Eastern hosts Tennessee-Martin at noon Saturday at O’Brien Field, where both teams will finish their regular seasons and are looking to finish without a losing record.

Like the Panthers, Tennessee-Martin has played two FBS opponents this season. The Skyhawks have played Kentucky and Mississippi State, both from the SEC.

Eastern coach Kim Dameron said he thought the Skyhawks were respectable playing against both SEC teams.

“They didn’t look out of place at all,” Dameron said. “They made some plays and it’s tough when you’re sledding uphill like that, especially when you’re playing the No. 1 team in the nation.”

Tennessee-Martin lost at Mississippi State 45-16. That was the Skyhawks’ last game on Nov. 8. They enter O’Brien Field fresh out of their bye week.

“Believe me, I’ve coached in that league before and I know what kind of cats they have,” Dameron said. “I thought they represented themselves very well.”

After a slow start to their year, the Skyhawks have won four straight Ohio Valley Conference games and are 5-3 in league action, following a 0-3 start.

“We got a heck of a UT-Martin team coming in here and it’s amazing how similar their season has been to ours,” Dameron said.

Eastern began the season at 1-5 and then went on a four-game winning streak in OVC play before losing to Jacksonville State.

Tennessee-Martin began the season with two quarterbacks splitting time, but Jarod Neal has taken over for the Skyhawks. In seven conference games Neal has thrown seven touchdown passes, averaging 147.6 passing yards per game.

“Jarod Neal is one of the top quarterback for passing efficiency and he throws it to a lot of different guys,” Dameron said.

But, Tennessee-Martin has been successful because of its running game, Dameron said.

Senior running back Abou Toure leads the Skyhawks rushing game, averaging 93.1 yards per game. He has six rushing touchdowns in the OVC and has the highest per carry average in the conference at 6.6 yards per attempt.

“They make their money running the football and they’re very well coached offensively,” Dameron said.

As a team, Tennessee-Martin ranks No. 4, with an average of 212.3 rushing yards per game. Dameron said the Skyhawks have been successful because of their linemen.

“They’re physical up front,” Dameron said. “I think one of the most impressive things on their football team is their offensive line.”

Defensively, Tennessee-Martin features a dominant linebacker in Tony Bell, who leads the OVC in sacks and tackles for loss, with seven and 15, respectively.

Tennessee-Martin coach Jason Simpson said Bell has been a great defensive presence for the Skyhawks this season.

“He gets every ounce out of his ability,” Simpson said. “That’s not taking anything away from his physical ability. He’s been a productive player for four years and we’re going to miss him.”

Tennessee-Martin has the No. 3 rushing defense in the OVC and the No. 4 overall defense. Eastern enters the game with the No. 2 overall offense in the conference.

Aldo Soto can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].