By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – When Tennessee Tech and Eastern Illinois lock horns this weekend in Tucker Stadium, something's going to have to give.
Both teams are entering the contest with identical 0-4 records and an 0-1 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference.
And while Eastern Illinois may not necessarily look like the same team as during the Tony Romo or Jimmy Garoppolo days, the Panthers are still very good offensively, which makes Saturday's contest the very definition of a trap game.
Kickoff on Saturday is scheduled for a 6:05 p.m. start. Roger Ealey and Buddy Pearson will provide the call on 98.5 KISS FM and the Golden Eagle Sports Network, while Dylan Vazzano, Sam Brooks and Wayne Anderson will handle the video broadcast duties on ESPN+ (subscription required).
Looking at Eastern Illinois' schedule, there's only one game where the Panthers weren't able to put up good numbers, falling 48-10 to Illinois State, a team currently ranked No. 9 in the STATS Football Championship Subdivision poll and No. 10 in the American Football Coaches Association FCS Coaches Poll.
Eastern Illinois has won the last six meetings in the series with Tech's last win coming in 2011 – the same year the Golden Eagles won a share of the OVC title and reached the FCS playoffs for the first time. EIU won last year's meeting 24-23 as the Golden Eagles missed a potential game-winning 51-yard field goal in the closing seconds.
Against Arkansas in their season opener, EIU posted 20 points against the Football Bowl Subdivision squad, while giving up 55 to the team out of the Southeastern Conference. Against Indiana State, the Panthers fell 55-41.
But last week's OVC opener against Tennessee State was a heartbreaker for EIU as the Tigers blocked a go-ahead and potentially game-winning 47-yard field goal with under two minutes remaining in the contest. The Panthers saw a 24-3 first-half lead over TSU disappear.
Even in the losing effort, the Panthers put up great offensive numbers as Johnathan Brantley threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns on 25-of-43 passing. Alexander Hollins, who had a fantastic game against the Golden Eagles last season with 125 yards and three touchdowns on five catches, caught eight passes for 132 yards and a score against the Tigers.
Hollins is currently the top receiver in the OVC, averaging 125 yards per game. He has 500 yards and seven touchdowns on 34 catches. The next closest receiver is Jacksonville State's Josh Pearson with 362 yards and five touchdowns.
Hollins also is tied for the lead the OVC in scoring with 42 points, averaging 10.5 points per game.
In total offense, the Panthers rank third in the OVC, averaging 420 yards per game. Tech is eighth, averaging 298.5. On the other end of the spectrum, however, EIU and Tech rank eighth and ninth in total defense, allowing an average of 524 and 543 yards a game respectively.
Those numbers are a bit skewed because of the games the teams have played early on. Tech's first four opponents include three teams ranked in both FCS polls and an explosive Utah State offense that is ranked seventh in the FBS in scoring offense at 51.5 points a game. EIU faced Arkansas, rivals Illinois State and Indiana State and a Tennessee State team that was well-rested after two games cancelled by weather.
EIU is allowing 7.2 yards per play, Tech 7.6. When it comes to opponents' average starting field position, both teams are pretty close with EIU giving the other team the ball about the opponents' 35, Tech on the opponents' 37.
One interesting comparison is where those yards are coming from. On rushing defense, EIU ranks sixth, allowing 214.2 yards on the ground per game, while Tech is ninth – 319.0 yards on average on the ground, especially after facing a triple-option attack like Kennesaw State and a Jacksonville State team that traditionally runs the ball well.
On passing defense, the Golden Eagles are third in the OVC, allowing 224 yards through the air, while the Panthers are ninth, allowing 309.8 yards per game. But again, the numbers are skewed based on the opponents' different styles of play.
One advantage Tech does have is in the kicking game. Tech's Nick Madonia has the two longest field goals in the FCS this season, as well as the second-longest in all of Division I with his 54-yarder at Utah State and 53-yarder last week at Jacksonville State. Madonia now has his name attached to the three longest field goals in Tennessee Tech history.
Madonia is currently the second-best kicker in the league by percentage, going 8-for-11 this season for a 72.7 percent mark, averaging two made per game. Nick Bruno, EIU's top kicker, is eighth in the conference with a 2-for-3 effort, while Matt Severino is 1-for-4.
Defensively, Tech has two of the top 10 tacklers in the conference with Josh Poplar (36 tackles) and Shannon Fayne (34), while EIU's top stopper is 11th with Joe Caputo making 31 tackles. That said, Dytarious Johnson is fourth in the league in tackles for-loss with 4.5 for 10 yards.
Saturday's game is Family Weekend, while the game will also feature the rescheduled Running of the Freshmen before the start of the contest, leading the team onto the field. Presentations honoring the Tech baseball and men's tennis championships, as well as a recognition celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Tech volleyball team's 2008 OVC championship will be held at halftime.
Following the game, as part of the University's Family Weekend celebration, the film "Hocus Pocus" will be shown on the videoboard.
Tickets for Saturday's game are on sale. Visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or TTUsports.com or call (931) 372-3940 to order.
