Eastern Illinois at Chattanooga
Finley Stadium (20,668)  •  Chattanooga, Tenn.
Aug. 29, 2019  • 6 p.m.  •  TV: ESPN3
EIU Game Notes |Â
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Listen Live - Panther Radio Network |Â
Live Stats |Â
Watch Live - ESPN 3Â |
NOTES TO KNOW
• As college football celebrates its 150th season, Eastern Illinois opens its 115th year of collegiate football on Thursday night as the Panthers kickoff the season at Chattanooga with the game televised on ESPN3. EIU has played at the NCAA Division I (FCS) level since the 1981 season and ranks seventh in all-time FCS playoff appearances. Â
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Adam Cushing was hired as the 25th head coach in EIU football history in December of 2018. A long time assistant at Northwestern, he will be coaching his first game as a head coach this Thursday. The last EIU coach to win their head coaching debut was Dino Babers in 2012 with a 49-28 win over Southern Illinois.
• Eastern Illinois will open with three of its first four games on the road and the Panthers have the sixth toughest schedule in FCS as rated by HeroSports. Four teams on the EIU schedule are ranked in the preseason FCS Top 25 with Thursday's opponent, Chattanooga, ranked 30th in the FCS Coaches poll. EIU will also face Big Ten member Indiana in week two. Â
• Eastern Illinois returns only two starters on offense from last year in second team All-OVC selection
James Sheehan and All-OVC Newcomer Team selection
Johnathan Brantley. Sheehan ranked first in the OVC for receptions and yards for a tight end. Brantley set the OVC & EIU record for consecutive passes thrown without an interception at 230.
THE SERIES
• Eastern Illinois and Chattanooga will be meeting for the first time on Thursday night as the opening game of a home-and-home series. The Mocs will return to O'Brien Field on Sept. 10, 2022. This will only be the second time EIU has played a Southern Conference member. The Panthers lost at Marshall in 1992. EIU is 4-1 against current Southern Conference member Samford when both schools were members of the Ohio Valley Conference. Â
