Panthers set for top 25 showdown
Eastern’s football team is set for a non-conference matchup with No. 10 Central Arkansas.
Both teams enter the game having already clinched berths to the FCS playoffs as regular season champions of their respective conferences, but can improve their seeding with a win in the regular season finale.
Despite having already clinched a playoff berth, Eastern head coach Dino Babers said both teams will continue to play their starters as opposed to the football practice of resting starters leading up to postseason play.
“I think they will play their guys to win, and we will play our guys to win,” Babers said. “It’s another opportunity for us to play, and for our family to go out and battle with each other and show each other how much we love each other. We will go down there and give it our best, and we will try and win.”
The Bears enter the game with an overall record of 8-2 and 6-1 in Southland Conference play.
Central Arkansas is led by Walter Payton Award candidate and dual-threat quarterback Wyndrick Smothers.
The Destrehan, La., product ranks as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, as he ranks sixth in points responsible, 14th in total offense, 17th in passing offense and 11th in passing efficiency.
Smothers can also use his running ability to keep the defense guessing, as he has rushed for 360 yards and three touchdowns on 87 carries. His 360 rushing yards and three touchdowns rank second best on the team.
“(Smothers) is different than other quarterback’s in our league, but he will be just as explosive and just as dangerous as anyone we have faced,” Babers said. “He throws the ball very well, not only in the pocket, but he can throw it on the move as well. He is a defensive coordinators worst nightmare.”
Along with Smothers, Central Arkansas has a trio of playmakers in the passing game, as wide receivers Jesse Grandy, Dominique Croom and Dezmin Lewis will challenge Eastern’s secondary.
“Their receiving core will be the best receiving core we have seen,” Babers said. “They are better than Murray, better than UT-Martin, and they will be the best receiving core that we have seen.”
Grandy has totaled a team-best 670 receiving yards and has hauled in six touchdowns, good for second most on the team. Croom has been Central Arkansas’ main target around the end zone, hauling in a team-leading eight touchdowns to go with 597 receiving yards. Lewis rounds out the trio of playmaking wide receivers as he has totaled 451 receiving yards and five touchdowns this season.
Despite Babers saying that this will be the toughest receiving core that the Panthers will see this season, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo feels that Eastern matches up well with Central Arkansas on both sides of the ball.
“They are a good open field team,” Garoppolo said. “They are athletic, and that’s a credit to them, but we have some athletes on our side of the ball, too. I’m not worried, we match up with them very well.”
Eastern’s offensive playmakers include red-shirt junior wide receiver Erik Lora and red-shirt senior running back Jake Walker. Lora leads the FCS in receiving yards (1,479), receiving yards per game (147.9) and receptions (115). Walker ranks as Eastern’s premier threat in the running game, rushing for a team-leading 942 yards and 11 touchdowns on 192 carries.
Defensively, Eastern is led by sophomore linebacker Robert Haynes, red-shirt senior defensive end Greg Mahan and senior defensive end Artavious Dowdell.
Haynes leads the Panthers with a team-leading 95 tackles to go along with two forced fumbles and two interceptions. Dowdell and Mahan have combined to create one of the premier pass rushes in the OVC, totaling 10.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss. Dowdell’s 5.5 sacks lead the OVC, while his 9.5 tackles for loss rank sixth. Mahan’s five sacks rank second in the conference, and his 10 tackles for loss are tied for third overall.
“Our defense has been playing lights out the last couple of weeks,” Garoppolo said. “They are playing their a–s off, and I really give those guys a lot of credit.”
The top 25 showdown is set to kick off at 5 p.m. Saturday in Conway, Ark.
Jordan Pottorff can be reached at 581-2812 or jbpottorff@eiu.edu.