Following a last-second loss to Tennessee State last weekend, the Eastern football team will be at home for its second home game this season.

The Panthers will host Tennessee Tech Sunday at 1 p.m. as they search for their first win of the season after an 0-3 start.

Tennessee Tech has lost its last two games after beating Austin Peay Feb. 21.

The Golden Eagles currently rank fifth in the OVC in both offense and defense. They are scoring 22.7 points per game and surrendering 28.

Sophomore quarterback Willie Miller has struggled with his passing so far this season. He is 28-of-49 passing for 334 yards, but has just 1 touchdown and a conference-high 6 interceptions this season.

He has had better luck scoring with his legs so far, averaging 40 rushing yards per game and scoring two touchdowns.

The defensive leader for the Golden Eagles to this point has been junior linebacker Seth Carlisle.

He finished second on the team in tackles last season with 88, and leads the team this season with 24 total tackles so far this season.

As a team, the Golden Eagles are tied for fourth in the OVC with 3 interceptions.

Eastern ranks last in the OVC in offense and defense so far this season, averaging 14 points per game while allowing 32.

They have increased their point totals each game, scoring 7 points in the opener, 15 the following week and 20 against Tennessee State last weekend.

In that game, true freshman quarterback Otto Kuhns got the start, the first true freshman to start at quarterback for Eastern since Jimmy Garoppolo in 2010.

Sophomore running back Jaelin Benefield had a career-high 120 rushing yards against the Tigers, and is now tied for seventh in the conference in rushing yards with 166.

Sophomore wide receiver Matt Judd leads the team with 300 all-purpose yards this season, which ranks fourth in the conference.

He has collected 210 of those yards on kick returns, the most in the OVC.

Defensively, the Panthers rank third in the conference in run defense, allowing 104.7 yards per game on the ground.

The Eastern defense is led by sophomore linebacker Jason Johnson. He ranks second in the OVC this season with 29 total tackles.

Freshman defensive end Miles Jordan leads the team with 4.5 tackles for loss, which is tied for the fourth-most in the OVC.

Adam Tumino can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].