As Clint Sellers lay on the field motionless, the Panthers’ thoughts were not on football.

“I was just praying on the field, hoping he was all right,” cornerback Ben Brown said.

Sellers ran down the field on the opening kickoff, and when he hit Illinois’ return man, E.B. Halsey, he went to the ground and did not move for a couple of minutes.

When he walked off the field, Eastern was faced with the problem of replacing their leading tackler from 2005 and a preseason Buck Buchanan Award nominee.

“We were shocked,” sophomore defensive end Pierre Walters said. “He sacrifices his body so much for the team. It was just so awkward just seeing him laying there motionless.”

With Sellers not in the lineup, the Panthers gave up 345 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.

It was the most rushing yards they have given up since Oct. 6, 2001, when San Diego State rushed for 356 yards.

Running back Larry Ned, who went on to play for the Arizona Cardinals, rushed for 285 yards and led the Aztecs to a 40-7 win.

“I’m utterly disgusted with how (the linebackers) played,” defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni said. “I’m embarrassed, and we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Stephen Washington was Sellers’ primary replacement, but junior transfer Matt Westrick and sophomore James Larson also saw early action.

Junior linebacker Donald Thomas led the team with 13 tackles, forced a fumble and recovered another one.

“Donald made a lot of plays tonight,” Brown said. “I wish the rest of the guys could have fed off of that.”

Brown said the loss of Sellers was a big blow to the team, but they couldn’t use it as a reason for the loss.

“The first play took a lot out of us,” he said. “That’s the guy we’re used to having out there. But we can’t make excuses.”

Thomas started in 2005 and finished the season with 82 tackles.

Bellantoni said he played a good game, but playing without Sellers might have contributed to Thomas overcompensating.

“He made a couple of very bad mistakes just trying to do too much,” he said. “When you don’t trust the guy standing next to you, you are going to try to do too much.”

Although the younger linebackers made miscues that cost the team, the lack of live reps at practice hurt their preparation.

“To go out and have their first live reps where it is a hell of a lot faster than in practice, it’s tough for those guys,” Bellantoni said. “I have to remember that.”