2024 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team

2024 Eastern Illinois Panthers football
2024 Eastern Illinois Panthers football
Conference	Big South–OVC
Record	2–8 (1–5 Big South–OVC)
Head coach	Chris Wilkerson (3rd season);
Offensive coordinator	Kyle Derickson (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Collin Geier (1st season)
Home stadium	O'Brien Field
	Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

2024 Big South–OVC football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 6 Southeast Missouri State	5	–	1	8	–	2
No. 19 UT Martin	5	–	1	7	–	3
Tennessee Tech	4	–	2	5	–	5
Tennessee State	4	–	2	7	–	3
Lindenwood*	4	–	3	5	–	6
Gardner–Webb	3	–	3	4	–	6
Western Illinois	2	–	4	3	–	7
Eastern Illinois	1	–	5	2	–	8
Charleston Southern	0	–	7	1	–	9

Note: Lindenwood ineligible for Big South–OVC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. As of November 10, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2024 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team will represent Eastern Illinois University as a member of the Big South–OVC Football Association during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Panthers are led by third-year head coach Chris Wilkerson, the Panthers play their home games at O'Brien Field located in Charleston, Illinois.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 29	8:00 p.m.	at Illinois*	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	L 0–45	43,849
September 7	6:00 p.m.	Indiana State*	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	ESPN+	W 27–20	7,222
September 14	6:30 p.m.	at Northwestern*	Martin Stadium Evanston, IL	BTN	L 7–31	10,631
September 21	6:00 p.m.	at No. 17 Illinois State*	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL	ESPN+	L 7–31	9,012
September 28	2:00 p.m.	Lindenwood	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	ESPN+	L 25–28	3,890
October 5	2:00 p.m.	No. 13 Southeast Missouri State	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	ESPN+	L 27–38	7,777
October 12	5:00 p.m.	at Tennessee State	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	ESPN+	L 17–41	7,875
October 26	2:00 p.m.	at UT Martin	Graham Stadium Martin, TN	ESPN+	L 17–52	4,109
November 2	2:00 p.m.	Western Illinois	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	ESPN+	W 45–38	5,369
November 9	12:30 p.m.	at Gardner–Webb	Ernest W. Spangler Stadium Boiling Springs, NC	ESPN+	L 28–31	2,451
November 16	12:00 p.m.	Charleston Southern	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	ESPN+
November 23	12:00 p.m.	at Tennessee Tech	Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN	ESPN+
*Non-conference game Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[1]^[2]

Game summaries

at Illinois (FBS)

Game One – Eastern Illinois Panthers (0–0) at Illinois Fighting Illini (FBS) (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eastern Illinois	0	0	0	0	0
Illinois (FBS)	14	17	7	7	45

at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL

Date: Thursday August 29, 2024
Game time: 9:00 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny, 82 °F (28 °C)
Game attendance: 43,849
Referee: Ron Snodgrass
TV announcers (BTN): Mark Followill (play-by-play), Jeremy Leman (analyst), and Kylen Mills (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

(4:15) ILL – Pat Bryant 15-yard pass from Luke Altmyer (David Olano kick (Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 5:12; Illinois 7–0)
(0:43) ILL – Tanner Arkin 5 yard pass from Luke Altmyer, David Olano kick (Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards, 1:49; Illinois 14–0)

Second quarter

(10:10) ILL – David Olano 39 yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 4:45; Illinois 17–0)
(4:43) ILL – Pat Bryant 28 yard pass from Luke Altmyer, David Olano kick (Drive: 2 plays, 29 yards, 0:38; Illinois 24–0)
(1:30) ILL – Malik Elzy 34 yard pass from Luke Altmyer, David Olano kick (Drive: 4 plays, 67 yards, 0:59; Illinois 31–0)

Third quarter

(7:04) ILL – Kaden Feagin run for 1 yd for a TD, David Olano kick (Drive: 9 plays, 86 yards, 4:40; Illinois 38–0)

Fourth quarter

(13:51) ILL — Josh McCray run for 6 yds for a TD, David Olano kick (Drive: 9 plays, 87 yards, 4:27; Illinois 45–0)

