Defensive end Samuel Robles (44) had a sack last week in his first Division I start, a 24-14 victory against Dayton. (Photo by Sandy King, EIUPanthers.com)
By Barry Bottino
Samuel Robles officially joined the Eastern Illinois football roster in June.
The junior defensive end announced his arrival with few words when fall camp opened in August.
“Before anything, he let his pads do the talking,” EIU defensive line coach Carlif Taylor said. “He let his effort and demeanor do the talking. He showed up day in and day out during the entire camp.
“Every single day, when we met as a defensive unit, his clips were on (the screen) for the rest of the defense to see.”
Taylor used the video as an example each day, telling defensive players, “This is what we mean by physicality. This is what we mean by doing your job.”
In Eastern’s season-opening 24-14 victory against Dayton last week, Robles flashed again.
His first Division I game after two seasons at Tyler Junior College in Texas featured a fourth-quarter sack to help the Panthers close out the win.
Looking over the tablet computers on the sidelines before Dayton’s final drive of the game, Robles planned out his rush.
“I saw that they were given up the inside, so I told Coach, ‘I’m going to hit the spin move. I’m going to set it up,” Robles said.
The move befuddled a Dayton offensive tackle and led to EIU’s third sack of the game, two of which came in the fourth quarter. Defensive linemen also had six of EIU’s eight tackles for loss in the game for EIU, which travels to Indiana State for a noon game Saturday. (ESPN-Plus)
“I attribute that to the mental fortitude of this D-line and the defense in general,” Taylor said. “It shows the preparation we had through the summer and fall camp.”
The 6-foot-2, 260-pound Robles said he had a good grasp of pass rush moves in junior college, but his short time working with Taylor “put the icing on the cake in terms of understanding the game.”
Robles is among 10 new players on a revamped EIU defensive line, which helped the Panthers allow only 1.6 yards per carry against Dayton and forced the Flyers to punt seven times. Defensive end Drake Van Hyfte and tackle Alton Jefferson also had a sack in the win.
“The whole D-line welcomed me with open arms,” Robles said. “We did a lot of get-togethers (over the summer). We watched film together. That started a brotherhood.”
Robles tied for second on the team against Dayton with five tackles and proved he was a good fit in his first game.
“There’s so much untapped potential left in the tank,” Taylor said. “If he keeps doing what he does, I’m excited to see his name being brought up at when it comes to end of the year awards and accolades.”
This week’s opponent
Two Indiana State players earned Missouri Valley Football Conference Player of the Week honors after last week’s season-opening 41-24 victory against D-II McKendree. Running back Plez Lawrence won the Offensive honor by scoring three touchdowns while rushing for 133 yards and adding 92 receiving yards. Kicker Sebastian Lopez won the Special Teams award by kicking field goals of 40 and 28 yards, finishing 5-for-5 on PATs and producing six touchbacks on kickoffs. … The Sycamores received two votes in the national coaches’ Top 25 poll this week. … Redshirt sophomore QB Elijah Owens of Jacksonville, Ill., broke the school record for rushing yards (598) and rushing TDs (eight) by a quarterback while finishing ninth in voting for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the top freshman in FCS. … Transfer safety Kimal Clark piled up 14 tackles last week against McKendree. Last season at Central Connecticut State, he set a school record with 117 tackles and won Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors. … The Sycamores have a new offensive and defensive coordinator this season. OC John Bear most recently coached at Bucknell, while DC David Elson was Western Kentucky’s head coach from 2003-2009. … The Sycamores have 19 players from Illinois on their roster.
Kickoff: Noon; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: WEIU.net/hitmix
Key matchup to watch
Indiana State QB Elijah Owens vs. EIU defense: Owens showed off his dual-threat skills last season against Eastern, throwing for 260 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 44 yards. His escapability under pressure is something the Panthers must keep in check.
What’s at stake?
With a win, Eastern will earn its first 2-0 start since the 2013 season, when quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo led the Panthers to a 12-2 record. An Indiana State win would give the Sycamores their first 2-0 start since 1986.
Quick hits
Despite the Week 1 win, Wilkerson noted that improvement is necessary. “We need to improve this week,” he said. “We can’t lose the turnover battle. We lost, 3-1. We had five penalties.” … For the first time since 2019, EIU had two players surpass 100 yards rushing in a game. Against Dayton, quarterback Cole LaCrue (EIU QB record 193 yards) and running back Charles Kellom (133) both posted career highs. LaCrue, a Wisconsin transfer, rushed for three touchdowns and earned honorable mention FCS National Offensive Player of the Week honors in his first career collegiate start. …. This week’s EIU depth chart features one change on the offensive line as redshirt sophomore Panayiotis Mihalopoulos is slated to start at right guard. Last week, Jonathan Arellano started in that spot. … LaCrue finished 9-for-17 passing in his first collegiate start with an interception. The game also was LaCrue’s first start since high school in 2022. “He showed some flashes of his athleticism and flashes of his ability to throw the football,” Wilkerson said. “He’s just going to need some reps.” The more comfortable his quarterback gets, Wilkerson said, the more efficient EIU’s offense will become. … Eastern leads the all-time series, 46-40-4 dating back to 1901. The Panthers have won the last two meetings. Since 1995, Eastern is 15-5 against the Sycamores. Wilkerson applauded the value of regional rivals in FCS as schedules move to 12 games each year. “It’s great for the game. It’s great for both schools,” he said.
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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