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For Immediate Release
Oct. 16, 2009
Football Ready For Clash With LaGrange on Saturday
EUREKA, Ill. – The Eureka College football team will play the third and final game of its current three-game homestand on Saturday when former SLIAC associate football member LaGrange visits for a noon kickoff at McKinzie Field.
The Red Devils have dropped three straight games after last week’s 35-34 homecoming loss to UMAC South Division opponent Westminster. The Eureka offense engineered an 80-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, but a missed extra point attempt followed by a turnover on downs with less than a minute remaining ended Eureka’s comeback bid.
Eureka hopes to get another solid outing from senior quarterback Nick Lindsey (Homer, Ill./Heritage H.S.) and sophomore wide receiver Wes Schmidgall (Eureka, Ill./Eureka H.S.). Lindsey leads the UMAC in passing efficiency (143.15) and total offense per game (299.3), while Schmidgall’s average of 112.3 receiving yards per game leads the conference and ranks 18th in all of Division III.
In the only previous meeting between Eureka and LaGrange, the Panthers raced to a 49-0 halftime lead last season in LaGrange, Ga. before posting a 63-19 win. Seven different Eureka players combined to rush for 250 yards and three touchdowns, but the Panthers scored touchdowns on eight of their first nine possessions on their way to racking up 514 yards of offense.
After starting its football program with consecutive winless seasons in 2006 and 2007, LaGrange burst onto the Division III football scene in 2008 by posting a 9-2 overall record and a perfect 7-0 conference record to win the SLIAC and qualify for the national playoffs. The Panthers swept the league’s individual postseason awards and return each of the three award-winners and head coach Todd Mooney for 2009. Mooney was eventually named the NCAA Division III Schutt Sports Coach of the Year by American Football Monthly after LaGrange set an NCAA Division III football record with an 8.5 game improvement from 2007 to 2008.
Playing as an independent this season after the SLIAC ended football competition earlier this year, the Panthers have won two straight games to improve their record to 3-3. Last week, LaGrange set a new school record with 534 yards of total offense in a 48-6 rout of UMAC South Division member MacMurray. Junior quarterback Drew Carter has thrown for 1,027 yards this season and nine touchdowns, while freshman running back Dustin Canon has led the ground attack with 347 yards and a touchdown. The LaGrange offense also includes 2008 SLIAC Offensive Player of the Year Mario Wallace, who has appeared in only four of LaGrange’s six contests this season.
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For More Information Contact:
Bryan Moore
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