Statistics	EIU	ILL
First downs	9	27
Total yards	196	488
Rushing yards	49	246
Passing yards	147	242
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	16-32-2	21-29-0
Time of possession	23:59	36:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Illinois	Passing	Pierce Holley	16-32, 147 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	MJ Flowers	9 carries, 28 yards
	Receiving	DiAirious Smith	5 receptions, 63 yards
Illinois	Passing	Luke Altmyer	19-24, 213 yards, 4 TD
	Rushing	Kaden Feagin	16 carries, 108 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Pat Bryant	5 receptions, 63 yards, 2 TD

Indiana State

Game Two – Indiana State Sycamores (0–1) at Eastern Illinois Panthers (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Indiana State	0	13	0	7	20
Eastern Illinois	7	10	10	0	27

at O'Brien Field, Charleston, IL

Date: Saturday September 7, 2024
Game time: 6:00 PM
Game weather: Sunny, 65 °F (18 °C)
Game attendance: 7,222
Referee: Gabriel Tomlin
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	ISU	EIU
First downs	20	16
Total yards	334	354
Rushing yards	74	86
Passing yards	260	268
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	30–37–3	19–32–1
Time of possession	31:15	28:41

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Indiana State	Passing	Elijah Owens	30/37, 260 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Elijah Owens	12 carries, 44 yards
	Receiving	Rashad Rochelle	4 receptions, 45 yards, 1 TD
Eastern Illinois	Passing	Pierce Holley	19/32, 268 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	MJ Flowers	24 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Terrance Gipson	6 receptions, 100 yards

at Northwestern (FBS)

Game Three – Eastern Illinois Panthers (1–1) vs Northwestern Wildcats (FBS) (1–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eastern Illinois	0	7	0	0	7
Northwestern (FBS)	7	7	10	7	31

at Martin Stadium • Evanston, IL

Date: September 14, 2024
Game time: 6:30 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 10,631
Referee: Gregory Blum
TV announcers (BTN): Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play) and Matt Millen (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

(1:22) NU – Cam Porter 1 yard run, Jack Olsen kick (Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 4:57; NU 7–0)

Second quarter

(10:37) EIU – Eli Mirza 13 yard pass from Pierce Holley, Drew Schiller kick (Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 5:45; TIE 7–7)
(0:14) NU – Joseph Himon II 32 yard run, Jack Olsen kick (Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 1:33; NU 14–7)

Third quarter

(8:18) NU – Jack Olsen 46 yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 5:38; NU 17–7)
(2:39) NU – A.J. Henning 3 yard pass from Jack Lausch, Jack Olsen kick (Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 4:10; NU 24–7)

Fourth quarter

(6:58) NU – Marshall Lang 9 yard pass from Jack Lausch, Jack Olsen kick (Drive: 6 plays, 79 yards, 4:08; NU 31–7)

Statistics	EIU	NU
First downs	13	22
Total yards	207	450
Rushing yards	40	203
Passing yards	167	247
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	17–31–1	21–32–0
Time of possession	24:28	35:32

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Illinois	Passing	Pierce Holley	17/31, 167 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jay Pearson	8 carries, 29 yards
	Receiving	Cooper Willman	6 receptions, 66 yards
Northwestern	Passing	Jack Lausch	20/31, 227 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Cam Porter	15 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	A.J. Henning	7 receptions, 117 yards, 1 TD

at No. 17 Illinois State

Game Four – Eastern Illinois Panthers (1–2) vs No. 17 Illinois State Redbirds (2–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eastern Illinois	0	7	0	0	7
No. 17 Illinois State	14	7	3	7	31

at Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL

Date: September 21, 2024
Game time: 6:00 p.m.
Game weather: Cloudy, 83 °F (28 °C)
Game attendance: 9,012
Referee: Greg Gompf
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	EIU	ISU
First downs	9	28
Total yards	192	518
Rushing yards	105	253
Passing yards	87	265
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	12–22–2	22–28–1
Time of possession	24:03	35:57

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Illinois	Passing	Pierce Holley	10/19, 72 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	MJ Flowers	19 carries, 117 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Eli Mirza	2 receptions, 19 yards
Illinois State	Passing	Tommy Rittenhouse	17/22, 228 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Wenkers Wright	25 carries, 150 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Daniel Sobkowicz	7 receptions, 93 yards, 2 TD

