CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Gardner-Webb football team (3-2, 1-0 OVC/Big South) is set to take on Eastern Illinois (3-2, 2-0 OVC/Big South) on Saturday, October 11.
SERIES HISTORY WITH EASTERN ILLINOIS
Saturday's contest marks the 2nd all-time meeting between Gardner-Webb and the Panthers. The Runnin' Bulldogs picked up a 31-28 win over EIU in last year's meeting at Spangler Stadium. This will be the first game played in Charleston.
SCOUTING EIU
The Panthers are currently 3-2, coming off a 31-7 triumph over Tennessee State last weekend. As a team, Eastern Illinois averages 26.0 points, 174 rushing yards, and 10 passing yards per contest.
Three players have seen action at quarterback for EIU, with redshirt freshman Connor Wolf taking most of the snaps. Wolf has completed 54-of-86 passes (63%) for 747 yards and six touchdowns.
On the ground, redshirt junior Charles Kellom has rushed for a team-high 384 yards and three touchdowns, while Cole LaCrue has a team-leading five rushing touchdowns. Redshirt freshman Jacare Fleming has added a pair of rushing touchdowns.
Redshirt junior CJ Nelson leads the Panthers with 237 yards receiving to go along with two TDs. Graduate Cooper Willman leads the team with 14 receptions and 207 yards to go along with two scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, EIU's opponents average 24.8 points, 116 rushing, and 233 passing yards per game. Junior linebacker Ja'Wuan Nickson leads the team with 39 total tackles, 17 of the solo variety. Senior linebacker Tylan Foster has added 36 tackles and a team-high 4.0 tackles for loss. A trio of Panthers have recorded two sacks on the season. Junior safety Brandon Worsley has the team's lone interception.
Redshirt freshman kicker Drew Schiller is 4-for-5 on field goal attempts with a long of 43 yards while graduate punter Mason Miller is averaging 47.59 yards per punt.
Saturday's contest is set to start at 3 p.m. EST and will be streamed live on ESPN+ and can be found here. Live stats are also available at the following link.
