In a game that started with senior wide receiver DeAirious Smith being injured, the EIU football game opened with some strife for the wide receivers Saturday.
But overall, the EIU wide receivers persevered and recorded 15 receptions against Indiana State for 229 yards out of 268 receiving yards total.
“Pinkies up,” a term wide receiver coach Tino Smith picked up to spark a sense of togetherness within the wide receivers, could be heard after the game.
“We just keep it within the [wide receiver] room,” Tino Smith said. “Pinkies up: first class, top shelf lifestyle, and that’s what we break it down on. Anything we do, after we pray, whatever we do, we always say, ‘pinkies up.’”
Because DeAirious Smith went down so early, Eastern’s head football coach Chris Wilkerson and coach Tino Smith called up another number to fill in for DeAirious Smith: number one, Terrance Gipson.
“I was ready to seize the opportunity I got,” Gipson said.
Gipson recorded six receptions for 100 yards for the Panthers.
Tino Smith felt that the wide receivers had enough depth to make up for the loss of DeAirious Smith.
“It’s always next man up,” Tino Smith said. “The guys have to be ready to go, so T Gip came, and that was really his first real game playing wide receiver.”
Before the 2024 season, Gipson was a converted quarterback and defensive back for the Panthers.
But it wasn’t just Gipson that stepped up in the wide receiver room for the Panthers.
Senior Cooper Willman also had a stellar performance against Indiana State on Saturday, scoring his first collegiate touchdown against the Sycamores in the third quarter of the game.
Graduate quarterback Pierce Holley found Willman and completed the five-yard pass. Willman extended the ball into the end-zone to add to Eastern’s lead over Indiana State.
“All week, talking to coach Smith, he was like, ‘You’re going to touch the paint,’ so obviously, going in, it was like, ‘Here we go,’” Willman said. “When I finally got the opportunity, I just embraced the moment with the guys. This is my fifth year here, so to do it here in front of all the fans at O’Brien [Stadium], it was pretty special.”
Eastern got its second straight win over Indiana State 27-20 Saturday evening.
Willman believes he did well against the Sycamores, but he knows there is always something he can improve on.
“It was my first time getting into the end-zone in my college career, so at the end of the day, there’s obviously good but there’s always bad,” Willman said. “It’s a matter of continuing to work throughout the season.”
Redshirt sophomore CJ Nelson said the rotation used against Indiana State went well because of the depth in the wide receiver room.
“We had a good rotation in the game, and everything went well and we were producing,” Nelson said. “I feel like the rotation and depth was good.”
Nelson said the wide receivers are a tight knit group.
“‘Pinkies up’ to us is just a receivers thing,” Nelson said. “When you’re having a little tea party and you put your pinky up, you’re with the guys. They’re family.”
Nelson, a transfer from the University of Houston, is in his first year with the Panthers. Nelson thinks the receivers did a good job at making plays on the field to help convert downs and score over the Sycamores.
“I think we made the job for the quarterback easy,” Nelson said. “The catches that were catchable, we were catching. We were in our right route depth and making plays.”
Senior Eli Mirza agreed with Nelson.
“We got a lot of players that can play multiple positions on the field,” Mirza said. “We all bring different versatility to our game.”
Mirza is in his second season with the Panthers, so he knew Indiana State fairly well from last year’s 27-0 shutout win over the Sycamores.
“We were assignment sound, and we made sure to be at the right spot for the quarterback to catch the ball,” Mirza said.
Unsure on how serious DeAirious Smith’s injury is, Tino Smith has full faith in the wide receiver room for players to step up to the plate and execute on their assignments.
“The strength of the pack of the wolf is the strength of the wolf of the pack,” Tino Smith said. “They all work hard, and they all push each other day in and day out.”
Willman also shared his faith in the wide receivers. He said because of the talent every individual brings to the room, he isn’t concerned about his teammates stepping up to the challenge when their number gets called.
“We’re a happy and fun group,” Willman said. “We like to embrace the moment and make plays. ‘Pinkies up’ is just embracing life.”
Zaria Flippin can be reached at 581-2812 or zhflippin@eiu.edu.