UNI football opponent breakdown: Eastern Illinois
Pair of Panthers face off in FCS Playoffs first round at the UNI-Dome
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It’s playoff time in FCS once again, and for the first round this year in the UNI-Dome it’s a pair of Panthers vying for a trip to Portland State.
Northern Iowa welcomes Eastern Illinois, which finished the season with a 7-4 record spurred by a midseason five-game winning streak that ended against No. 1 Jacksonville State on Nov. 7. UNI and EIU were once conference foes in the former Gateway Conference, with the Cedar Falls Panthers holding an all-time record of 15-6-1 against the Charleston, Ill. Panthers.
Each week we’ll have the Panthers’ opponents schedule and results, its offensive and defensive outlook, highlight key players and offer a prediction with the help of a beat writer for the opposing team. This week it’s Justin Rust, who covers Eastern Illinois for the Journal-Gazette Times-Couriet in Charleston, Ill.
EASTERN ILLINOIS SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Sept. 5 at Western Illinois, L, 33-5
Sept. 12 at Northwestern, L, 41-0
Sept. 26 vs No. 5 Illinois State, L, 34-31 OT
Oct. 3 at Austin Peay, W, 40-16
Oct. 10 vs Southeast Missouri, W, 33-28
Oct. 17 at Tennessee State, W, 25-22 OT
Oct. 24 vs Tennessee Tech, W, 51-20
Oct. 31 at Murray State, W, 34-20
Nov. 7 vs No. 1 Jacksonville State, L, 24-3
Nov. 14 vs UT Martin, W, 23-21
Nov. 21 vs Eastern Kentucky, W, 21-7
Nov. 28 at No. 15 UNI
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
This is not an offense that will light up a football field, but it’s certainly effective.
Much like its purple and gold counterparts, EIU relies heavily on the run game, running a similar read-option-style offense out of the spread. The biggest advantage EIU has been able to gain this season has been up front, where an experienced offensive line has won most of the battles this season. EIU has averaged 182.1 yards per game rushing in the run-heavy offense, compared to just 154.5 through the air.
The Panthers in blue are very quick, athletic and can make people miss in space. Running back Devin Church is their leading running back, but also is a gifted pass-catcher. That adds a layer to their offense UNI hasn’t faced a ton, in that the read-option is bolstered by a safety valve for quarterback Jalen Whitlow. The style of play Saturday will look very similar offensively for both teams, with EIU wanting to play quick, but be sure they have what they’re looking for before they hit full stride.
Twenty total turnovers on offense don’t look great — 13 interceptions and seven lost fumbles — so an opportunistic UNI defense could take advantage.
From Rust on Eastern Illinois’ offensive outlook:
“The Panthers have relied on the ground game this year behind a solid offensive line. Devin Church, a transfer from Illinois, has been the main back and averaged 4.7 per carry, but the Panthers run 3 deep at running back with Shepard Little and Malik Harrison. Quarterback Jalen Whitlow is more than capable of running and the read option has gone for big plays the last two weeks. Whitlow hasn’t been sacked in seven straight games. The passing game is inconsistent, but James Brooks has the capabilities to be a big play wide receiver.”
DEFENSIVE OUTLOOK
Eastern Illinois finished second in the Ohio Valley Conference for a reason. In fact, they’re the Northern Iowa of that conference. EIU has an offense that doesn’t light up the field, but the defense is the engine that drives the train.
Those Panthers give up 352.5 yards per game — 161.3 on the ground and 191.2 through the air — but much of the yardage they give up comes as a result of over-aggressiveness and high-quality opponents early in the season. When UNI Coach Mark Farley was asked about the EIU defense on Monday, he said, “they’ve become much more effective in this last month in what they do.”
EIU sends a ton of different looks in the pass rush, using multiple blitz packages as its primary pass-rush method. Forcing opposing throwers into quick decisions has resulted in the secondary having a solid season, with 19 interceptions in 11 regular season games. That aggressiveness also resulted in 10 forced fumbles and 23 sacks of opposing quarterbacks as well.
EIU and UNI mirror each other in many ways, with the biggest difference defensively being EIU relies more on its linebackers — re: the blitzing — than UNI does, but that’s not to say the defensive line is peanuts. They “flat get after you,” according to Farley. This is not the same EIU team that was blasted by Western Illinois to start the season.
