Journal Gazette from Mattoon, Illinois • Page 15

T-f 9 "it MATTOON (ILL) JOURNAL GAZETTE SPORTS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2002 B5 Eastern loses to Murray on last-second goal rjr- I by penalty 12 Rushes-yards 41-205 39-183 Passes attempted 47 23 Passes completed 33 14 Had intercepted 2 0 Vards passing 302 169 Total offense 507 352 Punts-avg. Fumbles-tost 2-2 0-0 Penalties-yards 8-86 5-45 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Rushing J.R. Taylor 27-174, 1 TD; Andre Raymond 8-26, 2 TDs; Tony Romo 4-24; Kyle Kissack 1-(-8); Team 110) Billy Blanchard 25-110, 2 TDs; Marcus Christon 2-32, 1 TO; Stewart Childress 7-24; Ylysses Odoms 4-18; Team 1-(-1) Passing E-Romo 33-47-2-302, 2 TDs Childress 14-22-0-169, 1 TD; Chris Wright 0-1-0 Receiving Nick Elter 10-75, 1 TD; Dwanzelle Hopson 6-70; Raymond 6-49; Alfred Osborne 5-40; Brandon Pettway 2-24; Adam Parsill 2-22, 1 TD; Taylor 1-12; Mike Bujnak 1-10 Deandre Green 6-79; Christon 5-47; Leonard Nutter 1-25, 1 TD; Blanchard 1-10; Jimmy St Louis 1-8 SI "EMITTED PHOTO An Eastern play reacts to Murray State's comeback win. BY BRIAN NIELSEN T-C Sports Editor CHARLESTON Eastern received its warnings in pregame warm-ups. "I was telling the defense before the game I was watching their kicker and he was kicking it from the 55 yards," linebacker Fred Miller said.

Still, the Panthers could not deny Murray State place-kicker Shane Andrus his chance. After seemingly overcoming four turnovers, another botched scoring opportunity and an 11-point fourth quarter deficit to take a one-point lead with 23 seconds to go, the Panthers allowed Murray State to get to the EIU 35-yard and call a timeout with four seconds left to bring Andrus onto the field. Then Eastern had to watch in agony as Andrus' 52-yard field goal soared between the uprights with room to spare as time expired giving Murray State a 37-35 win and the Ohio Valley Conference's automatic berth in this week's NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. The last-second win meant both teams finished with the same 5-1 OVC record except Murray State staged a wild celebration while Eastern walked off the Racers' Stewart Stadium artificial turf in devastation. Sure, EIU would have extended its 14-game conference winning streak with game, gave the ball away to Murray twice Saturday.

His second fumble of the second half set up Andrus' 25- yard field goal putting Murray State ahead 34-24 with 6:20 remaining. "I thought we had the game when we were up by 10 but not with that quarterback they have," Murray State coach Joe Pannunzio said. "He's going to be playing on Sundays." The NFL-hopeful Romo, who had guided EIU to last- minute wins over Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee State in this OVC title bid, took his team 72 yards in 11 plays with Raymond's 7-yard run getting the Panthers to within 34-29. Then when Eastern's defense forced a three-and-out before Brian Bivens' 55-yard punt, EIU sensed its moment starting from its own 27-yard line with 2:08 to go. Romo used some of his magic on fourth-down-and-three-to-go to scramble 19 yards for a first down at the Murray State 47.

He hit Alfred Osborne for 17 yards and Nick Eller for 11 yards and then on third-and-10 found Osborne for a first down at the 2. Raymond, who scored a tie-breaking touchdown in Eastern's 54-48 win with 1:07 remaining at Tennessee State on Nov. 2, found a big hole to put EIU ahead 35-34 with 23 seconds to go. 352 but lost the turnover war 4- Those turnovers do not count the bouncing snap that EIU punter Tom Schofield could not field cleanly enough, giving Murray State the ball at the Panthers' 12 to set up the game's first score, the pass an open Dawnzelle Hopson dropped near the goal line on a series that ended with usually reliable place-kick holder Kyle Kissack hobbling the snap on what would have been a 22-yard chip shot field goal to give EIU a halftime edge. "Today, I didn't have one of my better games," quarterback Tony Romo said.

"If I'm off, it's going to hurt my Eastern (alls 91-78 Eastern to go to Western in I-AA playoff matchup Romo's admission his own mistake and led to a Murray State fourth-quarter touchdown. Meanwhile, along with gaining 174 yards and finishing first in rushing among the nation's I-AA scholarship programs and second overall with a 130.36 yards per game, J.R. Taylor, who had not fumbled until the 10th game of the season and only once in 209 carries entering Saturday's (o Illinois also had four assists and three steals. Henry Domercant added 21 points but the nation's second leading scorer from last season went the entire first half without a field goal for the second straight game. He managed four first-half free throws while missing his first eight shots.

