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Nationally Ranked EIU & ISU Meet In The 102nd Mid-America Classic

No. 9/12 Eastern Illinois vs. No. 18/16 Illinois State
O'Brien Field (10,000) • Charleston, Ill.
Sept. 14, 2013 • 6 p.m. • TV: WEIU (OVC Digital Network)

THE GAME
Eastern Illinois moved to No. 9 in the Sports Network Top 25 rankings following the Panthers double overtime win at Southern Illinois on Saturday. It marks the first time EIU has been ranked in the FCS Top Ten since the end of the 2002 season when they climbed to as high as No. 2 in the rankings.

EIU improved to 2-0 on the year marking the first time in program history that the Panthers have started the season with a 2-0 record in road games. With a win EIU would start the year 3-0 for the first time since the 2009 season when they opened with a 4-0 record.

Illinois State opened the season ranked in the FCS Top 10 but fell to its current place in the rankings following a season opening loss at Ball State. ISU did not play in week two of the FCS season.

The road team has not won a game in the Mid-America Classic since EIU won in Normal during the 2008 season. ISU's last win at O'Brien Field was in 2007.

THE SERIES
This will be the 102nd playing of the Mid-America Classic between Eastern Illinois and Illinois State. The Redbirds hold a 52-40-9 all-time series lead. The Panthers have won three of the last five meetings including two straight wins at O'Brien Field in 2009 and 2011. ISU beat EIU in a classic game last year in Normal as the Redbirds won 54-51 in double overtime in what was the highest scoring game in the series and the second double overtime meeting between the schools. The series began in 1901 has been played in consecutive years since 1912 with the exception of World War I, the 1996 season when EIU joined the OVC and 2001 when it was cancelled due to 9/11.

• Senior quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was named the OVC Offensive Player of the Week and the College Sporting News National Offensive Player of the Week following EIU's double overtime victory at Southern Illinois. It was the second time in his career that Garoppolo has won a National Player of the Week honor as he makes his bid to join Tony Romo as Eastern Illinois winners of the Walter Payton Award.

• Junior linebacker Robert Haynes was named the OVC Defensive Player of the Week after compiling 15 tackles including three tackles for loss in the Panthers win at Southern Illinois. Haynes now leads the OVC in tackles with 24 and ranks 12th in the FCS. EIU has now won back-to-back OVC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Alex McNulty was the winner following the win at San Diego State.

• Jimmy Garoppolo posted a pair of top five performances on Saturday at Southern Illinois. His 440 yards passing ranked fifth on the EIU single game list behind Sean Payton (3 times) and himself (453 yards vs. Austin Peay last year). Garoppolo's 442 yards of total offense rank fourth on the EIU single game list behind Payton (twice) and himself (501 vs. Austin Peay last year).

• Jimmy Garoppolo climbed up the Ohio Valley Conference career record books in several categories at Southern Illinois. Garoppolo is now second in the OVC in career touchdown passes with 72. He is chasing former EIU All-American Tony Romo for first, Romo has 85. Garoppolo is third at EIU in career touchdown passes trailing both Romo and Sean Payton (75). Garoppolo moved up to third in the OVC in career passing yards and total offense.

• Jimmy Garoppolo is on the verge of becoming the EIU career leader in pass completions as he needs 19 to tie Sean Payton for the career record. Garoppolo will break the record in fewer pass attempts as he trails Payton in that category by 206 career attempts.

• Erik Lora hauled in 11 passes at Southern Illinois on Saturday for his tenth career game with double figure receptions. Lora has now caught double figure passes in three straight games dating back to last year's FCS playoff game at South Dakota State. Lora is currently second in the nation in receptions per game.

• Erik Lora moved his career receptions total to 230 on Saturday at Southern Illinois as he quickly closes in on the Ohio Valley Conference record and the FCS career top 25. Lora needs two receptions to tie Austin Peay's Harold Roberts for the OVC record. Lora needs eight receptions to crack the FCS career top 25. Number 25 on the list is Charles Sullivan of Hofstra with 238 catches.

