­­­­­#8 Eastern Washington University "Eagles" versus #10 University of Northern Iowa "Panthers" Saturday, Sept. 17 • 4:05 p.m. Pacific Roos Field (8,600) • Cheney, Washington
TV:	SWX (Sam Adams/Bill Ames)…SWX is available via digital 6.2 in Spokane/Cheney/Coeur d'Alene/Sandpoint/Lewiston, 23.3 in Yakima and 25.3 in the Tri-Cities; also via Comcast 306/112 (Spokane); Davis Cable 514/81.2/12 (Cheney); Time Warner 1245 (Coeur d'Alene & Pullman/Moscow); Charter 183 (Tri-Cities/Yakima), Cable One 466 (Lewiston), Northland Cable 317 (Moses Lake) and Northland Cable 115 (Sandpoint).
­­­Webcast:	http://goeags.com/sports/2016/1/5/watchbigsky.aspx?id=73 or http://watchbigsky.com
Radio:	700-AM ESPN in Spokane. Larry Weir returns for his 26th season calling the play-by-play, with analysis handled by Paul Sorensen. Broadcasts begin one hour prior to kickoff and include an expanded post-game show.
Internet Radio:	http://www.700espn.com or http://www.tunein.com.
Radio iPhone App:	Search for "700 ESPN" and download app. An app is also available for tunein radio.
Live Stats:	http://ewustats.com
Weekly Coaches Show:	Mondays at 6 p.m. at the "Impulse Club" at Northern Quest Resort & Casino, with video highlights and commentary by head coach Beau Baldwin at 5:30 p.m. (no live show at NQ on Oct. 17; plus no video or show on Nov. 21). . .  700-AM ESPN, http://www.700espn.com & via iphone app. (search for "Spokane Radio" and download app).
Watch Parties:	Consult EWU social media outlets for details the Friday before games. Those who may carry EWU games include "Epic" at Northern Quest Casino and Resort in Airway Heights, Borracho in downtown Spokane and the Swinging Doors in North Spokane.

The Eastern Washington University football team has become quite familiar with Northern Iowa in the past 30 years, but Eagle fans at "The Inferno" have not.
 
In the seventh meeting overall – but the first at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash., -- the 10th-ranked Northern Iowa Panthers of the Missouri Valley Football Conference visit the eighth-ranked Eagles of the Big Sky Conference this Saturday (Sept. 17) in EWU's home opener between two of the premier programs in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.
 
Kickoff at Roos Field on Fan Red Out/Welcome Back/Family Day is 4:05 p.m. Pacific time in a game televised regionally by SWX. Fans can also listen to the game on 700-AM ESPN and via the web at www.700espn.com, with pre-game coverage starting one hour prior to kickoff and the broadcasts featuring an expanded post-game show.
 
 
Although EWU is 0-6 all-time versus the Panthers, it will be the first-ever meeting between the two 1-1 teams in Cheney, Wash. Like the Eagles, the Panthers picked up an impressive season-opening win over a foe from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, winning 25-20 on the road at Iowa State. The Panthers then fell 20-14 at home to Montana in the only victory by the Big Sky over the MVFC in four head-to-head matchups between the leagues last week.
 
A week after feeling the euphoria of a 45-42 win at Washington State of the Pacific-12 Conference, the Eagles felt the heartbreak of falling 50-44 in overtime to top-ranked and five-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State. After taking its first lead of the game with 4:32 left, the Bison made the big plays down the stretch to survive.
 
"We'll be back swinging," said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin after falling to NDSU. "I'm looking forward to moving forward with this group. No matter whether if we were 2-0, 0-2 or 1-1, we'd be taking the same approach against Northern Iowa. I'm just excited to move forward each week with this team."
 
Eastern remained ranked eighth in this week's STATS FCS Top 25 poll, while UNI slipped from third to 10th with the loss to Montana. In the coaches poll, Eastern actually moved up one slot to seventh after the loss to North Dakota State. Northern Iowa is 11th, with NDSU remaining No. 1 in both polls after knocking off the Eagles.
 
