| 2013Eastern Illinois Panthers football | |
|---|---|
 | |
OVC champion | |
NCAA Division I Quarterfinal, L 39–49 vs.Towson | |
| Conference | Ohio Valley Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Sports Network | No. 4 |
| FCS Coaches | No. 4 |
| Record | 12–2 (8–0 OVC) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Sterlin Gilbert (2nd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Veer and shoot |
| Defensive coordinator | Kim McCloud (2nd season) |
| Base defense | 4–3 |
| Home stadium | O'Brien Field |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4Eastern Illinois $^ | 8 | – | 0 | 12 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17Tennessee State ^ | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10Jacksonville State ^ | 5 | – | 3 | 11 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UT Martin | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Kentucky | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Murray State | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee Tech | 2 | – | 6 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southeast Missouri State | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Austin Peay | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | – | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The2013 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team representedEastern Illinois University as a member of theOhio Valley Conference (OVC) during the2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led byDino Babers in his second and final season as head coach, the Panthers compiled an overall record of 12–2 overall with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the OVC title for the second consecutive season. Eastern Illinois earned the conference's automatic bid into theNCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where the Panthers defeatedTennessee State in the second round before losing toTowson in the quarterfinals. The team played home games atO'Brien Field inCharleston, Illinois.
On December 18, Babers resigned to become the head football coach atBowling Green State University.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 31 | 7:00 pm | atSan Diego State* | No. 21 | MWN | W 40–19 | 42,978 | |
| September 7 | 6:00 pm | atSouthern Illinois* | No. 14 | W 40–372OT | 10,038 | ||
| September 14 | 6:00 pm | No. 18Illinois State* | No. 9 | WEIU | W 57–24 | 10,741 | |
| September 21 | 7:00 pm | atNorthern Illinois* | No. 8 | ESPN3 | L 39–43 | 23,595 | |
| September 28 | 1:30 pm | Eastern Kentucky | No. 8 |
| ESPN3 | W 42–7 | 11,469 |
| October 12 | 6:00 pm | atAustin Peay | No. 5 | OVCDN | W 63–7 | 5,501 | |
| October 19 | 1:30 pm | Southeast Missouri State | No. 3 |
| WEIU | W 55–33 | 11,569 |
| October 26 | 4:00 pm | at No. 21Tennessee State | No. 2 | OVCDN | W 34–16 | 22,157 | |
| November 2 | 12:00 pm | Tennessee Tech | No. 2 |
| WEIU | W 56–21 | 6,939 |
| November 9 | 12:00 pm | atMurray State | No. 2 | OVCDN | W 37–17 | 3,119 | |
| November 16 | 12:00 pm | No. 22Jacksonville State | No. 2 |
| ESPN3 | W 52–14 | 6,693 |
| November 23 | 1:00 pm | atUT Martin | No. 2 | ESPN3 | W 70–22 | 3,167 | |
| December 7 | 1:00 pm | No. 19 Tennessee State* | No. 2 |
| ESPN3 | W 51–10 | 4,825 |
| December 13 | 7:00 pm | No. 5Towson* | No. 2 |
| ESPN2 | L 39–49 | 3,850 |
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| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| •#21 (FCS) Panthers | 7 | 12 | 7 | 14 | 40 |
| Aztecs | 13 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
| 1 | 12:57 | SDSU | 41-yard field goal by Wes Feer | SDSU 3–0 |
| 1 | 11:14 | EIU | Erik Lora 37-yard touchdown reception fromJimmy Garoppolo, Cameron Berra kick good | EIU 7–3 |
| 1 | 9:11 | SDSU | Colin Lockett 48-yard touchdown run, Feer kick good | SDSU 10–7 |
| 1 | 4:25 | SDSU | 35-yard field goal by Feer | SDSU 13–7 |
| 2 | 13:43 | EIU | Lora 4-yard touchdown reception from Garoppolo, Berra kick no good | Tied 13–13 |
| 2 | 3:22 | EIU | Keiondre Gober 62-yard touchdown reception from Garoppolo, Berra kick blocked | EIU 19–13 |
| 2 | :16 | SDSU | 22-yard field goal by Feer | EIU 19–16 |
| 3 | 10:57 | SDSU | 38-yard field goal by Feer | Tied 19–19 |
| 3 | 7:36 | EIU | Taylor Duncan 2-yard touchdown run, Berra kick good | EIU 26–19 |
| 4 | 13:43 | EIU | Punt returned 60 yards for touchdown by Shephard Little, Berra kick good | EIU 33–19 |
| 4 | 4:30 | EIU | Duncan 45-yard touchdown run, Berra kick good | EIU 40–19 |
| Week | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Final |
| Sports Network | 21 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Coaches | 23 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |