NORMAL – Illinois State was the monkey on the Eastern football team’s back.

The thorn in the Panthers’ side.

The one game Eastern looks forward to each season.

And until Saturday night, it was the game that has been a disappointment year after year.

No one on the Panthers’ current roster had ever beaten the Redbirds.

In fact, only three of Eastern’s 10 coaches – head coach Bob Spoo, defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni and offensive coordinator Roy Wittke – had ever seen an Eastern victory against Illinois State.

Until Saturday night.

Eastern red-shirt senior defensive end Pierre Walters described the six consecutive losses the Panthers had to Illinois State as more than a monkey on Eastern’s back.

It was a gorilla.

“That gorilla is off!” Walters said with a laugh after Eastern’s 25-21 win against Illinois State on Saturday. “Oh, he’s gone.”

But that gorilla didn’t have his bags packed early in Saturday’s game at Hancock Stadium. Illinois State jumped out to a 14-7 halftime lead and did so with a dominant offensive performance.

Illinois State senior quarterback Kevin Brockway was a perfect six-for-six on his first quarter passing attempts and one-third of those passes went for deep Redbirds’ touchdowns.

Brockway stretched the field against the Panthers’ secondary with his deep bombs.

But he didn’t do it alone. He was helped out by the long legs and great speed of Illinois State senior wide receiver Kelvin Chandler.

Chandler caught Brockway’s second touchdown of the first quarter.

He didn’t have much of a height advantage against Eastern senior cornerback Adrian Arrington, but Chandler’s speed was the difference maker as he burned Arrington down the left sideline for the 43-yard touchdown pass.

Down just seven points at halftime, the Panthers were lucky to be behind by just one score. Eastern’s offense cooled in the second quarter, and the Panthers had to rely on their defense to stop a hot Illinois State offensive attack.

But Eastern red-shirt senior wide receiver Alicus Nozinor said anyone who walked into the Panthers’ locker room during halftime would have thought Eastern was winning the game at that point.

“All the things the coaches preached to us was ‘believe’ the whole week,” Nozinor said. “Nothing changed. Everybody had their heads up. We were still ready to play.”

Eastern red-shirt senior defensive end Donovan Johnson agreed with Nozinor about the Panthers’ state of mind during halftime and during the second half.

“We never considered ourselves down,” Johnson said. “We just said keep coming and executing and eventually the dice are going to roll our way, which it eventually did. We were never down (mentally) that second half at all.”

The Panthers got the scores they needed in the second half, as the Redbirds’ offense cooled off and Eastern’s caught fire. But even with a lead later in the fourth quarter, Walters said the Panthers still had to finish the game.

“We were excited, but we didn’t get too excited,” Walters said. “I think in years past we would be up and we’d let them come back. We weren’t going to make that mistake tonight. We wouldn’t just allow it. We’ve worked too hard and too long to lose to these guys again.”

So the gorilla is gone.

The thorn is removed from the Panthers’ side for at least for one year.

But the rivalry between Eastern and Illinois State will continue. Saturday’s game was the 97th meeting between the two teams dating back to 1901. The Redbirds still hold a 50-38-9 series advantage.

But Illinois State’s six-game winning streak has come to an end.

“I was telling these young guys, the freshmen, you guys are 1-0 against Illinois State,” Walters said. “It’s a new streak.”

Scott Richey can be reached at 581-7944 or at [email protected].