Mike Donato is officially a leader.

The Panthers needed somebody to take control Saturday.

They had scored only three points in the first half and it looked like no matter what they tried, they would not get into the end zone.

They couldn’t even get on the board. They missed two field goals and turned the ball over three times in the first half.

But in the second half, Donato led the team back and in the process, showed the 7,517 fans an aspect of the game that was missing last year: a vertical passing game.

He connected twice with transfer Micah Rucker for touchdowns of 60 and 62 yards.

Teammates have noticed a change in Donato.

“I’ve seen him grow,” Vincent Webb Jr. said. “He’s matured. He worked hard this summer.”

Donato has been an underdog since he arrived at Eastern.

He walked on to the team and last year was tabbed the starter by default.

He fought off competition in the spring and again in the fall.

Every step of the way, it seemed as if he would falter and somebody else, namely Cole Stinson, would be under center when the season began at Illinois.

After his first two games, it looks like that is not going to happen.

Donato is actually showing that he is a good quarterback. The criticisms from last year, when he was better at not losing games than winning games, seem misplaced now.

The play calling worked to demoralize an excited Indiana State team that thought they were going to break their 18-game losing streak.

First, Donato saw a missed assignment in the middle of the field. He went over the top and Rucker ran under it.

That put the Panthers up by 15 points.

The Sycamores came back and scored.

Again, Donato and Rucker combined to let Indiana State know that they can put points on the board in a flash.

This aerial attack was set up by a great running game.

The game plan of establishing the run to set up the pass is nothing new.

But setting up the pass doesn’t mean completing the pass.

If a team doesn’t have a good quarterback, you could have Barry Sanders and it wouldn’t help the team. It’s been tried before.

The Panthers have a good quarterback.

The throws Donato made to Rucker were perfectly placed strikes that just needed a speedy receiver to run under it.

Acting head coach Mark Hutson said the team’s response to Donato in the second half was indicative of what he means to the team.

The team’s offensive captains are Webb and offensive lineman Eric Johnson.

But Donato was the one who the team looked to for leadership under adversity Saturday.

And he provided, Hutson said.

“Mike Donato brought them back, stepped up and showed his leadership.”

He’ll have to do that again next week against Illinois State.

But it is no longer a question of whether Donato will make few enough mistakes to keep the team in the game.

It’s now a question of whether he will make enough plays to win it.