With Clint Sellers out indefinitely, the Panthers looked to the other side of the field to find his replacement.

Defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni said Lucius Seymour, who normally starts on the weak side opposite Sellers, will be moved to Sellers’ starting position.

Matt Westrick, a transfer from Grossmont (Calif.) Community College, will start at Seymour’s position.

“I’m working hard to fit into the scheme and take care of my responsibilities,” Westrick said.

Westrick played in Saturday’s 42-17 loss to Illinois, finishing with one tackle.

Westrick has shown improvement during the week’s practices, Bellantoni said.

“He was a really good player at the junior college,” he said. “He missed about 10 days of practice and he really fell behind.”

The coaches had planned on working Westrick in slowly through the first few weeks of the season but the injury to Sellers pushed him into the rotation earlier than they had wanted.

Bellantoni said Sellers was out of the hospital and back in Charleston recovering from the vicious hit that left him motionless on the field on the game’s opening play.

He was still a “little woozy” from the medications that he is on, Bellantoni said.

When the Panthers bring in a fifth defensive back, they’ll bring in Ke-Andre Sams and move Seymour to either Westrick’s or starting middle linebacker Donald Thomas’ spot.

Other injured Panthers

Although the injury to Sellers, a preseason Buck Buchanan Award nominee, is the big injury the Panthers have to overcome, junior defensive tackle R.J. Myers also was injured in the Illinois game.

Bellantoni said he would probably miss a couple of weeks because of an ankle injury.

Also on the sidelines for Wednesday’s practice was Terrance Sanders, who regularly takes Wednesdays off because of regular swelling in his knee.

Stepping up on offense

Eastern knows it is not going to be easy to replace the defense’s main playmaker.

When people talk about the Panthers they usually bring up the defense first. But the offense made some plays of its own Saturday.

And with Indiana State coming off of a 35-point performance against Purdue, Eastern will have to make some more.

“Even before (the injury) I was telling everybody ‘we need to score to keep pressure off the defense,'” junior wide receiver Micah Rucker said. “It’s something I look forward to.”

Rucker was stuck low on the depth chart at the University of Minnesota before transferring this season.

He said the difference between being a starter and what he had to deal with in Minnesota is pretty big.

“It just feels good,” he said. “I’m so happy every day to get out on the practice field and get an opportunity and get a chance to make plays.”

Rucker proved he should be a starter in Champaign when he finished with four receptions, 105 yards and a 20-yard touchdown in the second quarter from quarterback Mike Donato.

“I kind of wanted to come out and make a statement,” Rucker said. “But I feel like I could have come out and played better.”

Rucker finished his first two seasons at Minnesota with a combined four receptions and 76 yards.