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Eastern Illinois (4-3, 3-1 OVC) at Eastern Kentucky (6-2, 4-1 OVC)
Roy Kidd Stadium (20,000)   •   Richmond, Ky.
October 27, 2012   •  11 am (Central)   •   TV: FOX College Sports

THE GAME
Eastern Illinois is coming off a bye week as the Panthers are tied for second in the Ohio Valley Conference race with three games remaining.  EIU beat Jacksonville State on Oct. 13 to improve to 3-1 in the OVC and remain unbeaten at home (4-0).  The Panthers are looking for their first road win of the year (0-3).

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will be going head-to-head with a fellow Walter Payton Award candidate in Eastern Kentucky running back Matt Denham.  EIU already beat Murray State 50-49 in overtime, the Racers feature Payton Award candidate Casey Brockman.  EIU will play one more candidate in the final game of the season in Central Arkansas Wynrick Smothers.

Eastern Kentucky is coming off a 42-28 road win against Tennesse Tech which put the Colonels in a tie for first place in the OVC rankings with UT Martin, both at 4-1.  The Colonels offense has come alive in the last two games scoring more than 40 points in both contests.  EKU has the nation's 6th best run defense.

THE SERIES
Eastern Illinois and Eastern Kentucky will be meeting for the 20th time with EKU holding a 12-7 all-time series lead.  The two schools rank first and second in the OVC in terms of FCS playoff appearances with both schools in the top ten in FCS history.  The Colonels have dominated the series in recent years winning five straight including a 48-16 win in Charleston last season.  EIU's last win in the series was in 2006 when EIU scored 28 first quarter points then hung on for a 28-21 win.

• Erik Lora caught 11 passes against Jacksonville State as he became EIU's single season leader in receptions breaking Jerry Wright's record of 76 set in 1984.  Lora has now set three EIU records this season with single game (21) and season receptions and single game yards (269).

• Erik Lora continued to lead the NCAA in pass receptions (83) and receiving yards (1,129) as he hauled in 11 passes for 128 yards.  It was Lora's seventh straight game with 100 yards receiving which matches the most by an FCS record since the 2000 season.  Complete FCS records prior to 2000 are not available for this stat.

• Jimmy Garoppolo hit Chris Wright for what proved to be the game winning touchdown against Jacksonville State.  Garoppolo has now thrown a touchdown in 22 straight games dating back to the Panthers 2010 game at Tennessee Tech.

• Cameron Berra was named the OVC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts against Jacksonville State.  Berra was 4-of-4 on extra points and his 43-yard field goal at the end of the first half proved to be the difference in the game.  Berra is now 6-of-6 on field goals this season with three beyond 40 yards.  It was the second time this season he has been named the OVC Special Teams Player of the Week.

• Cameron Berra's made field goal against Jacksonville State gave Berra his 21st made field goal of his career moving him into a tie for 6th on EIU's career list.  Berra is 21-of-26 for his career with his 80.7 percent clip the best in school history.

• Chris Wright hauled in seven passes for 49 yards against Jacksonville State as the senior wide receiver moved into the EIU career top ten for receptions.  Wright now has 122 career catches to rank 9th on the career list.  Teammate Erik Lora is 4th on the EIU career list with 156 career receptions.

• Chris Wright's 15-yard touchdown reception against Jacksonville State was the 28th touchdown reception of his career moving him into 2nd place on the EIU career touchdown receptions list.  Wright's 28 total touchdowns are 6th on the overall career touchdowns list at EIU.

• Jake Walker rushed for more than 100 yards for the second straight game finishing with 103 yards against Jacksonville State.  It was Walker's third 100-yard day this season and fifth of his career.  The senior back needs 146 yards to move into the Panthers career Top 15.  Ken Werner holds that spot with 1,536 yards.

• Jake Walker scored EIU's first touchdown of the game against Jacksonville State giving him his eighth rushing touchdown of the season.  Walker now has six straight games with at least one rushing touchdown after not scoring one in the season opener against Southern Illinois.

• Redshirt freshman Trey Pendergrass took over kickoff return duties against Jacksonville State making two returns for 65 yards (32.5 yards per return).  Pendergrass now has five kick returns for the season with an average of 23.8 per return.  His long is 38.

• Eastern Illinois was held to its second lowest scoring total of the season with 31 points in the win over Jacksonville State.  EIU has scored 21 or more points in all seven games and ranks third in the nation in scoring offense at 43.4 points per game.

