Eastern played well enough on Saturday that the 1978 National Championship team, which was honored at halftime, would have been proud.

Eastern (4-6, 3-3) defeated Tennessee Tech (4-6, 3-3) 37-10. Without the team leader and quarterback Robert Craft at helm, Eastern was able to take advantage of the inexperienced Golden Eagles.

Overall, the Panthers created a season high eight turnovers, which resulted in 14 points for which the defense was responsible.

“We showed great intensity on defense, especially in the first half,” Eastern head coach Bob Spoo said. “After we came up short on our first drive offensively, it was great to see the defense make something happen and even put some points up.”

The first Golden Eagle turnover resulted in a fumble recovery by sophomore corner back Terrance Sanders, who was able to take it back to the end zone.

After the fumble recovery in the first quarter, however, Sanders was not done making an impact. The corner back also sat back on an out route and stepped in front of the intended receiver for an interception.

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“I didn’t even move after I dropped back into coverage on that play,” Sanders said. “After he motioned to the inside, I knew he was coming back to the outside, and I just stepped in front of him.”

After the defense made its presence felt, the Panther offense took over. Eastern controlled the ball well enough the entire game to control the tempo throughout, which resulted in the offense running about as smoothly as they have all year.

Quarterback Andrew Harris played a first half that was as close to perfect as an Eastern quarterback has put together this year. Going 12-15 in the first half for 117 yards and two touchdowns, Harris ran the offense as efficiently as he has all year.

“Harris seemed to be on the money throughout the first half,” Spoo said. “We had really good protection for him and he always seemed to make the right decision.”

When he didn’t have openings downfield, Harris was able to scramble and drop the ball off underneath to keep the offense moving.

Harris and the rest of the offense looked particularly good in the third drive of the game. The Panthers went 80 yards in five minutes and 18 seconds. The drive was capped with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Harris to Brandon Pettway after Harris broke down the defense by getting out of the pocket and completing the pass.

Sophomore defensive end Kory Lothe who made an impact in the backfield throughout the game. Lothe finished the game with nine tackles, four sacks and two forced fumbles.

“The pressure our defense was getting on their quarterback was a major part of why our defense was so good today,” Spoo said. “We really got after their quarterback, and were successful in doing so.”

Eastern’s senior linebacking crew was back in full force with the return of middle linebacker Fred Miller. The three linebackers had a combined 29 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble return for a touchdown. Senior Nick Ricks led the team with 11 total tackles, six of which were solo, and Jacob Maurer had the fumble return for a 60-yard touchdown.

“I think that you have to rate this defense’s team speed among the top in the OVC,” Miller said. “We can run with the best of them after we contain, and then we can really move.”