Eastern kicked off the 2024 season with a 45-0 blowout loss against the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana.

Turnovers were a key aspect of the loss, as the Panthers recorded four turnovers against the Fighting Illini.

Here are some numbers to keep in mind after the game between the Panthers and the Fighting Illini:

2: Eastern recorded two fumbles against UofI. Redshirt sophomore Jay Pearson made the first fumble during the first quarter of the game.

During Eastern’s first drive of the game, Pearson rushed the ball towards the endzone but got the ball stripped out of his hands and into the hands of an Illini defender.

Senior wide receiver DeAirious Smith made the second fumble during the third quarter.

On a fourth down attempt with eight yards to convert a first down, graduate quarterback Pierce Holley connected with Smith, but while Smith was running, he lost control of the ball and ended up recording a fumble picked up by the Illini.

Along with the two fumbles, Holley also threw two interceptions in the second quarter.

4: The Panthers went four for 13 on third down conversions.

Last year, Eastern struggled with third down conversions, as they recorded a percentage of less than 50% for third down conversions for nine of the 11 games played.

31: The Panthers allowed the Fighting Illini to score 31 points in the first half.

Eastern has only let two of their opponents last season score more than 30 points in the whole game (Bowling Green, Southeast Missouri).

The last time a team scored over 30 points in the first half against Eastern was against SEMO on Feb. 28, 2020.

50: Eastern struggled with pass completions. The team recorded 16 of 32 completed passes– a pass completion rate of 50%.

Comparing the pass completion rate between the Panthers and the Fighting Illini, Eastern’s 50% is significantly lower than UofI’s 72% pass completion rate (21 of 29).

65: Eastern’s defense recorded a total of 65 tackles against UofI’s offense. The Panthers also recorded 53 solo tackles.

Although the Panthers lost, this aspect of the game was a part the Panthers were better at than the Fighting Illini. UofI record 41 total tackles and 27 solo tackles.

Senior linebackers Elijawah Tolbert and Anthony Shockey both recorded nine solo tackles for the Panthers.

196: The Panthers recorded a total of 196 yards compared to the Fighting Illini’s 486 yards.

Eastern did not record a total less than 200 yards last season, and this is the first time since the 2021 season that the Panthers were unable score against their opponent.

The last time the Panthers were unable to score against an opponent was against the Tennessee State Tigers on Oct. 23, 2021.

Eastern is looking to secure their first win of the season on Saturday against Indiana State. This game will be the Panthers’ home opener with a kickoff time of 6:00 p.m. at O’Brien Field.

Zaria Flippin can be reached at 581-2812 or zhflippin@eiu.edu.