• Adam Drake had a career day at Southern Illinois with seven catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Drake joined Erik Lora as 100-yard receivers on Saturday at SIU. Keiondre Gober finished with 95 yards on five catches as the Panthers just missed having three receivers go over 100 yards for the second time in school history.

• Taylor Duncan rushed for 100 yards for the first time in his career finishing right at the century mark on 26 carries at Southern Illinois. Duncan's previous career high was at Illinois State last season with 96 yards. Duncan had 92 yards in the opener at San Diego State as he ranks 19th in the FCS and 2nd in the OVC in rushing yards per game.

• Cameron Berra came through in the Panthers second overtime connecting on a 36-yard field goal to give EIU the win at Southern Illinois. It was Berra's second career game winning kick in overtime. His first came as a freshman in 2010 in EIU's overtime win at Tennessee State. Berra has now made 29-of-38 field goals for his career.

• Junior corner DJ Bland was credited with two pass break-ups at Southern Illinois as the Panthers had ten as a team. Bland now has seven pass break-ups and one interception this season as he ranks first in the nation in passes defended. Teammate Alex McNulty is fourth in the nation in passes defended with an FCS high two interceptions and three additional pass break-ups.

• Defensive tackle Dino Fanti had three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks among his five tackles in Saturday's win at Southern Illinois. Fanti is currently tied with teammate Robert Haynes for the team lead in tackles for loss at 3.0 for the season. Both players rank tied for 37th in the NCAA and 4th in the OVC. Fanti has eight total tackles.

• In addition to his team lead in tackles for loss, Dino Fanti is tied for the team lead in sacks at 1.5 with Pat Wertz. Fanti and Wertz are tied for fifth in the OVC. As a team EIU has picked up six sacks for 31 yards this season.

• Safety Jourdan Wickliffe forced his second fumble of the year on Saturday at Southern Illinois. Wickliffe ranks second in the NCAA in forced fumbles and first in the OVC. On the season Wickliffe is second on the team in tackles with 20 (11 solo).

• Robert Haynes led the Panthers with 15 tackles in the double overtime win at Southern Illinois. Alex Helms was the last Panther to record 15 or more tackles in a game making 16 as he started for Haynes at middle linebacker last year at Central Arkansas. Haynes has 24 tackles for the season with 12 solo stops. Haynes now has eight career games with double figure tackles.

• EIU has now recorded 21 tackles for loss as a team picking up 11 in the opening win over San Diego State and ten in the double overtime win at Southern Illinois. The Panthers rank fifth in the FCS in tackles for loss at 10.5 per game which is the best total in the OVC. Last year EIU led the OVC in tackles for loss per game at 7.08 which ranked 22nd in the FCS.

• Eastern Illinois defense is doing a good job of keeping opponents out of the end zone this season when they drive into the red zone. In 13 red zone opportunities in the first two games, EIU has allowed only four touchdowns, all of them coming through the air. EIU has allowed only one rushing touchdown, a long distance score by San Diego State in the opener. EIU has held opponents to six field goals inside the red zone.

• Saturday will mark the 40th time that Eastern Illinois has played a game ranked in the FCS Top 10 rankings. The Panthers are 26-13 all-time when playing as a top ten ranked team with five of the losses coming in the FCS playoffs and four of the losses coming to FBS programs. This is EIU's first top ten ranking since the end of the 2002 season.

• This marks Eastern Illinois 44th season playing home games at O'Brien Field. The Panthers are 30-12-1 in their previous home openers at O'Brien Field including two straight season opening wins in 2011 and 2012. EIU's last loss in a home opener was Sept. 11, 2010 to Central Arkansas on a day the Panthers retired Sean Payton's No. 18.

