Football Falls to Eastern Illinois, 49-21

Saturday, October 20

Carbondale, Ill.

1:30 PM

Southern Illinois University

1-5

Eastern Illinois

5-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Eastern Illinois

Southern Illinois

10/20/2001 | 12:00:00 | Football

Box Score

Oct. 20, 2001

Final Stats

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Ninth-ranked Eastern Illinois scored 21 points in the first quarter en route to a 49-21 win over Southern Illinois Saturday at McAndrew Field.

Running back J.R. Taylor scored on runs of 57, 23 and 1 yard in the first quarter as the Panthers jumped out to a 21-0 lead.

Taylor had a total of five TDs on the afternoon and finished with 170 yards on 22 carries.

"It looked like we had a tired football team from the beginning," Saluki head coach Jerry Kill said. "If we can't play hard and with intensity, we're in trouble."

Southern gained a little momentum early in the second quarter on a one-yard TD run by Tom Koutsos, but Eastern answered with two more touchdown drives and held a 35-14 lead at halftime.

Koutsos, who surpassed 3,000 yards rushing in his career, was the Salukis' top offensive threat. He carried 23 times for 82 yards against a stubborn EIU defense.

The Panthers (5-1) outgained SIU 467-342 on the afternoon.

Southern Illinois (1-5) will play at Indiana State next Saturday before returning home to face Youngstown State the following week.

From the lockerroom

SIU DB Jeff Morton: "(Offensively) everything they did today, we saw on film. I think that as a team we missed a lot of tackles, a lot of tackles that we should have made and have made in the past. Usually we get each other fired up, but today it seemed like we were waiting for somebody else to get us fired up instead. We have to do it ourselves. We just flat out missed too many tackles on defense.''

RB Brandon Robinson: "We have to get it right. I don't care how many yards I got, how many carries, I just want to see us win.''

"We just need to figure out how to come out and be ready to play all four quarters, first half and second half and not let down. We have a good team.''

DE Bryan Archibald: "I feel very accountable for the lacadasical week that we had all week. We really didn't have many leaders step up. We have leaders, but they aren't taking control of the team. I think that is one thing I need to start doing, taking control of the team and making sure we are practicing hard all week long. We haven't been doing that, and when that happens, we come out soft, and we aren't ready to play and hit somebody.''

Head Coach Jerry Kill: "I am the head coach, and a loss goes to the head coach. We had a team out there that looked fatigued. We have played a very tough schedule and some very physical football teams, and I think we played as hard as we can and today, but it looked like a team that was fatigued. Right now, I think the physical nature of the conference is taking its toll a little bit."

"We have got to find out what we are all about, like I told the kids 'you always find out about a man's character when his back is against the wall' I went through everyone's individual names and said, 'I am going to find out what kind a man you are when your back is against the wall, and you will find out what kind of man I am when my back is against the wall.'"

"We got a butt kicking. We need to get ready for Indiana State. We haven't beat them in a long time, and get to 2-2 in the conference, that is all we can do."

"I am going to give all the credit to Eastern. They kicked our butt in every phase. Man-for-man, they are a heck of a lot better football team than we were today. They won the game up front, they did a great job on the run. That is a lonely feeling as a coach when they are just taking it to you.''