Panther Sports Talk, November 27th, 2013

[music] >>Rameen Karbassioon: Production for Panther Sports Talk is brought to you in part by: Johnson's Automotive Service is a proud supporter of Panther sports on WEIU. Johnson's is a complete car facility for all your automotive repair and maintenance needs. Johnson's Automotive Service, keeping your life running. >>Rich Moser: Welcome to another addition of Panther Sports Talk. FCS edition, and I'm joined by EIU football coach Dino Babers. After the selection show here on Sunday at the Rec

Center, appreciate them opening it up and helping us out. A nice crowd here that got to see the Panthers and their playoff fate unveiled. >>Dino Babers: you know it was amazing to see that many people. I know I had to miss church on Sunday, and to see that many people out here to support the football team was just fabulous. >>Rich Moser: Now, you kind of, probably had a feeling after yesterday's win that you're in one of the top for seed, maybe you know one through four where you were at so, you

knew you were getting a bye after you won yesterday. At least I hope you know you were getting a bye after yesterday. So maybe slept a little bit easier. I know you had a team meeting before you came over, do you kinda express that to the team that you took care of the regular season business, and this is gonna be their reward, but now that in the back cuz it's whole new season? >>Dino Babers: You know it's interesting, because this football team is even though they're amateurs, they have profe

ssional flare about them. And uh, ywe really didn't talk about that kinda stuff. We kinda talked about where we're going from here, what's the schedule, things that we need to do. They understand that this is one stop shopping now. If you lose you're out. And they understand what they did. I mean they were an undefeated OVC football team. It's not happened that often. They're eleven and one, they hav eleven wins, I believe. Am I right? >>Rich Moser: Yep. >>Dino Babers: Cuz I have a tendency to r

emember only the losses. And so they tied the school record for wins, and they have the opportunity to go out and be the first OVC football team in the last twelve years to win a playoff game, so they've been very mature about their business, and I really appreciate that. >>Rich Moser: Now, you talk about the OVC, and I think that people have underrated the conference all year. I think today was some validation for how good this conference is been. You get on the conference calls week in and wee

k out with other OVC coaches, and everybody talks about how this is a good league. Eastern on paper and on the field so far this year has been a step above of the other teams, but three playoff teams from the OVC get in, so that's gotta be a stamp of validation that not only that you guys have got a pretty good football team this year. I know you hate the word "pretty good." A good football team this year, but the league is good as well, in the fact that Tennessee State and Jacksonville State bo

th got bids. >>Dino Babers: I'm so excited that the OVC got three football teams in. For them to have Jacksonville State, Tennessee State, Eastern Illinois in, and I believe the Missouri Valley Conference, not to, only to recieve two. It just shows you that when you take the political part out of it, and you just look at people's body of work, you just put a light on it, and say, "Hey, who's good, who's bad. Eliminate all the politics." I really believe that the selection committee got it right.

I really believe that we deserved three football teams this year. >>Rich Moser: Now, the highest of those three football teams, of course Eastern Illinois, they're gonna be the number two seed in the field. North Dakota State, the number one seed, rightfully so. The national champions two times in a row. Haven't lost a game. East Washington, the number three seed. Maybe, I guess thoughts that they could be the two and Eastern Illinois the three, but it played out the way the rankings have. Sout

heastern Louisiana is the four. You guys the way the bracket fell will get a chance at possibly one of the OVC teams. Tennessee State plays Butler on your half of the brackets. I think the guys were excited to play Tennessee State. Is that more from the fact that they know that team and there's some familiarity there and a little bit of rivalry? >>Dino Babers: Oh, yeah, I definitely think so. I think for them that Tennessee State that they've played Tennessee State. They've beaten Tennessee Stat

e, so they feel good about getting a team that they know. Now they gotta understand that the hardest thing to do is beat a team twice because of the revenge factor, and Tennessee State knows a lot about us. So they're not gonna be surprised by the things that we do. Now, we know a lot about them. So, as a football team, they get excited about that, but I mean, Butler it is. Butler's a fine opponent. There's no guarantee that they're gonna win that game. Hopefully, they do, because that will be g

reat for the OVC. Then we'll hopefully be able to handle our business when they come here. >>Rich Moser: Now Butler the champion out of the Pioneer Football League. The first year that that league has gotten a playoff bid. They're actually at home. Tennessee State for some maybe for some facility reasons. They usually play a lot of their home games at Opie Field. It might have not been available. Is not at home that weekend; they have to go on the road. So an opportunity. They may have to go on

the road two games in a row, and that's not a good thing to try to do if you're trying to put some momentum together in the playoffs. >>Dino Babers: Well, they're in, and that's the cards they've been dealt, and if they want to win the championship, that's how they're gonna have to play it. So I know they're happy. I know they're excited, and they have an opportunity to come up to the state of Indiana, win a game against Butler. Then if they do that have an opportunity to come to the state of Il

linois and try to win a game against Eastern Illinois. I'm sure they're just tickled to death. >>Rich Moser: Now the game will be, it's already been announced, it will be Saturday December 7th at one o'clock over at O'Brien Field. Tickets will be on sale. There will be all sorts of information out about that. You guys have two weeks now to prepare. I guess there's a little bit of an advantage from coaching staff. I don't want to say less work, but easier work, for the fact that you've already br

oken down most of Tennessee State's season. You played them so late in the year that you really only have to go back and add a game or two, and then I'm assuming will you take Butler's whole body of work, or will you just take a couple games to kinda get a feel for them? And then next week really hit it with the winner of that game? >>Dino Babers: Well, first of all, the staff is going into a forty-eight hour breakdown, so we'll go into a forty-eight hour breakdown on Butler. And then that'll be

Sunday and Monday, and we'll still be practicing Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday we were gonna do a twenty-four hour breakdown on our second opponent, have Thanksgiving, and do a Thursday twenty-four hour breakdown. With one of the opponents being Tennessee State, you basically save the staff a day and a half with their families, so we'll do a forty-eight hour breakdown on Butler. We'll let 'em off for Thanksgiving. Let them have Thanksgiving. And then we'll just sit and wait and see who wins tha

t football game. So it basically gave the staff an extra day and a half to spend time with their families, so you know, it's a blessing. >>Rich Moser: Now this an FCS playoff selection, but we need to kinda rewind a little bit and talk about you got here. The game this past weekend, yesterday, since we're taping this on Sunday. I guess, I don't even know, an obliteration of Tennessee Martin. You guys just came out and decided that, I don't want to say revenge factor, I know that's not the incent

ive. Maybe the guys had a little bit of that going on. But you were gonna leave, no doubt, that you guys were gonna win that game yesterday with the way you come out and really put the throttle down. >>Dino Babers: Rich, I'm rubbing off on you. You know what words not to say to me for responses. I thought it was or best opponent, I mean our best performance as a football team, I mean, minus some of the field goal errors and all that kind of stuff. From the offense and defense special teams point

with Taylor Duncan, Erik Lora, Keiondre not playing in the football game on offense, and to have that type of performance at an away game, in a hostel situation with a team that beat us. That's the only football team that's beaten us in the last two years in conference. And Jason's a good football coach. And UT Martin is a good football team. To have that kind of performance, I felt like a dad watching my kids at the assembly when they're all getting honor rolls, honor rolls, and they're steppi

ng up for everything. I mean it was unbelievable, and it made a very tense situation, a very proud and proud celebration. And I mean I couldn't be more prouder of the guys and the coaching staff for the way our football team performed. And I hope that Charleston, Mattoon, Coles County, Effingham, Eastern Illinois University President Perry, Barbara Burke, I hope that everybody else is re really proud of this football team, because it was an outstanding performance. >>Rich Moser: Now, 70 points i

n the game, the third highest total in school history, and you talked a little bit about the kicking game. Now that you scored 70 points in one, I know it's not a joking matter, but we kinda joked about it afterwards. You lost 12 points on special teams, on field goals, and extra points or else you would have tied the record against, they said against Mary Merom. We think that's a bunch of eighth graders that the college played back in 1920 to get the 82 points, but I know with kinda the way the

game was in hand. The kicking game hasn't been where you have want it to be last year. Part of it is I'm thinking is sending Cam Berra just trying to get the guy some confidence, knowing that you're gonna need him in the post-season. >>Dino Babers: Well, there's no doubt. I mean Cam's our guy. I mean as he go, we go. Cam's gonna be our kickers, there's no doubt about it, but there's a certain standard that you need to live up to, and there's a certain way that you need to perform. And we don't

expect you to do it right all the time, but we expect you to do it right most of the time. Sorry, Cam. So, we love Cam, and there was couple of situations where we just put him out there just to practice. I mean I don't have to put it any other way, but we wanted him to practice his craft. And he did come back from that mishap, that we put Taylor Kerr in for a while. And he did come back and he had a P-A-T, and the wind was blowing incredibly, I'm trying to get my mind right, from right to left,

and I believe that he missed two or three kicks from right to left. And it was really pushing the ball, and he just needed to change his mark, like a golfer. You know, it was really blowing. He needed to aim a little bit more toward the right. But there's no doubt before this is all said and done, Cameron Berra is gonna win us a football game in playoffs, and who knows, it may be the very last game in Frisco if it's right. >>Rich Moser: Now, some of the guys that really stepped up and helped wi

