Panthers say ‘Bring on Brigham Young’
The 2005 Panther football schedule has finally been set, with Brigham Young University filling Eastern’s non-conference slate.
The Panthers head to Provo, Utah, Sept. 10 to face the Cougars, the only Division I-A school on Eastern’s 2005 schedule.
“It’s exciting, testing ourselves at the highest level,” Panther defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni said. “It gives our kids a chance to compete against players that they see on TV.”
The Cougars are coming off a 5-6 season, with losses to national champion Southern California and Bowl Championship Series competitor Utah. The Cougars recorded a 20-17 win over Notre Dame to begin their 2004 campaign.
The team did have a coaching shake-up in the offseason, with former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Gary Crowton resigning. He was replaced by Bronco Mendenhall.
Mendenhall said the Cougars scheduled Eastern because of its reputation as a “solid, well-established I-AA program.”
“We contacted several I-A and I-AA football programs in an effort to schedule a quality I-AA opponent,” Senior Associate Athletic Director Peter Pilling said. ” When we looked at Eastern Illinois, it made a lot of sense for both programs – from both a scheduling and a financial standpoint.”
Eastern will earn $225,000 from the game, and the deal is for one season only. It’s the first meeting between the two programs.
Bellantoni said despite BYU’s sub-.500 record, the Cougars should still present a tough challenge for the Panthers.
“We know they’re going to have a lot of talent,” he said. “And with BYU, they send a lot of their guys out on missions, so we’re going to be playing some 24 and 25-year-olds.”
The Panthers defeated the only Division I-A opponent on their 2004 schedule, beating Eastern Michigan 31-28 in Yipsilanti, Mich.
In 2003, the Panthers lost 37-0 at Missouri, and in 2002, Eastern lost 61-36 at Hawaii and 63-13 at Kansas State.
Bellantoni said potential recruits like knowing a program is willing to take on national football powers.
“The guys we recruit want to play these kinds of schools,” he said,
And it’s in these games when a player’s performance can elevate him to the next level.
“When the pro scouts come in,” Bellantoni said, “those are the tapes they want to see.”