Lindenwood

Game Five – Lindenwood Lions (1–3) at Eastern Illinois Panthers (1–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lindenwood	0	0	14	14	28
Eastern Illinois	14	3	0	8	25

at O'Brien Field • Charleston, IL

Date: Saturday September 28, 2024
Game time: 2:00 PM
Game weather: Cloudy, 73 °F (23 °C)
Game attendance: 3,890
Referee: Branden McCain
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	LIN	EIU
First downs	20	25
Total yards	453	458
Rushing yards	170	132
Passing yards	283	326
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	14–19–1	26–44–0
Time of possession	29:22	30:38

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Lindenwood	Passing	Nate Glantz	14/19, 283 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Cortezz Jones	20 carries, 104 yards
	Receiving	Jeff Caldwell	4 receptions, 115 yards, 4 TD
Eastern Illinois	Passing	Pierce Holley	26/43, 326 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	MJ Flowers	28 carries, 123 yards
	Receiving	Terrance Gipson	9 receptions, 93 yards

No. 13 Southeast Missouri State

Game Six – No. 13 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (4–1) at Eastern Illinois Panthers (1–4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 13 Southeast Missouri State	7	7	7	7	28
Eastern Illinois	0	7	7	13	27

at O'Brien Field, Charleston, IL

Date: Saturday October 5, 2024
Game time: 2:00 PM
Game weather: Sunny, 83 °F (28 °C)
Game attendance: 7,777
Referee: Drew Myers
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SEMO	EIU
First downs	26	19
Total yards	426	385
Rushing yards	61	19
Passing yards	364	366
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	30–43–1	27–42–0
Time of possession	34:02	25:58

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southeast Missouri State	Passing	Paxton DeLaurent	30/43, 364 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Darrell Smith	18 carries, 63 yards
	Receiving	Tristan Smith	8 receptions, 124 yards, 1 TD
Eastern Illinois	Passing	Pierce Holley	27/42, 366 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	MJ Flowers	14 carries, 48 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	MJ Flowers	11 receptions, 72 yards

at Tennessee State

Game Seven – Eastern Illinois Panthers (1–5) vs Tennessee State Tigers (4–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eastern Illinois	0	10	7	0	17
Tennessee State	0	20	14	7	41

at Nissan Stadium • Nashville, TN

Date: Saturday October 12, 2024
Game time: 5:00 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 10,715
Referee: Michael Lennie
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	EIU	TSU
First downs	23	20
Total yards	435	365
Rushing yards	75	128
Passing yards	360	237
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	30–51–1	21–33–0
Time of possession	31:54	28:06

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Illinois	Passing	Pierce Holley	28/46, 338 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	MJ Flowers	21 carries, 57 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Cooper Willman	8 receptions, 141 yards
Tennessee State	Passing	Draylen Ellis	20/32, 224 yards, 4 TD
	Rushing	Jaden McGill	9 carries, 47 yards
	Receiving	Karate Brenson	6 receptions, 121 yards, 1 TD

at UT Martin

Pregame line	Over/under
UT Martin –17	54.5

Game Eight – Eastern Illinois Panthers (1–6) vs UT Martin Skyhawks (4–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eastern Illinois	7	3	7	0	17
UT Martin	7	14	10	21	52

at Graham Stadium • Martin, TN

Date: Saturday October 26, 2024
Game time: 2:00 p.m.
Game weather: Cloudy, 67 °F (19 °C)
Game attendance: 4,109
Referee: Gabe Tomlin
TV: ESPN+

Game information

First quarter

(11:55) EIU – Cooper Willman 7 yard pass from Pierce Holley, Julian Patino kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:05; EIU 7–0)
(3:55) UTM – Max Dowling 33 yard pass from Kinkead Dent, Jaren Van Winkle kick (Drive: 2 plays, 33 yards, 0:44; TIE 7–7)

Second quarter

(13:36) UTM – Kinkead Dent 37 yard run, Jaren Van Winkle kick (Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 3:28; UTM 14–7)
(10:30) UTM – Patrick Smith 3 yard run, Jaren Van Winkle kick (Drive: 3 plays, 37 yards, 1:19; UTM 21–7)
(3:40) EIU – Julian Patino 19 yard field goal (Drive: 15 plays, 73 yards, 6:50; UTM 21–10)

Third quarter

(12:29) UTM – Patrick Smith 1 yard run, Jaren Van Winkle kick (Drive: 5 plays, 47 yards, 2:20; UTM 28–10)
(5:21) EIU – Alex Herrera 17 yard pass from Pierce Holley, Julian Patino kick (Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, 2:47; UTM 28–17)
(3:16) UTM – Jaren Van Winkle 31 yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 57 yards, 2:05; UTM 31–17)

