Eastern Illinois safety Nick Vecchiarelli was credited with 11 tackles against nationally ranked South Dakota State. He is the third-leading tackler on the Panthers this season. (Photo by EIUPanthers.com)
By Dan Verdun
A four-game losing streak isn’t about to phase safety Nick Vecchiarelli. After all, this is a player who committed to Eastern Illinois without an official visit to the Charleston campus.
“I got offered in January 2025. It was like two weeks before the semester started. There was a snowstorm and travel wasn’t really going on,” Vecchiarelli told Prairie State Pigskin.
But, the New Jersey native decided to take a chance.
“Sometimes you have to shoot from the hip,” said Vecchiarelli, in his second year at EIU after his transfer from Marist University, the Poughkeepsie, N.Y.-based school where he spent three seasons. “I committed to Eastern over the phone.”
Vecchiarelli and the Panthers (1-4) are coming off their bye week and open Ohio Valley Conference play Saturday at Gardner-Webb (2-4) in Boiling Springs, N.C.
EIU has lost three straight games after a season-opening win at Murray State.
Gardner-Webb defeated rival Charleston Southern, 12-10, to open its OVC schedule last weekend.
Eastern offered Vecchiarelli a “full-ride scholarship,” something not available at Marist, which plays in the non-scholarship Pioneer League.
“I wanted to compete at the highest level possible,” the graduate student said of his EIU offer.
Yet, things don’t always go as planned.
A year ago, Vecchiarelli broke his thumb in fall camp.
“It was tough getting injured right before the season last year,” Vecchiarelli said. “Having to take it in stride and get back to where I am now means the world to me.”
Stepping up
This fall has played out differently for the 6-foot, 220-pound safety. His 20 tackles – 12 of which are solo – rank third on the team. Vecchiarelli also has a fumble recovery.
“For him to be able to step up when his number was called and be extremely productive like we knew he could is a credit to him,” EIU head coach Chris Wilkerson said.
Vecchiarelli has led EIU in tackles for two straight weeks. He recorded 11 stops against South Dakota State, which has risen to the top of the national FCS polls after winning at Illinois State last weekend.
“We had a tough schedule to start off the year,” Vecchiarelli said of the EIU non-conference schedule, deemed the 10th-toughest by MasseyRatings.com.
“South Dakota State is ranked No. 1 (in FCS). We played a Big Ten team (Minnesota) and Illinois State, which was in the national championship game last year,” he said.
Gardner-Webb has faced the 14th most difficult FCS schedule according to the Massey ratings. The Runnin’ Bulldogs have a pair of losses to FBS opponents, Liberty and Marshall, by a single point each.
“They’re the first team we’ve played that’s played a tougher schedule than we have,” G-W head coach Pete Bennett said of EIU.
Vecchiarelli, who played the final four games last season after returning from his injury, said the Panthers should benefit from the bye week.
“My body is definitely beat up a little bit. Those were highly physical opponents (we faced),” he said, “The bye came at a good time. We’ll be fresh for conference play.”
Kickoff: 2:30 p.m.; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: WEIU.net/hitmix
Key matchup to watch
EIU defense vs. G-W pass game
A year ago, Gardner-Webb used explosive plays in the run game to pull away for a 21-10 victory that spoiled EIU’s Homecoming.
This season, the Runnin’ Bulldogs have turned more to a pass-oriented offense led by quarterback Cole Pennington, the son of former NFL QB Chad Pennington.
Pennington, who transferred from FBS Marshall in 2025, ranks third among FCS passing leaders with 1,680 yards in six games. He has eight touchdown throws.
“(He) gets the ball out of his hands and is extremely accurate (with) great anticipation,” Wilkerson said. “They have great skill on the perimeter.”
What’s at stake
A win would break EIU’s four-game losing streak and start the Panthers out 1-0 in the OVC.
Quick hits
Eastern Illinois is 22-9 all-time in Ohio Valley Conference openers. The Panthers defeated rival Western Illinois, 31-23, in last year’s first OVC game. … Saturday’s game completes the run of five of the first six games on the road for EIU. … Bennett took over the Gardner-Webb head coaching position when the school fired Kris McCullough Sept. 2 based on undisclosed off-field allegations. Bennett was G-W’s special teams and tight ends coach for the past three years before his promotion. … Gardner-Webb linebacker Tre Yanez was named the FCS National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the win against rival and OVC member Charleston Southern. Tanez has recorded 67 tackles, 11 for loss along with five sacks this season. “He’s active. He’s all over the place. He makes plays in the running game and the passing game,” Wilkerson said. … EIU is one of four teams in the FCS that have not thrown an interception this season. The three other teams are Butler, Lehigh and Tarleton State. Last season, EIU threw 12 interceptions, tied for 89th most in the FCS. Quarterback Cole LaCrue has 105 straight passing attempts without an interception. The EIU and OVC record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception is 230 set by Johnathan Brantley in 2018.
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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