Eastern Illinois (1-4) at Gardner-Webb (2-4, 1-0 OVC)
Spangler Stadium (9,000)  •   Boiling Springs, NC
October 10, 2026  •   2:30 pm   •   TV: ESPN+

GAME COVERAGE
* Complete EIU Game Notes
* Gardner-Webb Notes
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* Live Stats


NOTES TO KNOW
• Eastern Illinois opens Ohio Valley Conference play on the road as the Panthers make their third long trip of the season with a Saturday afternoon game at Gardner-Webb.  EIU went 1-4 during the non-conference season losing their last two games to a pair of teams ranked in the FCS Top 5.  Gardner-Webb opened the OVC season with a two point win at Charleston Southern to improve to 2-4 overall, 1-0 in the OVC.   

• Eastern Illinois will open the Ohio Valley Conference season this weekend on the road as the Panthers play at Gardner-Webb.  The league moved back under the umbrella of the OVC this season after playing as the combined OVC-Big South Football Association the last three years.   Head coach Chris Wilkerson will coach his fifth conference opener going 2-2 in the last four seasons.  All-time EIU is 22-9 in OVC openers joining the league in 1996.  EIU won last year's conference opener on the road at Western Illinois, 31-23.

• Nick Veccharelli missed most of the 2025 season at Eastern Illinois due to injury after transferring into the program from Marist (3 years - 88 tackles).  He played in the final four games at EIU last year making his 100th career college tackle in the game at Alabama.  At South Dakota State the graduate student finished as the team leader in tackles for the second straight game making 11 stops.  He is now third on the Panthers team with 25 tackles.

• Alex Koulovatos has seen more time on the field in the secondary over the last two games making two tackles in the loss at No. 4 Illinois State and then finishing with 11 stops in the loss (1.5 TFL) at No. 2 South Dakota State.  Koulovatos played last season at Long Beach City College where he earned second team All-Conference honors with 71 tackles and two interceptions.  A North Carolina native from Charlotte (Providence HS), Koulovatos began his collegiate career redshirting the 2024 season at East Carolina.  

• Quarterback Cole LaCrue scored on the ground for the third straight game with a 9-yard touchdown scamper at No. 2 South Dakota State.  On the season LaCrue is second on the team with 144 yards rushing and second with three rushing touchdowns.   Last season LaCrue rushed for 498 yards and seven touchdowns including setting the EIU single game rushing record for an EIU quarterback with 193 yards against Dayton.

• Eastern Illinois defense picked off a pass at No. 2 South Dakota State as the Panthers extended their consecutive games streak with at least one turnover gained to eight straight games.  EIU has six turnovers gained this season through the first five games of the season, ranking fourth in the OVC in turnovers gained this season.  EIU's streak dates back to last season with turnovers gained in the final three games of the 2025 campaign.  EIU's last game without a turnover gained was November 1, 2025 against UT Martin.