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CHARLESTON, Ill. – The No. 8 Eastern Illinois Panthers rolled to a convincing 42-7 victory over the Eastern Kentucky University football team Saturday afternoon.

The Panthers improve to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the OVC while the Colonels fall to 2-3 and 0-1.

EIU quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, a Walter Payton Award candidate, completed 26-of-39 passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Keiondre Gober tallied six receptions for 115 yards and two scores.

The host team scored touchdowns on four of its first six drives to race out to a 28-0 lead. Eastern Kentucky threatened to score before the end of the first half, but the Panthers' Anthony Goodman returned an EKU fumble 70 yards for a touchdown to make the score 35-0 at the break.

Eastern Kentucky turned the ball over four times in the first half. On the Colonels' opening drive, junior quarterback Jared McClain threw an interception at the Eastern Illinois 14-yard line. A few minutes later, redshirt freshman running back JJ Jude exploded for a 31-yard run, but fumbled the ball at the EIU 30-yard line.

Eastern Illinois racked up 360 yards of offense in the first 30 minutes and 519 yards for the game. The Colonels were held to a season-low 97 yards passing.

Junior running back Caleb Watkins scored EKU's lone points, a three-yard touchdown run, with 3:33 remaining.

Eastern Kentucky returns home to face Austin Peay next Saturday, Oct. 5. Game time is set for 6 p.m.

NOTES
--Eastern Kentucky University will host its 2013 Athletics Hall of Fame luncheon next Saturday. Three former football players will be inducted this year – linebacker Tony McCombs (1994-96), OL Joe Spadafino (1982-85) and offensive lineman Chris Sullivan (1981-84).

--The Colonels fall to 46-20 all-time in OVC openers. Eastern Kentucky is 3-3 in OVC openers under head coach Dean Hood.

--Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo became the EIU and OVC all-time leader in touchdown passes in the win. He now has 88 career touchdown passes. Garoppolo also became the EIU and OVC all-time leader in passing yards. He now has 10,159 passing yards.