nt he game were the defense. And you can start rattling names. And it wasn't, it once again wasn't an individual, it was a team, group effort, and it's kinda been that way all season long. When you look at a stat sheet at the end of the game, a lot of times the leading tackle is at six, seven tackles, where sometime the opponents you're playing, "Hey, that guy had a great game, he made 16 tackles." Well, if he's the defensive back, that's not a great game. >>Dino Babers: Well, you know it's almo

st like the defense, Dino Fante says he put the red flags out and the sharks are in the water, and our, the red flags were out, because our defense was in a feeding frenzy. And nobody had great statistics from one individual, because that's so many guys on defense were giving so much great effort, and it was just fantastic to watch those guys play. It was awesome for me to take off the headset somewhere in the third quarter and to just focus on what our defense was doing, and it was exciting. It

was a proud moment. I mean those guys were playing their tails off. And I love offense, but there's nothing greater than seeing fantastic defense being played, and guys just getting frustrated on the other side, because they can't move the ball. >>Rich Moser: Now, on the offensive side of the pay, you touched on it briefly. Jimmy Garoppolo 470 years in passing, 6 touchdowns, and found some different guys, Adam Drake, Jeff LePak, had both had career days for them. And maybe a blessing in disguis

e going into the post-season, I know you never want to lose guys, but those guys have really honed in the craft and gotten better the past couple weeks, because they've had to with the absence of Keiondre Gober for a couple weeks and Erik Lora this past weekend. >>Dino Babers: Yeah, I really think this football team has been touched. I really do. And I'm sorry if someone says, "Well, what is he talking about?" Well, if you don't, I apologize for that. I really think that with Erik Lora out and K

eiondre out and Taylor Duncan out, and that for Adam Drake to have the day that he had. And for Jeff LePak to step into Erik Lora's role and the things that he did. A-T., Shep Little, uh, Jimmy Garoppolo. I mean what people don't realize is they're thinking, "Wow, you know you've got all these guys." Jimmy Garoppolo is making a lot of those guys look doggone good, and don't underestimate the value of Dom and Collin and Nick and Alex and Jimmy. I mean people aren't touching our quarterbacks, and

that's a big deal when you can go out into a violent atmosphere, and it's violent everywhere except for where you're standing. Hodge gets credit for that. Schuman gets credit for that. Those guys are protecting out quarterback, and the guys I really appreciate that. >>Rich Moser: Alright, coach, that's gonna wrap up this week's segment on the show. We'll be back this week with EIU Athletics. When we come back next week, coach, we'll talk a little bit more about the actual opponent's gonna be, be

cause by that time, you will know who that's gonna be. Reminder once again, the Panthers will play the winner of Bulter, Tennessee State. It will be one o'clock, Saturday December 7th. Coach, I appreciate it. Congratulations on the championship once again, and we'll be right back with this week in EIU athletics. >>Dino Babers: Thank you, brother. >>Rameen Karbassioon: Panther fans, here's what's going on in Panther Athletics. Panther football wraps up their regular season with eleven and one ove

rall and eight and oh in the OVC play, winning 70 to 20 at UT Martin. They're the number two seed in the upcoming FCS playoffs. Volleyball wraps up their season with a first round loss in the OVC volleyball tournament losing three to two to Eastern Kentucky. They finish the seasons eighteen and twelve overall. Men's basketball went one and one this past week, losing 83 to 55 at Purdue, followed up with an 89, 67 at Lantz Arena over Roosevelt University. They're now three and two on the season. W

omen's basketball picked up two wins at Lantz Arena. 81 to 80 over Loyola Chicago and 68 to 64 over Western Illinois over their annual Kid's Day game. They're now two and three on the season. Swimming competed at the House of Champions Meet in Indianapolis. The men's squad finished sixth, and the women's squad finished fifth. Now, here's what o watch for this week. Tonight, Wednesday, November 27th, men's basketball at Lantz Arena as they take on Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne at seven o'clock. You c

ould listen to that game on Hit-Mix 88.9 WEIU. On Friday, women's basketball begins a two day run at the University Missouri Kansas Tourney. They'll tak eon Alabama Birmingham at three thirty, You can listen to that game on Hit-Mix 88.9 WEIU. On Saturday, women's basketball is at University of Missouri Kansas City in the U-M-K-C Tourney. That game is at three thirty, and you can listen to it on Hit-Mix 88.9 WEIU. Men's basketball at Eastern Kentucky at eight o'clock, you can also listen to that

