With a win in the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference on the line, Eastern brought out Julian Patino to kick the game-winning field goal.
After a snap that was too high for Jacob Horvath to grab to position the ball for Patino, Charleston Southern made a costly mistake by illegally kicking the ball across the field.
This gave Eastern a fresh set of downs from the four-yard line. Three plays later, and Patino is back on the field to try again with the game-winning field goal.
When the two referees signaled the field goal was good, Patino and the rest of the team were quick to celebrate the 16-13 win over the Charleston Southern Buccaneers to cap off senior day at O’Brien Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
“Honestly, at that moment, I was like, ‘Hey, I’ve worked for it, and I’ve been putting in the time throughout the year,’” Patino said. “This is something I do. Also having confidence in my ability. Having the confidence in the o[ffensive] line, the snapper, the holder, and trusting everyone.”
Eastern’s head coach Chris Wilkerson said he had a lot of trust in Patino to kick the field goal to secure the win for the Panthers.
“He’s a tough guy and extremely resilient,” Wilkerson said. “He’s always been ready when his number is called, and I’m happy for him to come through in a moment like this.”
Winning this game for the Panthers on senior day as a senior himself, Patino said this win meant a lot to him.
“What a unique, chaotic game today, but definitely one the 27 seniors will remember for the rest of our lives,” Patino said. “We got to leave 27 seniors with a memorable game.”
Before the game, Eastern recognized 27 seniors, including the defensive’s leading tacklers against the Buccaneers: linebackers Phoenix Porter (9), Anthony Shockey (8), Joel Barrows (6) and Tre’Jon Lewis (5).
The defensive and the special teams also recorded significant plays to help the Panthers gain momentum throughout the game.
A blocked punt by redshirt freshman defensive lineman Cody Silzer in the second quarter helped the Panthers gain momentum throughout the rest of the first half.
Silzer said at the line of scrimmage, he saw a Charleston Southern player zone away, so Silzer knew he would have a path to block the punt.
“I knew the front-line guy was zoning away because he was pointing the opposite direction of me,” Silzer said. “I knew I could stutter to the right and swim move inside to block the punt.”
After the blocked punt, the Panthers gained possession with the ball 21 yards away from the end zone. Within three plays, graduate quarterback Pierce Holley connected with junior tight end Alex Herrera in the end zone to lift the Panthers up to a 13-6 lead over the Buccaneers.
“I’m just trying to do what’s best for the team,” Herrera said. “Pierce checked me on a different route, and I had confidence and got free back there. He got trust in me, I got trust in him to throw the ball up, and I think I have a chance to come down with it every time.”
Holley recorded 17 catches on 23 attempts for 168 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
The other touchdown from the Panthers was scored by redshirt sophomore MJ Flowers in the second quarter.
With this win, the Panthers are currently 3-8 for the season and 2-5 in the conference. Eastern’s last game of the season will be against Tennessee Tech University.
Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. in Cookeville, Tennessee.
Zaria Flippin can be reached at 581-2812 or at zhflippin@eiu.edu.
