RICHMOND, Ky. – The Panther football team resembled a raft losing its air on Saturday afternoon, and it was the team’s defense that plugged the holes and kept Eastern afloat.

In an ugly game in which Eastern committed three turnovers and were outplayed in nearly every statistical category, it was timely defensive stands that kept the Panthers’ No. 11 national ranking and hopes of an Ohio Valley Conference Championship from sinking.

“I think our defense really came up big,” Panther head coach Bob Spoo said following the win. “It was a fantastic effort on their part. It was a remarkable win – probably the best one I’ve experienced on an away game.”

While the Colonels managed 18 first downs in the game, it was Eastern’s ability to keep them from moving the chains at critical moments that kept the Panthers in the game and EKU off the scoreboard.

After an early interception put the Colonels in a prime spot to score, the Panther defense stopped them dead in their tracks, forcing EKU to try a 50-yard field goal, which fell short.

The defense made another big stop in the second quarter after J.R. Taylor fumbled the ball into the end zone which the Colonels recovered and ran all the way out to their own 32-yard line. But the defense again forced EKU to four plays and out.

“We saw that the offense was struggling a little bit, and we stepped it up to another level,” senior cornerback Kourtney Young said. “But there’s going to be games where the defense is struggling and the offense steps up.

“That’s why it’s a team sport. But the defense really stepped it up and we’re real proud of ourselves right now.”

They had more to be proud of when Eastern Kentucky was faced with a 4th and 1 at the Panthers’ 25-yard-line. EKU head coach Roy Kidd decided to go for it, but Eastern stopped Colonel quarterback Toki McCray for no gain on the play.

Perhaps the biggest play of the day came after Spoo’s decision to go for a fake punt on a 4th and 38 play from the Panthers’ own 23-yard-line. Panther punter Bill Besenhofer rolled out and completed a pass to Young, but the play was 31 yards short of the first down marker.

“That fake punt was probably a bad call on my part,” said Spoo, whose call for a fake extra-point play payed off on the previous possession. “I was grateful the defense came up big, because they didn’t score.

“They ended up missing a field goal right after that, and, so the defense saved my butt on that one.”

Perhaps the biggest defensive saves came on EKU’s last possession. With less than a minute remaining, the Colonels were faced with a 3rd and 10 when McCray completed a pass to Aaron McKee and Eastern’s Nick Ricks and Fred Miller stopped McKee just short of the down marker.

“We were in a man free defense and I was the free guy so I was kind of out there all by myself,” Ricks said. “But I saw their guy and got there first to stop him (before he got the first down). I guess I wanted it more than he did.”

Then on the next play, faced with 4th and 1, McCray dropped back to pass and then rushed the ball when he was unable to find an open receiver. It was Young who stopped him just short of the first down, handing the Panthers the ball and the win with just 47 seconds left.

“We were in man-to-man defense and my man ran a five-yard out pattern,” Young said. “Then I saw the quarterback bring the ball down and start running for the sideline.

“I knew if he got there, they’d still have a pretty good chance at winning the game, but I got there first.”

The Eastern defense put more pressure on McCray in the fourth quarter than the other three quarters combined as the Colonel quarterback was forced to mostly operate out of the shotgun late.

“I felt like they were going to start pressuring me, and they did,” McCray said. “I tried to make some plays, but they were always there.”

Coming into the game, Spoo predicted a dogfight, and senior linebacker Antoine Livingston said the Panther defense’s stands throughout the game showed the Colonels who was the top dog.

“We knew coming in it was going to be a dogfight and that’s exactly what it was,” Livingston said. “The dogs came loose at the end and the rest is history.

“It was a hell of a game and we played our best. We showed them that the OVC still goes through us.”