Eastern Illinois fell to second-ranked South Dakota State Saturday in Brookings as the Jackrabbits rolled up 408 rushing yards, led by Josiah Johnson’s 121 yards and two touchdowns. The Panthers next enter their bye week before beginning Ohio Valley Conference play. (Photo by GoJacks.com)
By Dan Verdun
The joyous strains of Eastern Illinois’ season-opening win at Murray State have long since faded.
Following Saturday’s 42-7 loss at No. 2 South Dakota State, the Panthers have lost four straight games. Moreover, EIU has been outscored, 192-62, in those defeats.
South Dakota State (4-1) tallied 597 yards of total offense, 408 of which came on the ground. The Jackrabbits scored on running plays of 18, 39, 48, 61 and 55 yards.
EIU (1-4) took advantage of some early South Dakota State miscues to trail only, 14-7, at halftime. However, the Jackrabbits scored 28 second-half points en route to the win at a sold-out Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
“I was proud of the guys’ effort, especially in the first half. We did some things from an execution standpoint that allowed us to be competitive and stay in the game and be competitive,” EIU head coach Chris Wilkerson said, “and in the third quarter we certainly did some things that are tough.”
South Dakota State head coach Dan Jackson said, “It was obviously a lot closer than we wanted it at halftime, but when your offensive line is really, really physical, eventually you can break a defense and it can translate into explosive plays.”
Eastern’s touchdown came on a 9-yard run by quarterback Cole LaCrue in the second quarter. It was set up by a fake punt in which Cade Cox completed a 10-yard pass to Makhi Wilson to the EIU 47-yard line.
Following a 6-yard run by Devin Whitlock, LaCrue completed a 37-yard pass to receiver Samuel Gonzalez to the SDSU 10.
EIU managed just 196 total yards and eight first downs. The Panthers turned the ball over twice.
The loss completes the four-game non-conference schedule in which EIU faced three teams from the Missouri Valley Football Conference as well as FBS Minnesota.
Game changers
12:11, 2nd quarter: LaCrue scored on a 9-yard run, tying the game at 7-7.
11:58, 3rd quarter: Running back James Bassinger broke away for a 48-yard touchdown run, igniting South Dakota State’s second-half surge.
10:31, 3rd quarter: Corey Blair raced 61 yards for a touchdown, lifting SDSU to a 28-7 lead.
Prime Time Panthers
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the the top three Eastern Illinois players in the game:
Nick Vecchiarelli, S: The graduate student led the team with 12 tackles, seven of which were solo.
Alex Koulovatos, S: The sophomore recorded 11 tackles, six of which were solo. He also had 1.5 tackles for loss.
LaCrue, QB: The junior scored EIU’s lone touchdown. He left the game in the second half with an apparent injury.
What it means
After beating Murray State in the season opener, EIU has lost four straight games.
What’s next
Eastern enters its bye week. The Panthers open their Ohio Valley Conference schedule Oct. 10 at Gardner-Webb. Kickoff is 2:30 p.m.
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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