Panthers pounce on Redhawks from start

Eastern Illinois built a 28-point lead in the second quarter and beat Southeast 55-33

By Marty Mishow

Southeast Missourian

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- It didn't take long for the high-powered Eastern Illinois football team to explode against visiting Southeast Missouri State on Saturday afternoon.

The Redhawks were buried under the avalanche almost before they knew what hit them.

EIU went ahead 14-0 less than six minutes into the game and scored on its first five offensive possessions to lead 34-6 less than two minutes into the second quarter.

Southeast outscored the Panthers slightly the rest of the way -- thanks to a pair of touchdowns 21 seconds apart in the game's final two minutes -- but the damage had long been done.

"We didn't get started. It was 28 points [behind] in a hurry. That's a tough hill to climb," Southeast coach Tony Samuel said.

The final verdict was a 55-33 victory for the nation's third-ranked FCS squad in front of an announced 11,569 fans on EIU's homecoming -- the sixth-largest crowd in O'Brien Field history.

Defending Ohio Valley Conference champion EIU, which suffered its lone loss by four points to 23rd-ranked FBS program Northern Illinois, improved to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in OVC play. Southeast fell to 1-6 and 1-3.

"That's a very good team. It's an older team. You can see that," Samuel said.

EIU piled up nearly 300 yards of offense by the end of the first quarter and almost 500 yards by halftime, which ended with EIU ahead 41-20.

"They're a really good offense, but we could have played better as a defense," Southeast redshirt freshman linebacker Roper Garrett said. "They're a fast-paced offense. We weren't ready for the tempo at the beginning of the game. We had a lot of missed techniques and assignments."

The Panthers, content to primarily keep the ball on the ground and keep the clock moving in the second half, finished with 665 total yards, the most allowed by Southeast since the program moved up to the FCS level in 1991.

"They've got a good offense. They're a nice, tough team," Southeast junior wide receiver Spencer Davis said. "We let them get too far ahead of us. We fought hard. The effort was there."

EIU entered play averaging 46.8 points per game and an FCS-leading 584 yards per contest. The Panthers surpassed both figures Saturday.

All-American senior quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, regarded as an almost certain NFL draft pick, had his usual strong performance, although he was intercepted twice in the second half after being picked off only four times previously this season.

The strong-armed, 6-foot-3, 222-pound Garoppolo, who leads the nation in passing yards with 2,736 and touchdown passes with 31, was 22 of 30 for 367 yards and three touchdowns against Southeast.

Garoppolo, the OVC career record-holder in passing yards and touchdown passes, was largely on the money whether firing quick, short passes or deep balls. He finished the first half 18 of 21 for 310 yards and two scores.

"He's a very good quarterback, very accurate," Samuel said. "They've got a nice running game and a very good defense."

EIU, showing it is much more than simply a passing fancy, tacked on 283 yards rushing -- 177 in the first half.

Four of the Panthers' six first-half touchdowns came on runs, three by sophomore tailback Shepard Little. EIU had two 100-yard rushers, Little gaining 129 yards on 15 carries and junior Taylor Duncan adding 107 yards on 20 attempts.

"I tell you [media] guys all the time, the whole game of football is about physicality," EIU coach Dino Babers said. "No matter how successful you are throwing the ball, there comes a time in the game if you aren't able to run the ball you'll go back to the locker room with tears in your eyes."

EIU's six first-half touchdown drives covered, in order, 67, 82, 65, 71, 43 and 63 yards.

The Panthers needed only 31 total plays on those six possessions. Their quickest strike was a one-play, 82-yarder as Garoppolo hit junior wide receiver Adam Drake on a bomb that made it 14-0 just 5 minutes, 41 seconds into the game.

Southeast, which finished the day with 298 total yards -- 126 coming on the first career 100-yard rushing performance by sophomore tailback DeMichael Jackson -- had its moments.

But Southeast's offense, forced to punt on six of eight first-half possessions, simply couldn't keep up with EIU's offense. Not many squads can.

Jackson's career-long 43-yard run highlighted Southeast's 67-yard touchdown drive on its third possession, cutting the deficit to 14-6.

Sophomore quarterback Scott Lathrop hit Davis for a 15-yard score, but true freshman Alex Knight pushed the extra point wide. It was Southeast's six failed PAT this year and the Redhawks later botched the snap on another PAT.

Southeast, trailing 34-6 early in the second quarter, finally forced a punt on the Panthers' sixth possession. It turned into points for the Redhawks.

Junior linebacker David Smart blocked the punt, and junior college transfer cornerback Justin Elias scooped it up and raced 29 yards untouched to the end zone.

The Redhawks, down 41-13, scored their second offensive touchdown with just over six minutes left in the half on Jackson's 27-yard run. He also had another 27-yard burst on the 61-yard drive.

EIU went ahead 48-20 early in the third quarter and made it 55-20 in the closing minutes.

Southeast ended the day with a flurry, scoring on Davis' 93-yard kickoff return with 1:26 left and, after recovering a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, getting a 12-yard touchdown pass from Lathrop to sophomore wide out Paul McRoberts with 1:05 remaining.

"For the most part I thought we kept playing hard," Samuel said.