The 2016 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team represented Eastern Illinois University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by third-year head coach Kim Dameron, the Panthers compiled an overall record of 6–5 overall with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, tying for fifth place in the OVC. Eastern Illinois played home games at O'Brien Field in Charleston, Illinois.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|
| 6:00 pm | No. 20 Western Illinois* | | | WEIU | L 21–38 | 7,618 |
| September 10 | 2:30 pm | at Miami (OH)* | | | ESPN3 | W 21–17 | 17,369 |
| September 17 | 2:00 pm | at No. 5 Illinois State* | | | CSNCH | W 24–21 | 13,391 |
| September 24 | 1:00 pm | Austin Peay | No. 18 | - O'Brien Field
- Charleston, IL
| WEIU | W 56–35 | 6,169 |
| October 1 | 6:00 pm | at Southeast Missouri State | No. 13 | | OVCDN | L 14–21 | 4,892 |
| October 8 | 6:00 pm | Tennessee State | No. 19 | - O'Brien Field
- Charleston, IL
| WEIU | W 35–34 | 4,319 |
| October 15 | 6:00 pm | at Tennessee Tech | No. 18 | | OVCDN | W 30–24 | 4,082 |
| October 22 | 1:00 pm | Murray State | No. 15 | - O'Brien Field
- Charleston, IL
| WEIU | L 38–40 | 7,907 |
| October 29 | 2:00 pm | at No. 2 Jacksonville State | No. 23 | | ESPN3 | L 14–47 | 21,655 |
| November 5 | 1:00 pm | UT Martin | | - O'Brien Field
- Charleston, IL
| WEIU | L 17–33 | 3,054 |
| November 19 | 1:00 pm | at Eastern Kentucky | | | OVCDN | W 24–0 | 3,100 |
- *Non-conference game
Homecoming- Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game
- All times are in Central time
|
Roster
Game summaries
Western Illinois
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| #20 Leathernecks
|
14
|
10
|
7
|
7 |
38 |
| Panthers
|
7
|
0
|
14
|
0 |
21 |
At Miami (OH)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| Panthers
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
14 |
21 |
| RedHawks
|
3
|
7
|
7
|
0 |
17 |
At Illinois State
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| Panthers
|
3
|
7
|
7
|
7 |
24 |
| #5 Redbirds
|
0
|
0
|
7
|
14 |
21 |
Austin Peay
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| Governors
|
0
|
14
|
7
|
14 |
35 |
| #18 Panthers
|
14
|
7
|
14
|
21 |
56 |
At Southeast Missouri State
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| #13 Panthers
|
7
|
0
|
7
|
0 |
14 |
| Redhawks
|
14
|
0
|
7
|
0 |
21 |
Tennessee State
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| Tigers
|
3
|
10
|
14
|
7 |
34 |
| #19 Panthers
|
14
|
7
|
7
|
7 |
35 |
At Tennessee Tech
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| #18 Panthers
|
0
|
13
|
14
|
3 |
30 |
| Golden Eagles
|
3
|
14
|
0
|
7 |
24 |
Murray State
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| Racers
|
3
|
13
|
6
|
18 |
40 |
| #15 Panthers
|
21
|
0
|
3
|
14 |
38 |
At Jacksonville State
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| #23 Panthers
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
7 |
14 |
| #2 Gamecocks
|
21
|
10
|
9
|
7 |
47 |
Tennessee–Martin
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| Skyhawks
|
6
|
7
|
3
|
17 |
33 |
| Panthers
|
0
|
7
|
3
|
7 |
17 |
At Eastern Kentucky
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
| Panthers
|
0
|
7
|
7
|
10 |
24 |
| Colonels
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0 |
0 |
Ranking movements
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes | Week |
|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
|---|
| STATS FCS | RV | RV | RV | 18 | 13 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 23 | RV | — | — | — | — |
|---|
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | 16 | 13 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 22 | 24 | — | — | — | — |
|---|
References
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| Venues | |
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| Bowls & rivalries | |
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| Culture & lore | |
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| People | |
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| Seasons | |
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National championship seasons in bold |