EASTERN ILLINOIS HEAD COACH DINO BABERS
A New ERA of Eastern Illinois football began on December 9, 2011 as Dino Babers was hired as the Panthers head football coach replacing 25-year veteran Bob Spoo.  Babers had been an assistant coach at EIU in 1987 as a member of Spoo's first Panthers coaching staff.  After one season as an assistant at EIU Babers moved on to coach at nine other programs, most recently as the receivers and special teams coach at Baylor.  Last season he was on an offensive staff that helped coach Robert Griffin III to the Heisman Trophy while ranking as one of the nation's most explosive offenses.  Baylor beat Washington in the Alamo Bowl as Babers coached in his 12th bowl game as a coach.  In addition to his time at Baylor, Babers has coached at UCLA, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M, Arizona, San Diego State, Purdue, Northern Arizona, UNLV, Eastern Illinois, Arizona State and Hawai'i.  He was the assistant head coach at UCLA while serving as the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M and Arizona.  Babers has coached numerous players who have played in the NFL including 27 wide receivers who have made NFL rosters.  A native of San Diego, Calif., Babers attended Hawai'i where he was a four-year starter (1979-80, 82-83) earning his degree in 1984.  He earned a master's from Arizona State in 1988.  EIU beat Southern Illinois 49-28 in Babers opener as the Panthers head coach.

EASTERN KENTUCKY HEAD COACH DEAN HOOD
 Dean Hood enters his fifth season as the head coach at Eastern Kentucky.  A former defensive coach under legendary head coach Roy Kidd, Hood later moved on to the FBS level helping coach Wake Forest to an appearance in the Orange Bowl.  Hood has compiled a 32-22 record at EKU including a 27-9 record in the OVC.  He is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University.  In his first year in Richmond he led EKU to the 2008 OVC regular season championship.

SCOUTING EASTERN KENTUCKY
Eastern Kentucky is led by offensive weapons Matt Denham at running back and T.J. Pryor at quarterback.  Denham, a Walter Payton Award candidate, averages 122 yards per game and ranks 10th in the nation in rushing.  Pryor is third in the nation in passing efficiency as EKU is 26th nationally in total offense.  The Colonels feature the OVC's best defense in terms of national rankings with the 6th best defense against the run.  Brandon Stanley and Anthony Brown are co-leaders of the defense with Brown third in the OVC in tackles for loss at 9.5.

ON THIS DATE IN EIU HISTORY
October 27, 2001 - Eastern Illinois won a 52-49 shoot out over Tennessee State at O'Brien Field as Bill Besenhofer's 25-yard field goal on the last play of the game gave EIU the win.  EIU drove 71 yards on 12 plays in 4:06 for the winning drive.  Tony Romo passed for 381 yards while Frank Cutolo set the school record with 239 yards receiving and a pair of touchdown receptions.

LORA CHASING OVC / NCAA RECEIVING RECORDS
Junior wide receiver Erik Lora passed Jerry Wright (76 in 1984) for the single season receptions record with his 11 catches against Jacksonville State.  Lora has seven straight games with 100-yards receiving, the longest streak in the NCAA since 2000.  Lora is now chasing the OVC single season record held by Efrem Hill of Samford with 92 catches in 2003. Earlier this season Lora broke the EIU and OVC record for single game receptions with 21 against Murray State.

OVC SINGLE SEASON TOP TEN RECEPTIONS
1. Efrem Hill  (Samford)...92  (2003)
2. Harvey Tanner (Murray State)...88 (1967)
3. Willie Ponder (Southeast Missouri)...87 (2002)
4. Marcus Harris (Murray State)...84 (2010)
5. ERIK LORA (EASTERN ILLINOIS)...83 (2012)

FCS SINGLE SEASON RECORD FOR RECEPTIONS
1. Terrell Hudgins (Elon)...123 (2009)
2. Stephen Campbell (Brown)...120 (2000)
3. Duane Brooks (Stephen F. Austin)...118 (2009)
4. Terrell Hudgins (Elon)...117 (2007)
5. Brian Forster (Rhode Island)...115 (1985)
6. Chas Gessner (Brown)...114 (2002)

• GAROPPOLO MOVES UP RECORD BOOK
Jimmy Garoppolo moved up to third in career passing yards and completions at EIU against Jacksonville State.  In the coming games Garoppolo will be chasing several more moves up the EIU career record book list as well as landing in the single season top ten in several categories.  Garoppolo moved into the EIU single season top ten for passing yards against JSU and already has cracked the single season top ten for pass completions and touchdowns.  Garoppolo is poised to hit several other career milestones at Eastern Kentucky.

CAREER LISTS
Total Offense... needs 351 yards for 7,000 for his career
Passing Yards... needs 242 yards for 7,000 for his career
Pass Completions... needs 40 to move into 2nd
SINGLE SEASON LISTS
Has already cracked EIU single season Top 10 for touchdowns, pass completions, yards.

