Last season the Panthers were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

They had a strong defense (which, supposedly, is what wins championships) and a strong running game.

But where the team was missing a little bit was in the passing game.

Quarterback Mike Donato managed games much more than he went out and won games.

It is a role that he excelled at but it didn’t give the team any aerial threat to take the focus off of Vincent Webb Jr.’s running.

The Panthers fell behind by 11 points early in the first round playoff game against Southern Illinois but when they had to try to come back through the air, it didn’t happen.

The Salukis won the game 21-6.

Coming from behind wasn’t a problem during the conference season because Eastern never trailed by more than three points.

Donato passed for 144 yards against SIU-C and throughout the season averaged 145.6 yards per game.

But those statistics were skewed by a 327-yard performance against Tennessee Tech in week 10. TTU had the worst passing defense in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2005.

Enter Cole Stinson.

Stinson transferred from Ball State last year and is the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart.

He has a strong arm.

He makes throws in practice that might make some people wonder why he’s in I-AA.

He was the main reason new recruit Micah Rucker is on the Panthers’ roster.

But when it comes down to it, he’s still the backup.

What Stinson has done to help the Panthers’ passing game is put a little pressure on Donato.

And Donato has responded the way head coach Bob Spoo wanted him to.

This preaseason, he completed more than 60 percent of his passes and held off Stinson.

The thought was Stinson would push him in spring practices and possibly take over in the fall. But Spoo said he’s slotted to be the guy when the Panthers start the season against University of Illinois in Champaign.

For his part, Donato has taken the challenge like a professional.

“The best player will play,” he said before camp opened. “It’s coach’s job to bring in quarterbacks. They bring in guys to push the starter and it’s good competition.”

With Webb coming back, the defense returning seven starters and a buzz beginning about advancing further than last season – are we allowed to utter the term “national championship,” yet? – the passing game has to improve.

Eastern’s ultimate goal is to reach Chattanooga, Tenn., and the championship game.

With Rucker and senior Ryan Voss taking double teams away from each other and Stinson nipping at Donato’s heels, the team’s slogan, “From Champaign to Chattanooga,” could be more possible than ever.

Marco Santana is a junior journalism major. He can be reached at [email protected].