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Big OVC Road Test Looms For Panthers
No. 22 EIU Travels To No. 2 Jacksonville State

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 No. 22/23 Eastern Illinois at No. 2/3 Jacksonville State
Snow Memorial Stadium (24,000)   •   Jacksonville, Ala.
October 29, 2016   •  1 p.m.   •   TV: ESPN3

NOTES TO KNOW
• Eastern Illinois will be playing No. 2 Jacksonville State on Saturday afternoon.  It will be the Panthers second game this season against a top five ranked team on the road.  EIU beat then No. 5 Illinois State, 24-21 back on Sept. 17 in the 105th playing of the Mid-America Classic.

• Devin Church rushed for a career high 155 yards against Murray State as he now leads the Ohio Valley Conference in rushing yards with 769.  It was Church's fifth career 100-yard rushing game and his second straight after gaining 139 yards on the ground at Tennessee Tech.

• This will be the 12th time in the 14 series meetings that Eastern Illinois and Jacksonville State enter the game with at least one of the two teams being nationally ranked.  JSU leads the previous 11 matches with a 7-4 series lead.  When both teams have been nationally ranked EIU is 2-0 winning in 2009 and 2013. 

• Eastern Illinois had its four game homecoming win streak snapped by Murray State during the 40-38 loss to the Racers.  It was the fifth time that EIU has faced Murray State as its homecoming opponent with the Racers now holding a 3-2 edge in those contests.

• Eastern Illinois remains nationally ranked as the Panthers slipped in the polls to No. 22/23 after the home loss to Murray State.  EIU has now been ranked during each of the last five seasons climbing to No. 2 in the national rankings during the 2013 season.

• Mitch Kimble opened the Murray State game with an impressive 16-of-19 performance with 200 yards passing and two touchdowns.  Kimble was injured midway through the second quarter and left the game.  It was his sixth game this season with multiple touchdown passes.

THE SERIES
• Eastern Illinois and Jacksonville State will be meeting for the 14th time with the Gamecocks owning a 7-6 all-time series lead after winning the last two seasons.  JSU beat EIU 24-3 last season in Charleston when the Gamecocks were ranked No. 1 in the nation.  The two schools have won the last four OVC titles outright with EIU winning in 2012 & 2013.  JSU has won the last two years.  JSU also won a share of a three-way league title in 2011.  EIU's last win in Jacksonville was in 2009 when the Panthers upset No. 12 JSU, 28-20.