Students at Eastern were able to enjoy more than football Saturday afternoon at O’Brien Field.

Many students enjoyed watching the Panther Marching Band perform under the new leadership of David Boggs, Assistant Director of Bands.

The marching band played throughout the game and did chants to engage the fans in the stands.

Marcial Bustamante, a senior music performance major said he enjoyed the halftime show and seeing the work the marching band put in.

“I’m a music major so I came out to support the band,” Bustamante said. “It’s really good. I like the new director. He’s doing a lot of good things with the marching band.” 

Joesph Locascio junior education major said he felt the marching band’s work before the show paid off.

“The positivity is really good,” Locascio said. “You can tell they worked really hard to prepare for something like this and they deserve a lot of respect for all the hard work they put in for this.”

Brian Reed, whose girlfriend is in the marching band, said he was excited to see them perform.

“I heard the marching band has been working really hard and they have a lot of pride,” Reed said. “It’s something I’ve never seen before. Where I come from we literally march onto the field, play and leave.”

Madeline Stiner, a freshman undecided major, said she enjoyed attending a college football game more than games in high school.

“The band is playing a lot more than the one at my high school did and the crowd seems more energized,” Stiner said. “They take it more seriously.”

Brooke Johnston, a freshman hospitality major said her favorite part of the game was the marching band’s performance and the band performing the song September.

“It’s very energetic,” Johnston said.

Stiner said she was impressed with the turnout for the game.

“There’s more people here than there was in high school, a lot more students,” Stiner said. “It’s a lot of fun. I like that there’s a lot of people here.”

Locascio said he came to the game “to have a good time and see a lot of people out in blue.”

Locascio added he could not pinpoint one part of the game that was his favorite.

“The energy, the spirit, how everyone is just having a good time because we obviously all want our football team to win,” Locascio said. “We’re all sticking together and having a good time.”

Bustamante said while he came to the game to support the band he also enjoyed watching the players on the field.

“The energy is pretty good. We’re a little behind ISU but we’re still pulling through.”

Johnston said she enjoyed being in the crowd with fans.

“It’s a lot of fun. I like that there’s a lot of people here,” Johnston said. “I like that the band has been playing a lot.”

During timeouts fans in the crowd were able to play games for prizes.

Eastern lost the game 21-3 to Illinois State.

Corryn Brock can be reached at 581-2812 or at cebrock@eiu.edu