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CHARLESTON, Ill. – No. 24 Eastern Illinois won its eighth straight homecoming game in dramatic fashion as the Panthers (5-3, 4-1 OVC) held off a late Tennessee Martin (1-7, 1-4 OVC) drive that ended with a spiked ball at the one yard line as time expired to give EIU the 29-23 win.
Trailing 29-23 with 1:36 left in the game back-up UTM quarterback Cade Thompson drove the Skyhawks down the field as the drive started at the 20-yard line. Thompson completed seven of nine passes. His last completion was to Jamaal Akbar who was tackled by Adrian Arrington at the one yard line with one second remaining. Instead of running one last play, UTM spiked the ball as time ran out.
Eastern Illinois had taken the 29-23 lead as Bodie Reeder engineered his first comeback win as EIU's starting quarterback. Tom Hansen hit a 33-yard field goal with 3:09 left in the game to lift Tennessee Martin to a 23-21 lead.
Reeder completed two passes to Ademola Adeniji and Micah Rucker before Travorus Bess broke a big 25-yard run to put the ball at the UTM 12 yard line. Adeniji would hammer the ball into the end zone two plays later with runs of 9 and 3 yards. Reeder would hit Trent Steckel for the two-point conversion.
Early in the game both teams traded offensive scores. Roren Thomas hauled in a pass from Dexter Anoka from 24 yards out for UTM's first score with 6:49 left in the first quarter. Hansen would push the extra point attempt wide right which would factor into the remainder of the day's scoring.
EIU answered as Reeder hit Rucker from five yards out with 1:40 to go in the first. Don Chapman put UTM up 13-7 going into the half with a 25-yard score in the second quarter. Chapman finished with 140 yards on the ground.
The Skyhawks extended their lead to 20-7 early in the third quarter as EIU fumbled the ball to open its second half drive. Marcus Dawson leaned in from one yard out to camp a nine play, 44 yard drive.
Rucker and Reeder teamed up for their second score with 2:49 left in the third to bring EIU to within one score at 20-14. Reeder would throw his third touchdown pass of the day to Jordan Campanella from 11 yards out with 11:19 left in the game to give EIU the 21-20 lead.
Reeder was 17-for-26 for 189 yards and three touchdowns. The Panthers streak of games without an interception ended as Dante Harrold picked off Reeder to end EIU's stretch of 218 pass attempts without an interception. Rucker had seven catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns.
EIU will travel to Tennessee State next Saturday for a 6 p.m. kickoff in Nashville.
