One week can change a perspective quickly.

The Eastern football team entered Saturday’s game at Southeast Missouri needing a win to stay in contention for the Ohio Valley Conference title. It did exactly that, dominating both sides of the ball, as Jalen Whitlow rushed for three touchdowns, passed for two, while the Panthers’ defense forced five turnovers and shutout the Redhawks in the second half, winning 52-13 in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

After a tough 36-33 overtime loss against Eastern Kentucky in their previous game, the Panthers are now 2-1 in the OVC, still in striking distance of their third straight conference championship.

Where Eastern could not hold on to a double-digit halftime lead against Eastern Kentucky, it did Saturday in a resounding manner, outscoring the Redhawks 28-0 in the second half. Whitlow juked around, ran through and past the Southeast Missouri defense for 75 yards on 15 carries, including two second-quarter touchdowns that put Eastern in front 21-13 before Nick Bruno added a 45-yard field goal with 52 seconds left before halftime.

The Eastern defense caused Kyle Snyder problems all day, as the senior quarterback threw three interceptions and rushed for a season-low seven yards on six attempts. The Panthers’ snapped Snyder’s three-game stretch of rushing for at least one touchdown. As a whole, the Redhawks rushed for 96 yards and as an offense they totaled 333 yards.

Eastern gained 357 yards of offense in the first half alone.

Shepard Little led the Panthers with 103 rushing yards, but Jimmy Lera had a historic run, scoring a 96-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter. The run tied Poke Cobb’s 1976 school record for the longest run in program history.

To add insult to injury, starting running back Lennies McFerren left the game after the first play of the third quarter. Following his two-yard rush, the Redhaws’ leading rusher was taken out and looked at by trainers on the sideline. Two plays later Jourdan Wickliffe recorded the first of his two interceptions.

Unfortunately for Eastern, the good field position set up by Wickliffe’s pick was not taken advantage of, but that was not the case in the next two possessions for the Panthers’ offense.

With less than five minutes in to the third quarter, Southeast Missouri head coach Tom Matukewicz decided to pull a fake punt from his own 23-yard line trailing 24-13. Punter Alex Knight took the long snap from center, rolled a couple steps to his left and then completed a pass to DeMichael Jackson for a gain of two yards. Eastern’s Joe Campagna tackled Jackson three yards short of a first down.

Four plays later, Taylor Duncan smashed his way into the end zone from one yard out, after the Panthers took over at the Redhawks’ 25-yard line.

Less than five minutes later, Snyder threw his third interception of the game, as Anthony Goodman returned it to the Southeast Missouri 13-yard line. Following a five-yard penalty on fourth and six on a field-goal attempt, Eastern head coach Kim Dameron put the offense back on the field to try and convert the fourth and one. Whitlow connected with Adam Drake for a five-yard touchdown, putting the Panthers comfortably ahead 38-13.

The fourth quarter saw more of the same, as Whitlow rushed for a two-yard touchdown, extending the Eastern lead to 32. His third rushing touchdown of the game was Whitlow’s last play of the afternoon, as Andrew Manley played the final 13 minutes at quarterback for the Panthers.

Southeast Missouri also made a quarterback change, but it did so because of injury. After rushing for six yards, Snyder was met by a couple of Eastern defenders and took a big hit. Snyder walked off under his own power, but he did return, as Alex Niznak finished the game for the Redhawks.

Southeast Missouri dropped to 2-2 in OVC play, and is now 4-4 overall, losing its last two games.

The Panthers face another team reeling at the moment, as Tennessee State plays Eastern at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at O’Brien Field. The Tigers enter Homecoming, having lost three straight OVC games.

Aldo Soto can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].