From Rust on Eastern Illinois’ defensive outlook:
“The Panthers are one of the top teams in the nation in tackles for loss and turnovers forced. Defensive lineman Dino Fanti, the co-OVC defensive player of the year, is undersized but plays all four positions and is disruptive at all four. He has 21 tackles for a loss on the season. Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill and has missed the last two games. He should be back and has 14.5 tackles for a loss on the season and usually has the assignment of keeping his eyes on a running quarterback, which the Panthers have seen plenty of. The Panthers are deep in the secondary and Jourdan Wickliffe has 5 interceptions on the season.”
KEY PLAYERS
Dino Fanti, DL — Fanti may only be fourth on the team in tackles, but he’s the most efficient of any defender EIU has. Of his 60 total tackles, 21 have been tackles for loss, and 7.5 of them have been sacks — both of which lead his team. He’s also got nine more quarterback hits and five forced fumbles. He’s a wrecking ball, and his objective is destroying offensive lines — something he’s done repeatedly.
Devin Church, RB — Church is the team’s leading rusher with 708 yards and eight touchdowns, with a 4.7 yards-per-carry average this season. He’s versatile runner that can catch passes out of the backfield, but also find a way to get yardage even in bad situations. He only has 38 negative yards all season, which, for a main tailback, suggests his shiftiness and field vision is exceptional.
Rust’s Eastern Illinois key players:
“DL Dino Fanti, LB Seth McDonald, QB Jalen Whitlow”
PREDICTION
This game will come down to which defense excels better than the other. Both teams force turnovers and both teams rely on the run, so they should be very familiar with what they see when they line up. What could sink the Panthers from Illinois are the turnovers. UNI’s offense hasn’t shown a penchant for turning the ball over of late, while EIU can’t really say the same. Whitlow has nine touchdowns to 12 interceptions, and he’s facing a secondary and defense that has the best turnover margin in the MVFC. If UNI’s defense continues on the path it ended the season with, and Aaron Bailey continues his effectiveness running, the purple Panthers should be heading west for the second round. Northern Iowa 27, Eastern Illinois 14.
From Rust:
“Eastern Illinois, 24-23.”
Pair of Panthers face off in FCS Playoffs first round at the UNI-Dome
http://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/uni-football-opponent-breakdown-eastern-illinois-20151127" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
It’s playoff time in FCS once again, and for the first round this year in the UNI-Dome it’s a pair of Panthers vying for a trip to Portland State.
Northern Iowa welcomes Eastern Illinois, which finished the season with a 7-4 record spurred by a midseason five-game winning streak that ended against No. 1 Jacksonville State on Nov. 7. UNI and EIU were once conference foes in the former Gateway Conference, with the Cedar Falls Panthers holding an all-time record of 15-6-1 against the Charleston, Ill. Panthers.
Each week we’ll have the Panthers’ opponents schedule and results, its offensive and defensive outlook, highlight key players and offer a prediction with the help of a beat writer for the opposing team. This week it’s Justin Rust, who covers Eastern Illinois for the Journal-Gazette Times-Couriet in Charleston, Ill.
EASTERN ILLINOIS SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Sept. 5 at Western Illinois, L, 33-5
Sept. 12 at Northwestern, L, 41-0
Sept. 26 vs No. 5 Illinois State, L, 34-31 OT
Oct. 3 at Austin Peay, W, 40-16
Oct. 10 vs Southeast Missouri, W, 33-28
Oct. 17 at Tennessee State, W, 25-22 OT
Oct. 24 vs Tennessee Tech, W, 51-20
Oct. 31 at Murray State, W, 34-20
Nov. 7 vs No. 1 Jacksonville State, L, 24-3
Nov. 14 vs UT Martin, W, 23-21
Nov. 21 vs Eastern Kentucky, W, 21-7
Nov. 28 at No. 15 UNI
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
This is not an offense that will light up a football field, but it’s certainly effective.
Much like its purple and gold counterparts, EIU relies heavily on the run game, running a similar read-option-style offense out of the spread. The biggest advantage EIU has been able to gain this season has been up front, where an experienced offensive line has won most of the battles this season. EIU has averaged 182.1 yards per game rushing in the run-heavy offense, compared to just 154.5 through the air.
