After three weeks, the Eastern football team likely didn’t realize running the ball would be such an issue.

Junior running back Mon Williams plowed his way to 319 total yards in decisive victories over Illinois State, Indiana State and Southeast Missouri.

But since then, it’s been a struggle.

Williams has gained only 186 total yards in the past three games against Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky and Penn State, and the Panthers have gone 1-2 during that stretch.

More so, the Panthers have gained 159 net yards rushing over those three games, with quarterback sacks factored into that total.

In Saturday’s 23-15 victory over Tennessee Tech, the Panthers seemed to get back on track.

While Williams finished with a 2.8 yards-per-carry average, he had 81 net yards and a touchdown. The Panthers finished with 166 rushing yards for the game, more than their last three weeks combined.

“I think we ran the ball a little bit more effectively this time,” Eastern head coach Bob Spoo said.

But perhaps even more importantly for the Panthers is the fact their offense kept control of the ball. Eastern offensive coordinator Roy Wittke said before the game, he wanted to see his unit increase its plays per game to the 75-80 range.

The Panthers finished with 81 offensive plays in the game, controlling the ball for 43 of the 60 minutes.

“It’s lovely. We love to stay off the field,” junior cornerback Rashad Haynes said after the win. “We love when (the offense) just dominates and we came on the field, get three-and-outs, and they just do whatever they have to do to score.”

The Panthers ran 52 of their offensive plays on the ground, but averaged just 3.2 yards per rush.

While they established control of the game early with the run, a majority of those plays came toward the end when Eastern was trying to run the clock down and protect its lead.

“We’re at our best when the offense can stay on the field and just run the ball the whole game,” Haynes said. “We love it.”

Along with Williams, three other Panthers saw substantial gains running the football.

Senior quarterback Jake Christensen found himself in scrambling situations nine times and gained 40 yards, junior running back Chevon Walker had 11 carries for 32 yards, and sophomore running back Jimmy Potempa finished with two carries for 15 yards.

The Panthers return to action Saturday at 1 p.m. when they travel to face Jacksonville State.

Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.

Junior running back Mon Williams runs the ball down the field during the game against Tennessee Tech Saturday at O’Brien Field.(Audrey Sawyer/The Daily Eastern News)

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