Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo completed his first four pass attempts to start Eastern’s first drive of the game against Austin Peay — a routine start to Eastern football games.

But on the fifth play, running back Taylor Duncan reeled off a 27-yard touchdown run to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead just 1:20 in the game.

It was a handoff up the middle to Duncan, followed by a fake screen pass by Garoppolo. Duncan said the Panthers wanted to establish their running game early, and that is what he did with his first touch of the game.

Duncan cut through the line and entered the open field of the red zone untouched.

“The line got a great push,” Duncan said. “I saw the hole and made my way through. There was one safety coming down. I made him miss — just a little cut — and that’s where I broke free.”

Then Governor defensive back Leron Eaddy latched onto Duncan’s right arm at the 10-yard line.

Duncan dragged Eaddy along with him before shaking him off at the one-yard line, and trotting in for the first score of the game.

“As soon as I felt him behind me, I kind of shrugged him off with a little stiff arm and ended up in the end zone,” Duncan said.

Five minutes later, Eastern was facing a third and goal from the one-yard line. With his five-yard rush getting the Panthers to the one-yard line one play prior, Duncan’s number was called again.

This time, he muscled his way through three consecutive hits by Austin Peay defenders right at the one-yard line, and while clutching the football; he outstretched both arms, as the ball crossed the goal line.

Duncan had five carries for 55 yards and two touchdowns on Eastern’s first two drives. He put the Panthers up 14-0 with 8:15 in the first quarter.

He and the Panthers would not look back.

The red-shirt junior finished with 17 carries for a career-high 128 yards in Eastern’s 63-7 thrashing over Ohio Valley Conference foe Austin Peay.

But Duncan’s road to becoming the Panthers starting running back did not come as effortlessly as his 7.5-yard-per-carry average against the Governors.

He was recruited to Eastern by former coach Bob Spoo as a quarterback out of Marshall High School.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 224-pounder spent his red-shirt freshman season as a backup to Garoppolo.

But when Babers was hired in December of 2011 he brought change. One of those changes was Duncan’s transition from quarterback to running back.

Babers brought Duncan into his office in the spring of 2012 and told him that he was too good of an athlete to watch sit on the bench.

“He asked me where I thought I could contribute, and I said I enjoy running the ball, and it’s worked out for me so far,” Duncan said.

Last season, Duncan rushed for 466 yards and eight touchdowns, playing in 12 games as the backup running back.

This season, however, he has already eclipsed that yardage, rushing for 505 yards and also scoring six touchdowns in the first six games.

Duncan’s 84.2 yards per game ranks third in the OVC this season. His six touchdowns are the fifth most by any skilled player in the conference — already behind Eastern wide receivers Erik Lora and Adam Drake.

Also, his 24 receiving yards per game this season is two less than his total all of last season.

In the offseason, Duncan worked with Sean Edinger, Eastern’s head strength and conditioning coach, on refining his body more into one of a running back in order to step into the starting role this season.

Duncan said the Panthers knew they had to become bigger, faster and stronger if they wanted to be considered a championship caliber team.

“That was my mindset all summer — going into the weight room, going to conditioning, running agility drills on the field,” he said.

Babers said that Duncan has transformed his body into one the strongest on the Panthers’ roster.

He said the work ethic that Duncan exemplified in the offseason was one unlike any he has ever seen.

Babers said it is players like Duncan that make coaching fun.

“It’s a classic example of unselfishness,” Babers said. “Look up unselfishness; there should be a big picture of Taylor Duncan in Webster’s Dictionary. I love the guy.”

Anthony Catezone can be reached at 581-2812 or ajcatezone@eiu.edu.