This time, Samuels was not giving so much credit to the opponent. "Henry wasn't being defensed like he was against Florida," Samuels said of his star's seven-point night in Thursday's 99-65 loss at eighth-ranked Florida. Domercant warmed up to hit seven of 13 shots from the field in the second half but mm. filUItnAY STATE 37, EASTERN 35 Eastern Illinois 8 7 8 12-35 MurrayStatg 10 7 0 20-37 First quarter Billy Blanchard 1 run (Shane Andrus kick), 13:12 M-FG Andrus 46, 5:15 Nick Elier 5 pass from Tony Romo Taylor run), :50 Second quarter Marcus Christon 37 run (Andrus kick), 13:01 Taylor 8 run (Steve Kuehn kick), 1 1 :06 Third quarter Adam ParsiS 10 pass from Romo (2:59 i Four quarter Blanchard 1 run (Andrus kick), 13:33 M- Leonard Nutter 25 pass from Stewart Childress (Andrus kick), 13.06 E-Andre Raymond 7 run (run failed), 3:30 E- Raymond 2 run (pass failed). 23 M-FG Andrus 52, 0:00 TEAM STATISTICS EIU MSU First downs 31 18 by rushing 12 8 bypassing 18 8 team." Likely to be named the OVC Offensive Player of the Year for the third straight time, Romo had his eighth career game of 300 or more yards passing with 302 on 33-for-47 accuracy including his 32nd and 33rd touchdowns of the season but also threw two interceptions.

One came when a receiver slipped and led to Andrus' 46-yard field goal and fell but the other was by than two tip-ins until J.R. Reynolds' 3-pointer with 8:36 remaining snapped EIU's 2-for-19 shooting start "We could not guard any of their players," Samuels said. "We made guys who aren't very good look good." All five of the Flames' starters scored 14 or more points led by Aaron Carr's 18 points. Two days after a 73-68 season-opening loss at EvansvLUe, UIC shot .642 from the field, including a 17-for-24, .708 second half to thwart an EIU comeback bid that cut the margin to 59-49 with 11:20 remaining. Senior guard Craig Lewis led the Panthers with 22 points, 11 in each half, and '-Northwestern Teams have done that with regularity against Northwestern (3-9, 1-7 Big Ten).

The Wildcats were giving up 323 rushing yards a game, and they didn't do any better against the Illini. With Harris gaining chunks of yardage, the Illini (5-7, 4-4) defense forced five turnovers and limited Northwestern to just one field goal in four trips inside the Illini 5 yard line. Illinois coach Ron Turner said that Harris, who split carries with other backs his three previous season, deserved the record. "He's a tremendous kid. He came in here and split time almost his entire career and never said a word," Turner said.

60 hlda registered. Chicago had to spend time on the bench after getting his fourth foul with remaining and EIU trailing 59-47. He fouled out with 2:43 to go and the score 83-74. Jesse Mackinson added 11 points for the Panthers and David Roos had five steals in 16 minutes. This dropped Eastern to 1-2 after an impressive start with a win at Boise State in the Preseason National Invitational Tournament.

Now the Panthers have to face their second top 20-ranked team within a week when they are to play at 8 p.m. Tuesday at No. 16 Marquette. Gobczynski and Thompson were both expected to be OK, for that game. $3.50 Domestic Pitchers 700 Broadway Ave.

Mattoon Mall Parking Lot 234 73J7 Open 4 PM www.tlamo-fteakhousc.coni 12 CHICAGO -At least Andy Gobczynski and Jan Thompson had an excuse for not playing most of the first half. The two Eastern basketball teammates collided heads diving for a loose ball and staggered off the court. The rest of the Panthers? "We were just not here," EIU coach Rick Samuels said. "We were not here." As a result, the Panthers trailed by 17 points at halftime and by as much as 23 in the-second half before staging a too-late rally in Sunday's 91-78 loss at Illinois-Chicago. Only part of the trouble was that EIU missed the first eight shots from the field and did not get any field goal other :1 I Illinois wins at EVANSTON (AP) --Antoineo Harris made sure his last season at Illinois was one of the best ever for a running back.

Harris broke Illinois' single-season rushing record in a 31-24 win over Northwestern on Saturday, gaining 178 yards on 44 carries. Now second on the career list, the senior finished the season with 1,370 yards, besting the previous school record of 1,281 yards set by Illini career rushing leader Robert Holcombe. Afterward, Harris was ready for more. "I actually feel good. I wish we could go out there and play them again," Harris said.