Last year's meeting in Cedar Falls, Iowa, was a thriller with four lead changes and four ties. In the end, the seventh-ranked Eagles rallied from a 21-14 deficit to take the lead, but 14th-ranked Northern Iowa scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win 38-35.
 
Eastern quarterbacks Jordan West and Reilly Hennessey combined to complete 37-of-47 passes (79 percent) for a school-record 526 passing yards and four touchdowns, helping the Eagles overcome a running game that managed just 26 yards on 25 carries. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp had nine catches for 179 yards and touchdown catches of 18 and 73 yards, however, he suffered a hip pointer and couldn't play in the second half. Sophomore Nic Sblendorio had career highs with 10 catches for 158 yards and junior Kendrick Bourne added eight grabs for 84 yards and two TDs.
 
Northern Iowa countered with a running game that racked up 266 of the team's 460 yards, with quarterback Aaron Bailey rushing for 134 and passing for another 91. Bailey has passed for 329 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 122 yards and another TD thus far in 2016.
 
Eastern's challenging non-conference schedule sets the stage for an equally challenging league schedule which begins Sept. 24 at NAU, picked by both the coaches and media to win the title. The schedule also includes 2015 FCS Playoffs participants Montana (Oct. 29) and Portland State (Nov. 18).
 
Season ticket information is available at: http://www.goeags.com/tickets. Single game tickets for EWU's first three home games went on sale on Sept. 1, and ticket sales for the Montana and Idaho State games begin on Oct. 8 at 9 a.m. Less than 800 tickets remained for this week's home opener as of Sunday afternoon.
 
 
 
 

Records/Milestone Watch

 
Reception Yards Next FCS Record on the Horizon for Kupp, With TD Catches Exceeding FBS Record
 
Already the FCS leader in career touchdown receptions, Eastern's Cooper Kupp equaled and then exceeded the FBS record as well against North Dakota State on Sept. 10. He had his 60th early in the second quarter to tie the mark of 60 set by Jarett Dillard of Rice from 2005-08, then had his 61st later in the quarter. Kupp is well behind the NCAA Division II record is 78 set by Dallas Mall of Bentley from 2001-04 and the NCAA Division III record is 75 set by Scott Pingel of Westminster (Mo.) from 1996-99, but Kupp has also exceeded the NAIA record of 59 set by Alvin Ashley of Southwest State (Minn.) from 1990-93.
 
Kupp broke the FCS record for career TD catches with a three touchdown day at Washington State on Sept. 3, breaking the previous FCS record of 58 set by New Hampshire's David Ball from 2003-06. He is also second in reception yards (5,032, 218 behind the record of 5,250 set by Elon's Terrell Hudgins from 2006-09) and third in receptions (328, 67 behind the record of 395 set by Elon's Terrell Hudgins from 2006-09).
 
Kupp has now established eight FCS records, eight Big Sky Conference all-time marks and 18 school records. His 122.7 average reception yards per game is currently a FCS career record, while his other six FCS records were set during his freshman season. With 5,425 all-purpose yards, he is 509 yards from the EWU record of 5,934 set by Eric Kimble from 2002-05, a mark which ranks seventh in Big Sky history. The league record is 7,112, and the top receiver on the list is Fred Amey from Sacramento State with 6,343 from 2001-04.
 
 
Bourne Moves Into Top 16 in Career Receptions and Yards
 
With 147 career receptions for 2,149 yards and 20 touchdowns, senior Kendrick Bourne now ranks in the top 16 in all three categories in school history. His touchdowns ranks eighth, and his receptions are 14th, just two from moving into 13th (149, Jason Anderson, 1991-94) and 10 from 12th (157, Jon Vea, 1983-86). Bourne is 16th in yards, but needs only 11 to move into 15th (2,160, Craig Richardson, 1983-86), 89 from 14th (2,238, Dave Svendsen, 1966-68) and 153 from 13th (2,302, Jamie Buenzli, 1986-89).
 
