The last time Eastern and Indiana State met on the football field the Panthers’ ground game led Eastern to a victory.

Eastern beat Indiana State 54-20 last season as eight Eastern players combined for 311 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns.

Eastern’s rushing offense got a slow start this season at Central Michigan, but picked up speed against Illinois this weekend. If history repeats itself, it will be the Panthers’ ground game that is utilized the most when Eastern (0-2) plays Indiana State at 6 p.m. Saturday at O’Brien Stadium.

Indiana State head coach Trent Miles said Eastern’s ground game would be tough to defend against. He said the Panthers (0-2) are talented up front on the offensive line, and Eastern has patience and sticks with running the football.

“They’re going to run the football and play action pass you,” Miles said. “I like their offensive line – they’re strong, and they’ve got good size. We haven’t stopped the run in about four years.”

The Sycamores (0-1) gave up 413 rushing yards and six touchdowns in their season-opening loss at Eastern Michigan – a Football Bowl Subdivision team – on Aug. 28. But the Sycamores have struggled with their run defense.

Indiana State has given up more than 200 yards rushing per game the last four seasons with 305.9 yards per game in 2007, 301.4 yards per game in 2006, 257.4 yards per game in 2005 and 211.7 yards per game in 2004.

Despite Eastern’s success on the ground last year against the Sycamores, Eastern head coach Bob Spoo said Indiana State was an entirely different team.

“I think they’re a better football team,” Spoo said. “They’re kind of scary because they’re playing some young guys. I’m happy to be home and playing our first home game.”

Eastern offensive line coach/run game coordinator Jeff Hoover agreed with Spoo that Indiana State is a different team – in terms of players and defensive schemes.

Those schemes are coming from former Eastern assistant and current Indiana State defensive coordinator Shannon Jackson.

“My familiarity with Shannon Jackson, he’s going to have some different ways to stop the run than they had a year ago,” Hoover said. “I’m expecting it to be a dogfight.”

But the Sycamores are a young team.

Miles said he had nine true freshmen on the field at one point during Indiana State’s game against Eastern Michigan.

Miles said his coaching staff is trying to instill a strong work ethic in his young team as a means to motivate them to want to win.

Indiana State has won just one game in the past four seasons (including this year), and the Sycamores five-year record is 5-39.

“We’re trying to get a win someway, somehow,” Miles said. “Losing is a very difficult thing. It breeds like a disease. Every time you win you get confidence. Right now it’s kind of hard to have confidence when you’re 1-39 in your last 40 games.”

Spoo said he was sure Indiana State was using its game against Eastern as motivation because playing and possibly beating a nationally ranked team would compare to Eastern playing Central Michigan and Illinois.

“That’s why I’m always leery of these games when the teams are down,” Spoo said. “The one thing they do extremely well I think is play hard. I think our team has to respect them for what they can bring to the table Saturday.”

Eastern freshman running back Desmin Ward will continue to get playing time as an injury to red-shirt senior Norris Smith and the final game of a three-game suspension to red-shirt sophomore Chevon Walker will keep the Panthers’ backfield depth to a minimum.

“My main thing is: forget about the carries,” Ward said. “I just want to get a win under our belts. If I get a lot of carries that’s good, but as long as we get a win that’s No. 1.”

Scott Richey can be reached at 581-7944 or at srrichey@eiu.edu.

Links:

Ward profile

http://www.eiupanthers.com/roster.asp?playerid=577&sport=4

Hoover profile

http://www.eiupanthers.com/bio.asp?staffid=51

Spoo profile

http://www.eiupanthers.com/bio.asp?staffid=48

Walker profile

http://www.eiupanthers.com/roster.asp?playerid=552&sport=4

Freshmen running back Desmin Ward gets hugged by junior offensive lineman Chaz Millard after scoring a touchdown against Illinois on Sept. 6, at Memorial Stadium. The Panthers play Indiana State on Saturday. (Amir Prellberg / The Daily Eastern News)

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