Saturday’s 23-15 victory against Tennessee Tech was arguably the strongest performance of the season for the Eastern football team.

And the Panthers did it without a number of starters.

Sophomore linebacker Cory Leman, junior defensive end Nathan Galan and senior strong safety Adrian Arrington were all out with injuries. Likewise, senior free safety Seymour Loftman aggravated an injury and was forced to sit out the second half of the win.

But the Eastern replacements did the job in limiting the Golden Eagles to 78 rushing yards and forcing five turnovers.

For Sean Campbell, it’s nothing new. The junior linebacker didn’t begin the season as a regular starter, but Campbell has seen himself thrust into the starting lineup three times already because of injury.

And while moving in and out of the lineup at different positions may seem troublesome, Campbell likes it.

“I’ve been here for a few years and learned all the positions,” said Campbell, who registered three tackles and a forced fumble against Tennessee Tech. “The one thing the older guys who have left taught me is to know all the positions because you’ll never know what could happen. You’ve got to be prepared for any situation.”

Campbell started Saturday in place of Leman, and started two games earlier this season in place of junior linebacker Nick Nasti.

Nasti said having a guy like Campbell on the team is a huge benefit when guys go down with injury.

“It’s nice to have guys like (Campbell) that can play every position,” Nasti said. “He’s played all three linebacker positions. Him and other guys make it a little easier for us.”

On the season, Campbell has 21 tackles, including two for loss.

Young three starting to mature

The Panthers entered the season with three freshman wide receivers that they expected big things out of.

Kenny Whittaker (5-foot-10, 163 lbs), Chris Wright (6-foot-1, 175 lbs) and Erik Lora (5-foot-10, 166 lbs) are not too big in size, but all three have started to build a reputation for being reliable pass-catchers for senior quarterback Jake Christensen.

Whittaker is currently in first or tied for first on the team in receptions (21), yards (244) and average per game (34.9). Wright leads the team with three touchdowns to go along with 14 catches and 174 yards, and Lora has 11 receptions for 166 yards and a score.

Eastern offensive coordinator Roy Wittke said before the season that the development of these three would be essential to the success of the team. He’s been pleased with what he’s seen thus far.

“We’ve been really pleased with those guys,” Wittke said. “I don’t look at them as freshmen anymore. They’ve been in pressure situations, they know what it’s like out there and we have a lot of confidence in them, there’s no doubt about it.”

Around the league

Parity has been the theme in the Ohio Valley Conference this season.

After Eastern Kentucky beat the Panthers Oct. 3, it appeared they were the cream of the crop in the conference. However, a week after that, the Colonels fell to Tennessee State, leaving the Tigers as the only undefeated team in the conference.

But the Tigers fell to previously league-winless Murray State Saturday, leaving the Tigers, Colonels and Panthers all with one loss in the conference.

(Jacksonville State is still 2-0 in the conference, but is ineligible for a league title or playoff appearance because of NCAA sanctions that were because of a low team APR).

Eastern Kentucky is currently listed in first place in the conference by percentage points because it has played more games in the conference thus far. The Colonels have played five conference games this season, while the Panthers have played four and the Tigers have played three.

The only game involving these three teams the rest of the season is when the Panthers and Tigers tangle Nov. 19 for Eastern’s Senior Day. If the Panthers win out in conference play, they control their own destiny in winning at least a share of a conference title.

Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.

Junior running back Chevon Walker trys to avoid being tackled while running down the field Saturday against Tennessee Tech at O’Brien Field. (Andrew Sawyer/The Daily Eastern News)

(more…)