Many good things will be said about this year’s version of the football Panthers, but one thing is for sure — it wasn’t the best group of athletes to ever wear the Panther uniform.

The squad will be remembered in a far different manner.

The Panthers received that billing, rather unofficially from some in Panther football circles, but the squad definitely had an aura about it as if it were entitled to the honor.

Saturday’s demoralizing 48-9 loss to Western Illinois in the opening round of the Division I-AA playoffs clinches their inability to wear the title of Eastern’s best team.

Playoff games are won by strong defenses and consistent special teams and on many occasions this season the Panthers had neither.

Every great team has let downs. Eastern’s came with horrible timing.

The Panthers’ only folly of the season came at Murray State when it’s offense, ranked No. 2 in the country, seemingly forgot how to make big plays.

It’s long-term memory loss continued Saturday when many Panthers forgot how to catch Tony Romo’s passes.

Western had a let down in the form of a 54-52 loss to Southern Illinois in Week 6.

But the Leathernecks forgot about the loss, — Eastern’s loss to the Racers likely loomed large.

“We wanted to start over after that loss and go 6-0 the rest of the season — we looked at it as a new season,” Western head coach Don Patterson said. “We did that and now we want to go 4-0 (in the playoffs) which you could maybe call that as being easier because it’s only four games.”

Western’s attitude after a let down seperates it from being just a good team and turns them into a great team, which the Leathernecks are. You don’t need scoreboards to see it.

Spoo could’ve seperated his team’s season into three. Eastern went 0-2 in it’s “preseason” shellackings at I-A schools, then went 8-0 in its second season against I-AA opponents.

The Panthers’ game against Murray State could be considered a playoff, considering it was for the Ohio Valley Conference title, leaving Eastern 0-2 in the playoff season.

Eastern had a good football team this year. And if there is such a ranking, it was probably the best in a long line of good teams.

But don’t call this team great.

Panther head coach Bob Spoo after both the Murray State and Western games said his squad didn’t come out ready to play.

How is a great team not ready?

The 1982 version of the Panthers that narrowly lost 20-19 in the quarterfinal round of the Division I-AA playoffs was a great team. The 1978 Division II national champion Panthers were a great team. The 1980 Division II runner-up Panthers would be among Eastern’s greatest teams.

The 2002 first-round chokers weren’t. The Panthers join a long list of the greatest teams that could’ve, would’ve should’ve, but didn’t.

The Panthers were as far away from greatness as a team could be Saturday and a week prior in their loss to Murray State on a last-second field goal — something that likely won’t soon be forgotten.