The Eastern football team’s annual spring game was cut short because of inclement weather on Saturday.

The Panthers were only able to get a total of nine plays in, with the final score favoring the Defense, 9-0. The scoring allowed the defense to score points for defensive stops. The Eastern defense forced one punt, stopped the offense on a fourth down attempt and brought the offense to a three and out.

Head coach Dino Babers said he felt bad that the weather did not cooperate for the fans in attendance.

“I feel bad for the players, their families and the EIU fan base that the weather did not cooperate with us tonight,” Babers said. “We had an intense practice on Thursday night and wanted the spring game to be fun. I think for the brief time we were on the field our fans saw players who were competing and a taste of the new up-tempo offense. This is an exciting time for EIU football.”

The Panthers will open regular season play on Thursday Aug. 30 against Southern Illinois-Carbondale. Kick off will be at 6:30 p.m. at O’Brien Field.

Dominic Renzetti can be reached at 581-7942 or dcrenzetti@eiu.edu.