Eastern Illinois senior receiver Cooper Willman set program and league records with a 291-yard receiving game Nov. 9 against Gardner Webb. (Photo by Sandy King, EIUPanthers.com)
By Dan Verdun
Cooper Willman has already earned a bachelor’s degree in history. With two games left this fall, the Eastern Illinois receiver has a chance to further add his name to Panther football history.
Willman, a former Sterling High School dual-threat quarterback, needs 147 yards to become the first EIU player to reach the 1,000-yard receiving yards in a single season mark in five years.
If he is able to do so, Willman becomes the first Panther to do so since current CFL star Alexander Hollins, who accomplished the feat in 2018.
“That would mean a lot,” Willman told Prairie State Pigskin. “This being my fifth-year (coming) from where I started as a preferred walk-on here and continuing to keep my head down, work and grind. It would be awesome to see everything finally come full circle.”
Whether he reaches 1,000 yards or not, Willman said his bigger priority is to win the final two games of this season.
His quest begins at noon Saturday when EIU (2-8 overall, 1-5 Big South-OVC) hosts Charleston Southern (1-9, 0-7) at O’Brien Field for EIU’s Senior Day. The Panthers will honor 27 seniors prior to kickoff.
Willman etched his name into the EIU record book last week against Gardner-Webb. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder amassed a program-best 291 receiving yards on 11 catches for three touchdowns.
The 291 yards stands as the most in FCS this season and is the record for the two-year-old Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association.
“He really defines what an EIU football player should be all about with his hard hat and lunch pail,” EIU head coach Chris Wilkerson said.
Over the course of the last four games, Willman has 33 receptions for 594 yards and five touchdowns.
“I hate to say it, but with a couple of our bigger star (receivers) going down (with injuries) there are more plays to be made (by others),” he said.
Willman was also quick to credit receivers coach Tino Smith.
“I’ve been able to work with him (on) my releases at the line, getting in and out of breaks and going up and catching balls,” he said.
Future plans
Now in graduate school, Willman is working on a master’s degree in sports administration. Though he isn’t yet sure of what his future holds career-wise, Willman does know where he’ll be June 20, 2025.
“I’m engaged to Ava Hensley. She played soccer here,” Willman said.
The opponent
Charleston Southern has lost eight straight games heading into Saturday. The Buccaneers’ lone win this season came at No. 15 Furman in early September.
“As far as our team is concerned, we’re going from Charleston, S.C. to Charleston, Ill. this week, obviously a little cooler temperatures (and) two teams in similar mindsets that probably have some angst about their seasons,” CSU head coach Gabe Giardina said.
While Charleston Southern features the fifth-best scoring defense in the Big South-OVC, the Buccaneers have struggled on offense, averaging just 15.2 points per game.
Senior Autavious Isom is the Buccaneers’ top rusher and second best in the league with an 88.9 yards per game average. His best two games came against Tennessee State (157) and Western Illinois (229) in consecutive weeks.
Graduate student quarterback Rob McCoy, Jr., a transfer from FCS Sacred Heart, has passed for 767 yards. He has four touchdown passes but has thrown seven interceptions.
Redshirt sophomore Kaleb Jackson, who began his career at Albany State, has passed for 575 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Jackson is CSU’s third-leading rusher.
Receivers Chris Rhone and Noah Jennings have combined for 72 receptions for 949 yards and seven touchdowns.
Sophomore linebacker Steve Zayachkowsky leads the team with 65 tackles.
Kickoff: noon; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: WEIU.net/hitmix
Key matchup
EIU run game vs. CSU defense
The Panthers are dead last in the nine-team Big South-OVC in rushing. However, that number is directly affected by the loss of 232 yards via 32 sacks.
The Buccaneers rank fourth in run defense among the league’s teams, yielding 131.7 yards per game.
Eastern running back M.J. Flowers has run 771 yards this season. His 77.1 yards per game average is third among the league leaders.
What’s at stake
A win would give EIU a victory in the first-ever meeting with Charleston Southern and cap Senior Day.
Quick hits
Willman’s 291 receiving yards broke the EIU record set by Erik Lora (269) set in 2012. Willman became the 35th player in school history with more than 1,000 yards in his career. … Panther quarterback Pierce Holley has passed for 300 or more yards in six straight games. The senior is on the verge of becoming the fourth quarterback in EIU history to pass for 3,000 yards in a season. He would join Sean Payton, Tony Romo and Jimmy Garoppolo. Holley needs 254 yards to reach the 10,000-yard plateau in his career. … Four receivers have enjoyed 100-yard receiving games this fall: Willman (3), Quenton Rogers, Alex Ginnever and Terrance Gipson. … Jacob Horvath averages 44.7 yards per punt this season, good for 13th in the FCS. The EIU single-season record stands at 44.6 yards per punt by Kevin Cook in 2007.
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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