2007 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team

2007 Eastern Illinois Panthers football
NCAA Division I First Round, L 11–30 vs. Southern Illinois
Conference	Ohio Valley Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 18
Record	8–4 (7–1 OVC)
Head coach	Bob Spoo (20th season)
Offensive coordinator	Jorge Munoz
Defensive coordinator	Roc Bellantoni
Home stadium	O'Brien Field
Seasons ←  2006 2008  →

2007 Ohio Valley Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 13 Eastern Kentucky $^		8	–	0					9	–	3
No. 18 Eastern Illinois ^		7	–	1					8	–	4
Austin Peay		5	–	3					7	–	4
Jacksonville State		5	–	3					6	–	5
Tennessee State		4	–	3					5	–	6
Tennessee–Martin		4	–	4					4	–	7
Samford		2	–	6					4	–	7
Tennessee Tech		2	–	6					4	–	7
Southeast Missouri State		1	–	6					3	–	8
Murray State		1	–	7					2	–	9
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 2007 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team represented Eastern Illinois University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 2007 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The team was led by 20th-year head coach Bob Spoo and played their home games at O'Brien Field in Charleston, Illinois. The Panthers finished the season with an 8–4 record overall and a 7–1 record in conference play. The team received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where they lost to Southern Illinois in the first round. ^[1] Eastern Illinois was ranked No. 18 in The Sports Network's postseason ranking of NCAA Division I FCS teams. ^[2]

Wide receivers coach Jorge Munoz was promoted to offensive coordinator prior to the season, though he had already handled play-calling duties in 2006. ^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30	Tennessee Tech	No. 17	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	W 45–25		[4]
September 8	at Purdue *	No. 12	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	L 6–52	52,504	[5]
September 15	No. 17 Illinois State *	No. 14	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL (rivalry)	L 21–24	9,028	[6]
September 22	at Indiana State *	No. 20	Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, IN	W 54–20	4,079	[7]
September 29	at Southeast Missouri State	No. 19	Houck Stadium Cape Girardeau, MO	W 31–16	9,925	[8]
October 6	Eastern Kentucky	No. 16	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	L 21–28	9,861	[9]
October 13	at Murray State	No. 24	Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY	W 27–24	5,843	[10]
October 20	Tennessee–Martin		O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	W 29–23	8,151	[11]
October 27	at Tennessee State		LP Field Nashville, TN	W 38–35	8,935	[12]
November 10	at Jacksonville State	No. 25	Paul Snow Stadium Jacksonville, AL	W 37–23	8,202	[13]
November 17	Samford	No. 21	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	W 33–17	3,083	[14]
November 24	at No. 4 Southern Illinois *	No. 18	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL (NCAA Division I First Round)	L 11–30	6,124	[15]
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Football Record Book" (PDF). Eastern Illinois University Athletics. p. 53. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
2. "Three Gateway Teams Ranked in Final Poll". Missouri Valley Football Conference. December 18, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
3. Nielsen, Brian (March 31, 2007). "Munoz now coordinator; Hoover added to staff". Mattoon Journal Gazette. p. B4. Retrieved February 21, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. Nielsen, Brian (August 31, 2007). "Killer Combo". Mattoon Journal Gazette. p. C1. Retrieved December 2, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
5. Kubat, Tom (September 9, 2007). "Lightning strikes". Journal & Courier . p. C1. Retrieved December 2, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
6. Reinhardt, Randy (September 16, 2007). "ISU Survives Late Panther Threat". The Pantagraph . p. D1. Retrieved December 2, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Back has Keys to EIU win". Herald and Review . Associated Press. September 23, 2007. p. C5. Retrieved December 2, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Eastern Illinois 31, SE Missouri 16". Herald and Review . Associated Press. September 30, 2007. p. C8. Retrieved December 2, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Colonels knock off No. 16 EIU". Lexington Herald-Leader . Associated Press. October 7, 2007. p. C7. Retrieved December 2, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Eastern fends off Murray State upset attempt". Herald and Review . Associated Press. October 14, 2007. p. C5. Retrieved December 2, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Panthers escape with win over UT-Martin". The Paducah Sun . Associated Press. October 21, 2007. p. 4B. Retrieved December 2, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
12. Organ, Mike (October 28, 2007). "Late field goal gives TSU untimely loss". The Tennessean . p. 10C. Retrieved December 2, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
13. Muskewitz, Al (November 11, 2007). "Hopes Dashed". The Anniston Star . p. 1C. Retrieved December 2, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Adeniji's three scores help Eastern Illinois to win". Herald and Review . Associated Press. November 18, 2007. p. C9. Retrieved December 2, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
15. "Salukis' Hill tops Panthers". Chicago Tribune . Associated Press. November 25, 2007. p. 3:12. Retrieved December 2, 2021– via Newspapers.com.