Eastern Illinois senior linebacker Anthony Shockey (5) leads the Big South-OVC with 38 solo tackles this season. (Photo by Sandy King, EIUPanthers.com)
By Dan Verdun
Although both teams are coming off bye weeks, the fortunes of Eastern Illinois and UT Martin have gone in opposite directions.
Back in August, the pair were the top two picks in the preseason Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association poll.
The late October reality is that while the preseason favorite UTM Skyhawks (4-3 overall, 2-1 in the league) have won three consecutive games, the EIU Panthers (1-6, 0-3) have lost five straight.
“You break the season down into three different areas. We’ve had the preseason (non-conference) and the first half of our conference play and now we’ve had a chance to look at where we’re at. (We’re) not happy with the results,” EIU head coach Chris Wilkerson said. “Certainly (there are) some things we can fix and some goals now as we start the final third of the season.”
Eastern played without five of its top seven receivers along with starting cornerback Moses Alexander in its 41-17 loss Oct. 12 at Tennessee State.
Not much has changed as the Panthers head into Saturday’s game at Graham Stadium in Martin, Tenn.
“It’s still day-to-day,” Wilkerson said of the injured players. “I don’t expect a ton of them back. There’s a handful of guys, a player or two, that we may start to see here in the next week or so.”
UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said his team has learned a great deal about itself after early losses to nationally ranked opponents Southeast Missouri State and Missouri State.
“There were a hard couple of weeks there when we were 1-3,” he said. “To the kids’ credit, they continued to practice hard. They continued to have a belief and a culture that they wanted to uphold.”
Rest and rejuvenation
Wilkerson said his team used the bye week to “recover a little bit mentally, emotionally and physically.”
In keeping with that theme, EIU used its practice time on the off week to give players who have seen limited action thus far opportunity to hone their skills.
“We had a chance to really develop some of the other guys who hadn’t played as many snaps in terms of volume (in the first seven games),” Wilkerson said.
In contrast, players who have seen “about 400-plus snaps in the first half of the season” were given the opportunity to rest and recover.
“Those guys did not do a ton except for some individual and fundamental stuff,” Wilkerson said.
This week’s opponent
UT Martin has picked up wins over Kennesaw State, Gardner-Webb and Western Illinois in the past month.
The Skyhawks moved into the No. 25 slot in the Stats Perform FCS poll prior to the bye week.
However, while idle last weekend, UTM dropped out of the Top 25 yet is still receiving votes in both national polls.
UT Martin leads the Big South-OVC in 10 statistical categories heading into Saturday’s game.
Running back Patrick Smith leads the league in all-purpose yards (198.3), rush yards per carry (6.1), rushing touchdowns (10), rushing yards (749), touchdowns (10) and rushing yards per game (107).
Linebacker Jaylon Sharpe tops the league with 11 tackles for loss. Defensive back JaMichael McGoy Jr. has 10 passes defended to his credit.
Kickoff: 2 p.m.; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: WEIU.net/hitmix
Key matchup
EIU defense vs. UTM offense
The Skyhawks are averaging 40.7 points per conference game.
UTM leads the Big South-OVC in rushing offense (172.9 ypg), team passing efficiency (137.7), time of possession (32:32) and fewest turnovers lost (eight).
To date, the Skyhawks have run the ball 59% of their offensive snaps and scored 15 touchdowns on the ground.
“Their program has sustained excellence for so many years,” Wilkerson said. “They’re playing very good complimentary football.”
What’s at stake
EIU needs a win to end its five-game losing streak as well as gain its first league win this season.
Quick hits
A UT Martin win would even the all-time series. Eastern Illinois holds a 15-14 advantage. However, the Skyhawks have won seven of the last eight meetings, including five straight matchups since 2019. … Panther quarterback Pierce Holley has passed for 300 or more yards in three straight games. The senior has five career 300-yard games at EIU, moving him into a tie on the all-time EIU list with Anthony Buich. Holley ranks sixth this season in the FCS with 1,684 passing yards. … EIU linebacker Anthony Shockey ranks first in the league with 38 solo tackles. The senior is 10th nationally in that FCS category. … Sophomore Jacob Horvath is averaging 45.1 yards per punt this season, good for second in the Big South-OVC and 10th in the FCS. The EIU single-season record, set by Kevin Cook in 2007, stands at 44.6 yards per punt.
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.
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