Although Tennessee Tech started its final drive of the first quarter inside of Eastern territory and was stopped inside the 10-yard line by the Panthers’ defense, John Arnold’s 25-yard field goal was looked as a defeat.

The Eastern defense, with first-year coach Kim Dameron, is expecting to give up no points. Following a 28-3 win against Tennessee State, the Panthers beat Tennessee Tech 41-10 on Saturday.

Inside linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill was the embodiment of the Panthers’ defense against the Golden Eagles, recording 19 tackles, forcing a fumble and intercepting Tennessee Tech quarterback Darian Stone in the fourth quarter.

But, even the junior linebacker was upset with the first three points allowed in Eastern’s third straight Ohio Valley Conference win in Cookeville, Tenn.

“When they scored that first field goal, most teams will say that’s a win only giving up three points, but our coaches were mad about it and our defense was mad about it,” Grugier-Hill said. “Our coaches are holding us to a much higher standard.”

The junior from Papakolea, Hawaii, leads the Panthers with 68 tackles. Grugier-Hill was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week, following the 19-tackle performance that was a season-high.

He said the defensive game plan against Tennessee Tech enabled him to make as many tackles as he was able to.

“The play calling was just there for me and it kind of just ended up in my favor,” Grugier-Hill said. “The entire defense was great Saturday.”

Eastern was still able to keep Tennessee Tech off the scoreboard in the second and fourth quarters, respectively. During the Panthers’ three-game winning streak, the defense has not allowed any points in seven of the 12 quarters.

Going back to the 52-13 win at Southeast on Oct. 18, Eastern did not surrender a touchdown in eight straight quarters, until Tennessee Tech running back Ladarius Vanlier rushed for a 37-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Grugier-Hill and the rest of the defense are looking to keep opponents scoreless.

“Instead of three it should have been zero and especially that touchdown that gave them 10 points, we were pretty upset about it,” Grugier-Hill said. “We played very good, but there is still room for improvement.”

After last season’s fast-paced offense that caught most of the headlines, this year’s defense for Eastern is grabbing more attention. With a new coaching staff and a transition at the quarterback position, the Panthers’ defense was given more pressure to perform this year until the offense became settled.

Now, after five OVC games and a 4-1 league record, Eastern is sporting the No. 2 scoring defense, allowing 13.8 points per game and has the No. 2 overall defense, giving up 303.8 yards per game.

“The kids are really comfortable in what we’re doing now and we don’t really have many mental mistakes anymore,” Dameron said.

Starting the season 1-5, Eastern is now 4-5 overall, allowing 26 combined points in the last three games. Dameron said the defense is in a groove at the moment.

“It takes a while to get a defense to gel and they kind of just gelled,” he said.

Dameron also said that the Panthers’ offense has helped the defense as well, scoring in bunches and keeping the Eastern defense off the field and fresh.

Junior quarterback Jalen Whitlow threw for 297 yards and four touchdown passes, while also rushing for 45 yards and touchdown against the Golden Eagles.

Whitlow has thrown a touchdown pass and rushed for a touchdown in every OVC game this season. His interception in the third quarter ended his streak of 163 consecutive passes without an interception. Whitlow set a new program record, with the 163 passes without an interception, breaking Jimmy Garoppolo’s record of 157 pass attempts.

The junior transfer from Kentucky was named OVC Newcomer of the Week for the fifth time this season.

The quarterback is well aware of the aid the Panthers’ defense has given the team during the past three weeks.

“The defense has helped out a lot,” Whitlow said. “We have each other’s backs. We just have to keep getting better.”

Aldo Soto can be reached at 581-2812 or asoto2@eiu.edu.