Panthers slop by SE in game of pigskin

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- A passing attack? Who needs it? Certainly not Eastern Illinois, even though the Panthers possess quarterback Tony Romo, second in the nation in passing efficiency and the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

But with the weather conditions horrible for Saturday's Ohio Valley Conference football game against visiting Southeast Missouri State University -- torrential rain made the O'Brien Stadium field a huge mud bowl -- the Panthers decided to lean on their powerful ground game, with a major assist from their defense.

And that combination paid major dividends for the Panthers as they remained atop the OVC standings.

Stunningly, EIU did not attempt a pass the entire game -- that's right, zero attempts -- as it sloshed to a 12-0 victory over the Indians in front of 2,386 water-logged homecoming fans.

The Panthers, ranked 10th nationally in NCAA Division I-AA, improved to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in OVC play. The Indians fell to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in the league.

"No big deal. A win's a win," said EIU coach Bob Spoo of his team's not passing even once. "I don't worry about those stats. That's not my bag."

As efficient and solid as Romo is, the Panthers didn't need him Saturday. EIU piled up 313 yards rushing, with tailback J.R. Taylor doing most of the damage. Taylor powered his way to 241 yards on 37 carries and he scored both the Panthers' touchdowns.

"It was all the offensive line," said Taylor. "In this kind of weather, I really couldn't cut so if the holes weren't there I wouldn't have been able to do much."

Taylor, who recorded the fourth-best single-game rushing performance in EIU history, smiled when he was asked if Romo was bothered by not getting to do his thing.

"I think Tony was having fun out there," Taylor said. "He's the kind of guy that might come back and throw for 500 yards and seven touchdowns next game."

Said Southeast coach Tim Billings, whose squad relies heavily on its passing attack but was limited to just 47 yards passing and 156 total yards, "They're built for power and mud. Taylor is a big, strong guy and he's got big, strong guys in front of him. When it started pouring down, it was made for them."

Spoo didn't dispute that.

"Maybe the weather was our ally, just because they couldn't throw the ball as well as they have in the past," he said.

The Panthers scored the only touchdown they would need early in the game. With Southeast going against a 35-mile-per-hour wind to start the contest, the Indians were forced to punt from their 35-yard line on their opening possession.

But Kyle East's kick -- which was partly shanked and partly knocked back by the wind -- traveled just three net yards before sailing out of bounds, setting the Panthers up at the Southeast 38.

Five plays later, the Panthers were in the end zone thanks to Taylor's 7-yard run with 8:06 left in the first quarter. A mishandled snap foiled the PAT attempt, leaving EIU ahead 6-0.

EIU had two more golden opportunities to pad its lead early in the contest. First, Southeast cornerback Dimitri Patterson recovered a fumble after the Panthers had driven inside the Indians' 15. Then EIU was stopped on downs after moving near the Southeast 20.

Then it was the Indians' turn to have the wind at their backs and they threatened the end zone twice in the second quarter. First, on fourth down, Southeast was stopped inches short of a first down at the EIU 23. Then the Indians moved to the EIU 17, but the Panthers recovered a fumble on a mishandled snap that never got to the quarterback.

"We had some opportunities that we couldn't take advantage of," Billings said.

Trailing 6-0 at halftime, Billings knew it was important for the Indians to make something happen with the wind in the third quarter. But the Panthers controlled the ball and the clock for virtually the entire period, even though they missed a chance to score again when they mishandled the snap on a 26-yard field-goal try.

Finally, the Panthers got the insurance touchdown they were desperately craving. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Taylor broke loose on third-and-one play for a 57-yard TD scamper. A run for two points failed, but EIU led 12-0.

The Panthers' defense never allowed the Indians to mount a serious scoring threat the rest of the way.