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Eastern Illinois at South Carolina
Williams-Brice Stadium (80,250)  •   Columbia, SC
Sept. 4, 2021   •  6 p.m.   •   TV: ESPN+

Complete EIU Game Notes  |  Listen Live  |  Live Stats  |  Watch on ESPN+

NOTES TO KNOW
• Eastern Illinois heads into the second week of its season after the Panthers suffered a tough 26-21 road loss at Indiana State in a Week Zero game.  The contest was one of seven collegiate games at the FBS or FCS level last weekend.  This will be the second of three straight road games to open the season for EIU.  The last time EIU opened the year with three straight on the road was 1993.  This will be the season opener for South Carolina after the Gamecocks went 2-8 last season.  South Carolina will be under the direction of first year head coach Shane Beamer. 

• Eastern Illinois will have two players on its roster returning to the Palmetto State when the Panthers play on Saturday night in Columbia, SC.  Tyler Hamilton and Kobe Rodgers are both South Carolina natives with Hamilton from Hilton Head (160 miles) and Rodgers from Gaffney (100 miles).  EIU has five additional players from the neighboring states of Georgia (3) and North Carolina (2) as this will be the first time that any player on the EIU roster has played a college game at Williams-Brice Stadium.

• Tyler Ringwood had a big start to his Eastern Illinois career as the transfer wide receiver hauled in five passes for 116 yards in the Week Zero opener at Indiana State.  Ringwood's biggest catch of the night covered 61 yards.  Ringwood previously played at UNC Charlotte catching 36 passes over three years.  During the 2019 season he was the third leading receiver on the 49ers team as the program made its first-ever bowl game appearance.  Ringwood scored five touchdowns that season averaging 15.8 yards per catch with a long reception of 52 yards.  

• This will be the 43rd time that Eastern Illinois has played an FBS team with the Panthers holding a 6-36 all-time mark in those previous contests.  EIU's last win over a FBS program was a 21-17 win over Miami (Ohio) in 2016.  The Panthers biggest win over an FBS program was a 40-19 win at San Diego State to open the 2013 season.  This will be EIU's second game against a member of the Southeastern Conference losing previously at Arkansas in 2018.  This will be South Carolina's first game against a member of the Ohio Valley Conference.