Eastern travels to Birmingham, Ala., Saturday to play Samford in its season finale.

The Panthers (3-4, 4-6) are hoping to end their season on a high note after losing their last two games. The Bulldogs (3-4. 4-6) are back for their final game as well, after having a bye last week.

“There are a lot of incentives to win this game,” Eastern Head Coach Bob Spoo said. “We have a chance to win and beat our record of last year.”

Each of these team’s last loss came against Jacksonville State, a team that is at the top of the Ohio Valley Conference. Eastern lost to the Gamecocks 31-21 while Samford lost to them 51-18.

Senior quarterback Ray Nelson and wide receiver Efrem Hill lead the Bulldogs. Nelson is second in the OVC in passing yards per game (260) and first in the conference in total offense per game (338). Nelson is also the Bulldogs leading rusher, averaging 78 yards per game. Hill is the OVC leader in receptions per game (6.8) and receiving yards per game (96).

“(Nelson or Hill) could be an MVP for the league,” Spoo said. “Nelson does so much for the team. He’s a smart guy, and he makes that offense run.

“He’s a threat we can only hope to slow down.”

While Samford may have two of the most prolific offensive players in the conference Samford Head Coach Bill Gray knows his team can’t rely on its offense to win the game.

“We haven’t put a lot of points on the board in the last couple weeks,” Gray said. “I don’t see us putting up a lot of points. If we go in trying to outscore people it’s not a good sign.”

Gray knows that he will need a strong performance from his defense if he hopes to beat Eastern. The Bulldogs are last in the OVC in rushing, allowing 246 yards per game, and the Panthers are averaging 158 yards on the ground per game.

“We need to take advantage of (their rush defense),” Spoo said. “If we can run the ball we can control the game.”

And despite the poor play of the Samford defense against the rush, Gray isn’t just focusing on that one aspect.

“The running game is just the beginning of what they can do,” Gray said. “Their quarterback (Matt Schabert) can spread the ball around to a lot of players, so we can’t key on one man. They have so many shifts and move around pre-snap; it’s tough to stay with.”