Eastern defeated Tennessee Tech 45-24 in Thursday night’ season opener.

Here’s a breakdown of how the offense, defense, special teams and coaching went.

Quarterback

Cole Stinson had his best game in an Eastern uniform. Tech QB Lee Sweeney had the better start, but his two interceptions in the second quarter changed the game.

Edge: Eastern

Running Back

Eastern rushed for more yards, but didn’t play better than Tech’s. Tech RB Derek White ran for 69 yards and had a team-high nine receptions. Eastern’s Travorus Bess had 68 yards on 11 carries, but most came late in the game with the Panthers comfortably ahead.

Edge: Tech

Wide Receiver

Micah Rucker looked even better than he did last year for Eastern. Tech head coach Watson Brown was wrong after the game when he said Tech should have put eight defenders on Rucker. He should have put all 11 defenders on him.

Edge: Eastern

Offensive Line

Stinson wasn’t sacked at all, and a consistent pass rush from Tech was non-existent. Tech wasn’t able to protect Sweeney all game, and the Panthers forced a fumble from Sweeney after hitting him.

Edge: Eastern

Defensive Line

The Panthers most experienced unit played like it. One example of their overall excellence: 6-foot-5, 261-pound defensive end Pierre Walters dropping 15 yards back in coverage and breaking up a pass.

Edge: Eastern

Linebackers

Eastern received a huge scare when Donald Thomas was blindsided by a Tech blocker and laid on the field for five minutes. But Thomas got up and ran off the field. Overall, the Panthers hold the slight edge, especially with Matt Westrick’s second-quarter interception.

Edge: Eastern

Secondary

The Panthers’ youth showed early with Sweeney completing his first 12 passes. But Rashad Haynes’ interception in the second quarter gave this unit the confidence it needed. Also, two of Eastern’s top three tacklers were strong safety Ke’Andre Sams and corner back Sinque Turner.

Edge: Eastern

Special Teams

Kevin Cook made his debut as Eastern’s more traditional punter, kicking his first punt 45 yards. And last year’s starter and this year’s rugby-punt specialist Zach Yates pinned Tech within its own 10-yard line with his 43-yard punt. Tyler Wilke’s first field goal attempt missed, but that was the only blemish for his unit.

Edge: Eastern

Coaching

The biggest difference one can see during a game is a coach’s adjustment. Eastern obviously did this, figuring out Sweeney and Tech’s offense, while Brown and his Tech staff never adjusted to the pass-and-throw combination of Rucker and Stinson.

Edge: Eastern