Teammate Shaq Hill has 110 career catches for 1,795 yards and 15 touchdowns. His next TD will rank him 15th in school history, and he is 27 catches from the No. 21 position and 266 from ranking 18th in yards. In all, the quartet of Hill, Bourne, Cooper Kupp and Nic Sblendorio have a combined 151 games worth of experience (81 starts) with 634 catches for 9,699 yards (15.3 per catch) and 99 touchdowns.
 
 
Shaq Hill Sets Career Kickoff Return Yardage Record
 
Wide receiver/kickoff returner Shaq Hill has broken the school record for career kickoff return yards, with a current total of 2,217 yards to pass the 2,176 of Craig Richardson from 1983-86. With 91 career returns, Hill previously broke Richardson's record of 80. Hill's average of 24.4 yards per return is currently eighth in school history, as he has had returns of 99, 93, 90 and 80 yards in his career. His 4,049 all-purpose yards are currently eighth in school history, and he needs only 53 to move into seventh (4,102, Mel Collins, 1969-71) and 97 to rank sixth (4,146, Jason Anderson, 1991-94).
 
 
Ebukam Moves Into 13th in School History With 16 1/2 Sacks
 
Senior defensive end Samson Ebukam had a pair of sacks in EWU's season opener against Washington State, giving him 16 1/2 in his career to rank 13th in school history. He needs 2 1/2 to move his way into the top 10 on EWU's all-time lists. A 25-game starter in his EWU career, Ebukam finished with six tackles against the Cougars and four the next week versus North Dakota State to give him 127 in his 41-game career. One of six Eagle co-captains for the 2016 season, he received second-team All-Big Sky honors in both 2014 and 2015.
 
 
Dascalo is Among the Top Punters in School History

In his second year as an Eagle, junior Jordan Dascalo now punted 42 times as an Eagle for a 41.9 career average that currently ranks third in school history. He also is 4-of-6 in his EWU career kicking field goals, and has averaged 58.6 yards (3,400 total yards) in 58 career kickoffs with 17 touchbacks.

Dascalo, who punted as a freshman in 2014 for Washington State, earned Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his performance against his former team on Sept. 3. He averaged 55.3 yards on three punts, including one downed inside the Cougar 20-yard line. He also kicked a 48-yard field goal on the final play of the first half that started a decisive 17-0 scoring run by the Eagles in the 45-42 win. He also had seven kickoffs for a 57.0 average against WSU with one touchback. His 48-yarder equaled the 23rd-longest in school history and was the best in nearly seven years by an Eagle since Mike Jarrett booted a 49-yarder versus Idaho State on 10/3/09.  

"If I were to say there were five or six plays that were the biggest plays of the games, that field goal before halftime was one of the biggest plays of the game," said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin. "For him to hit that was huge. He hit some good kickoffs and he had three good punts."

 "He's become a player you can count on to do all three aspects of our kicking game – that's rare," Baldwin added. "You don't see many kickers/punters these days and it's usually more specialized. Granted, he's not our normal field goal kicker, but he has the strongest leg. So if we get outside a 40-yard field goal we start thinking about if this is Dascalo range."
 
 
 

Team Game Notes

 
Less Than 800 Tickets Remain as EWU Seeks 16th-Straight Regular Season Sellout
 
Less than 800 tickets remain for the Eastern versus Northern Iowa game at Roos Field on Sept. 17, as EWU seeks to extend its string of 15-consecutive regular season sell-out crowds at "The Inferno." Eastern has had 27 all-time sellouts in stadium history (attendance of 8,600 or more). Eastern had five of the top 25 crowds in school history in 2015 at the stadium, which will be in its 50th season of existence in 2016. Eastern's home opener on Sept. 19 had the fifth-most fans (10,912), followed by 10,352 against Cal Poly (10th), 8,759 against Weber State (21st), 9.,214 for Homecoming versus Northern Arizona (17th) and 8,649 for the PSU game (25th). Eastern set a new school record with an average of 9,577 fans in five home games in 2015. The previous record was 9,432 set in 2014. Since EWU won the NCAA Division I championship in 2010, EWU has had the top five attendance averages in school history in the five years since.
 
