Eastern Illinois at Western Illinois
Hanson Field (16,368)  •   Macomb, Ill.
September 27, 2025  •   3 pm   •   TV: ESPN+ 

GAME LINKS
EIU Complete Notes  |  WIU Notes  |  Listen Live  |  Live Stats  |  Watch ESPN+

NOTES TO KNOW
• Eastern Illinois travels to Western Illinois on Saturday as both teams open OVC-Big South play for the 2025 season.   EIU enters off a bye-week with a 1-2 record in non-conference play.  The Panthers final non-conference game will be the regular season finale on Nov. 22 at Alabama.  Western Illinois enters at 1-3 following a loss at Eastern Washington last week.   This will be EIU's first trip to Macomb since the 2015 season opener.  EIU's last conference game at Western Illinois was Oct. 22, 1994 and the Panthers last win at their in-state rival was Oct. 6, 1990, a 27-17 EIU victory.

• EIU fans caught a glimpse of redshirt freshman Connor Wolf in the second half at Indiana State as the Michigan native passed for 112 yards against the Sycamores.   In the Panthers last game against No. 4 Illinois State, Wolf shined in his first collegiate start earning OVC-Big South Freshman of the Week honors.  Wolf set an EIU freshman single game passing record with 411 yards passing going 28-of-43 with four touchdown passes.  He broke Jimmy Garoppolo's record of 341 yards set Oct. 23, 2010 against Murray State.  Wolf entered the Panthers bye week ranked 48th in the FCS in passing yards.

• CJ Nelson was recipient of two of those four Connor Wolf touchdown passes as the junior wide receiver had a career day finishing with 194 yards receiving on seven receptions with 113 of those yards after the catch.  Nelson scored his first touchdown on a 75-yard strike in the second quarter following up with a 51-yard touchdown in the fourth.   He entered the Panthers bye week ranked fourth in the OVC-Big South in receiving yards with 210.  It was Nelson's second career 100-yard receiving game after 101 yards on five receptions with a touchdown last year at Gardner-Webb.

• Ja'Wuan Nickson and Tylan Foster both were active on the Panthers defense against Illinois State in the Mid-America Classic as both linebackers finished with double figure tackles.  Nickson had 12 tackles with a tackle for loss while Foster finished with 11 stops with a tackle for loss.  Last season EIU had two games with multiple players finishing with double digit tackles, the last time on Sept. 28 against Lindenwood with Kaelin Drakeford making 11 stops and Anthony Shockey ten.  Entering the game with Western Illinois both Nickson and Foster are tied for second on the team with 22 tackles each.  Saipeti Maiava Jr is the team leader with 24 tackles.  Foster is also tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with 3.5 with Drake Van Hyfte, both players enter the bye-week ranked 48th in the FCS and second in the OVC-Big South.