BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - Eastern Illinois junior wide receiver Erik Lora broke a 43-year old OVC record for catches in a game, grabbing 21 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns in the Panthers 50-49 overtime win over Murray State on Saturday night. His most important contribution was throwing the winning two-point conversion pass off a reverse, as he connected with Von Wise to give the Panthers the one-point victory.  Lora was named the OVC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.

The 21 catches broke the previous OVC mark of 20 set by Austin Peay's Harold Roberts in 1969 and are the most by a player at any level of NCAA football this season; it was just three catches off the all-time FCS record held by two players, including Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice. Lora set the EIU single-game record for receiving yards and became just the sixth Panthers wide receiver to have 200 or more receiving yards in a game. Lora had 13 receptions for 172 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter alone, grabbing touchdown passes of 10, 23 and 37 yards to put his team ahead 20-7. Lora currently ranks first nationally in total receiving yards (647), receptions/game (12.0) and receiving yards/game (161.75) and 12th nationally in all-purpose yards (163.75/game).  It was Lora's fourth straight game this season with 100-plus yards receiving.

The Panthers return to action next Saturday hosting Austin Peay at 1:30 p.m. for the Panthers Family Weekend contest at O'Brien Field.  Tickets are available at 217-581-2106 or online at www.eiupanthertickets.com