Redhawks blanked and blue

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Southeast Missouri State's offense was a picture of futility Saturday afternoon.

The result was another decisive loss on the road against one of the Ohio Valley Conference's perennial heavyweights.

Three weeks after losing by 31 points at Jacksonville State, the Redhawks were blanked 21-0 at defending OVC champion Eastern Illinois.

Southeast's defense did all it could to keep its team in the game as the Redhawks trailed just 14-0 late in the third quarter.

"They did a good job," Southeast coach Tony Samuel said of his defense. "They hung in there."

But an offense that managed only 101 total yards -- a season low -- was the primary culprit as the Redhawks fell to 3-2 overall and 1-2 in OVC play.

The 20th-ranked Panthers are 3-3 overall and 2-0 in the OVC after posting their 11th straight conference victory.

"They have a very good football team," Samuel said. "You have to give them their props."

Southeast was shut out for the first time since EIU turned the trick 12-0 in 2001 on a muddy field, also at O'Brien Stadium, which now has an artificial surface. Southeast has not won in Charleston as a Division I-AA program, losing all six meetings.

"We knew they'd be a tough defense and they had a good game plan," said quarterback Kevin Ballatore, who faced constant pressure and completed just 4 of 12 passes for 10 yards as the Redhawks had only 24 yards passing as a team. "You have to give them credit."

The Redhawks entered the game intent on slowing down EIU's vaunted rushing attack, which was leading the OVC with an average of 222.4 yards per game.

And the Redhawks pretty much were successful. EIU rushed for 190 yards, but 59 came on one play in the final minute by a backup.

Vincent Webb, the Panthers' star senior tailback, was limited to just 65 yards on 16 carries, a 4.1-yard average. He entered as the nation's third-leading rusher with an average of 135 yards per game, and he was gaining 6.3 yards per attempt.

"We felt if we'd stop the run, we'd have a chance to win," linebacker Adam Casper said.

By paying so much attention to the run -- which was understandable, considering that is the Panthers' bread and butter -- the Redhawks dared EIU to beat them through the air.

And the Panthers basically obliged, as Ball State transfer Cole Stinson shined in his first start for the Panthers.

It didn't hurt that he had the enormously talented Micah Rucker -- the two were high school teammates in Florida -- at his disposal.

Stinson, who had been intercepted four times in just 26 attempts prior to Saturday, completed 16 of 22 passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns -- all to Rucker, a 6-foot-6 Minnesota transfer.

Rucker caught 10 passes for 180 yards. He entered the contest leading the OVC with an average of 22.9 yards per reception. He now has nine touchdowns, tied for first in the league.

Rucker had touchdown receptions of 11 yards late in the first quarter, 15 yards late in the second quarter and 49 yards late in the third period. His first TD catch came despite tight double coverage, and he was also double-teamed on many of his other receptions throughout the day.

"He's good. He's so tall and he's a gifted athlete," Samuel said. "If you commit too many people to the run, he's a force."

Said safety Anthony Lumpkin: "He made some great plays. You can't take it away from him. We were all focused on the run, and he went up and got the ball."

Despite being totally shut down by EIU's defense in the first half -- Southeast had just 43 yards of offense compared to 205 for the Panthers --- the Redhawks trailed just 7-0 late in the second quarter.

But the Panthers, who finished the game with 398 total yards, drove 73 yards in the waning moments of the half and scored on Stinson's 15-yard pass to Rucker with 48 seconds remaining for a 14-0 lead.

Southeast's defense continued to hang tough in the second half, but the offense simply could not generate any consistency. The Redhawks had no first downs and zero net yards in the third quarter.

"We kept fighting. We were just trying to keep the team in the game," Casper said.

EIU finally put the Redhawks away when Rucker hauled in a 49-yard touchdown pass from Stinson with 1:02 left in the third quarter.

"It definitely helps that me and him have been together a long time," Rucker said of his prep teammate. "We have a good relationship and we go together pretty well."

The Redhawks had their best chance to score in the first 5 minutes of the game after Lumpkin recovered a fumble at the EIU 47-yard line.

Southeast drove as far as the 24-yard line but stalled. After a five-yard penalty, Colin Schermann missed a 46-yard field-goal attempt.

"Of course, if you can score early, it might make a difference," Ballatore said.

After that, the Redhawks never really came close to the goal line.

"I hope everybody's defenses aren't this good," said Samuel, referring not only to EIU but also Jacksonville State, which held Southeast to 163 yards during a 38-7 win on Sept. 16. "Because those are two great defenses."