Updated 1:56 p.m. Nov. 23

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Eastern’s final scoring drive in its 38-20 victory against Tennessee Tech on Saturday afternoon at Tucker Stadium was all Travorus Bess.

The red-shirt senior running back carried the ball 11 times for 58 yards. He capped it off with a touchdown run from one yard out.

Those short yardage situations are typically Desmin Ward’s territory. And the Panthers used Ward in that role several times against the Golden Eagles. The freshman running back delivered with three touchdowns – the third time this season he scored three times.

But Bess stayed in the game for that final scoring drive and ended his Eastern career with a touchdown. His 163 rushing yards on 28 carries pushed him past the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season and the 2,000-yard mark for his career.

And Bess has his offensive line to thank for being able to finish his season with a touchdown.

“My linemen wanted me to stay in,” Bess said. “They wanted me to get a touchdown. That’s how they wanted me to go out.” Bess said he couldn’t have had the success he had against the Golden Eagles and all season without his offensive line creating holes for him to run through.

Ward agreed.

“I think this game was by far their best game,” Ward said. “They opened up a lot of holes and i really just can’t compliment them enough.”

Ward finished the game with 19 yards on nine carries and the three scores. Red-shirt sophomore running back Chevon Walker made it a triple threat in the Panthers’ backfield with 109 yards rushing on 11 carries. Walker had the longest run of the game on a 55-yard rush around left tackle on a reverse play.

Eastern’s running backs combined to rush for 296 yards and four touchdowns on 52 carries.

“That’s basically what we’ve been trying to do the whole season,” Bess said. “That’s how we win games – establish the run. The offensive line created holes, and we just ran hard and did what was expected of us to do the whole season.”

Eastern head coach Bob Spoo said the Panthers had a good push up front against Tennessee Tech and that helped Eastern establish the run.

“It’s something that we could have been doing all year but didn’t,” Spoo said. “The difference today was we just got control of the line of scrimmage.”?Bess said Eastern’s running backs did a better job of extending their runs past the initial would-be tackler. That is something he said the Panthers’ coaches stressed after the loss to Austin Peay on Nov. 15.

“Last week (the coaches) said we hadn’t finished as well as we did in previous games,” Bess said. “That was motivation for us too – try to make some guys miss and get some extra yards after contact.”

Tennessee Tech started the scoring early in the first quarter on a four-play, 73-yard drive that took 1 minute, 53 seconds. The drive was capped by a 42-yard rushing touchdown by freshman running back Dontey Gay. After that, the Golden Eagles managed just two field goals by sophomore kicker Justin Kraemer and a four-yard touchdown reception by freshman wide receiver Mauricio Wallace late in the fourth quarter with the Eastern win already secured.

“It seems like every time we play here, their first drive lasts like 50 seconds, and then they score,” Eastern red-shirt senior defensive end Pierre Walters said. “It was just a misfit. It wasn’t anything drastic.”?Spoo said quick scores like that happen, but he said the Panthers’ defense adjusted on the run and the adjustments were sound enough to slow down the Golden Eagles’ offense.

Eastern’s other touchdown came on a 13-yard pass from red-shirt junior quarterback Bodie Reeder to senior wide receiver Alicus Nozinor early in the fourth quarter. Reeder finished the game 15-of-19 for 196 yards and the touchdown.