Blue and Gray or Blue and Orange?

Eastern football is in their 105th season, and for the first time, will meet the University of Illinois this Saturday. Is the campus behind the Panthers?

While Eastern is coming off a 9-3 record, with a disappointing playoff run last year, Illinois looks to redeem their 2-9 record last season.

After conducting several interviews with faculty,administration and students, the campus appear to be in support of Eastern.

“I think it should be interesting,” said physics professor Leonard Storm, who’s both a U of I and Eastern graduate. “I would expect that very likely that U of I would come out on top. I will be rooting for Eastern, but in any other game, I would be rooting for U of I; so I have allegiances to both schools.”

The game is probably one of the biggest of the season for the Panthers, as they have to prove they can compete with anyone, regardless of what conference they’re in or how much recognition they receive.

“I think Eastern’s going to play very hard,” said Jim Shonkwiler, director of the budget and former Illinois grad. “These are two teams out of different leagues,

so the student athletes are at different levels, so Eastern’s athletes I think will be playing very hard and be playing above the level that they’d be normally operating at.”

Shonkwiler is a long time Illini fan, has a poster of Illinois games on his office wall, and has even been selling kettle corn at the U of I games.

“The Illini are at a building phase in their program now so I would definitely like to see them do very well,” Shonkwiler said. “I have a kettle corn operation for home games for U of I so I’m very interested that the U of I do well so that they’re a lot of fans in the stadium and I sell kettle corn to all of those fans.”

Shonkwiler has said he will be at the game this Saturday, and will be selling kettle corn to U of I and EIU. He noted that the rivalry, not too much unlike the Florida/Florida State match-up, could be a

good thing to carry on year after year.

Although Shonkwiler believes it will be a close game, he does believe Illinois should come out on top.

“I would think that the outcome should be that the Illini should win,” Shonkwiler said. “As long as the margin of victory, as long as the Panthers remain upbeat and not defeated after being scored on, I think

they can give the Illini a good game.”

While Shonkwiler may remain partial to U of I, Jill Nielson, vice president of External Relations and a Eastern and Illinois grad said she is black and blue,through and through.

“I think we’re just going to blow their socks off when we go into that game on Saturday!,” excitingly exclaimed Nielson.

Nielson is even going to the extent of teaming up with the EIU Alumni Association, which is going to be hosting a tent and a tailgate prior to the game for all Eastern alumni and friends. She has said they have

tickets available for the tailgate and the gameitself.

Students on campus feel equally as ecstatic as that of Nielson.

“Eastern definitely [will win],”student Emily Porter said. “Tailgate’s going to be pretty fun, and it should be a good game,” noted student Pat Whitaker.

Eastern starts their season opener this Saturday night without the head coaching of Bob Spoo, but it doesn’t seem to matter as the campus reacts in full support.