 
Eastern is Early FCS Leader in Passing Offense
 
After two games, Eastern is the early FCS leader in passing offense, with an average of 473.0 yards per game. The Eagles are also third in total offense (581.0), fourth in completion percentage (.744), fifth in passing efficiency (197.76) and 10th in scoring offense (44.5). The Eagles also rank second in net punting (46.50).
 
This week's opponent, Northern Iowa, features a defense which ranks 14th in total defense (256.5), 12th in rushing defense (69.5) and 26th in scoring defense (20.0).
 
 
Eastern Seeks Turnover Margin Advantage
 
The Eagles lost the turnover battle 3-1 to North Dakota State after tying 1-1 versus Washington State. In eight-plus seasons (2008-present) under head coach Beau Baldwin, the Eagles are 41-1 when they've won the turnover battle, 18-5 when they've been tied and 15-25 when they've lost (total of 74-31). The last time EWU lost when it won the turnover battle came in the 2009 FCS Playoffs at Stephen F. Austin when EWU had two miscues and forced four in the 44-33 loss. Thus, EWU is 32-0 since 2010 when they've won the turnover battle, 15-4 when they've been tied and 13-18 when they've lost. That's a collective record of 60-22 (73 percent), with 18 of those 22 losses (82 percent) coming in games EWU has lost the turnover battle and 53 percent of EWU's wins coming when they've won the turnover battle (78 percent when including ties).
 
 
Baby One Day, Five-Time Defending Champs The Next
 
Eastern wide receivers coach Nicholas Edwards and his wife Macca welcomed their second child into the world on Sept. 9 when Kyrie Mariom Edwards was born at 8:30 a.m. that morning in Spokane. Edwards then caught a flight to Fargo, N.D., for Eastern's game the next day versus the five-time defending FCS champions. Their other son, Kashmir Jordan Edwards, was born Feb. 28, 2015.
 
 
A Little 1990 History That Indirectly Involves the Eagles
 
Noted NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper uncovered a couple of interesting facts recently regarding the 1990 NFL Draft. After finishing his record-breaking career as a quarterback at Cal, current EWU quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Troy Taylor was drafted in the fourth round (84th pick overall) by the New York Jets. He was chosen 51 picks before quarterback Craig Kupp was drafted in the fifth round (135th overall) by the New York Giants out of Pacific Lutheran University. Craig is the father of EWU players Cooper and Ketner Kupp. Craig's father, Jake, played at Washington and was drafted in the ninth round (116th overall) by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1964 NFL Draft before going on to a Hall of Fame career with the New Orleans Saints.
 
Other quarterbacks taken in the 1990 draft were Idaho's John Friesz (sixth round by San Diego, 140th pick overall), and Cary Conklin out of Washington Yakima's Eisenhower High School (fourth round by Washington, 86th pick overall). The Kupp brothers played at Eisenhower rival Davis High School in Yakima, Craig played at nearby Selah High School and Jake was originally from nearby Sunnyside. Friesz was a standout at Coeur d'Alene High School prior to winning the Payton Award while at Idaho. Cooper Kupp won the 2015 Payton Award. Six players from Washington State and five from Washington were taken in the 12 rounds of the 1990 draft.
 
 
Five Home Games Featured at Roos Field
 
This week's game versus UNI begins a five-game home schedule at Roos Field, highlighted by Eastern's annual showdown with Montana on Oct. 29 in Fan Black Out/Ag Day. Eastern's home schedule begins on Sept. 17 versus Northern Iowa for Fan Red Out/Welcome Back/Family Day. The Eagles also host UC Davis (Oct. 1) on Hall of Fame and Believe Day, Northern Colorado (Oct. 8) for Homecoming and Military & Veterans Appreciation Day and Idaho State (Nov. 12) for Senior Day.
 
 
Eagles Get 'Special" Win Over Pac-12 Opponent for Second Time in Four Years
 
"Special things don't happen by accident," was among the messages Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin said to his jubilant team after a 45-42 victory over Washington State on Sept. 3 in Pullman, Wash. It was EWU's second victory in four seasons over a Pac-12 opponent, having defeated Oregon State to open the 2013 campaign.
 
