"We just need to work more on our team defending and on our attack," said Eck after the team''s loss to Purdue. "If we can improve on working with the ball inside the 18-yard boxes both offensively and defensively, it will help out our game a lot."

And again Eastern''s defense will be led by its front four. Leading the way for the Panthers is red-shirt senior defensive end Pierre Walters, the 2008 Ohio Valley Conference preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

He did not play during the Braves' 4-1 loss to the Florida Marlins Wednesday at Turner Field in Atlanta. The Braves will wrap up their series with the Marlins today before traveling to Washington D.C. for a weekend series with the Nationals.

"They are well-coached and the thing that is a little bit scary is you're watching film on Cincinnati and that's just year one under Brian Kelly," Hood said. "You don't see a lot of guys messing up, guys fumbling the ball or things like that. They are a fine-oiled machine on both sides of the ball. And you know it's year two in that system and the guys are going to play faster. That's probably the thing that jumps out at you most on film."