2024 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team

American college football season

2024 Eastern Illinois Panthers football

Conference	Big South–OVC
Record	1–3 (0–0 Big South–OVC)
Head coach	Chris Wilkerson (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Kyle Derickson (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Collin Geier (1st season)
Home stadium	O'Brien Field
Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

2024 Big South–OVC football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 13 Southeast Missouri State	1	–	0	3	–	1
Tennessee Tech	1	–	0	1	–	2
Charleston Southern	0	–	0	1	–	2
Eastern Illinois	0	–	0	1	–	3
Gardner–Webb	0	–	0	1	–	3
Lindenwood*	0	–	0	1	–	3
Western Illinois	0	–	0	0	–	3
Tennessee State	0	–	1	2	–	2
UT Martin	0	–	1	1	–	3

Note: Lindenwood ineligible for Big South–OVC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. As of September 23, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2024 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team will represent Eastern Illinois University as a member of the Big South–OVC Football Association during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Panthers are led by third-year head coach Chris Wilkerson, the Panthers play their home games at O'Brien Field located in Charleston, Illinois.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 29	8:00 p.m.	at Illinois*	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	L 0–45	43,849
September 7	6:00 p.m.	Indiana State*	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	ESPN+	W 27–20	7,222
September 14	6:30 p.m.	at Northwestern*	Martin Stadium Evanston, IL	BTN	L 7–31	10,631
September 21	6:00 p.m.	at No. 17 Illinois State*	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL	ESPN+	L 7–31	9,012
September 28	2:00 p.m.	Lindenwood	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	ESPN+
October 5	2:00 p.m.	Southeast Missouri State	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	ESPN+
October 12	5:00 p.m.	at Tennessee State	Hale Stadium Nashville, TN	ESPN+
October 26	2:00 p.m.	at UT Martin	Graham Stadium Martin, TN	ESPN+
November 2	2:00 p.m.	Western Illinois	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	ESPN+
November 9	3:00 p.m.	at Gardner-Webb	Ernest W. Spangler Stadium Boiling Springs, NC	ESPN+
November 16	12:00 p.m.	Charleston Southern	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	ESPN+
November 23	12:00 p.m.	at Tennessee Tech	Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN	ESPN+
*Non-conference game Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[1]^[2]

Game summaries

at Illinois (FBS)

Game One – Eastern Illinois Panthers (0–0) at Illinois Fighting Illini (FBS) (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eastern Illinois	0	0	0	0	0
Illinois (FBS)	14	17	7	7	45

at Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL

Date: Thursday August 29, 2024
Game time: 9:00 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny, 82 °F (28 °C)
Game attendance: 43,849
Referee: Ron Snodgrass
TV announcers (BTN): Mark Followill (play-by-play), Jeremy Leman (analyst), and Kylen Mills (sideline)

Game information
First quarter (4:15) ILL – Pat Bryant 15-yard pass from Luke Altmyer (David Olano kick (Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 5:12; Illinois 7–0) (0:43) ILL – Tanner Arkin 5 yard pass from Luke Altmyer, David Olano kick (Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards, 1:49; Illinois 14–0) Second quarter (10:10) ILL – David Olano 39 yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 4:45; Illinois 17–0) (4:43) ILL – Pat Bryant 28 yard pass from Luke Altmyer, David Olano kick (Drive: 2 plays, 29 yards, 0:38; Illinois 24–0) (1:30) ILL – Malik Elzy 34 yard pass from Luke Altmyer, David Olano kick (Drive: 4 plays, 67 yards, 0:59; Illinois 31–0) Third quarter (7:04) ILL – Kaden Feagin run for 1 yd for a TD, David Olano kick (Drive: 9 plays, 86 yards, 4:40; Illinois 38–0) Fourth quarter (13:51) ILL — Josh McCray run for 6 yds for a TD, David Olano kick (Drive: 9 plays, 87 yards, 4:27; Illinois 45–0)

