Bryant falls to Eastern Illinois in OT, 25-24

CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Bryant University football team fell to Eastern Illinois in a thrilling overtime game by a score of 25-24 on the road.

Both teams missed field goals in the final minutes, with the Bulldogs blocking a 53-yard field goal as time expired to send the game to overtime.

The Bulldogs had possession first and moved down to the one on 24 yards of rushing from Zevi Eckhaus. Fabrice Mukendi then punched it in for his second TD of the game, making the score 24-17 after a successful PAT.

The Panthers then scored on their possession and elected to go for two. The QB was stopped short of the goal line on the initial try, but the second push crossed the plane. The play was reviewed and confirmed by the officials.

Game Information
EIU 25, Bryant 24 (OT)
Records: Bryant 3-4 (1-1), EIU 4-3 (1-2)
Location: O'Brien Stadium (Charleston, Ill.)

Key Moment

• EIU elected to go for two in OT to secure the victory.

How it Happened

• On the opening drive, the Panthers drove it down the field from their own 25-yard line, which was capped off by a one yard QB run TD (7-0).
• The Bulldogs started at their own 45, which led to a 45 yard FG from Ethan Gettman to get the Black and Gold on the board (7-3).
• To begin the second, the Panthers were driving but were halted once they got to the 10 on three straight plays, ending up with an FG (10-3).
• Bryant began the drive on their own drive they then gained two chunk plays on an 11-yard pass to Powell, who broke away from a tackle, and an 19-yard catch from Marc Taglieri Jr. The Bulldogs then got into 1^st and goal on a 12-yard scramble from Eckhaus. Bryant then scored a TD off a rollout from Eckhaus to Lathrop to tie the game at 10.
• The Panthers responded with a 78-yard drive, which was driven by two passes for 49 yards to put EIU at the one, which led to a QB rushing TD (17-10).
• To end the third quarter Eckhaus found Ruggieri for 26 yards up the middle of the field. Then on third down Lathrop converted the first down, setting up Mukendi who bounced it to the outside to tie the game at 17.
• In the final seconds, the Panthers had a last-second FG that was blocked, sending the game to OT.
• EIU won the toss and elected to defer, giving the Bulldogs possession first in OT.
• Eckhaus began the drive with a 17-yard rush, followed by two more runs, putting the Black and Gold at the one-yard line, which was punched in by Mukendi, giving Bryant the lead (24-17).
• The Panthers then had two minimal gains on the ground, before earning a 17-yard gain, placing them on the two.
• EIU then score and elected to go for two to win the game (24-24). The initial QB sneak looked to be stopped short, but the second push landed the Panthers QB in the endzone for the win (25-24).
• The play was reviewed and confirmed by replay officials.

Stats

• EIU outgained Bryant, 440-317.
• Bryant finished 9-of-16 on third down, while EIU was 8-of-13.
• The Bulldogs picked up three sacks.
• Eckhaus finished 19-of-36 for 175 yards and a touchdown. He added 62 yards on nine carries.
• Mukendi rushed for two touchdowns and 32 yards on eight carries.
• Ryan Clark and Simi Bakare combined for 48 yards on 14 carries.
• Lathrop posted two catches for 21 yards and a touchdown.
• Prochaska led the way with six catches for 56 yards, while Ruggieri added four catches for 45 yards.
• Ellis posted a team-high seven tackles to go along with his interception.
• Jayvis Rayside and Colin Elliott each posted six tackles. Elliott added a sack.
• Darnel Shillingford and Marcus Crawford also picked up sacks.

Game Notes

• Bryant and Eastern Illinois were meeting for the first time in program history.
• The Bulldogs played their second overtime game of the season.
• Ellis has now picked off a pass in back-to-back games.
• Mukendi posted the third multi-TD game of his career.
• Eckhaus surpassed 7,000 passing yards for his career in the game. He joins Dalton Easton as the only two QBs in school history to achieve the feat.

Up Next
The Bulldogs head to Charleston, South Carolina, next Saturday to take on Charleston Southern.