No. 25 Eastern Illinois (4-1) vs. No. 18/23 UT Martin (4-1, 1-0 Conf.)
O'Brien Field (10,000) • Charleston, Ill.
October 7, 2023 • 2 p.m. • TV: ESPN+
GAME DAY COVERAGE LINKS
EIU Game Notes |
UT Martin Notes |
Listen Live |
Live Stats |
Watch on ESPN+
NOTES TO KNOW
• Eastern Illinois football is off to its best start since the 2013 season as the Panthers improved to 4-1 with a road win at Northwestern State. It marked the third straight win for EIU, something that had not happened since the 2016 season. Also not happening since late in the 2016 season was Eastern Illinois appearing in the national rankings, but that changed this week with the Panthers landing at No.25 in the FCS Coaches poll. It marks the 26th different season that EIU has been ranked in the national polls for at least one week.
• Eastern Illinois will be playing its 179th game as a nationally ranked team at the FCS level when the Panthers host UT Martin for homecoming on Saturday. It will mark the second time that the Panthers and Skyhawks have played when both teams have been nationally ranked. The previous time was in 2006 with UTM winning 15-9 in Martin, Tenn. The two teams would end the season splitting the OVC regular-season title with both advancing to the FCS playoffs.
• Safety
Blake Ruffin played a big part in Eastern Illinois road win at Northwestern State on Saturday night. On Monday he was named the Big South-OVC Football co-Defensive Player of the Week along with Monroe Beard III of Tennessee State. Ruffin finished the game with 13 tackles as he now ranks second on the Panthers team with 34 stops this season. His interception in the fourth quarter set up a field goal midway through the period that gave EIU a two score lead in the contest. It was his second interception this year as he ranks 25th in the FCS in interceptions this year.
• Running back
MJ Flowers had his second consecutive start for the Panthers offense as he finished with 64 all-purpose yards in the road win at Northwestern State. On Monday Flowers was named the Big South-OVC Freshman of the Week for the third consecutive week. Flowers currently leads the Panthers with 344 rushing yards which ranks 41st in the FCS but is second among freshmen in the FCS trailing only Jared White of Montana State with 351 yards. Flowers has also been a versatile weapon catching the ball out of the backfield with 17 receptions for 80 yards.
• Justin Bowick was a big weapon for the Panthers passing game at Northwestern State as the sophomore wide receiver hauled in four passes for 130 yards including a 52-yard touchdown reception. It was his second touchdown reception of the season as Bowick has 16 catches for a team-high 258 yards this season. It was his second career 100-yard receiving day with his breakout performance coming last season at UT Martin with six catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns.
