Drew Wilder (55) and Sebastian Pares (71) are two returning pieces on a veteran offensive line at Eastern Illinois this fall. (Photo by Barry Bottino, PrairieStatePigskin.com)
By Barry Bottino
CHARLESTON – Giving up 13 sacks in two September games last season stung the Eastern Illinois offense.
But what came of those struggles changed how the Panthers’ position groups worked together the rest of the season and throughout this spring.
“We had a protection meeting every single week with those guys, and then we even carved out 5 to 10 minutes at practice every day for the guys involved in protection on the field,” EIU head coach Chris Wilkerson said.
Those meetings involved the offensive line, running backs and tight ends, and offered benefits right away.
“It was immediately,” Wilkerson said. “All of a sudden, things started to cut down.”
The Panthers – who finished 8-3 last fall but missed the playoffs — continued those meetings during spring practices, which culminated Saturday at O’Brien Field with the Defense defeating the Offense, 38-26, in a contest with a modified scoring system.
In the eight games that followed Eastern’s win last September against Illinois State – which came despite eight sacks of quarterback Pierce Holley by the Redbirds – EIU allowed a combined 21 sacks.
“It was a wake-up call for everybody in our room,” center Drew Wilder said. “We started working closer with the quarterbacks, the running backs, the tight ends and everybody in the box to make sure we were all on the same page.
“Every (protection) call that we were making, everybody knew what it was,” he said. “A huge part of it was Pierce. He really took control of everything and made sure everyone was on the same page.”
In November, the highlight of EIU’s improved protection came when the offensive unit held Tennessee State defensive end Terrell Allen – the eventual winner of the Buck Buchanan Award as the FCS Defensive Player of the Year – without a sack or a tackle for loss.
The Eastern offensive line returns four starters from late last season, including Wilder, Sebastian Pares (10 combined starts at right and left guard), Elkhanan Tanelus (three late-season starts at right guard after returning from injury) and Nic DiSanto, who earned freshman All-America honors from PhilSteele.com after starting nine games at right tackle as a true freshman. DiSanto was not in uniform for Saturday’s spring game.
“We settled down as an offense,” Pares said of last season. “We had some pieces moving around with so many new guys. Once we had a solid five out there, we jelled together. We’re even more confident than we were last season. When you have a QB able to change things on the fly, that’s a huge advantage. With Pierce getting us in the right position, he’s going to have the right call and we’re going to adjust and we’re going to make it work.”
Holley, who earned second-team All-Big South/Ohio Valley Conference Football Association honors last season, has gained more comfort in the system as opposed to last spring, when he was fresh off of transferring from Georgetown University.
“Getting a second spring with these guys is huge,” he said. “It gives us time to get everything we want right. This time last year, I was still trying to learn everything. Now we’re working out the fine details and mastering the offense.”
Last spring, explained Wilkerson, Holley hadn’t been chosen as the starter yet. This spring, he has the keys to run the entire offense.
“He has a lot more overall awareness and a lot more autonomy right now,” Wilkerson said.
And Holley has a solid bond with the offensive lineman.
“He hangs with those guys. He lives with those guys,” Wilkerson said. “Socially, they hang out a lot together.”
Offensive line coach John Cannova said one of the most important relationships has been between Wilder and Holley, who both played all 812 offensive snaps together last season.
The protection meetings gave others the opportunity to connect and opened lines of communication.
“The better those guys can talk to each other, the better we’ll be,” Cannova said. “It showed as the season went on.”
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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