Eastern beat Tennessee State 38-35 Saturday evening at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn., in a back-and-forth game where the last team with the ball was going to win. The Panthers went home the winners on the scoreboard, but TSU walked away with an edge in the position breakdown.

Quarterback

TSU quarterback Calvin McNairl completed 8-of-16 passes for 189 yards, but it was his ability to run the ball that stood out. McNairl ran several quarterback keepers for big yardage and finished the game with 45 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. He was sacked once and threw one interception as well. Eastern quarterback Bodie Reeder had the worst game of his collegiate career, completing just 8-of-15 passes for 63 yards and throwing two interceptions that were both returned for touchdowns. Reeder threw one touchdown pass in the first quarter.

Edge: TSU

Running Back

Eastern’s backfield consisted of a tandem of 100-yard rushers in Ademola Adeniji (155 yards) and Travorus Bess (127 yards). Adeniji, Bess and full back Trent Steckel found the end zone as the Panthers rushed for 351 yards as a team. Javarris Williams led TSU with 86 rushing yards on 14 carries despite suffering a side injury last week, and Terrence Wright scored two rushing touchdowns. The Tigers combined for 166 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns as a team.

Edge: Eastern

Wide Receiver

Eastern wide receiver Micah Rucker caught just three passes all day, but two of them were for touchdowns. Rucker’s two touchdown receptions were made possible because of his height and athletic advantage over TSU’s defensive backs. Chris Johnson was the lead receiver for the Tigers with three receptions for 68 yards including a diving catch at the one-yard line that resulted in a TSU touchdown two plays later. Ronald Evans caught two passes for 59 yards and also rushed three times for 22 yards.

Edge: Eastern

Offensive Line

Eastern gained 351 yards on the ground behind the run blocking of its offensive line. The Panthers started five sophomores on the offensive line because of injuries and had to turn to third-string center Ryan Spears when Chris Vaccaro was injured before halftime. Eastern’s pass blocking wasn’t as good as Reeder was hurried on several occasions. The Tigers’ offensive line was much the same as Eastern’s. They blocked well on the run, opening holes for Williams and McNairl, but also allowed pressure on McNairl in passing situations.

Edge: Draw

Defensive Line

Eastern defensive end Tim Kelly had seven tackles including a sack on McNairl, and defensive tackle Trevor Frericks‘ four tackles held the Tigers at the line of scrimmage. TSU defensive end Shaun Richardson, who leads the Ohio Valley Conference in sacks, did not play through much of the first half because of a personal issue. Richardson led all TSU defensive linemen with five tackles, and the Tigers were able to pressure Reeder in the pocket several times.

Edge: TSU

Linebackers

Eastern linebacker Matt Westrick had four tackles on the game including two and a half for loss. Westrick was the big hitter on the game, delivering vicious hits that were more like body slams. Donald Thomas played for the Panthers after sitting out last week with a bruised foot and recorded five tackles playing every other series. TSU linebackers Kalvin Baker (16 tackles) and Ramone Willis (14 tackles) combined for 30 tackles to lead the Tigers, and Willis had two tackles for loss. Nashon Bigham was fourth on the team with five tackles as well.

Edge: TSU

Secondary

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Marquez Hall both returned interceptions for touchdowns. Rodgers-Cromartie’s return was for 69 yards and Hall’s was for 78. TSU safety Larry Williford had 10 tackles and two passes broken up for the Tigers as well. Eastern corner back Rashad Haynes recorded his fifth interception on the season with a 74-yard, third-quarter interception return. Eastern safety Adrian Arrington led the Panthers with eight tackles.

Edge: TSU

Special Teams

Eastern kicker Tyler Wilke was 4-of-9 on field goals this season and just 1-of-5 from 30 yards out. However, Wilke kicked a last-second, 30-yard field goal to give the Panthers their third straight OVC win. Eastern kick retuner Ron Jordan had 96 return yards on four returns including a long of 36 yards. TSU punter Taylor Cisneros averaged 43 yards on five punts, but kicker Eric Benson missed a 42-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Edge: Eastern

Coach

When Reeder struggled through the air, Eastern ran 18 straight running plays. Eastern’s running game has been the strongest component of the offense throughout the season, and the Panthers relied heavily on it to beat TSU. With McNairl at quarterback for the Tigers-he’s a true freshman and was starting his first collegiate game-TSU mixed run and pass plays well and utilized McNairl’s running ability.

Edge: Draw