Game information

First quarter

(4:15) ILL – Pat Bryant 15-yard pass from Luke Altmyer (David Olano kick (Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 5:12; Illinois 7–0)
(0:43) ILL – Tanner Arkin 5 yard pass from Luke Altmyer, David Olano kick (Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards, 1:49; Illinois 14–0)

Second quarter

(10:10) ILL – David Olano 39 yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 4:45; Illinois 17–0)
(4:43) ILL – Pat Bryant 28 yard pass from Luke Altmyer, David Olano kick (Drive: 2 plays, 29 yards, 0:38; Illinois 24–0)
(1:30) ILL – Malik Elzy 34 yard pass from Luke Altmyer, David Olano kick (Drive: 4 plays, 67 yards, 0:59; Illinois 31–0)

Third quarter

(7:04) ILL – Kaden Feagin run for 1 yd for a TD, David Olano kick (Drive: 9 plays, 86 yards, 4:40; Illinois 38–0)

Fourth quarter

(13:51) ILL — Josh McCray run for 6 yds for a TD, David Olano kick (Drive: 9 plays, 87 yards, 4:27; Illinois 45–0)

Statistics	EIU	ILL
First downs	9	27
Total yards	196	488
Rushing yards	49	246
Passing yards	147	242
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	16-32-2	21-29-0
Time of possession	23:59	36:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Illinois	Passing	Pierce Holley	16-32, 147 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	MJ Flowers	9 carries, 28 yards
	Receiving	DiAirious Smith	5 receptions, 63 yards
Illinois	Passing	Luke Altmyer	19-24, 213 yards, 4 TD
	Rushing	Kaden Feagin	16 carries, 108 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Pat Bryant	5 receptions, 63 yards, 2 TD

Indiana State

Game Two – Indiana State Sycamores (0–1) at Eastern Illinois Panthers (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Indiana State	0	0	0	0	0
Eastern Illinois	0	0	0	0	0

at O'Brien Field, Charleston, IL

Date: Saturday September 7, 2024
Game time: 6:00 PM
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	ISU	EIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Indiana State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Eastern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Northwestern (FBS)

Game Three – Eastern Illinois Panthers (1–1) vs Northwestern Wildcats (1–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	0	0	0	0	0
Wildcats (FBS)	0	0	0	0	0

at Martin Stadium • Evanston, IL

Date: September 14, 2024
Game time: 6:30 p.m.
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
TV: BTN

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	EIU	NU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Northwestern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 17 Illinois State

Game Four – Eastern Illinois Panthers (1–2) vs No. 17 Illinois State Redbirds (2–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	0	0	0	0	0
No. 17 Redbirds	0	0	0	0	0

at Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL

Date: September 21, 2024
Game time: 6:00 p.m.
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	EIU	ISU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Illinois State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Lindenwood

Game Five – Lindenwood Lions (1–3) at Eastern Illinois Panthers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lindenwood	0	0	0	0	0
Eastern Illinois	0	0	0	0	0

at O'Brien Field, Charleston, IL

Date: Saturday September 28, 2024
Game time: 2:00 PM
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	LIN	EIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Lindenwood	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Eastern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Southeast Missouri State

Game Six – Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (0–0) at Eastern Illinois Panthers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Southeast Missouri State	0	0	0	0	0
Eastern Illinois	0	0	0	0	0

at O'Brien Field, Charleston, IL

Date: Saturday October 5, 2024
Game time: 2:00 PM
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SEMO	EIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southeast Missouri State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Eastern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Tennessee State

Game Seven – Eastern Illinois Panthers (0–0) vs Tennessee State Tigers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	0	0	0	0	0
Tigers	0	0	0	0	0

at Nissan Stadium • Nashville, TN

Date: October 12, 2024
Game time: 5:00 p.m.
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	EIU	TSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tennessee State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

^ "2024 Eastern Illinois Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
^ "Eastern Illinois Panthers Schedule 2024". ESPN. Retrieved April 8, 2024.

v t e Eastern Illinois Panthers football
Venues	O'Brien Field (1970–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Illinois State: Mid-America Classic
Culture & lore	Billy the Panther
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold