Walker leads Eastern Illinois past Eastern Kentucky 24-7
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Jake Walker rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown to help Eastern Illinois beat Eastern Kentucky 24-7 Saturday.
Eastern Illinois (5-3, 4-1 Ohio Valley Conference) took the early lead on Walker's 1-yard run up the middle, but Eastern Kentucky answered with 25 seconds left in the second quarter when Matt Denham scored from 4 yards out for a 7-7 tie at halftime. Denham finished with 95 yards on 25 carries.
Eastern Illinois went on to score 17 unanswered points in the second half, while Eastern Kentucky (6-3, 4-2) failed to move the ball. Jimmy Garoppolo found Erik Lora for a 15-yard touchdown to push the final lead to 24-7 with 12:08 left in the fourth quarter.
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The Panthers gained their first win on the road as the defense stifled the Colonels, sacked quarterback T.J. Pryor five times, forced an interception and held the Colonels to 3-for-18 on third down efficiency.