Junior quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo leads the Panthers up-tempo offense.

He is a two-time national player of the week award winner, a two-time Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week recipient, and he was just recently named to the Walter Payton Award Watch List for the nation’s top FCS player.

This season, Garoppolo has posted career numbers under first-year head coach Dino Babers’ newly implemented offense. He ranks second in the nation in total offense, totaling 378 yards per game.

For the season, he has thrown for 2,255 yards, 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and has totaled more than 300 passing yards in six of their seven games this season and has thrown for five touchdowns in three different games.

“(Babers) told me good things about the offense,” Garoppolo said. “Any quarterback would love running an offense like this. I’m surprised about the production, but I’m happy about it.”

In the Family Weekend victory over Austin Peay, Garoppolo totaled 453 passing yards and five touchdowns in just three quarters of play, marking the first time in his career when he threw for more than 400 yards in a game.

He also totaled 48 rushing yards for a career-best 501 total yards of offense. His 501-yard effort trails Sean Payton by just six yards for the best offensive game in program history.

“Getting that 400-yard mark was nice,” Garoppolo said. “For that being my first time, it was nice, and it happened in three quarters, surprisingly.”

In his most recent game, against Tennessee-Martin, Garoppolo threw for 428 yards, passing Jeff Christensen and Jeff Thome for fourth and third all-time, respectively, in total offense in a career.

Garoppolo trails only Super Bowl-winning head coach Sean Payton and Dallas Cowboy Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo as the most productive quarterbacks in Eastern history. His 54 career touchdown passes also rank third in program history behind Romo and Payton.

“It’s an honor,” Garoppolo said. “It’s very humbling, too. All the hard work we put in this offseason — during the spring, fall camp and in the summer — it’s all paying off right now. We have a good thing going.”

On the chances of passing Romo and Payton as Eastern’s most successful quarterback, Garoppolo said it was unlikely, but something that is possible if he continues to play at his current level.

“It’s a long shot, but it’s within reach,” he said. “It’s a good goal to set for yourself. If I could be up there with them, I would be in good company.”

Garoppolo has led the Panthers to their best start since their 2009 OVC championship season, and has the Panthers hopeful of contending for another conference title in 2012.

As a team, the Panthers lead the OVC in several offensive categories, ranking first in scoring offense, total offense and touchdown’s scored. Their 45.5-point-per-game average leads the OVC and ranks third nationally, trailing just Wofford and Old Dominion as the most prolific offenses in the nation. Eastern also ranks second nationally in total offense, averaging 538 yards per game.

“If we keep doing what we are doing and everything keeps going the way it is, we could average 40 and maybe even 50 points (for the season),” Garoppolo said. “We just have to keep doing what we are doing — practicing hard, working hard in the weight room and the film session — and everything will fall into place for us.”

Although he is on pace to become one of the most successful quarterbacks in program history, he has focused on returning Eastern to football prominence rather than focusing on personal achievements.

“A playoff birth,” Garoppolo said. “That’s what I’m shooting for. Whatever else comes with it, the yards and the touchdowns, that’s great. But, that playoff berth is what I’m shooting for.”

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