Charles Kellom rushed for a career-high 171 yards and three touchdowns last week in EIU’s season-opening victory against Murray State. (Photo by Bill Biggs)
By Barry Bottino
Charles Kellom doesn’t feel he deserves all the credit for his 88-yard touchdown run in Thursday’s season opener.
“It wasn’t my 88-yard run. It took everybody – all those guys up front and all the guys helping me out,” he said of his career-long run in a 28-14 season-opening Eastern Illinois win Thursday at Murray State. The night featured Kellom, an EIU senior, rushing for three touchdowns in a 171-yard effort, his best single-game effort in college.
Kellom was also adamant he didn’t deserve the reward he got back in Charleston for his performance – a cookie cake from the wife of offensive coordinator Kyle Derickson given to the team’s offensive player of the week.
“It didn’t feel right to get that by myself, so I gave it to the offensive line to show a little bit of appreciation for their hard work,” he said. “I’m not a big cookie guy in the first place. I handed it straight to them.”
That action wasn’t a surprise to EIU head coach Chris Wilkerson.
“That does epitomize him,” Wilkerson said. “I know that those guys greatly appreciate it. They’re guys that typically don’t get a lot of recognition unless things are going really bad.”
The starting O-line group of left tackle Brandin Carpenter, left guard Panayiotis Mihalopoulos, center Rahfeeq Katumbusi, right guard David Trujillo and right tackle Jordan Yandila helped Eastern pile up 267 rushing yards.
Kellom, who won the Ohio Valley Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week honor on Monday, and the Panthers will need a strong run game Thursday when they face FBS Minnesota at 7 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on Peacock.
The Golden Gophers allowed only 121.1 yards a game rushing last season, which ranked 27th in FBS.
Beating a Missouri Valley Football Conference team in its opener, however, has provided the Panthers with plenty of positivity.
“It’s a great start for this team to boost the morale and the confidence,” Kellom said. “We were playing more free. We’ve got to keep putting one foot in front of the other and getting better each week.”
This season, Kellom is putting one foot in front of the other much more quickly.
“It was nice to see him finish a big run,” Wilkerson said. “Charles has some chances to get out into the open (last season) and he just wasn’t quite able to finish runs. He’s worked really hard in the off-season, and our strength and conditioning staff has improved our overall team speed.”
Along with the offensive line, Kellom also credited the team’s receivers and tight ends for his big game.
“He understands it’s a team effort to run the football,” Wilkerson said. “The offensive line, certainly it starts with them. Our tight ends are very involved. Our wide receivers take great pride in their perimeter blocking.
“Our quarterback is very involved in the run game, just making sure we’re going in the right direction, especially when you get so many stunts and blitzes.”
Kickoff: 7 p.m.; TV: Peacock; Radio: WEIU.net/hitmix
Key matchup to watch
EIU offensive line vs. Minnesota DL Anthony Smith: Last season, Smith led the Big Ten Conference in sacks (12.5) and made 17.5 tackles for loss. On Aug. 21, he was named to the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list, an honor given to college football’s best defensive player. “He’s a game wrecker,” Wilkerson said. “We’d better be aware of where Smith is on every single snap.”
What’s at stake?
The Panthers are seeking their first win against an FBS program since 2016, when EIU upset Miami University (Ohio), 21-17.
Quick hits
Wilkerson said EIU and Minnesota are in unique company in Division I this fall as teams with same head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and starting quarterback returning from last season. … Nose tackle Premiere Whitley blocked a second-quarter field goal attempt against Murray State to keep an EIU streak alive. The Panthers have had at least one blocked kick for the past eight consecutive seasons. Eastern also blocked an extra point. … Two areas of focus after the season opener came on offense. The Panthers allowed five sacks and were just 5-for-15 on third downs. “We did take too many sacks,” Wilkerson said. “Early in the game, it took us a while just to settle in. (The O-line) will continue to improve as they gain more experience and have an opportunity to play more together.” Meanwhile, half of the team’s failed third-down attempts were third-and-7 or longer. “We were in some third-down situations that were a little tougher to manage.” … Charleston High School graduate and EIU defensive end Aidan Archibald, a team captain, secured his first career sack against Murray State in his first start. … Safety Kaleb Lyons picked off a second-half pass for his second career interception at EIU. The picks have come in consecutive games, including last season’s finale at FBS Alabama. … EIU offensive lineman Alejandro Arellano, a Sterling (Ill.) High School grad whose career began at the College of DuPage, is the Panthers’ nominee for the Walter Campbell Trophy, presented to the top academic achiever in college football. Arellano is a graduate student studying exercise science and earned his bachelor’s degree over the summer with a 3.78 grade-point average. … For playing Minnesota, a member of the FBS Big Ten Conference, the Panthers will receive a $500,000 guarantee, according to FBSchedules.com.
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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