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OVC Leading EIU Visits Murray State
Panthers Riding Nine Game OVC Win Streak

No. 2 Eastern Illinois at Murray State
Stewart Stadium (16,800) • Murray, Ky.
Nov. 9, 2013 • 12 p.m. • TV: OVC Digital Network

THE GAME
Eastern Illinois beat Tennessee Tech 56-21 on Saturday to improve to 8-1 on the season 5-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference. It was EIU's ninth straight OVC win, the third longest streak of consecutive OVC wins in school history. EIU won 13 straight OVC games on two previous occasions (2000-02 and 2004-06).

Eastern Illinois scored 56 points to increase its scoring average to 47.3 points per game which ranks second in the nation behind Coastal Carolina at 47.7 points per game. The Panthers are averaging 50 points per game in OVC contests while allowing only 16.8.

Eastern Illinois dropped to number two in the nation in total offense this week averaging 587.6 yards per game. Stephen F. Austin is the new national leader in total offense averaging 596.6 yards per game. EIU had 552 yards of total offense in the win over Tennessee Tech despite losing two offensive drive opportunities on long punt return touchdowns by Shepard Little (75 yards) and Erik Lora (80 yards).

Last season Eastern Illinois and Murray State combined to run 210 plays during the Panthers 50-49 victory. That total set an FCS record for plays in a game. This season EIU is averaging 84.5 plays per game which ranks second in the FCS. Murray State is averaging 73.5 plays per game which ranks 24th in the FCS this season.

THE SERIES
This will be the 29th meeting between Eastern Illinois and Murray State with the Panthers holding a slight 15-13 all-time series lead. EIU won last year's game 50-49 scoring a two-point conversion in the first overtime. The Panthers won seven straight between 2003 and 2009 before the Racers won two straight games. One of the bigger wins in the series for MSU was a 37-35 victory over EIU to end the 2002 season when EIU was ranked No. 2 in the nation. EIU is 5-8 all-time at Stewart Stadium.

• Eastern Illinois had two players return punts for touchdowns in the win over Tennessee Tech. Erik Lora (80 yards) and Shepard Little (75 yards) each returned punts for a touchdown. Lora had an 82 yard punt return for touchdown called back preventing EIU from three punt return scores.

• Erik Lora was named the OVC Special Teams Player of the Week following his performance as a punt returner and wide receiver. It marked the second time this season that an EIU player has won the Special Teams Player of the Week. It was Lora's second career OVC award after earning OVC and National Player of the Week awards last season following the win over Murray State.

• Erik Lora hauled in 12 passes for 119 yards against Tennessee Tech. It was Lora's 14th time with double figure catches and the 17th time in his career he has finished with 100 or more yards in a game. Lora now leads the FCS in pass receptions this year with 87. He ranks third among all collegiate players.

• Erik Lora climbed into the FCS career top 25 for career receiving yards against Tennessee Tech as he now has 3,614 career receiving yards (24th all-time). Lora needs 289 more yards to break the OVC career receiving yards record of 3,903. Lora moved into seventh place on the FCS career receptions list with 296. He needs five catches to tie Jerry Rice for sixth.

• Erik Lora hauled in three touchdown passes against Tennessee Tech to give him 16 touchdown receptions this season and 32 for his career. Both figures moved Lora into a tie for first on both the OVC single season and career list for touchdown receptions. In the game Lora scored four touchdowns becoming the eighth player in school history with four touchdowns in a game.

• Erik Lora teamed with Keiondre Gober as both receivers finished with more than 100 yards receiving in the game. Gober caught five passes for 129 yards. It marked the fifth time this season that two receivers finished with more than 100 yards in a game. EIU has one additional game this year where three receivers finished with more than 100 yards.

• Keiondre Gober hauled in a 79 yard pass for a touchdown giving the sophomore wide receiver nine touchdown receptions this season. Gober has four touchdown passes of more than 60 yards this season as he ranks 10th in the nation in touchdown receptions and 14th in the nation in receiving yards.

