Get the majority of Eastern’s defensive linemen together in one room and the stories run rampant.

Like how sophomore Trevor Frericks likes to give out hugs at any time, can clap his feet just like his hands, and “likes his shells and cheese,” senior Tim Kelly said.

“He probably eats that three times a day,” said Kelly, who lives with

Frericks. “And I’m not exaggerating that.”

Or how 6-foot-5, 261-pound junior Pierre Walters, of whom his fellow linemen joke he looks like he should be on “American’s Most

Wanted”, can laugh hysterically watching cartoons on his laptop during road trips.

Or how sophomore Andre Lima makes sure Sobol, his roommate, keeps their house clean and does the dishes.

In fact, Sobol hurt his knee last spring after Lima dared him to jump over a puddle after the two went out to eat.

“I walked around it, and he looked at me, and I said, ‘Jeff, you can’t jump that,'” Lima said. “As he jumped, he just slipped and fell right in the middle of the water on his back. I was dying laughing.”

Walters said all the linemen understand their own brand of humor.

“We do come from different backgrounds and everything, but I’d say we’re all characters, and we bring a different type of person to the table,” he said.

Walters, Kelly, Sobol and Michael Torres all start for the Panthers.

But Donovan Johnson, Frericks, Lima and junior Ryan Bennett play about the same amount of snaps in a reserve role.

Walters has turned himself into one of the most feared pass rushers in the Ohio Valley Conference after being academically ineligible his freshman year.

Kelly is the four-year starter, one who reins them all in when they get out of control, Walters said.

“I’d say he’s more like a step-father figure to me because he does pick on me,” Frericks said. “But I am older than him, so I’ve got that going for me.”

Sobol is in his second year starting at tackle after transferring from

Illinois. Sobol and junior Donovan Johnson (Arkansas) transferred into the program before last season. The 6-1, 266-pound Frericks came in from Bowling Green prior to this season.

All three transfers said they’ve noticed a difference at Eastern compared to their previous schools.

“Especially on this level, it’s a more fun game to play,” Johnson said. “They anticipate the same out of you (at Eastern), but at that higher level, it’s more strict.”

The 6-3, 254-pound junior lines up on the same side with Torres.

Torres said if Sobol – who leads the team in tackles for loss with 9.5 – has a bad game, he’ll have a bad game, too.

“I think (offensive) guards probably hate him because I don’t think he’s supposed to be playing tackle because he’s way too quick for them guys,” Torres said. “He’s always in the backfield.”

Kelly also calls Sobol “Slim Shady,” a reference to the similarity between Sobol’s bleach-blond hair and rapper Eminem’s.

The 6-1, 255-pound Torres is the one with big dreadlocks and gold teeth, who Frericks said also has a thing for numbers.

“When I first met him, I thought he listened to a police scanner when he went home because he has numbers for everything,” he said. “Anything happens, he’s got a number for it.”

But despite their antics off the field, they know how to perform once they step on the field. It was evident last weekend in Eastern’s 37-23 win against Jacksonville State. On a critical JSU possession, with the Gamecocks leading 30-23 early in the fourth quarter, Frericks and Bennett combined to sack quarterback Cedric Johnson on 3rd-and-8.

Torres added a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown later in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

“Everywhere else, they have team-building stuff; (they) kind of force you to make friends,” Frericks said. “Here, it just kind of clicked. We didn’t have to have an ice breaker, ‘say your name’ or ‘where you’re from’ or all that. We all got together and got along from day one.”

The Eastern defensive linemen display their normal off-the-field behavior. The group displays its sense of humor. The Panthers prepare for their final game against Samford at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday at O’Brien Stadium.

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