The Panthers in blue are very quick, athletic and can make people miss in space. Running back Devin Church is their leading running back, but also is a gifted pass-catcher. That adds a layer to their offense UNI hasn’t faced a ton, in that the read-option is bolstered by a safety valve for quarterback Jalen Whitlow. The style of play Saturday will look very similar offensively for both teams, with EIU wanting to play quick, but be sure they have what they’re looking for before they hit full stride.
Twenty total turnovers on offense don’t look great — 13 interceptions and seven lost fumbles — so an opportunistic UNI defense could take advantage.
From Rust on Eastern Illinois’ offensive outlook:
“The Panthers have relied on the ground game this year behind a solid offensive line. Devin Church, a transfer from Illinois, has been the main back and averaged 4.7 per carry, but the Panthers run 3 deep at running back with Shepard Little and Malik Harrison. Quarterback Jalen Whitlow is more than capable of running and the read option has gone for big plays the last two weeks. Whitlow hasn’t been sacked in seven straight games. The passing game is inconsistent, but James Brooks has the capabilities to be a big play wide receiver.”
DEFENSIVE OUTLOOK
Eastern Illinois finished second in the Ohio Valley Conference for a reason. In fact, they’re the Northern Iowa of that conference. EIU has an offense that doesn’t light up the field, but the defense is the engine that drives the train.
Those Panthers give up 352.5 yards per game — 161.3 on the ground and 191.2 through the air — but much of the yardage they give up comes as a result of over-aggressiveness and high-quality opponents early in the season. When UNI Coach Mark Farley was asked about the EIU defense on Monday, he said, “they’ve become much more effective in this last month in what they do.”
EIU sends a ton of different looks in the pass rush, using multiple blitz packages as its primary pass-rush method. Forcing opposing throwers into quick decisions has resulted in the secondary having a solid season, with 19 interceptions in 11 regular season games. That aggressiveness also resulted in 10 forced fumbles and 23 sacks of opposing quarterbacks as well.
EIU and UNI mirror each other in many ways, with the biggest difference defensively being EIU relies more on its linebackers — re: the blitzing — than UNI does, but that’s not to say the defensive line is peanuts. They “flat get after you,” according to Farley. This is not the same EIU team that was blasted by Western Illinois to start the season.
From Rust on Eastern Illinois’ defensive outlook:
“The Panthers are one of the top teams in the nation in tackles for loss and turnovers forced. Defensive lineman Dino Fanti, the co-OVC defensive player of the year, is undersized but plays all four positions and is disruptive at all four. He has 21 tackles for a loss on the season. Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill and has missed the last two games. He should be back and has 14.5 tackles for a loss on the season and usually has the assignment of keeping his eyes on a running quarterback, which the Panthers have seen plenty of. The Panthers are deep in the secondary and Jourdan Wickliffe has 5 interceptions on the season.”
KEY PLAYERS
Dino Fanti, DL — Fanti may only be fourth on the team in tackles, but he’s the most efficient of any defender EIU has. Of his 60 total tackles, 21 have been tackles for loss, and 7.5 of them have been sacks — both of which lead his team. He’s also got nine more quarterback hits and five forced fumbles. He’s a wrecking ball, and his objective is destroying offensive lines — something he’s done repeatedly.
Devin Church, RB — Church is the team’s leading rusher with 708 yards and eight touchdowns, with a 4.7 yards-per-carry average this season. He’s versatile runner that can catch passes out of the backfield, but also find a way to get yardage even in bad situations. He only has 38 negative yards all season, which, for a main tailback, suggests his shiftiness and field vision is exceptional.
Rust’s Eastern Illinois key players:
“DL Dino Fanti, LB Seth McDonald, QB Jalen Whitlow”
PREDICTION
This game will come down to which defense excels better than the other. Both teams force turnovers and both teams rely on the run, so they should be very familiar with what they see when they line up. What could sink the Panthers from Illinois are the turnovers. UNI’s offense hasn’t shown a penchant for turning the ball over of late, while EIU can’t really say the same. Whitlow has nine touchdowns to 12 interceptions, and he’s facing a secondary and defense that has the best turnover margin in the MVFC. If UNI’s defense continues on the path it ended the season with, and Aaron Bailey continues his effectiveness running, the purple Panthers should be heading west for the second round. Northern Iowa 27, Eastern Illinois 14.
From Rust:
“Eastern Illinois, 24-23.”
