CARBONDALE – Tim Kelly’s eyes wandered, searching for his father.

Still searching, the defensive end pulled the tape off his right wrist and let it fall to the ground outside the visitor locker room at McAndrew Stadium in Carbondale.

His eyes were bloodshot – evidence of the tears he had just shed in front of his teammates and coaches.

Minutes earlier, his college football career ended in Eastern’s 30-11 loss to Southern Illinois last Saturday.

The 6-foot-4, 277-pound senior just wanted some comfort.

Michael Kelly approached his son, didn’t say a word and engulfed his son in a bear hug.

Tim collapsed in his arms, with violent sobs muffled by his father’s shoulder.

This was only one scene of many emotional moments following the Panthers season-ending loss in the first round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs to the Salukis.

Ademola Adeniji tried to force smiles while taking pictures with his family. But the senior running back’s eyes barely opened; the tears that had fallen down his face had started to dry.

Senior linebacker Donald Thomas, one of the top five linebackers to ever play at Eastern, couldn’t control his emotions until the locker room. His sadness started in the waning moments of the game, with teammates and coaches trying to console the hard-hitting Thomas.

The Panthers were left searching for answers for the third-straight year, following another early exit in the playoffs.

This loss seemed to hurt not only the seniors, but also the entire team.

And it’s clear why.

This team was close – thanks mostly to the team’s senior leadership.

Defensive coordinator Roc Bellantoni said Wednesday this was the closest team he’s coached since he joined the Panthers staff in 2001.

Kelly said the same thing after Saturday’s game.

It was evident with junior linebacker James Larson coming out of the locker room with red eyes.

Freshman offensive lineman Ryan Grossman, who didn’t see the field once this season, had the same saddened look on his face.

And sophomore defensive lineman Trevor Frericks, who at this time last year was still at Bowling Green, had a look of disbelief and sadness after Saturday’s game.

“Usually (with the underclassmen), it’s like ‘All right, we’ll get them next year,'” Kelly said. “And they showed a little more emotion. And I guess it’s a tribute to the seniors and what they’ve done for this program.”

This year’s team graduates 19 seniors. Every one of them, even the ones who didn’t factor much into the games, played a role.

The dynamic game-changing ability of wide receiver Micah Rucker is something that would be hard to equal by any Eastern receiver in the next 10 years.

The soul and fire of undersized defensive lineman Nick Kray will be missed next year also.

Kelly, who played father figure to many underclassmen, won’t be there next year.

“It’s an eerie feeling,” Adeniji said. “When you’re a freshman, you think, ‘Wow, this is never going to end.’ You get to your senior year, and it’s your turn standing up there. It’s not your turn watching anymore. It’s a sad, hard feeling that no one wants to go through. But everything has to come to an end.”

The ending, however, came too soon for the entire Eastern football program on Saturday.