MURRAY, Ky.- It was unfamiliar territory for the Panther football team – but the result wasn’t too surprising.

With 9:45 remaining in the third quarter of Eastern’s game at Murray State Saturday, the Panthers found themselves trailing for the first time in the Ohio Valley Conference this season.

Racer senior running back Nick Turner returned a punt 65 yards to put Murray State (1-6, 0-4 OVC) ahead 28-21.

With 5,305 people in attendance for Murray’s Homecoming, any momentum the Panthers had after a 21-7 first-quarter lead had disappeared.

The Racer defense kept things going, allowing the Panthers (5-2, 4-0) to pick up just one first down on the ensuing drive, forcing them to punt from the Eastern 42-yard line.

However, momentum would soon shift again,

It started with senior punter Tom Schofield’s kick getting downed on the Murray State 1-yard line.

Pinned deep in their own zone, the Racers lined up with the backfield in their own end zone. Sophomore quarterback Ryne Sayler took the snap and attempted to hand the ball off to junior running back Chad Cook.

“I got the snap good, but it went wrong on the exchange,” Sayler said. “I think I gave it to him too hard and didn’t get it in there at all.”

The ball bounced to the turf and shot towards the corner of the end zone, where Eastern junior safety Tristan Burge dove on the loose ball for a touchdown. A successful extra-point after the score tied things at 28.

Burge said he knew he’d have a chance to make a play before the ball was even snapped.

“I saw the running back looking at me when he was back there,” Burge said. “And he kept looking at me as he went to take the handoff.”

Cook had good reason to be focused on Burge – he had already found the end zone in the first quarter after returning a fumble recovery 68 yards for the score.

“The ball came out, and I was in the right position,” Burge said. “I picked it up and just ran.

“I got tripped up a few times. I just tried to stay on my feet and get in the end zone.”

The Panther defense would get in the end zone a third time on the Racer possession following Burge’s second score.

Facing 1st-and-20 from their 38-yard line, Murray State junior quarterback Ken Topps dropped back to pass. As he released the ball, Panther sophomore linebacker Donald Thomas came blitzing up the middle of the pocket. He went un-blocked and unleashed a violent hit on Topps, sending the quarterback hard into the turf.

The pass was effected by the collision, and junior linebacker Lucius Seymour caught it and ran the ball back 43 yards for another Panther touchdown.

Thomas had been assigned to keep the athletic Topps in check – something the Panthers couldn’t do in the first half. Topps threw for two first half touchdowns but did most of the damage with his feet – rushing 15 times for 109 yards.

But with Topps stationary in the pocket, Thomas knew he had a chance for redemption.

“That play was designed for me to go for a sack. Throughout the whole game, I was just a tad off,” Thomas said. “Then, I just let it loose and went full speed and gave it to him.”

“When I hit him, it was just…it’s unexplainable. I had a rough first quarter, and I just let all my stress out on him.”

The hit knocked Topps out of the game with what Murray State coach Joe Pannunzio called a serious hip injury.

The Panthers’ third defensive score put them ahead for good, as they remained undefeated in the OVC after a 35-28 win.

Eastern head coach Bob Spoo said defenses don’t usually turn in that kind of offensive performance.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen three touchdowns scored by a defense,” Spoo said. “It was remarkable.”

Burge said he’s never been part of such a turnover-inducing unit. And, when things were at their worst, with the Panthers down 28-21, the unit knew it had to respond.

“It hurts us a little bit to get down,” Burge said. “We, as a defense, needed to step up.”

“Every week, someone on our defense gets in the end zone – it’s expected now.”

And against the Racers, the defense struck with the speed and severity of a lightning bolt.

The end result: two turnovers and two touchdowns in a 62-second span.

Even though the Racers gained 179 more total yards than the Panthers, Spoo said his defense was more physical and, in the end, more effective.

“We want to be known as a defense that’s going to hit you,” Spoo said. “They gained some yards. They probably out-gained us in every department except one – and that’s the final score.”

“I guess the defense, in the end, won it for us.”