Even in defeat, Eagle football is still moving upward

Right from the start, something didn't look right last Saturday at Roos Field.

Sitting in our season ticket seats for the Eastern Washington - Illinois State FCS quarterfinal playoff game, I felt something seemed a little out of whack, askew and even funky - not Earth, Wind and Fire funky - as the Eagles took the field. There didn't seem to be the same intensity and fire I have grown accustomed to seeing.

Not that it was physically evident. Players were sprinting out of the tunnel, exhorting fans to stand and let their Eagle spirit and pride ring out.

It was just this weird feeling. That feeling grew during the Eagles first offensive series that began with a sack of quarterback Vernon Adams, included a couple of dropped passes that are usually caught and eventually ended with a punt.

We know the rest of the story in Eastern's 59-46 season-ending loss. And while some people may look at that final score depicting a game that wasn't that close, it also says something the Eagle faithful have come to know and understand about their team - and that is they don't quit.

Ever.

That's the mark of true champions and it's a mark that has carried Eastern's football program far, and will continue to do so. Because while it's difficult to once again end a season at home in the playoffs short of the ultimate goal - reservations for Frisco, Texas - it's an indication of how far this program has come in the past few years, and a sign of where it's going.

Four years ago, Eastern climbed the FCS mountain and stood at the top ringing the national championship bell. It was a heady experience, and after so long without such success, coaches, players and fans can be forgiven if even a little piece of us developed an expectation of many quick returns.

That's easier written than done, and we've been discovering the actual extent of that ever since. Saturday's loss was one more step in that direction, albeit a bitter step to take, but a program step as much as anything else.

It's one more piece that can be put in Eastern's portfolio, one that includes many indicators of success such as three straight Big Sky Conference championships, eight playoff appearances in the past 11 seasons, top-10 national rankings the past four years and dozens of individual player and coaching accolades. There aren't too many programs in FBS, let alone FCS, that can make that claim.

The Eagles are now in some rarified air, something the athletic department and university as a whole hasn't experienced in the past. Eagle football has put Eastern on the map, and other sports are beginning to follow along. Eagle football has also opened people's eyes to the quality education experience, not just from a pricing standpoint, that the university on the hill is providing.

All of this makes me proud to be an alumnus, and I know many other alumni who feel the same way.

That pride is beginning to rub off into the larger community too. Driving around the region, I've been noticing more and more Eastern Washington license plates and plate frames, decals on vehicles and people wearing Eagle gear.

In fact, having dinner last Saturday in Spokane after the game, we noticed an entire family, five kids and several adults, all in Eastern gear. Dare I say that Eagle wear is almost as popular, if not more in some cases, than Washington State or Gonzaga gear?

Maybe I dream. But one thing I know is reality, is that Eagles head coach Beau Baldwin and company will relax a bit, and soon be back at it preparing for another championship run next season.

And that's something that is definitely right.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].