Five things to know about Eastern Illinois University
1. Bob Spoo is in his 24th season as the head coach of the Panthers. He missed the 2006 season following a surgery just before the start of the season. Spoo was the quarterbacks coach at Wisconsin (1973-77) and Purdue (1978-86) before taking the job at EIU.
2. The Panthers are playing a ranked FBS opponent for the third time in school history. The ninth-ranked Hawkeyes are the highest-ranked team EIU has faced. The Panthers lost 52-3 last year at Penn State.
3. Eastern Illinois will be without senior running back Mon Williams, who sustained a knee injury Aug. 18 and is expected to miss two to three weeks. Williams rushed for 870 yards last season.
4. The Panthers have three new rookies on the offensive line. Left guard Eric Zink and center Willie Henderson are the only returning starters up front on offense.
5. Starting linebackers Nick Nasti, Cory Leman and Gordy Kickels — the top three tacklers for the Panthers last year – are back after combining for 208 of the team’s 801 tackles last season.
Category: Iowa Hawkeyes Football
