The Panthers noticed there was somebody missing from Tennessee State’s starting lineup on Saturday.

Antonio Heffner.

Heffner, the Tigers’ starting quarterback, was one of the main reasons TSU came into O’Brien Stadium with an undefeated Ohio Valley Conference record.

He missed the game because of a shoulder injury that he was nursing all week.

His absence allowed the Panthers to focus on running back Javarris Williams.

“(Defensive coordinator) Roc (Bellantoni) came up to us and told us that we got one person to focus on,” said safety Tristan Burge. “We gotta pound him and make him pay for every time he touches the ball. That is what we came out and did.”

The Panthers held the league’s leading rusher coming into the game to only 38 yards on 15 carries.

Heffner has thrown nine touchdowns and run for five touchdowns.

He did not make the trip to Charleston after being a game-time decision earlier in the week.

“We watched him on tape and prepared for him,” said cornerback Terrance Sanders. “For him to not play, he is such an athlete, it was a benefit for us.”

The Panthers held TSU to 211 total yards in the game.

Eastern held a 17-3 lead at the half and that allowed the defense to focus on the pass rush.

“Once we knew that we got them in predictable situations, the defense could pin their ears back,” Sanders said. “We’re an intense group.”

Quarterback Cole Stinson, who is in his first year as a Panther, said he had heard about last year’s defense and had fun watching them play.

“They were flying around making plays,” Stinson said. “They were getting strips, making picks. They looked good. I’m glad I wasn’t playing against them (Saturday).”

The Panthers forced three of their four turnovers in the second half and pressured quarterback Richard Hartman throughout the half.

Hartman finished the game with 162 yards passing.

Ian Sample, who is a more of a running quarterback, also played in limited duty.

The change from Heffner didn’t change the game plan too much, Bellantoni said.

“When (Sample) was in there, we knew he was going to run the ball like Heffner would have run the ball,” he said. “(Hartman) would throw the ball like Heffner would have thrown the ball.”

But the switch did give the Panthers less to worry about.

“It definitely made it easier, no question,” Bellantoni said. “Heffner is a great player. When he’s in there, you don’t know if they’re going to run or pass. Him not being in there, the quarterback that they had in there was going to dictate what they were going to do.”

The game came one week after the Panthers lost their first game of the OVC season and left them in a position where they had to get help to win the conference.

The loss was a challenge to the defense.

“These are the last two games I’m guaranteed,” Sanders said, “so all I can do is leave it all on the line.”

The Panthers know that one more loss will knock them out of contention for the postseason.

It is a fact that the coaches have driven home to the players.

“They let us know if we lose, the dream dies,” Sanders said. “If we win, we still got life. We weren’t ready to die.”