NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Both the Eastern football team and the Tennessee State Tigers needed a big play to get going, and through most of the first half, neither team could make one.

But as it has countless times this season, the Panther defense grabbed hold of valuable momentum, sparking the Panther offense to score the night’s first touchdown.

Instead of a timely turnover, this time it was a hit by junior linebacker Clint Sellers – a jaw dropping, helmet flying, mouth-guard ejecting, fan silencing blow.

The hit left the Tigers’ freshman quarterback Jerald Cook sprawled out motionless on the grass at Adelphia Coliseum like it was the canvas of a boxing ring.

And with the one hit, both TSU’s quarterbacks and its hopes of winning were KO’d.

Prior to the play, the teams were methodically gaining yards and tied at three.

The stalemate continued with just over three minutes to play in the first half as TSU (2-7, 1-4) took control of the ball on its own 20-yard line. After gaining 21 yards on two rushes, penalties backed the Tigers into third-and-16 from their 35-yard line.

With 1:48 remaining in the half, Cook took the snap from the shotgun and looked downfield. Pressure from the Panthers’ defensive line forced the athletic 6-foot-2, 200-pounder to scramble, first running to his left before switching back toward the far sideline.

Cook came back up field, where sophomore middle linebacker Donald Thomas and Sellers gave chase. As he released the ball, Thomas hit Cook low, and at the same instant, Sellers unleashed a vicious hit on the exposed quarterback.

“I didn’t know if he was going to keep it or if he was going to throw it,” Sellers said. “I figured he was trying to get outside or something.

“I just tried running through him.”

Sellers’ shoulder pads lodged under Cook’s chin, popping the quarterback’s helmet into the air, sending his yellow mouth guard back over five yards and causing the crowd of 23,481 to gasp in unison.

Needless to say, the hit did serious damage.

Tennessee State head coach James Webster said he knew his quarterback was in some trouble.

“What really worried everybody was he was having trouble breathing on occasion, and his eyes would roll into the back of his head,” Webster said. “He didn’t know where he was initially, but when he got to the locker room, everything was back to normal in that regard.

“The last information I got was that his vitals were good, but they did end up taking him to a hospital.”

The game was delayed as the medical staff attended to Cook, who Webster said never lost consciousness or mobility of his limbs. He eventually was carted off the field, but an impact had been made – both physically and psychologically.

“It hurt us as an entire football team – watching that,” Webster said.

The Panthers (7-2, 6-0) reacted differently to the hit, and the ramifications were evident on their next offensive possession.

With 1:13 left in the half, Eastern took over on its own 44-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Mike Donato completed four straight passes for 49 yards, putting the Panthers inside the 10-yard line.

After a pass interference call put the ball on the 2-yard line, junior running back Vincent Webb fought his way into the end zone for the score.

“That hit, it’s a game-changer,” Webb said. “(Sellers) and everybody on our defense can make those plays.

“That big hit changed the momentum a lot.”

Cook was actually the second Tigers quarterback to leave injured after a collision with Sellers. Earlier in the second quarter, TSU’s backup quarterback, sophomore Andre Davis, ran for 4 yards and a first down on a fake punt. But Sellers’ tackle hurt Webster’s ability to execute his game plan.

After Cook went down, Davis would have come into the game. However, he lost the feeling in his arm and couldn’t grip the football after Sellers’ hit.

“The injury to Davis hurt us as much, if not more, than the injury to Cook,” Webster said. “He and Cook are similar players, so I had the same game plan for both.”

Sellers said it wasn’t his intention to injure either player, but it is the Eastern defense’s intention to leave opponents hurting.

“We strive on turnovers – I think we got three tonight – and we strive on big hits,” Sellers said. “We want our defense to be known as a physical defense.”

And Saturday it was the defense leading the way for a sparked offense that scored 24-straight points after Sellers’ big hit on Cook.

“Anytime the defense comes up with a big play or a huge hit like that, it’s a huge momentum changer,” Donato said. “The offense saw that the defense comes to play every week, so we had to show them we could step up and execute.”