first 20 passes in a row, breaking the school record (17) by Sean Payton against Western Kentucky in 1986.

Thomas, WR: The graduate student who returned for his final year of eligibility led EIU with seven catches for 80 yards and scored both Panther touchdowns.

What’s next?

EIU continues its non-conference schedule, hosting McNeese at 2 p.m. Sept. 23.

Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.

Find us on social media!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PSPigskin

Facebook: Prairie State Pigskin