Eastern hosting 1-5 Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks for homecoming game

Eastern+kicker+Nick+Bruno+attempts+a+field+goal+against+Murray+State+on+Oct.+6.+The+Panthers+lost+the+game+48-41.+Bruno+made+two+field+goals+in+three+attempts+against+the+Racers%2C+and+has+made+eight+out+of+10+field+goals+on+the+season.

Adam Tumino

Eastern kicker Nick Bruno attempts a field goal against Murray State on Oct. 6. The Panthers lost the game 48-41. Bruno made two field goals in three attempts against the Racers, and has made eight out of 10 field goals on the season.

JJ Bullock, Sports Editor

A theoretical mirror will be held up to both Eastern and Tennessee-Martin’s football teams when the two sides meet on Saturday at O’Brien Field. There are many striking similarities between the Panthers and the Skyhawks; both teams feel they are better than what their records show, and both teams will be playing with a lot to prove on Saturday. 

Tennessee-Martin is 1-5 and has lost its two conference games by margins of 13 and one points, and its early schedule featured three very tough teams. To say Tennessee-Martin views itself as better than 1-5 is an understatement. If that sounds familiar, that’s because it should; it’s the same narrative the Eastern football team has been on all season long. 

“I see them a little bit like us in the fact we’re kind of in unfamiliar territory as far as our record is concerned right now,” Eastern head coach Kim Dameron said. “We both played a tough early schedule, both lost a couple of close conference games and came up with one win in the conference.”

The suffering that comes with losing close games is something that Eastern and Tennessee-Martin have been through more than they’d like this season, and it is a scar that both teams will bring to the field with them on Saturday.

“It’s going to be two teams that are wounded and two teams that are going to have to play for pride and for each other and so it’s going to be, I think it will be a heck of a college football game,” Dameron said. 

Tennessee-Martin head coach Jason Simpson, like Dameron, said very similar things about losing close games. 

“They (Eastern) is kind of like us,” Simpson said. “They could have won multiple games this year and be in a different situation. So, it’s two teams that are definitely trying to get a win.”

Both teams also pride themselves on quarterback play in yet another act of mimicry between the two teams. 

Eastern boasts having Johnathan Brantley, who is second in the OVC with 1488 yards passing, and Harry Woodbery, who has played very efficiently when Brantley is not in games. Brantley, however, is second in the OVC in passing to none other than Tennessee-Martin’s Dresser Winn, who leads the conference with 1554 yards. 

Winn is a sophomore who started last season for Tennessee-Martin as a freshman and was described by Dameron as being like a wild colt as a freshman because of his ability to make big plays but also turn in the occasional mistake. 

“This year the thing that I have seen out of him is that he is a much more disciplined quarterback,” Dameron said. “He goes through his progressions, he gets the ball out where it needs to be. He is very atheltic, he does a good job with their quarterback run game and it looks like to me that he just settled in now to being their starter.”

Winn still this season, though, has struggled at times, once again looking like the “young colt” Dameron saw in his freshman season. Winn leads the OVC with nine interceptions this season, three more than the next highest total. 

Winn will be protected by a big offensive line that drew praise from Dameron. Eastern defensive end Josh Price will be one of those tasked with getting through that offensive line and hopefully for Eastern forcing Winn into some mistakes.

“Right now we’re in the three man front so we’re going to be rushing three against five,” Price said. “We really haven’t had a problem so far rushing against five so now the biggest thing is just being physical up front and working our hands and being active. Keeping our feet moving, and just really working games for the most part, working games with (Terrell Greer) and Levi (Watson), just trying to rush the passer.”

Eastern’s offensive line, too, will play a big factor in the game, as they will have to keep Tennessee-Martin’s dangerous linebacking duo of James Gilleylen and Kevin Prather at bay. 

Dameron said the offensive line will start by identifying where Gilleylen is in the middle of the field, and then will have to seriously watch for Prather coming off the edge.

“They’re both just tremendous playmakers and they have been for a couple years,” Dameron said. “They’re like any really good players, you have to have a pretty good idea where they are to make sure we get a hat on them.”

Eastern and Tennessee-Martin play at 2 p.m. at O’Brien Field. 

JJ Bullock can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].