Fourth quarter

(10:35) UTM – Max Dowling 21 yard pass from Kinkead Dent, Jaren Van Winkle kick (Drive: 5 plays, 87 yards, 3:06; UTM 38–17)
(9:37) UTM – Tyler Dostin 14 yard pass from Kinkead Dent, Jaren Van Winkle kick (Drive: 2 plays, 21 yards, 0:43; UTM 45–17)
(6:28) UTM – Jaylon Sharpe 72 yard interception return, Jaren Van Winkle kick (Drive: 8 plays, 45 yards, 3:09; UTM 52–17)

Statistics	EIU	UTM
First downs	23	20
Total yards	396	460
Rushing yards	48	212
Passing yards	348	248
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	36–54–3	16–23–0
Time of possession	32:16	27:44

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Illinois	Passing	Pierce Holley	36/54, 348 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	MJ Flowers	14 carries, 49 yards
	Receiving	Cooper Willman	11 receptions, 143 yards, TD
UT Martin	Passing	Kinkead Dent	16/22, 248 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Patrick Smith	13 carries, 87 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Max Dowling	3 receptions, 70 yards, 2 TD

Western Illinois

Game Nine – Western Illinois Leathernecks (3–5) vs Eastern Illinois Panthers (1–7) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Western Illinois	0	17	7	14	38
Eastern Illinois	7	10	14	14	45

at O'Brien Field • Charleston, IL

Date: Saturday November 2, 2024
Game time: 2:00 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny, 61 °F (16 °C)
Game attendance: 5,369
Referee: Michael Lennie
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WIU	EIU
First downs	24	22
Total yards	395	534
Rushing yards	86	196
Passing yards	309	338
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	29–43–0	19–27–0
Time of possession	30:30	29:30

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Illinois	Passing	Nathan Lamb	29/43, 309 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Cameren Smith	17 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Elijah Aragon	9 receptions, 83 yards, 1 TD
Eastern Illinois	Passing	Pierce Holley	19/27, 338 yards, 5 TD
	Rushing	MJ Flowers	27 carries, 194 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Alex Ginnever	6 receptions, 100 yards, 2 TD

at Gardner–Webb

Game Ten – Eastern Illinois Panthers (2–7) vs Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs (3–6) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eastern Illinois	0	7	7	14	28
Gardner–Webb	10	14	7	0	31

at Ernest W. Spangler Stadium • Boiling Springs, NC

Date: Saturday November 9, 2024
Game time: 12:30 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny, 67 °F (19 °C)
Game attendance: 2,451
Referee: Brad Carrell
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	EIU	GWEB
First downs	21	25
Total yards	465	464
Rushing yards	7	127
Passing yards	458	337
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	20–36–1	26–34–0
Time of possession	27:46	32:14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Illinois	Passing	Pierce Holley	20/36, 458 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	MJ Flowers	15 carries, 45 yards
	Receiving	Cooper Willman	11 receptions, 291 yards, 3 TD
Gardner–Webb	Passing	Tyler Ridell	26/34, 337 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Carson Gresock	9 carries, 50 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Taylor Shields	3 receptions, 86 yards

Charleston Southern

Game Eleven – Charleston Southern Buccaneers (1–9) vs Eastern Illinois Panthers (2–8) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Charleston Southern	0	0	0	0	0
Eastern Illinois	0	0	0	0	0

at O'Brien Field • Charleston, IL

Date: Saturday November 16, 2024
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	CSOU	EIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Charleston Southern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Eastern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Tennessee Tech

Game Twelve – Eastern Illinois Panthers (0–0) vs Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eastern Illinois	0	0	0	0	0
Tennessee Tech	0	0	0	0	0

at Tucker Stadium • Cookeville, TN

Date: Saturday November 23, 2024
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	EIU	TTU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tennessee Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

^ "2024 Eastern Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
^ "Eastern Illinois Panthers Schedule 2024". ESPN. Retrieved April 8, 2024.

This college football 2020s season article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] "2024 Eastern Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved April 8, 2024.

[2] "Eastern Illinois Panthers Schedule 2024". ESPN. Retrieved April 8, 2024.

[1]

[2]

v t e Eastern Illinois Panthers football
Venues	O'Brien Field (1970–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Illinois State: Mid-America Classic
Culture & lore	Billy the Panther
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold