GAME NOTES: Game 4 | at Eastern Illinois (PDF)
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
CHARLESTON, Ill. – As the first three weeks of spring football for the Ohio Valley Conference have progressed, Eastern Illinois keeps climbing closer, but the Panthers haven't quite hit paydirt yet.
EIU (0-3) saw Southeast Missouri hang 47 points on them in the season opener in Charleston, but in the last two weeks on the road, the Panthers have made huge strides, falling by a pair of touchdowns at UT Martin two weeks ago, then Tennessee State knocked off EIU on a last-second field goal for a 21-20 defeat.
Now the Panthers will try their luck against the Golden Eagles as Tennessee Tech heads up north to take on Eastern Illinois on Sunday. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. Dylan Vazzano will provide the broadcast on 98.5 KISS FM, while Mike Bradd and Jack Ashmore will handle the broadcast duties on ESPN+ (subscription required).
As the Golden Eagles (1-2) enter the program's 984th contest and 13th at O'Brien Field, the trips to Charleston have not been kind to Tech. EIU is 9-4 against the Golden Eagles on its home turf, with only three of those wins coming in Ohio Valley play – 1999, 2011 and 2019. But, to be fair, Tech only has five wins over EIU in the OVC era for the Panthers, adding an overtime win in 2004 and a 2010 win at Tucker Stadium into the mix.
The Golden Eagles definitely hope 2019's win, coupled with a victory on Sunday, shows that trend is reversing.
Tech snapped a seven-game losing streak to EIU in the last meeting and Golden Eagle quarterback Bailey Fisher put on a show, completing 22 of his 34 passes for 269 yards and a school-record six touchdown passes with four different receivers hauling in scores. Darrius Stafford had two, while Austin Hicks, D.J. Wilkes and Tavin Kilpatrick all collecting TDs.
Harry Woodbery, who threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns as he completed 34 of 68 passes, is back for the Panthers, but currently resides in the backup spot on EIU's latest two-deep. He leads the team in passing with 380 yards and two touchdowns, while Otto Kuhns, the penciled-in starter, has 215 yards on two touchdowns this spring.
Jordan Benefield, who rushed for two touchdowns in the last meeting against the Golden Eagles, leads EIU in rushing with 166 yards on 35 carries, but hasn't found the end zone yet this season. In three games this season, the Panthers have just one rushing touchdown, Kendi Young scoring it along with 11 carries for 88 yards, his longest going for 72.
Jay Vallie leads EIU with two receiving touchdowns among his eight catches for 86 yards, while DeWayne Cooks has 10 catches for a team-best 129 yards and a touchdown. Matt Judd has the other receiving touchdown with six catches for 90 yards.
Turnovers haven't helped the Panthers this season as EIU has five interceptions and a fumble lost, while picking off one pass and recovering three fumbles for a minus-2 turnover ratio. However, the same can be said for the Golden Eagles with 10 turnovers lost, including six interceptions, and seven gained for a minus-3.
Jason Johnson leads EIU on defense with 29 tackles and a fumble forced, while Colin Bohanek and Anthony Shockey each have 21 tackles, the latter with a fumble recovery.
Fisher, who was injured in the loss against Jacksonville State, could make a return this week, but if he is unable to go, Willie Miller proved last week that he is certainly capable of driving the Tennessee Tech offense. Miller combined for 316 yards of total offense against Murray State, rushing for 103 yards and two touchdowns, while also completing 17 passes for 213 yards and a score. Kurt Taylor, Jr., in his first start in place of the injured David Gist, ran for 84 yards on 25 carries, while catching eight passes for 62 yards and a score.
Tech's special teams unit has continued to make plays. Last week against the Racers, Jyron Gilmore was the latest to make a big play as he returned a punt 39 yards for a touchdown. Kicker Hayden Olsen also continues to make a splash in his freshman campaign, having gone 8-for-8 on PATs and 4-for-6 on field goals.
Defensively, Seth Carlisle leads Tech with 25 tackles, an interception, two pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. Jack Warwick has 21 tackles, an interception, a pass breakup and a QB hurry. Josh Reliford has 20 tackles, an interception and a pass breakup.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
