The gap between time of possession and total number of plays helped propel the Broncos to victory on Saturday.

By the Numbers

The Broncos held the ball for nearly 40 minutes, which resulted in Western Michigan running 24 more plays than Eastern.

This allowed the Broncos to eclipse the 600-yard mark for total yards as they ran nearly 100 plays.

Western Michigan’s high-powered offense did the majority of its damage in the first half as red-shirt senior quarterback Alex Carder threw for 299 yards and five touchdowns in the opening 30 minutes of play.

For the game, the Broncos threw for 402 yards and gained 229 yards on the ground.

The Broncos also put constant pressure on the Panthers in the red zone, converting on eight of their 11 trips.

They recorded seven touchdowns and a field goal when they were inside the 20-yard line.

In the 20 minutes, the Panther offense was on the field they totaled 344 yards of offense.

Junior quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 225 yards and a touchdown.

His touchdown pass was highlighted by a diving catch by red-shirt senior Chris Wright.

His highlight touchdown grab resulted in him earning the No. 3 spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays on Saturday.

Although the Panthers did have success in the offensive game, they struggled on third down, converting just two of their 15 attempts.

“When you’re only completing half the passes you’re throwing, then you will have to throw quite a bit,” head coach Dino Babers said. “That’s going to cause you to have three-and-outs and to not have the tempo we need to be successful.”

For the game, the Broncos outgained the Panthers 631 to 344 in total offense. The wide margin in total yardage was purely a result of time of possession.

The Panther defense held the Bronco offense in-check for the first 15 minutes of play, but when fatigue set in, Western Michigan began to pull away.

Sports Network Top 25 Poll

Although the Panthers suffered a loss to BCS-member Western Michigan, they are still gaining recognition throughout the FCS.

The Panthers rank No. 47 in the nation as they are receiving recognition in the “other teams receiving votes” category.

Reigning national champion North Dakota State took over the top spot in the top 25 poll following their win over Colorado State.

Sam Houston, Montana State, James Madison and Youngstown round out the top five.

Eastern’s next opponent, Illinois State, is ranked No. 15 in the nation after improving to 2-0 with a win against Eastern Michigan.

The Panthers and the Red Birds will play each other on Saturday in Bloomington, Ill., in the 101st Mid-America Classic. Kick off is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Around the OVC

Austin Peay joined Eastern as the only other Ohio Valley Conference team to play a BCS-member school on Saturday.

The Governors lost to No. 16 Virginia Tech 42-7.

The Hokies were led by Logan Thomas’ 212 passing yards and two touchdowns.

The Morehead State Eagles faced off against a ranked FCS opponent and OVC-member school.

The Eagles lost to Eastern Kentucky 24-17.

Eastern Kentucky totaled 282 rushing yards with Walter Payton Award candidate Matt Denham rushing for a team-best 166 yards.

The Colonels limited Morehead State to just nine rushing yards in the win.

No. 24 ranked Jacksonville State was also in action on Saturday, defeating Chattanooga 27-24. Jacksonville State place kicker Griffin Thomas delivered the decisive blow, nailing a 37-yard field goal as time expired. It was his first game-winning kick of his career.

Jordan Pottorff can be reached at 581-2812 or jbpottorff@eiu.edu.