WIU @ EIU O'Brien Field (10,000) • Charleston, Ill. Sept. 1, 2016 • 6 p.m. •

[eiu1999]

http://ovcdigitalnetwork.com/watch/?Live=3645

NOTES TO KNOW
• Eastern Illinois made its 16th FCS playoff appearance last season as the Panthers rank sixth all-time in FCS playoff appearances. EIU has made ten appearances since the 2000 season which ranks fourth most in that time span.

• Head coach Kim Dameron (http://www.eiupanthers.com/coaches.aspx?rc=673) became the sixth EIU coach to guide EIU to the FCS playoffs finishing 7-5 overall last year. He joins former coaches Darrell Mudra, Al Molde, Bob Spoo, Mark Hutson (interim 2006) and Dino Babers in leading EIU to the FCS playoffs.

• Eastern Illinois will be opening a season on a Thursday night for the 17th time in school history. EIU is 10-6 all-time in those games with a 9-3 record against FCS opponents. EIU is 4-1 in Thursday night home openers at O'Brien Field including four straight wins.

• Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois will open the season against each other after both advanced to the FCS playoffs last season. It marks just the second time in school history that EIU will open the year against another playoff team when both played in post season the previous year. Ironically the other time was also against Western Illinois in 1997 and the previous playoff season EIU had lost in the opening round at Northern Iowa. WIU won 41-0.

• Eastern Illinois was picked to finish third in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason and coaches polls released during the summer. The Panthers finished second last year with a 7-1 OVC mark. Jacksonville State was picked to repeat as OVC Champions in both polls.

• Eastern Illinois had three players named to the preseason All-OVC team with seniors Seth McDonald (http://www.eiupanthers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5106)(LB), Devin Church (http://www.eiupanthers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5083) (RB) and junior Bradley Dewberry (http://www.eiupanthers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5086) (Safety) being selected.

THE SERIES
• This will be the 67th meeting between Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois as the two former conference rivals complete a home-and-home series. WIU holds a 41-21-4 all-time series lead including a 33-5 win over EIU in Macomb last season. It was the first time the two schools had met in the regular season since the 1997 season. EIU's last win in the series was in 1995, a 20-17 home win over WIU. Western Illinois has won four straight in the series including a win in the 2002 FCS playoffs. The series began in 1930.

http://www.eiupanthers.com/news/2016/8/29/football-opens-2016-season-thursday-at-home.aspx

[JSUSoutherner]

http://ovcdigitalnetwork.com/watch/?Live=3645

NOTES TO KNOW
• Eastern Illinois made its 16th FCS playoff appearance last season as the Panthers rank sixth all-time in FCS playoff appearances. EIU has made ten appearances since the 2000 season which ranks fourth most in that time span.

• Head coach Kim Dameron (http://www.eiupanthers.com/coaches.aspx?rc=673) became the sixth EIU coach to guide EIU to the FCS playoffs finishing 7-5 overall last year. He joins former coaches Darrell Mudra, Al Molde, Bob Spoo, Mark Hutson (interim 2006) and Dino Babers in leading EIU to the FCS playoffs.

• Eastern Illinois will be opening a season on a Thursday night for the 17th time in school history. EIU is 10-6 all-time in those games with a 9-3 record against FCS opponents. EIU is 4-1 in Thursday night home openers at O'Brien Field including four straight wins.

• Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois will open the season against each other after both advanced to the FCS playoffs last season. It marks just the second time in school history that EIU will open the year against another playoff team when both played in post season the previous year. Ironically the other time was also against Western Illinois in 1997 and the previous playoff season EIU had lost in the opening round at Northern Iowa. WIU won 41-0.

• Eastern Illinois was picked to finish third in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason and coaches polls released during the summer. The Panthers finished second last year with a 7-1 OVC mark. Jacksonville State was picked to repeat as OVC Champions in both polls.

