Michigan State Bounces Illinois, EIU Wins Again

Illinois No Match For MSU

(Champaign, IL) -- Illinois booted an early field goal before it was run over in a 42-3 loss to Michigan State Saturday.  Nate Scheelhaase threw for 103 yards and an interception as the Fighting Illini fell to 3-4 with an 0-3 Big Ten record. The Illini play at Penn State next week.

EIU Outplays Tennessee State

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Eastern Illinois defense outplayed Tennessee State’s offense as the No. 2 ranked Panthers picked up a 34-16 victory over the No. 21 ranked Tigers at LP Field on Saturday.

EIU improved to 7-1 overall, 4-0 in the OVC and remains the last unbeaten team in the conference championship race.  TSU fell to 7-2 overall, 4-1 in the OVC.

EIU scored on three plays on its first drive as Jimmy Garoppolo hit Keiondre Gober for a 61-yard score, Garoppolo’s sixth 60-yard touchdown pass this season.  Garoppolo would add a 34-yard touchdown pass to Jeff LePak in the second quarter to extend EIU’s lead to 21-3 at the half.  Garoppolo hit LePak on a hail mary as time expired in the first half and the 6’6” junior receiver was stopped at the 1-yard line.

Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo connected with three different receivers for more than 100 yards each during Saturday’s win over No. 21 Tennessee State.  On Sunday Garoppolo and one of those receivers, junior wide receiver Jeff LePak, were honored as the Ohio Valley Conference as the Offensive Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week.

EIU which is ranked No. 2 in the nation will host Tennessee Tech on Saturday for the Panthers Hall of Fame Game at O’Brien Field.  Kickoff is 12 p.m. with tickets available by calling 217-581-2106 or online at www.eiupanthertickets.com  EIU improved to 7-1 overall, 4-0 in the OVC as the Panthers are the lone remaining unbeaten team in the conference championship race.

Garoppolo set the OVC single-season touchdown passes record as No. 2 Eastern Illinois stayed perfect in the OVC with a 34-16 victory over No. 21 Tennessee State in Nashville. Against the No. 2 ranked defense nationally, Garoppolo completed 24-of-41 passes for 410 yards and four touchdowns and helped the Panthers rack up 567 yards of total offense in the game (200 yards more than TSU had given up to any other team this season). His fourth touchdown of the game was the 35th of the season for the Walter Payton Award candidate, breaking the previous OVC single-season record of 34 set by Tony Romo in 2002 (when he won the Payton Award). Garoppolo also set the OVC career record for pass attempts in the game and now has 1,432 attempts for his career. Garoppolo continues to rank first nationally in both passing yards (3,145) and touchdowns (35); the 35 touchdowns are the most of any Division I player (FBS or FCS). It marks the sixth time this season Garoppolo has been named OVC Offensive Player of the Week, which is one off the OVC record held by Ryan Perrilloux (2009); Garoppolo has earned the award eight times in his career, one off the record held by three players (Perrilloux, Romo and EKU’s Markus Thomas).

LePak, a transfer from Baylor was one of three Eastern Illinois receivers to finish with 100 or more receiving yards (the second time that has happened in EIU history as the No. 2 ranked Panthers went on the road to beat No. 21 Tennessee State, who had entered the game with the No. 2 defense in the FCS. LePak caught four passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. He hauled in a 34-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to put the Panthers up 21-3 and added a 25-yard score midway through the fourth quarter to make the margin 34-10. LePak also caught a 54-yard Hail Mary pass at the goal line right before halftime, but his momentum kept him half a yard out of the end zone.

N'Western Falls To Iowa

(Iowa City, IA) -- Northwestern rallied to tie the game late but ultimately fell 17-10 in overtime to Iowa Saturday. Stephen Buckley ran for 99 yards while Kain Colter threw for 104 yards and a score. The Wildcats fell to 4-4 with an 0-4 Big Ten record. The 'Cats play at Nebraska next week.

Notre Dame Rolls Air Force

(U.S. Air Force Academy, CO) -- Tommy Rees threw for 284 yards and five touchdowns as Notre Dame rolled to a 45-10 win over Air Force on Saturday. T.J. Jones caught seven balls for 104 yards and a score as the Fighting Irish moved to 6-2. The Irish moved into the BCS Standings at 25th and host Navy next week.

Oregon Jumps FSU In BCS Rankings

Oregon has leapfrogged Florida State in the latest BCS Standings. The Ducks jumped into the number-two spot behind top-ranked Alabama after a dominating win over UCLA Saturday. The Seminoles are down to third despite handing NC State a lopsided loss. Ohio State and Stanford round out the top-five.