Eastern Illinois redshirt junior wide receiver Jeremy Reeves was one of four different Panthers who caught a touchdown pass in Saturday’s 45-16 win over
Eastern Illinois beat UT Martin 45-16 on Saturday in Martin, Tennessee, snapping a stretch in which the Skyhawks had held the edge in the series.
The Panthers scored on their first drive, led the entire game and finished with 552 total yards.
Here are some takeaways after the game:
552 total yards for EIU:
Eastern Illinois averaged 8.8 yards per play, compared to 341 total yards for UT Martin.
The Panthers ran for 283 yards and threw for 269, a balance head coach Chris Wilkerson said had been missing.
“We want to be balanced, and we haven’t been balanced enough certainly through the first part of the conference schedule,” he said.
Redshirt junior quarterback Cole LaCrue said the plan was to attack a defense that is “based on stopping the run, forcing us to pass.”
7-for-11 EIU’s third-down conversions:
The Panthers were a perfect 5-for-5 on third down in the first quarter and led 14-0 after one.
UT Martin finished just 3-for-11.
Wilkerson said the defense “was able to get off the field on the conversion downs this evening at a higher clip.”
He also admitted third down “has been a problem for us recently,” which EIU fixed Saturday.
4 touchdowns and 112 rushing yards LaCrue’s day:
LaCrue went 20-of-31 for 269 yards and four touchdown passes.
He also ran 12 times for 112 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
“I think he was pretty doggone good tonight,” Wilkerson said.
LaCrue made it clear which skill he values most: “I wanna be the best passer there is. But that’s why I have my legs, right?”
190 all-purpose yards for Jacarre Fleming-Page:
Fleming-Page ran six times for 98 yards, with runs of 44 and 58 yards, and caught two passes for 75 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown.
His 58-yard run late in the second quarter set up the score that made it 24-13 at the half.
“You’ve got a guy like Smoke [Fleming-Page] who certainly hasn’t played probably as much as he would like, and he rushes for almost 100 yards and provides some massive explosive plays in the running game,” Wilkerson said.
105 UT Martin’s passing yards:
The Skyhawks did run for 236 yards, including a 50-yarder by Jaydon Peete, but they went 14-of-28 through the air and were sacked twice.
Both of their interceptions came in the fourth quarter, and Makhi Wilson’s 46-yard return with 1:31 left sealed it.
Wilkerson pointed to plays that don’t show up as big numbers: “When you tip a pass and then we’re able to intercept it, or you tip a pass and it’s just as good as a sack on a third down where they have to punt.”
EIU had seven pass breakups, and UT Martin never scored through the air.
21-3 EIU’s edge after halftime:
The Panthers led 24-13 at the break, then outscored UT Martin 21-3 in the second half and shut them out in the fourth quarter.
LaCrue said the win meant extra because they scheduled Eastern for homecoming and said that the Panthers took that personally.
Wilkerson said the Panthers played with class, pride, and a toughness about themselves.
Eastern Illinois is set to play Western Illinois next week at O’Brien Field. A team Wilkerson said that has “improved very much on defense.”
Kickoff is at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Payton Liggins can be reached at [email protected].