Ohio Valley Conference leader Southeast Missouri defeated Eastern Illinois, 20-10, Saturday in Charleston. The Panthers have lost seven straight Homecoming games (Photo by EIUPanthers.com)
By Dan Verdun
Two plays – one at the end of the first half and the other to open the second half – played game-changing roles in spoiling Homecoming at Eastern Illinois.
Both contributed to visiting Southeast Missouri knocking off EIU, 20-10, Saturday at O’Brien Field.
“The score right before the half we had a missed (defensive) assignment on a quarterback scramble. That one is a little bit frustrating,” EIU head coach Chris Wilkerson said. “Then you come out and don’t cover the opening (second-half) kickoff.”
The win gave SEMO sole possession of first place in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Redhawks are 5-3 overall and 3-0 in the league. SEMO has won three straight games.
The Panthers (2-6 overall, 1-2 OVC) could muster little offensively from its ground game. Eastern rushed for just 31 yards on 21 attempts (1.5 average).
EIU quarterback Cole LaCrue did manage to pass for 210 yards and a touchdown.
There was still hope late in the game as EIU’s Kaleb Lyons blocked a SEMO punt, setting the Panther offense up at the Redhawk 26 with 8 minutes, 26 seconds left in the game.
“We got ourselves into a position to cut it to a one-score game,” Wilkerson said.
On the first play from scrimmage, however, LaCrue’s pass intended for receiver Samuel Gonzalez was intercepted at the goal line by SEMO defensive back David Jones.
“We took a shot, and unfortunately I felt like the defender may have gained an advantage but they (referees) didn’t see it that way,” Wilkerson said.”That’s just the way it goes.”
SEMO produced 358 yards of total offense. The Redhawks ran 74 plays compared to 55 for the Panthers.
Game changers
14:24, 2nd quarter: EIU’s Jerry Addo-Boateng intercepted a Braylen Ragland pass at SEMO 35. Five plays later, LaCrue found Samuel Gonzalez, who made a leaping 18-yard touchdown pass putting the Panthers ahead, 10-3.
0:00, 2nd quarter: Ragland scrambled to his right and tossed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jobe Bryant. The score erased EIU’s lead and gave SEMO a 13-10 halftime lead.
14:48, 3rd quarter: Eastern gave up a 73-yard kickoff return to Khylen Harris-Norman that set up a short field for SEMO. The Redhawks needed only two plays to score a touchdown, boosting their lead to 20-10.
Prime Time Panthers
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the the top three Eastern Illinois players in the game:
Alex Koulovatos, S: The redshirt sophomore led the Panthers with eight tackles, four of which were solo.
Lonnie Burt, LB: The Portland State transfer registered seven tackles, three solo and one for loss before leaving the game with an injury.
Eli Evans, WR: The junior college transfer caught a game-high six passes for 83 yards.
What it means
EIU has lost two straight games and seven of the last eight contests.
What’s next
After consecutive home games, Eastern heads back out on the road. The Panthers will face UT Martin at 2 p.m. Oct. 31.
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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