game on Hit-Mix 88.9 WEIU. Next Wednesday, December 4th, women's basketball is in Peoria to take on Bradley at five o'clock. You can watch that game online at bradleybraves.com. For Panther Sports Talk, I'm Rameen Karbassioon. >>Rich Moser: Welcome back to Panther Sports Talk, a live edition here a little bit later this week. But coach, the kid's game, your first experience here at Eastern, I guess kinda your thoughts. I know you played at other ones at other ones, coached at other ones, but the

y had a pretty good deal here for you today. >>Debbie Black: This was absolutely fantastic. It's just awesome to see the kids support us, the community support us, and they were just cheering the whole time. They were excited to be here. I think it really gave our team a lift. >>Rich Moser: Now, you guys came out of their fifth straight game you had this year that you've had three players and double figures, and kinda have spread it out a little bit through the course of the year, and today spre

ad it out through the course of the game. Jordyne Crunk kinda carried you earlier in the game, and then Katlyn Payne, and then Abby brought it home for you. >>Debbie Black: Yeah, you've been talking still front he beginning of the year, we need to share the ball. We had 16 assists in the last game we won. This game we had 15. When we share the basketball, we get good results. We have a lot of people who can score in a variety of ways, and you're seeing it rght now. >>Rich Moser: Now, once again,

it came down to free-throws to kind ice the game. They won the game the other day against Loyola Chicago with Jordyne making a pair. Morgan Palombizio who hasn't thrown a lot of free-throws in here career, kinda stepped up and made two big ones to make it a two possession game there in the end. >>Debbie Black: Yeah, you know it's kinda funny, cuz the girls, they kinda get all over me as a coach, cuz I make them throw a lot of free-throws at practice under pressure. They've been running a lot, b

ecause they've been missing a lot, but hopefully that this helps them. I try to put them in situations at practice that help them in a game, and they stepped up. Like I said, I gotta give it to the girls, this is a gut check game, and they came out and finished it. >>Rich Moser: Now, in the first half you looked like maybe you were trying to send a message a little bit to the fact that you almost emptied the bench at different times to trying to get players out there to look for different combin

ations. I know you had some foul trouble, but I thought you got some productive minutes from Erica brown got a couple rebounds for you. Kaycee Kallenberger got a couple blocks, so maybe you're seeing some little sparks for them. They might be able to help you down the road. >>Debbie Black: Yeah, absolutely. I tell my bench to patient. We're not sure if we're gonna use you. We're not sure if we're gonna need you. I thought Kaycee did a great job. She didn't just have a couple blocks. She altered

some things. She's 6'4. I thought Erica worked he butt off. A lot of it was that we had some foul trouble, but they were ready to play, and I told the bench at halftime, "Great job." We we're only down by three. We could have been down by ten. >>Rich Moser: Now, you guys are gonna become road warriors really for about the next month. It's gonna start with a tournament over at U-N-K-C. We talked about on the radio post-game the fact that you're not gonna go play these back to back games, that's r

eally kind of something new for this team. Also, something you have to do to set yourself up for how post-season's gonna work. >>Debbie Black: Yeah, you know, I don't know, if I'm a player, I'd rather go back to back than a game and practice. I think it's early now. Let's see who we are. We're building for the end of the season. We're building for the OVC, and for who we are and who can help. I think this will really help us, and see what kind of team we are if we can come out and win back to ba

ck. >>Rich Moser: Alright, coach, that's gonna wrap it up. We have back to back wins. Congratulations to both of those. Both of them here at home, which, I know feel even better when you can win in front of your hom crowd. That's gonna wrap up this edition of Panther Sports Talk. We're gonna have some highlights for the women's basketball kid's day game. Also, front he football win down at UT Martin. Thanks for watching, everybody! Basketball sounds, music [screaming and cheering fans] [bells ri

nging] [cheering fans] >>Mike Bradd: Third and eleven. Garoppolo back to the pass, throwing it deep. Adam Drake out there, got it! Touchdown, Eastern Illinois! Adam Drake with the catch up to the goal line, and the Panthers have jumped in front on Drake's fifth touchdown of the season. First and ten UT Martin at their 25. Trent Garland's in the game with Naggi Ray, the running back. A pass to the flat. Incomplete. And then maybe a fumble. It's rolling free. Eastern picks it up at the fifteen, bu

t they say, is it Eastern's ball? No signal yet. It's Eastern's ball! They were saying it was a lateral. [cheering fans] Garoppolo back to pass, throwing to the goal line, caught by LePak! Touchdown, Eastern Illinois! A leaping catch by six foot six, Jeff leaping LePak, as the Panthers have a 13 to nothing lead. First down, ten to go. They motion Butler through the backfield. Fake it to him. Farve keeps it, and he goes nowhere. He loses the ball. Eastern is on it, at the 13 yard line. I think th

ey've still got it. Now the Panthers had it one time, and then it slipped away at the ten. Now there's a big pile up, and I'm not sure. Eastern has thought back scooping and to score. They got away from them, and then it slipped away a couple of more times in the pile. Now we'll wait for an official signal at the ten. Eastern's players running also. Panther ball! Needing the one for a first down. Garoppolo back, two step drop, doing the fake, going for Drake, and he's got it! Touchdown, Eastern