• Jimmy Garoppolo threw his 21st touchdown of the season against Jacksonville State moving into a tie for seventh on the EIU single season list and passing his total of 20 touchdowns from 2011.  Garoppolo is chasing the EIU school record of 34 set by Tony Romo in 2002.

• While Jimmy Garoppolo chases Tony Romo's single season record for touchdown passes, the Panthers as a team have already cracked the EIU top five for season team records with 24 team touchdown passes (3 by different wide receivers).  The school record is 34 all thrown by Romo in 2002.

• Junior Nick Beard currently leads the Panthers with 40 solo tackles and is second on the team with 52 stops for the year.  Beard is slowly working his way towards the EIU career top ten for solo tackles.  He has 114 during his three year career.  Donald Thomas is 10th on the career list with 156.

• EIU converted at less than 40 percent on 3rd down against Jacksonville State marking only the second time this season that the Panthers have been below that mark.  For the season EIU is converting at 42.6 percent to rank 31st in the FCS.

• The Panthers converted on only 3-of-6 red zone chances in the win over Jacksonville State marking the first time this year they had not converted on 75 percent or more.  On the season EIU leads the OVC in red zone scoring percentage at 85.3 percent (29-of-34).  The Panthers have come away with 27 touchdowns in those 29 red zone opportunities. 

• Eastern Illinois will be playing a ranked FCS team for the 66th time when the Panthers play at Eastern Kentucky on Saturday.  EIU is 16-49 all-time against FCS ranked opponents including a double overtime loss at No. 15 Illinois State on Sept. 15 of this season.  EIU's last win over a ranked FCS opponent was Oct. 24, 2009, a 28-20 win over No. 12 Jacksonville State.

• EIU's game against Jacksonville State marked the first time this season that the Panthers have been held scoreless in the opening quarter.  In the Panthers previous three games to JSU they had scored 20, 21 and 21 points in the first quarter.  On the season EIU is averaging 10.7 points in the opening quarter.  EIU's best quarter this season has been the second at 11 points per game.  The worst quarter has been the fourth in which the Panthers average 8.7 points per game.

• Erik Lora needs 73 yards to reach 2,000 for his career where he will join teammate Chris Wright in the 2,000 yard receiving club.  When Lora reaches 2,000 yards, EIU will join Eastern Washington and Stephen F. Austin as the only three schools in the FCS ranks with two active 2,000 yard receivers on the roster.

• Senior Pat Wertz had two forced fumbles and a blocked field goal against Jacksonville State helping the Panthers pick up the 31-28 win.  The blocked field goal was the second this season by a Panther as LeQuince McCall had a block at Illinois State.

• Tavares Crawford picked off a Jacksonville State pass and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown, one of three interceptions by the EIU defense.  Crawford's interception return for touchdown was the first by an EIU player since CJ James did it against UT Martin in 2009.

• Freshman Kamu Grugier-Hill made two big plays in the win over Jacksonville State.  Grugier-Hill had an interception with 2:22 remaining in the game.  Then after EIU could not run out the clock, Grugier-Hill made the final tackle for the Panthers defense as time expired.  He finished with three solo tackles.

• Jourdan Wickliffe, a converted wide receiver, earned his first start at safety against Jacksonville State.  Wickliffe had eight tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery.  Since moving full time to defense for the Murray State game, Wickliffe has made 27 tackles in the last four contests.

• Robert Haynes finished with a team high 10 tackles against Jacksonville State as he led the Panthers in tackles for the fourth time this season.  Haynes has five double digit tackle games this year with a high of 12 at Illinois State.  He holds the team lead with 66 tackles (45th in the FCS and 3rd in the OVC).

• EIU's defense forced five turnovers against Jacksonville State as the Panthers moved up to 5th in the nation with 18 turnovers gained heading into the bye week.  EIU forced a season high six turnovers against Southern Illinois in the season opener.  EIU has 11 fumble recoveries and seven interceptions this season.

• Senior Greg Mahan recorded the lone tackle for loss for the Panthers against Jacksonville State as EIU is now second in the OVC in team tackles for loss.  Mahan moved into a tie for the team lead in that category with 5.5 TFL joining Artavious Dowdell and Pat Wertz.

• Artavious Dowdell is currently 9th in career tackles for loss (29.5) and 10th in career sacks (16) at EIU.  Dowdell leads the OVC in sacks with 3.5 for 19 yards.

EIU TO PLAY TWO GAMES ON FOX COLLEGE SPORTS
EIU will play the first of two games on FOX College Sports when the Panthers travel to Richmond, Ky., this weekend to face Eastern Kentucky.  Kickoff is at 11 a.m. (Central).  EIU will also host Southeast Missouri on Saturday, Nov. 10 on FOX College Sports with an 11 a.m. (Central) kick at O'Brien Field.