• Jimmy Garoppolo passed for 399 yards in the win over Tennessee Tech marking the ninth straight game this season Garoppolo has passed for more than 300 yards in a game. He had more than 200 yards in the first half for the ninth straight game. Garoppolo is first in the nation in touchdown passes and passing yards.

• Jimmy Garoppolo hit Keiondre Gober for the 79 yard touchdown pass giving the senior quarterback eight touchdown passes of 60 yards or more this season. Garoppolo had four touchdown passes in the game moving his season total to 39 which ranks 10th all-time on the FCS single season list. Garoppolo's 104 passing touchdowns moved him into 11th on the all-time career list.

• Eastern Illinois tied its school record for touchdowns scored in a season on Saturday against Tennessee Tech as the Panthers now have 61 touchdowns this season. EIU has passed for 40 touchdowns, rushed for 17, returned three punts for touchdown and scored on one defensive fumble return. EIU has also tied its single season record for extra points in a season with 49 successful extra points. The previous single season touchdown record was set in 2002. The previous single season extra point record was set in 2000.

• Eastern Illinois defense continues to make successful stands on third down as EIU limited Tennessee Tech to only 4-of-19 on third down conversions. EIU now ranks third in the nation in third down defense allowing opponents to convert just 28.8 percent of the time.

• Eastern Illinois added another turnover gained to its season total with a fumble recovery against Tennessee Tech. The Panthers rank 16th in the nation in turnovers gained this season with seven different players collecting at least one interception. Eight different players have recovered a fumble this year. Jourdan Wickliffe ranks second in the nation in forced fumbles with four.

• Sixth year player Pat Wertz leads the Panthers defense with 5.5 sacks as he ranks fourth in the OVC and 49th in the FCS. EIU has had a player rank among the FCS top four in sacks in each of the last three seasons. Wertz is second on the team with 7.5 tackles for loss. Dino Fanti leads the Panthers with 8.5 tackles for loss.

• Eastern Illinois defense moved up to fourth in the OVC in scoring defense and 32nd in the nation. EIU is allowing 16.8 points per game on defense in five conference games. Of the 84 points OVC opponents have scored this season, 47 have been scored in the fourth quarter against EIU's second and third team units. During the first half of OVC games this season EIU is out scoring its opponents 167 to 30.

• Eastern Illinois had 12 quarterback hurries on Saturday against Tennessee Tech with Clinton Simpkins coming away with a sack for the Panthers. Robert Haynes was credited with two quarterback hurries as EIU brought constant pressure. This season EIU ranks 10th in the nation in pass efficiency defense.

• Junior corner back DJ Bland had a pass break-up as he now has ten pass defenses this year (two interceptions and eight pass break-ups). Bland ranks 30th in the FCS and second in the OVC in passes defended this year. Bland needs two more pass break-ups this season to climb into the EIU single season top seven.

• Eastern Illinois has featured a balanced defensive unit this year with multiple players seeing action over the course of games. Jourdan Wickliffe is the team's top tackler with 61 tackles which ranks eighth in the OVC. Robert Haynes is the only other player with more 50 tackles this season with 53. Fourteen players that see significant action have between 20 and 42 tackles this year.

• Eastern Illinois offensive line was solid against Tennessee Tech allowing just one sack and two tackles for loss during 93 offensive plays, 52 of those passing plays. EIU ranks ninth in the nation in fewest tackles for loss allowed this season (four per game). The team is 40th in the nation and second in the OVC in fewest sacks allowed.

• The Panthers kickoff strategy of mixing long kicks with pop-up kicks has been effective in limiting big kickoff returns by opponents. EIU enters the game with Murray State ranked fifth in the nation in kick return defense allowing just 15.96 yards per kickoff return. EIU's opponent this week is the most dangerous in the OVC at 23.16 yards per return which ranks first in the OVC and 18th in the FCS.

