The Eastern football team’s 52-21 win over Austin Peay on Saturday meant a lot, certainly more than just a tally in the win column. 

The win pushed Eastern to a 3-4 record in the Ohio Valley Conference, with one game left to play. What is very important about that figure is the Panthers now have a chance to finish conference play with an even 4-4 record if they can beat Southeast Missouri on Saturday. 

If you’re scratching your head wondering why a 4-4 finish in the OVC would be something for Eastern to celebrate, it is important to keep in mind that this Eastern team was once upon a time at rock bottom, with seemingly no ladder in sight. 

Think about the way the season started. Eastern traveled to Arkansas to face an SEC team on the road and played pretty well considering the team lost 55-22, losing five fumbles in the process of the game. The game was never really thought to be in reach for Eastern, but there were thoughts of how much closer the score could have been had the team not fumbled the ball five times.

Eastern’s 48-10 loss to Illinois State in week two remains to this point in the season the team’s worst game, and there is little arguing that. That game was the beginning of Eastern’s early season descent into a dark place. Head coach Kim Dameron said after that game that every position in the secondary would be looked over and could be subject to change. 

Eastern’s first real crushing loss of the season, however, was in a week three loss to Indiana State 55-41 in the Panthers’ home opener. Eastern kept pace with the Sycamores for most of the game, at one point leading 24-20, but eventually fell apart on defense late to lose. It was after this game that Dameron said the defense might need a complete overhaul after he watched his team give up 535 yards. 

The overhaul came, and Eastern switched to a 3-3-5 defensive scheme in an effort to fix its troubles. In its first showing, it did not work, and Eastern lost a devastating home game to Tennessee State 41-40. Tennessee State took the lead with three minutes to play, the Panthers gave up 544 yards on defense and the Panthers were quickly in an 0-4 slump to begin the season.

Just one month into the season, the storm clouds were beginning to cycle in.

But the next week Eastern picked up its first win over Tennessee Tech 52-38, but still gave up 526 yards to the conference’s worst team. The win was nice, but deep defensive issues still lurked underneath the team. 

Week six for Eastern was the blowup week; Eastern’s 48-41 loss to Murray State was finally where all the problems Eastern had been having exploded and sent Eastern hard and fast into rock bottom. 

The Panthers, for the third time in six weeks, lost a game in the waning minutes of the clock, this time in particular with 26 seconds remaining. Perhaps even worse than the loss itself, the defense suffered a total and complete collapse. 

Eastern gave up 658 yards, the third-most in program history. After the game, players were on the sideline crying, and it was an incredibly somber time for a team that is typically upbeat and energetic. 

After the game Dameron delivered what might have been his hardest hitting quote of the season. 

“We either got to get better coaching or we have got to get better players, one of the two,” Dameron said.

This was it. This was as low as things could get for the team, and when a team is at its bottom, there is only one direction to move, and this is where you start to see Eastern slowly climb out of the dark.

Eastern followed the Murray State loss with another loss to powerhouse Jacksonville State. But things felt different; the loss didn’t sit as heavy with the team, on defense they forced turnover and things were slightly beginning to look better.

The next week against Tennessee-Martin, the sun finally began to peek back through the clouds. 

Eastern won at home 24-21 in overtime. The defense played well in its new scheme finally, and things just began to click for the Panthers. Most importantly though, Eastern had finally won a close game, and the players were once again smiling after a game.

The win was followed by a close 31-23 loss to Eastern Kentucky in a game where neither team looked great, but again, Eastern’s defense showed signs of serious progress compared to where it had been just a few weeks prior.

Then came the huge win over Austin Peay, the Panthers’ best game of the season. Every issue they had earlier in the year melted away, and Eastern finally played the type of football they had yearned to play all season long. 

It was a testament to the team’s drive. Even at rock bottom, when things seemed like they could not get better, when questions piled up and answers fleeted, Eastern never stopped fighting, never stopped believing things could turn around. 

So yes, Eastern heading into its final game of the season with a 3-4 conference record and a chance to make it 4-4 may not seem like anything to swoon over. But given the state of this team just one month ago, it can certainly be something Eastern can rest its hat on at the end of the day. 

JJ Bullock can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]