Eastern Illinois vs. Southeast Missouri
O'Brien Field (10,000) • Charleston, Ill.
Nov. 16, 2019 • 12 p.m. • TV: ESPN+
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NOTES TO KNOW
• Eastern Illinois picked up its first win of the 2019 season last Saturday at Tennessee State as the Panthers rallied from a halftime deficit to win 49-38. EIU improved to 1-9 on the season, 1-5 in the OVC. The Panthers host Southeast Missouri which is currently tied for first in the OVC race with a 5-1 record. SEMO is 7-3 overall.
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Jaelin Benefield was named the Ohio Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week following his efforts in the win at Tennessee State. Benefield rushed for 105 yards while catching four passes for 32 yards. Benefield had three touchdowns (2 rushing / 1 receiving) in the game as he now leads EIU in scoring with 42 points.
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Darshon McCullough heads into the final two games of his Eastern Illinois career on a high note after rushing for a career high 155 yards in the win at Tennessee State. It was the first time in his career McCullough had gone over 100 yards in a contest. His previous high was 94 yards as a sophomore (2017) against Murray State. McCullough now has 773 career rushing yards with five touchdowns.
• Freshman linebacker
Jason Johnson had a big day for the Panthers at Tennessee State as he finished with a team high nine tackles. Johnson would add a sack and forced fumble in the fourth quarter which EIU converted into an insurance touchdown. He also had a fumble recovery. Johnson has made three straight starts and has 40 tackles this season.
THE SERIES
• Eastern Illinois and Southeast Missouri will be meeting for the 27th time on Saturday afternoon with the Redhawks in the hunt for a second straight FCS playoff appearance. EIU leads the all-time series 18-8 but SEMO won last year in Cape Girardeau 38-32. The Panthers have won four straight at home in the series and are 11-1 all-time at home against the Redhawks. SEMO's lone win in Charleston was in 2010, a 28-13 victory.