• Eastern Illinois moved into first place in the FCS in punt return yards after the Panthers had two big punt returns for touchdown. EIU is now averaging 23 yards per return. Shepard Little has 217 punt return yards this year with two touchdowns. His 217 yards rank third on the EIU single season list. Erik Lora increased his career punt return yardage to 225 yards. He needs 33 yards to crack the EIU career top ten.

EASTERN ILLINOIS HEAD COACH DINO BABERS
Dino Babers made an immediate impact on the Eastern Illinois program taking the Panthers from last in the OVC in 2011 to first in the conference in 2012 during his first season as head coach. Babers was a former assistant on EIU head coach Bob Spoo's first staff in 1987 and returned to EIU as the head coach in December of 2011. He was named the OVC Coach of the Year in 2012 and finished third in voting for the Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year Award. Babers record at EIU is 15-6, including a 11-1 record in the OVC. He is a 1984 graduate of the University of Hawai'i.

PANTHERS RANKED IN TOP FIVE IN FCS
Eastern Illinois remained number two in both FCS polls this week. This is the fifth season that EIU has been ranked in the top five in the nation since the Panthers joined the FCS ranks in 1981. This matches EIU's highest national ranking set in November of 2002. EIU is 8-2 in regular season games as a top five ranked team, one of the losses coming to open the 2002 season at Hawai'i with EIU ranked No. 4. The ranking is the highest for an OVC school since Jacksonville State was ranked No. 2 for two weeks in mid-October of 2010.

Year..... Date First Ranked In FCS Top 5 & Record....................High Rank
1982.... Nov. 13 (1-0 Regular Season / 1-1 FCS Playoffs) .........5
1986.... Nov. 8 (2-0 Regular Season / 1-1 FCS Playoffs) ...........3
2001.... Nov. 10 (2-0 Regular Season / 0-1 FCS Playoffs) .........3
2002.... Aug. 31 (0-2 Regular Season / 0-1 FCS Playoffs) .........2
2013.... Sept. 30 (4-0 Regular Season)..........................................2


MURRAY STATE HEAD COACH CHRIS HATCHER
Chris Hatcher is in his fourth season as the head coach at Murray State having posted a 23-19 overall record and 17-12 mark in the OVC. Hatcher was the Harlon Hill Award winner as a quarterback at Valdosta State before later coaching the Blazers to the 2004 Division II National Championship during a six year stint as head coach at his alma mater. Hatcher coached three seasons at Georgia Southern before taking over at Murray State. His career record is 117-46.

SCOUTING MURRAY STATE
Gone from the Murray State roster is quarterback Casey Brockman due to graduation. The Racers replaced him this season with an FBS transfer Maikhail Miller, who brings a different dimension to the quarterback position. Miller has passed for 1,754 yards with 16 touchdowns but is also second on the team with 401 yards rushing. Jaamal Berry is the top rusher with 604 yards and wide receiver/kick returner Walter Powell is a dynamic player listed as a Walter Payton Award candidate with 1,327 all-purpose yards. The defense is led by strong safety Brandon Wicks with 72 tackles

ON THIS DATE IN EIU HISTORY
November 9, 1968 – Following an early morning snow storm in the Detroit, Michigan area, Eastern Illinois took advantage of the sloppy field conditions to score eight touchdowns during a 60-19 rout of Wayne State. Dennis Bundy rushed for 108 yards and three touchdowns as EIU racked up a total of 545 yards of total offense. The total offense set a school record while the 60 points was the highest total for EIU since 1925.

BERRA NAMED CAMPBELL TROPHY SEMIFINALIST
Eastern Illinois senior kicker Cameron Berra was named a semifinalist for the 2013 National Football Foundation Walter Campbell Trophy which is awarded to the nation's top scholar-athlete. Berra holds a 3.72 GPA in kinesiology. He was a first team All-OVC selection last season and currently ranks first on the Panthers career field goal percentage list.