Eastern Illinois quarterback Cole LaCrue was sacked six times and was hurried four times in Saturday’s loss to Tennessee State at Nissan Stadium in Nashville (Photo by TSUTigers.com)
By Dan Verdun
Eastern Illinois’ lackluster offensive numbers tell much of the story. So does the game-winning Tennessee State fourth-quarter drive.
In the end, Tennessee State rallied past EIU to post a 13-12 Ohio Valley Conference win. The victory marked the first for TSU (3-8, 1-5) in OVC play.
Eastern (3-8, 2-4) lost its second straight game.
Tennessee State outgained EIU, 319-190. The Tigers ran 69 plays compared to 50 for the Panthers. Eastern managed just 89 rushing yards, gave up six sacks and was 2 for 11 on third downs.
“In the first half, we took care of the football. (We) didn’t finish some drives, but we did the things necessary to have a lead,” EIU head coach Chris Wilkerson said. “In the second half, (we) did an awful lot that you can’t do if you want to be successful. Sacks allowed, turnovers, penalties.”
The game was tied at halftime with EIU’s score coming on a 40-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cole LaCrue to receiver Jeremy Reeves.
Reeves, a Chicago native, has caught TD passes in three straight games.
Eastern appeared on the verge of victory when kicker Drew Schiller booted a 37-yard field goal to put the Panthers ahead 10-7 midway through the fourth quarter.
However, Tennessee State strung together a nine-play, 75-yard drive to score what proved to be the winning margin. The Tigers converted a 4th-and-11 on the drive. TSU was also aided by an EIU face mask penalty that moved the ball to the EIU 9.
Tiger quarterback Daylin Lee found true freshman Brenton Paul in the right flat. The TSU running back outraced the EIU defense and his dive into the pylon resulted in a touchdown.
Eastern blocked the point after attempt and after a mad scramble, Panther Jerry Addo-Boateng returned the ball for a two-point score.
Game changers
11:54, 2nd quarter: LaCrue threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Reeves, giving the Panthers a 7-0 lead.
7:42, 4th quarter: Schiller nailed a 37-yard field goal, putting EIU ahead 10-7.
2:21, 4th quarter: Lee’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Brenton provided the winning margin.
Prime Time Panthers
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the the top three Eastern Illinois players in the game:
Nickson, LB: The senior led EIU with 10 tackles and three pass breakups.
Sapeti Maiava, Jr., S: The senior was credited with nine tackles, one for loss.
Issac Engle, DE: The redshirt junior recorded five tackles and two sacks.
What it means
Eastern lost its second straight game heading into next week’s Senior Day season finale.
What’s next
EIU wraps up its regular season hosting Charleston Southern at noon Nov. 21 at O’Brien Field.
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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