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Eastern Illinois at Indiana State
Memorial Stadium (12,700)  •   Terre Haute, Ind.
August 31, 2023  •   5 p.m.   •   TV: ESPN+

GAME INFO:
Watch on ESPN+   |  Live Stats  |  Listen on Panther Radio Network  |
EIU Game Notes  |  INST Game Notes  |

SERIES HISTORY: 88th meeting, EIU leads 43-40-4
HEAD COACHES: EIU - Chris Wilkerson (2nd season), INST - Curt Mallory (7th season)

NOTES TO KNOW
• Eastern Illinois will open its 118th season of football on Thursday night when the Panthers travel to Terre Haute to face Indiana State.  The series between the Panthers and Sycamores is the second most played in EIU program history with the schools first meeting in 1901.  They have played 87 times, the last meeting in 2021 for the season opener.   The two schools have played in EIU's season opener 27 times including every season between 1956-1970.   ISU leads in those contests 15-11-1.

• The Big South Conference and Ohio Valley Conference have entered into a four-year agreement to play as the Big South-OVC Football Association.  As part of that initial merger between the two leagues a preseason list of players to watch was released at the conference media day in late July.  Eastern Illinois had ten players featured on that list, second most among the ten league schools.   Selected to the preseason watch list were Chad Strickland (OT), Juwon Farri (RB), Justin Thomas (WR), Elijawah Tolbert (LB), Nick Coates (NICK), Russell Dandy (DB), Stone Galloway (K), Mark Aitken (KR), Cooper Willman (PR) and Jack Valente (LS).

• Kicker Stone Galloway was named to the preseason watch list for the Fred Mitchell Award which is presented to the top non-FBS kicker in the nation.  Galloway was a first-team All-OVC selection last year going 11-of-12 on field goals and 27-of-27 on extra points.  Galloway led the Panthers in scoring with 60 points, his second straight season ranking as the team's leading scorer.  The senior enters the season with 24 career field goals which is seventh on the EIU career list.

• Eastern Illinois returns its top four receivers in terms of receptions and yards from last season.  Nile Hill was the Panthers leader last year with 26 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns.  Justin Thomas finished the season second on the team with 17 catches for 210 yards and two scores.  He was among the FCS national leaders prior to a season ending injury in game four.  Cooper Willman (16 rec / 199 yds) and Justin Bowick (13 rec / 250 yds / 3 TD) round out the list.

• Elijawah Tolbert returns as the Panthers leading tackler from last season with 70 tackles which ranked third on the EIU roster and 12th in the OVC.   Tolbert is the third leading tackler among OVC returning players this year and sixth among returners from the combined leagues.