The intrigue with the culmination of spring practice may not be who improved, but who survived.

Eastern will begin its defense of the Ohio Valley Conference title with the annual spring game Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. But they will be without several returning starters.

“This game will be without some of the key guys next year that’s for sure,” Eastern defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni said.

At least six players are being held out of the game due to recovering offseason surgeries or nagging injuries that have occurred during the spring workouts.

“I’ll be honest by saying I want to come out of it healthy,” Bellantoni said. “That is by far the most important thing.”

On the offensive side of the ball, a pair of running backs will not suit up.

Senior tailback Vincent Webb is out due to his ongoing recovery from offseason foot surgery while junior tailback/fullback Norris Smith’s knee injury will keep him from participating.

“Our running back depth has been tested but the guys that have played have benefited from the extra reps,” Eastern offensive coordinator Mark Hutson said.

The team will be split in half between “Blue” and “White” squads Friday afternoon during a draft conducted by the coaches at O’Brien Stadium.

Hutson confirmed Thursday that the offensive staff is leaning toward having each of the four quarterbacks wear orange jerseys and having the defense not touch them.

“We are going to talk about whether or not our quarterbacks will be live but I think we’re going have them in the orange jerseys,” Hutson said.

The OVC-best Panther defense has been hit with the injury bug as the four starters will sit out this weekend include cornerback Ben Brown (stab wound), defensive end Pierre Walters (pulled hamstring), safety Tristan Burge (pulled hamstring) and cornerback Terrance Sanders (knee).

“I want to get all my guys to the summer without any more injuries,” Bellantoni said.

Both sides of the ball will not use a vanilla system as Huston said the no-huddle offense will be implemented and Bellantoni stated the normal blitzing packages are fair game.

“We want to evaluate every player in a game-type situation, so I anticipate a competitive exciting game,” Hutson said.

Eastern enters the game with last season’s starting quarterback Mike Donato as the leading signal caller on the depth chart.

The junior Broadview native used last season’s spring game to secure an opportunity for the starter’s role last fall. Once given the chance, Donato led the Panthers to nine wins and Eastern’s first playoff visit in three seasons.

“We want everybody, including the quarterbacks, to continue to do the basics well while not making mistakes that will lead to turnovers,” Hutson said.

The competition among the team lies in the two-deep traveling roster along with the 90-man limit that they can have by the start of next season.

“We got guys trying to either make the team in general or possibly earn playing time as a backup at certain positions,” Bellantoni said.