Eastern Illinois at No. 24 Tennessee State
Nissan Stadium (69,143) • Nashville, Tenn.
September 30, 2017 • 6 p.m. • TV: ESPN3
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NOTES TO KNOW
• Eastern Illinois opened Ohio Valley Conference play with a 19-16 win over Southeast Missouri. It marked the sixth straight OVC opening win as the Panthers are now 18-4 all-time in OVC openers since joining the league in 1996. Tennessee State lost its OVC opener on the road at UT Martin, 31-16.
• Eastern Illinois will be playing a nationally ranked Tennessee State team for the second straight season. Last year EIU beat then No. 25 TSU, 35-34, in Charleston. The Panthers have won three straight over TSU when the Tigers have been nationally ranked (twice in 2013).
• Eastern Illinois will be playing Tennessee State as part of the 19th annual John A. Merritt Classic this Saturday. EIU is the first non-HBCU team to participate in the Merritt Classic which was first played in 1999. TSU is 13-5 all-time in previous classic games. It is one of only two Classics solely hosted by a single NCAA FCS institution.
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Bradley Dewberry intercepted a pass at the one yard with less than 20 seconds remaining to seal Saturday's 19-16 win over Southeast Missouri. Dewberry finished the game with seven tackles as he made his sixth career interception. It was the second time in the Coach
Kim Dameron era that the Panthers have won the game with an interception. Jourdan Wickliffe picked off a pass at Tennessee State in 2015 to give EIU a 25-22 overtime victory. In 2016 (TSU) and 2015 (SEMO), EIU knocked down passes on fourth down to win games.
THE SERIES
• Eastern Illinois and Tennessee State will be meeting for the 21st time this Saturday with the Panthers leading the all-time series 13-7. EIU has won five straight games in the series with a 35-34 win in Charleston last season. Two years ago EIU won 25-22 in overtime in Nissan Stadium. The last TSU win in the series was 18-17 at O'Brien Field in Charleston in 2011. EIU is 6-3 in games played in Nissan Stadium with the last home win for TSU in the series in 2008, a 45-24 win.