Illinois! Perfect throw by Garoppolo! Threw it high, and Drake ran under it in the back corner of the end zone for his second touchdown today. >>Rich Moser: I guess you don't need field goals to even score touchdowns. >>Mike Bradd: You sure don't. As long as you got Jimmy Garoppolo, there's a lot of things you don't need. Second touchdown of the day. First down Garoppolo back, pressure throws middle, leaping LePak and Drake for the broke away. Twenty, fifteen, ten, five, touchdown! Adam Drake br

oke the tackle of the twenty and sprinted for the four. His third touchdown of the first quarter. It's something different every week, Rich. >>Rich Moser: It is. >>Mike Bradd: It's a new star every week, isn't it? >>Rich Moser: Yeah, good job there of Adam Drake catching the ball, and he broke contact. >>Mike Bradd: Once he broke the tackle, he had an easy run to the end zone. Fourth and one, out of the shotgun, they're gonna get McNeil heading right. Hit behind the line and stopped! >>Rich Mose

r: Mccall it looks like. >>Mike Bradd: It is LeQuince McCall came up and stopped him, and the Panthers will take over. McNeil stopped or a loss at fourth and one. Another great short yardage by Eastern. He's Neil waiting to snap. There it is. Panthers blitz him. He's back. Pressure by Gristick, and they got him. They sacked him. Adam Gristick, third sack this year. First sack this year for Adam Gristick. Third and goal at the one. They motion Helms in the backfield. Garoppolo gives it to Little.

Straight ahead fot the touchdown for Shepard Little. 16th touchdown this season for sophomore Shepard Little. And that makes the score 34 to 7, in favor of Eastern Illinois. Fourth and four for UT Martin at the Eastern 46. Looking for the pass on the right, and it's knocked away. Incomplete. Nick Beard broke it up on the pass intended for Butler. And the Panthers will take over. Second time today they stopped UT Martin on fourth down. >>Rich Moser: Nick Beard once again, there's a reason he's i

n the top ten at Eastern in career pass breakups. >>Mike Bradd: Third and one, they give it to Little. Hold at the five, pushes forward to the goal line. Touchdown, Eastern Illinois! Garoppolo's gonna throw for it over the middle, caught at the 40! LePak, 35, 30, to take it all the way. >>Rich Moser: Jeff LePak for the touchdown for Eastern Illinois. Short pass over the middle. LePak made the catch over the defender. There was nobody in the middle to stop him. he takes it all the way for the tou

chdown. >>Mike Bradd: Second and long back at the 45. Throwing the bob at the left sideline. LePak's got it at the 25, breaks loose. 25. 20, 10, 5, touchdown, LePak! The result of the play for Jeff LePak despite the penalties against UT Martin. LePak, third touchdown throw of the day. Garoppolo sixth touchdown pass of the day, and it's now 60 to 15 in favor of Eastern Illinois. And the Panthers wrap up an 11 to one regular season. The first EIU team ever to win 11 regular seasons games. They wer

e under the table eight and oh in the OVC, and have won 12 consecutive OVC games, going back to last year. [players cheering] [yelling] >>Announcer: Number two overall seed, Eastern Illinois, Jay. The champions of the Ohio Valley Conference, they've got star power: quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, wide receiver Erik Lora, two Payton Award nominees. That's the Heisman trophy of the FCS football. [clapping] [cheering players] >>Announcer: We're talking about two of the scariest quarterbacks you'll see

. Eastern Washington's Vernon Adams and Eastern Illinois's Jimmy Garoppolo. Those guys are scary. If you have a quarterback that can play and control the field, you've got a chance at beating North Dakota State. [clapping] [cheering fans] >>Rameen Karbassioon: Production for Panther Sports Talk is brought to you in part by: Johnson's Automotive Service is a proud supporter of Panther sports on WEIU. Johnson's is a complete car facility for all your automotive repair and maintenance needs. Johnso

n's Automotive Service, keeping your life running. [music]