The Eastern Illinois offense posted season highs in points, total yards and rushing yards Saturday against UT Martin. (Photo by UTMsports.com)
By Barry Bottino
Beating UT Martin has been a rarity over the past decade for Eastern Illinois.
On Saturday, the Panthers did so with an uncharacteristic offensive performance, which featured a career-high five total touchdowns from quarterback Cole LaCrue, in a 45-16 EIU victory at Martin.
The Panthers (3-6 overall, 2-2 Ohio Valley Conference), who entered the game averaging a league-low 16.8 points a game, posted season highs in points, total yards (552) and rushing yards (283). EIU broke a seven-game losing streak against the Skyhawks (3-6, 2-2) and won in Martin, Tenn., for the first time since 2015.
All seven Eastern scoring drives were at least 65 yards long.
“The guys really responded well,” said EIU head coach Chris Wilkerson, whose team had lost two in a row this season and was 2-13 in its last 15 games dating back to last season. “We want to be balanced (offensively), and we haven’t been balanced enough. Guys stepped up, and we were fairly balanced and fairly efficient.”
Eastern took a 17-0 first-half lead on LaCrue’s 14-yard TD pass to wide receiver Devin Whitlock, a 5-yard Charles Kellom scoring run and a 36-yard field goal by Drew Schiller.
Two Chris Franklin TD runs helped Martin cut the EIU lead to 17-13, but LaCrue answered with a 12-yard TD pass to wide receiver Jeremy Reeves with 13 seconds to go before halftime.
In the second half, LaCrue connected with receiver Eli Evans for a 19-yard TD pass, then broke free for a 50-yard rushing score early in the fourth quarter. Just over 4 minutes later, LaCrue threw a screen pass to running back Jacarre Fleming-Page, who maneuvered through the Martin defense for a 67-yard score.
Seven different receivers caught a pass for EIU and four different players caught touchdowns. Fleming-Page had 190 all-purpose yards, including a 58-yard run and 98 rushing yards.
“It’s just about guys being ready and taking advantage of those opportunities,” Wilkerson said. “We were able to convert on third down (7-for-11). That’s been a problem for us. Tonight, we were able to break through a little bit.”
LaCrue added: “All the guys were on point. We were sharp today. Their defense is based on stopping the run, forcing us to pass. Every guy in that room, I’ve got confidence in. There’s a reason they’re out there playing. For me, it was just putting the ball in the right spots.”
With just under 7 minutes left in the game, Eastern cornerback Jerry Addo-Boateng grabbed an interception, which extended the Panthers’ streak of forcing at least one turnover to 12 games in a row.
The Panthers held Martin to 3-for-11 on third down and forced two turnovers. The Skyhawks averaged less than six yards per play.
“That was a big thing for us, to limit the explosive plays,” Wilkerson said. “We did bend and tried not to break. We were able to create some minus plays and some ball disruption plays. The biggest thing on defense was we were able to get off the field on conversion downs.”
Game changers
6:29, 1st quarter: Kellom scored on a 5-yard run to give the Panthers a 14-0 lead.
8:59, 3rd quarter: Evans caught a 19-yard TD pass from LaCrue to give EIU a 31-13 lead and surpass its season high in points.
8:34, 4th quarter: LaCrue connected on a screen pass to Fleming-Page, who sped 67 yards for a score and the QB’s fifth total touchdown.
What it means
Eastern snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Skyhawks and won on the road for the first time in the series since 2015.
Prime Time Panthers
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Eastern Illinois players in the game:
LaCrue, QB: The redshirt junior put up a career-high five total touchdowns, completing passes to seven different players.
Fleming-Page, RB: The redshirt sophomore posted 190 all-purpose yards, including 98 on the ground and 75 yards on two receptions.
Addo-Boateng, DB: The veteran cornerback had six tackles, but his interception with just under 7 minutes left in the game extended EIU’s streak of games with a turnover to 12 in a row.
What’s next?
The Panthers host rival Western Illinois, which is in a three-way tie for first place in the conference, at 2 p.m. on Nov. 7.
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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