Eastern football is relevant for the first time since its 2009 Ohio Valley Conference championship season.

The Panthers have opened the new era with a 2-2 overall record and a 1-0 start in conference play. First-year head coach Dino Babers has implemented an up-tempo offense that is among the nations best in scoring and offensive production.

In Eastern’s season opening win over in-state rival Southern Illinois-Carbondale, the Panthers saw a career-performance from junior quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He threw for a then career-best 369 yards and five touchdowns en route to the 49-28 win.

Garoppolo was named the National Offensive Player of the Week by the Sports Network and also garnered OVC Player of the Week honors for his week one performance.

Along with Garoppolo’s five touchdown passes, the Panthers had two other players throw touchdown passes as red-shirt junior wide receiver Erik Lora and red-shirt sophomore tight end Sam Hendricks each threw touchdown passes in the win. Lora led all receivers with 13 catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns in his first game since the 2010 season.

The following week, Eastern faced off against its lone FBS opponent, Western Michigan. The Panthers held tough through the first quarter, but the high-powered Bronco offense rattled off 28 unanswered points in the second quarter en route to the picking up the 52-21 win.

Garoppolo threw for 225 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions against Western Michigan. Lora surpassed the 100-yard mark for the second straight game, totaling 115 yards on five catches.

In week three, the Panthers faced off against in-state rival Illinois State in the 101 meeting of the Mid-America Classic. The game was an instant classic with the Redbirds coming away with a 54-51 victory in double overtime.

Garoppolo threw for a career-best 387 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Illinois State quarterback Matt Brown threw for a career-high 473 yards and five touchdowns.

In week four, Eastern’s most recent game, it hosted Murray State in the OVC opener. The Panthers again found themselves in an overtime battle, but got the desired result against the Racers, recording a 50-49 upset win in overtime.

The come-from-behind win was highlighted by a gutsy two-point conversion call that had Lora throwing the game-winning pass to red-shirt senior wide receiver Von Wise.

Along with throwing the game-winning pass, Lora broke a 43-year-old record for receptions in a game. Lora’s 21 catch, 269-yard performance also set program records for catches and receiving yards in a game. He was named Co-National Player of the Week by the Sports Network and College Sporting News for his record-breaking performance.

As a team, the Panthers rank among the best in the nation in offensive production. They rank fourth nationally in passing offense, seventh in scoring offense and eighth in total offense.

In the OVC, the Panthers boast one of the most prolific offensive attacks, averaging 50 points per game. They also lead the conference in touchdowns and rank second in total offense and third in total offensive yards.

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