EASTERN ILLINOIS AT TENNESSEE TECH
Saturday, Nov. 23 | 12 p.m. | Tucker Stadium | Cookeville, Tenn.
LIVE STATS | VIDEO | AUDIO | GAME NOTES
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Saturday could be a huge day for the Tennessee Tech football team. Depending on what happens Saturday at Tucker Stadium when the Golden Eagles host Eastern Illinois, as well as in Nashville and Martin, it could be championship-worthy.
It all starts in Cookeville though as the 6-5 Golden Eagles host the 3-8 Panthers. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:02 p.m.
Roger Ealey and Marcelo Metzelar will have the call on 106.1 The Eagle, while Dylan Vazzano and Sam Brooks will narrate the action on ESPN+ (subscription required).
Saturday's game is also Senior Day with 14 Golden Eagles expected to be honored for their contributions to the program. It is also Purple Pride Day with fans encouraged to wear purple, while vouchers for a free T-shirt will also be available while supplies last.
The Golden Eagles are hot right now, winning four straight games for the first time since 2011, and can win five straight in the same season for the first time since 1999. In that span of victories over Charleston Southern (28-23), Lindenwood (52-10), Samford (27-7) and UT Martin (10-9), Tech has allowed just 59 total points, 953 yards of offense and 252 rushing yards – 63.0 per game.
After earning the Sergeant York Trophy for the first time since the Spring 2021 season and the first time outright since 2009, Tech will have an opportunity Saturday to play for another championship – the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association crown.
There are a lot of pieces in play to make it happen though. If No. 12 Southeast Missouri defeats Tennessee State, the Redhawks will claim the Big South-OVC title outright. If Tennessee State wins, while the Golden Eagles and UT Martin fall to their respective opponents, the Tigers will go to the playoffs with the automatic bid and share the conference title with SEMO.
If TSU beats SEMO, Tech beats Eastern Illinois and UT Martin beats Lindenwood, it will be a four-way tie between SEMO, Tech, TSU and UT Martin with the Redhawks going to the FCS Playoffs with the automatic bid.
For Tech to win a share of the conference crown and earn the league's automatic bid, the task is to defeat Eastern Illinois, while TSU must beat Southeast Missouri and Lindenwood must defeat UT Martin.
It's a tall order, but it is definitely in the realm of possibility. Lindenwood stands as SEMO's lone conference defeat of the season, even if the Lions will be heading into Martin territory with the Skyhawks still smarting from their 10-9 loss last weekend to the Golden Eagles where UTM put together just 185 yards of offense. Southeast Missouri has won the last five meetings against Tennessee State, but this is a surging Tigers team looking to win their eighth game of the season for the first time since 2013.
The biggest thing for the Golden Eagles is to control what they can control. While a win itself over the Panthers can not guarantee a share of the championship, it will give Tech seven wins in a season for the first time since the 2011 season and the 17th in the program's 103 seasons of play with seven or more wins.
The Panthers had a six-game losing streak during the current campaign, but EIU will head into Cookeville with two wins in the last three games as the Panthers topped Western Illinois 45-38, fell 31-28 at Gardner-Webb and won 16-13 in overtime against Charleston Southern. Those two victories were both at O'Brien Field.
EIU is 0-6 on the road this season, starting with a 45-0 loss at Illinois and 31-7 loss at Northwestern for the Football Bowl Subdivision portion of the slate. The Panthers fell 31-7 at Illinois State, then 41-17 at Tennessee State and 52-17 at UT Martin.
It's not for lack of offense – the Panthers are averaging 351.5 yards of offense per game, most of it on the passing attack with 275.7 yards per game with 19 aerial touchdowns. While EIU's rushing attack has collected only 833 yards on the ground – an average of 75.7 yards per game – the Panthers still have picked up eight rushing scores.
Turnovers have not helped the situation as EIU's opponents have scored 82 points off of 18 turnovers – 13 interceptions and five lost fumbles.
The EIU defense is allowing an average of 415.5 yards – 153.0 on the ground and 261.5 through the air. They have ceded 48 total touchdowns – 30 passing and 18 rushing – and allowed an average of 33.5 points per game.
Pierce Holley has thrown for 2,996 yards and all 19 passing scores on 235-of-388 passing. Cooper Willman has been EIU's top receiver, catching 57 passes for 869 yards and eight touchdowns. M.J. Flowers has been the Panthers' top rusher, collecting 843 yards and seven touchdowns on 202 carries.
However, the Panthers have seen 39 sacks against for 284 yards, while also allowing 72 tackles-for-loss for 370 yards. The Golden Eagle defense has recorded 31 sacks for 208 yards and 82 tackles-for-loss for 329 yards – a matchup that might not be what Eastern Illinois wants to see to close out the campaign.
In contrast, EIU has sacked opposing quarterbacks just 13 times for 85 yards, while tackling behind the line of scrimmage 57 times for 175 total yards.
Anthony Shockey leads the team with 89 total tackles, while Nicholas Oliveira-Chace has the team lead in sacks with six and tackles-for-loss with nine. EIU has intercepted six passes and recovered two fumbles.
Tech, meanwhile, is 3-1 at home this season. The Golden Eagles are averaging 325.5 yards of offense with 160.1 on the ground and 165.5 through the air, while allowing 338.5 yards per game, 255.4 passing and 83.2 on the ground – ranking third in the FCS.
Jalen Mitchell leads Tech's rushing attack with 50 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, while Aidan Littles (389 yds.), Jordan Yates (203 yds.) and Tremel Jones (142 yds.) each have three rushing scores.
Dylan Laible has thrown for 825 yards and four touchdowns, while Jordyn Potts has thrown for 965 yards and six scores. D.J. Linkins leads Tech's receivers with 622 yards and three scores on 47 catches, while Ashton Maples has also caught three touchdown passes.
Dom LeBlanc leads the team in scoring with 57 points with 10 field goals and 27 PATs.
Tech has 15 interceptions this season with Tim Coutras and Omari Philyaw each picking off three, while Ty Moss and Cayman Spaulding have both returned one for six points.
Spaulding leads the Golden Eagle defense with 63 tackles with 10 for-loss and three sacks. Daniel Rickert, who was named the Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week, is tied with Spaulding with the most tackles-for-loss and took the team lead in sacks with six.
Tickets for Saturday's Senior Day contest are on sale now. Call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or order online at TTUsports.com.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