"We came out and beat up on those guys." another late-game touchdown drive capped by Andre Raymond if the Panthers could have managed more than a 38-yard kickoff allowing Murray State to start from its own 33-yard line with 20 seconds to go and if EIU would not have allowed Murray State to complete passes of 24 yards to the EIU 43 and 8 yards to the 35 putting Andrus in range. But what really cost the Panthers, now headed to Western Illinois for a Saturday first-round playoff game in the NCAA I-AA playoffs, a chance for a top-four seed and home game was earlier mistakes in a game in which EIU won the total offense battle 507 yards to I-AA PAYINGS First Round Saturday Montana State (7-5) at McNeese State (10-1) Northwestern State (9-3) at Montana (10-2) Furman (8-3) at Villanova (9-3) Fordham (9-2) at Northeastern (10-2) Eastern Illinois (8-3) at Western Illinois (10-1) Murray State (7-4) at Western Kentucky (8-3) Maine (10-2) at Appalachian State (8- 3)'- Bethune-Cookman (11-1) at Georgia i Southern (9-2) Quarterfinals Dec 7 Montana State-McNeese State winner vs. Northwestern State-Montana winner Furman-Villanova winner vs. Fordham- Northeastern winner Eastern Illinois-Western Illinois winner vs. Murray State-Western Kentucky winner Maine-Appalachian State winner vs.

-Bethune-Cookman-Georgia Southern winner Semifinals Dec. 14 TBA At Finley StadiumDavenport Field Chattanooga, Tenn. Dec. 20 Semifinal winners, 6:30 p.m. make the most of it." Linebacker Nick Ricks said, "I think yesterday was a wake-up call for us.

Rome wasn't built in a day'. It's hard work. (Not getting a home game) is kind of disappointing but we think everything happens for a reason." The winner of the game between Ohio Valley Conference co-champion EIU and Gateway Football Conference champion Western Illinois is to advance to a second-round game between Murray State, which tied for the OVC title and got the automatic playoff bid because of its head-to-head win over the Panthers, and Western Kentucky, the Gateway runner-up. The second-round host is to be determined. Only the top four teams -No.

1 McNeese State, No. 2 Western Illinois, No. 3 Georgia Southern and No. 4 Northwestern were announced as seeds with the other 12 qualifiers placed according to geographic regions. EIU and Western Illinois are former Gateway rivals who have not played since 1997, EIU's second year in the OVC, when Western turned a season-opening showdown of nationally ranked teams into a 41-0 embarrassment for the Panthers at Macomb.

This year Western stands 10-1, including a 29-26 win over NCAA I-A Northern Illinois on Sept. 21. Coach Don Patterson's Leathernecks' only loss came Oct. 5 at Southern Illinois by a 54-52 score. mssm syi STEAK HOUSE SALOON All you can eat Monday Night Football 1.

BY BRIAN NIELSEN T-C Sports Editor CHARLESTON Western Illinois' place is better than no place, so Eastern reacted in a businesslike manner as postseason football preparation started Sunday. Things sure could have been worse for the Panthers, who a day after Saturday's last-second 37-35 loss at Murray State received an at-large berth to play this coming Saturday in a 1 p.m. first-round NCAA Division I-AA playoff game at Western, the 16-team tournament's No. 2 seed. Two years after celebrating wildly when Eastern Illinois' name appeared on the big screen television for the dubious honor of traveling to top-ranked Montana and a year after getting a home game against Northern Iowa, the Panthers on Sunday were much more subdued at the Student Rec Center when learning they had a third straight playoff berth for the first time in the program's history.

Instead of leaping in the air and cheering, many players simply picked up cell phones to inform family and friends. At least the Panthers, 8-3, were not left out with some football careers ended watching television at the Rec Center. "That thought ran through my mind," senior offensive guard Chris Rosenlund said. "After they had the first couple of brackets my heart started pumping pretty fast. But when they said 'an all-Illinois match-up' I knew.

"You never know what the committee is going to do with us losing the one game." We will never know for sure whether a 9-2 record with losses coming to nationally ranked I-A teams Hawaii and Kansas State would have been enough to have landed Eastern a home game. The Panthers' four turnovers at Murray may have cost them the chance to play at O'Brien Stadium but with the NCAA's second-year policy of using travel distance as a criteria for first-round pairings of the I-AA tournament, EIU and Western seemed destined to play each other anyway. In EIU coaches already had some Western game films in anticipation of such a match-up, one that became official Sunday. "I'm relieved and excited to be in," EIU coach Bob Spoo said after getting a team in the postseason for sixth time in his 16 years as head coach and the school's ninth time since joining I-AA in 1982. "It's a chance for redemption.

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