• Eastern Illinois had three players named to the preseason All-OVC team with seniors Seth McDonald (http://www.eiupanthers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5106)(LB), Devin Church (http://www.eiupanthers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5083) (RB) and junior Bradley Dewberry (http://www.eiupanthers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5086) (Safety) being selected.

THE SERIES
• This will be the 67th meeting between Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois as the two former conference rivals complete a home-and-home series. WIU holds a 41-21-4 all-time series lead including a 33-5 win over EIU in Macomb last season. It was the first time the two schools had met in the regular season since the 1997 season. EIU's last win in the series was in 1995, a 20-17 home win over WIU. Western Illinois has won four straight in the series including a win in the 2002 FCS playoffs. The series began in 1930.

http://www.eiupanthers.com/news/2016/8/29/football-opens-2016-season-thursday-at-home.aspx

I bet we put up more points tonight than EIU scores in total this season.

xnodx

[RootinFerDukes]

The "on-paper" FCS game of the week.

[eiu1999]

I bet we put up more points tonight than EIU scores in total this season.

xnodx

Worth an over/under thread

[mango433]

I bet we put up more points tonight than EIU scores in total this season.

xnodx

Congrats?? I'm sure the DII juggernaut of North Alabama will put up a fight...

[JSUSoutherner]

Congrats?? I'm sure the DII juggernaut of North Alabama will put up a fight...
I'm just being silly.

But God I hope they do. I've been waiting too long to come out and see my team play against some team that's just going to roll over and die. I hope they can give us all we want. I want some action.

[PantherRob82]

Neck 'em in the neck, 'necks!

[Redbird007]

Great write up on details. I am going to follow this one as it plays.

[underdawg]

My choice among the broadcasts tonight is WIU at EIU--it's on OVC net

[Redbird007]

Guessing WIU favored by 10?

[eiu1999]

Coach Dameron has decided in using two QBs tonight. Both red shirt jrs, Austin Green, last years back up and Mitch Kimble a transfer from Syracuse.

[Bison56]

Coach Dameron has decided in using two QBs tonight. Both red shirt jrs, Austin Green, last years back up and Mitch Kimble a transfer from Syracuse.

Who?

[ST_Lawson]

Watson who?...RB Mcshane runs for 207 yards and 2 TDs and catches for 56 yards. He's the leading rusher and receiver on the team at this point.

[UNIFanSince1983]

Watson who?...RB Mcshane runs for 207 yards and 2 TDs and catches for 56 yards. He's the leading rusher and receiver on the team at this point.

That is nice work. Although unless EIU vastly improved the defense over the summer their rushing D is nothing to write home about. Either way great game out of the Leathernecks.

[eiu1999]

That is nice work. Although unless EIU vastly improved the defense over the summer their rushing D is nothing to write home about. Either way great game out of the Leathernecks.

The defense is worse that last year. And that's with the best players on DL and CB gone.

Overall, I was very disappointed with the lack of readiness and preparedness of the team last night.

OL was suppose to be a strength and the QB was running for his life all night. RB's had no where to go with the exception of a few long runs.

Syracuse transfer Mitch Kimble should get the next start at Miami(OH). 18-29, 323 yds, 2 TDs, also rushed for a TD.

[ST_Lawson]

That is nice work. Although unless EIU vastly improved the defense over the summer their rushing D is nothing to write home about. Either way great game out of the Leathernecks.

Yup. We had a few strong performances by specific sections....running game, LBs, special teams (a pleasant surprise considering last year), but our QB play and passing game were pretty rough and our DBs got torched on long pass plays. If we can't shore that up, the NAU game is going to be a track match...first team to 70 points wins.

[AmsterBison]

Nice job by WIU taking care of business in an OOC game.

And wasn't EIU in the MVFC back when it was called the Gateway? Man, if they came back, all the Directional I schools (Eastern I, Western I, Southern I, and Northern I) could give a trophy to the team that does the best in games between them. I'd suggest a giant compass where the needle points to the winner's direction for the trophy.