• This will mark the sixth time that Eastern Illinois has played its home opener against Illinois State at O'Brien Field. The Panthers hold a 4-1 record in those games with wins in 1982, 1986, 2009 and 2011. The lone loss in a home opener against the Redbirds was in 2005. In four of the five seasons EIU has played ISU in its home opener, the Panthers have advanced to the FCS playoffs including quarterfinal appearances during the 1982 and 1986 seasons.

EASTERN ILLINOIS / ILLINOIS STATE RANKED GAMES
Eastern Illinois and Illinois State will meet for the 102nd time on Saturday night in the Mid-America Classic. The rivalry ranks as the 14th longest in the FCS and the third longest West of the Allegheny Mountains. EIU and ISU will be meeting for only the fourth time when both teams are nationally ranked.

Date........................Winning Team (Rank).........Losing Team (Rank)
Sept. 16, 2006..... Illinois State (6) - 44 ..........Eastern Illinois (18) - 30
*Nov. 25, 2006... Illinois State (11) - 24 .........Eastern Illinois (14) - 13
Sept. 15, 2007...... Illinois State (17) - 24 ........Eastern Illinois (14) - 21
* FCS Playoffs


EASTERN ILLINOIS WINS DOUBLE OVERTIME GAME
Eastern Illinois played its fourth double overtime game in program history on Saturday night at Southern Illinois as the Panthers won for the first time in double overtime, 40-37. Cameron Berra knocked home a 36-yard field goal for EIU to give the Panthers the win.

DOUBLE OVERTIME
Nov. 26, 1983 at Indiana State......... L 13-16
Nov. 11, 2000 at Illinois State.......... L 41-44
Sept. 15, 2012 at Illinois State......... L 51-54
Sept. 7, 2013 at Southern Illinois... W 40-37

EASTERN ILLINOIS HEAD COACH DINO BABERS
Dino Babers made an immediate impact on the Eastern Illinois program taking the Panthers from last in the OVC in 2011 to first in the conference in 2012 during his first season as head coach. Babers was a former assistant on EIU head coach Bob Spoo's first staff in 1987 and returned to EIU as the head coach in December of 2011. He was named the OVC Coach of the Year in 2012 and finished third in voting for the Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year Award. Babers record at EIU is 9-5, including a 6-1 record in the OVC. He is a 1984 graduate of the University of Hawai'i.

ILLINOIS STATE HEAD COACH BROCK SPACK
Brock Spack is in his fifth year as head coach at Illinois State coaching the Redbirds to a national ranking this season. Spack is a former assistant coach at Eastern Illinois where he and current Panthers head coach Dino Babers were on the same staff under head coach Bob Spoo. Spack is 2-2 in previous meetings against EIU and has a 28-19 overall record. He was an All-Big Ten linebacker for the Boilermakers in the early 1980's before embarking on a coaching career that has included stops at Eastern Illinois, Wyoming and Purdue.

SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE
Illinois State enters the game nationally ranked at No. 16 and No. 18 in the FCS polls following a season opening loss at Ball State. The Redbirds did not play in week two of the season as they will only play 11 games this year instead of the 12 many FCS teams are playing. ISU is led by Buck Buchanan candidate Colton Underwood on defense. Underwood made five tackles at Ball State. Rickey Simpson recorded three sacks at Ball State to go along with five tackles. ISU has a new quarterback in transfer Jared Barnett who passed for 282 yards and two touchdowns in the opener.

ON THIS DATE IN EIU HISTORY
September 14, 1991 – Eastern Illinois jumped out to a 20-0 lead as the Panthers easily picked up a non-conference win over Eastern Washington, 31-14. Jamie Jones rushed for 108 yards as Jamie Pilson had the lone rushing touchdown of the contest for EIU. EIU's defense forced five turnovers on the afternoon with Tony Farrell picking off a pair of passes. Jeff Miles was the top tackler finishing with 11 and a forced fumble.