Eastern Illinois (2-7, 1-4) at Gardner-Webb (3-6, 2-3)
Spangler Stadium (9,000) •  Boiling Springs, NC
November 9, 2024 •  12:30 pm  •  TV: ESPN+Â
GAME LINKS
EIU Game Notes | GWU Notes | Listen Panther Radio Network | Live Stats | Watch ESPN+
NOTES TO KNOW
• Eastern Illinois makes its first ever trip to the state of North Carolina as the Panthers head to Boiling Springs, NC in the western portion of the state to face Gardner-Webb. Both teams are coming off wins over regional rivals last weekend with EIU beating Western Illinois while Gardner-Webb picked up a win over Charleston Southern. This will be the first meeting between the two schools as GWU was one of four schools that merged with the OVC as former Big South members. With the unbalanced schedule last season, EIU did not face GWU as the Runnin' Bulldogs went 5-1 in the league and captured the inaugural Big South OVC title.
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MJ Flowers was a huge part of the Panthers offense on Saturday in the win over Western Illinois as he finished with 280 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. Those numbers earned the sophomore running back Big South OVC Offensive Player of the Week honors. The 280 all-purpose yards are the fifth most by an FCS player this season. He just missed his third career 200-yard rushing game finishing with 194 yards. Flowers added 86 yards on three receptions. He is now second in the conference in rushing yards with 726 while his nine touchdowns are the second most in the league and 28th in the FCS. Flowers has 1,698 career rushing yards which ranks 19th on the EIU all-time list needing 111 yards to move up another spot on the chart.Â
• Tight end
Alex Ginnever made his first collegiate catch in the Panthers Oct. 12 game at Tennessee State finishing that contest with seven catches for 43 yards. This past Saturday he added another pair of collegiate firsts with two touchdown catches and a 100 yard receiving day on six receptions. Ginnever becomes the fourth different EIU player to record a 100-yard receiving day this year joining
Terrance Gipson (100 vs Indiana State),
Cooper Willman (141 at Tennessee State & 143 at UT Martin) and
Quenton Rogers (103 at Tennessee State). He is the first EIU tight end to record a 100-yard receiving day since Jeff LePak against UT Martin in 2013 (7 receptions for 196 yards).
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Nicholas Oliveira-Chace returned to the sack column on Saturday against Western Illinois as the senior recorded a solo sack and then picked a half tackle for loss in the win over the Leathernecks. Oliveira-Chace is the Panthers leader in both categories this season with his 5.5 sacks ranking second in the Big South OVC and 38th in the FCS. His 7.5 tackles for loss this season is tied for ninth in the conference. He currently has 29 total tackles this year with four additional quarterback hurries. Last season in 11 games Oliveira-Chace made 35 tackles with seven tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