Besides a dominant offensive performance, Baldwin also had high praise for a defense which allowed 515 yards but kept the Cougars scoreless for a critical 31-minute stretch from the second quarter to the fourth quarter.
 
 
Eastern's offense, with five first-time starters, rolled up 606 total yards – 17th-most in school history. They included 474 passing and 77 rushing by Gage Gubrud, a sophomore from McMinnville, Ore. He had five TD passes and ran for a game-clinching 30-yard score to give him a school record 551 yards of total offense. The previous record was 518 set by Vernon Adams Jr. against the Beavers in the 49-46 victory over 25th-ranked OSU.
 
With 12 catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns against the Cougars, three-time All-America receiver Cooper Kupp broke the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision record with his 57th, 58th and 59th. He finished with 40 catches for 716 yards and 11 touchdowns in four career games against Pacific-12 opponents (WSU, Washington, Oregon and Oregon State). In 2015, Kupp set Autzen Stadium records of 15 catches for 246 yards against Oregon (9/5/15), and had three TD grabs.
 
The Eagles are now 10-24 all-time versus members of FBS, with four victories in the last 18 tries – two of them against Idaho. Eastern is scheduled to visit Texas Tech (9/2/17), Washington State (9/15/18), Washington (8/31/19) and Florida (9/5/20).
 
 
Eagles Will Play at Florida in 2020 in EWU's First Meeting Versus the SEC
 
Eastern and the University of Florida will play each other on Sept. 5, 2020, at 88,548 seat Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., the two schools jointly announced on Sept. 7, 2016.
 
The first-ever game for the Eagles versus the Southeastern Conference will be against a Gators team currently coached by Jim McElwain, a former Eagle. The Montana native spent 15 years in Cheney, Wash., from 1980-94 first as a player and then as a coach. He received his bachelor's degree in 1984 from EWU and also worked on his master's degree while an Eagle.
 
"This is pretty cool to be able to add Eastern Washington to the schedule," said McElwain. "I spent 15 years at Eastern and it is such a huge part of my life. I met my wife, Karen, there and all of my children were born there. I have so many great memories of my time at Eastern and I still have friends there to this day."
 
"We thank everybody involved, including Coach McElwain, for making it possible for us to play such a great SEC program," said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin. "It's a tremendous honor for us at Eastern Washington and we look forward to the opportunity to play Florida."
 
"We would like to thank Coach Mac, (Florida director of athletics) Jeremy Foley and (Florida executive associate AD) Chip Howard for their willingness to make this happen," said Eastern AD Bill Chaves. "The ability to connect Eastern with one of its most successful alums is something unique that athletics can do. We cannot be more excited about the opportunity to play the Gators and the Southeastern Conference."
 
The game in 2020 continues the trend of playing upper-echelon teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. Eastern beat Washington State 45-42 last Saturday (Sept. 3) in Pullman, Wash., marking the sixth-straight season EWU has played a team from the Pacific-12 Conference. The Eagles are now 10-24 all-time versus members of FBS, and have won two of its last four games versus FBS foes (Oregon in 2013).
 
"The SEC is a conference our players see every week on TV and is talked about as arguably the premier conference in the country," added Baldwin. "To work toward playing on that stage, in that environment and in that stadium is something that will get their juices flowing to prep for that game. We're excited about that opportunity in 2020."
 
 
Great Debut for Passing Game Coordinator Troy Taylor
 
A victory over a Pacific-12 Conference opponent, 606 yards of total offense and a school record by a first-time starter at quarterback was a great way to start the Eagle coaching career of quarterbacks coach & passing game coordinator Troy Taylor.
 
Besides having seven years of high school head coaching experience, Taylor was an assistant coach at Cal from 1996-2000 and was a record-breaking quarterback for the Bears from 1995-96. He even served as a radio analyst at Cal from 2005-2011. Taylor is the former coach of current Washington quarterback Jake Browning, who set numerous national and state passing records while a Parade All-American at Folsom High School near Sacramento, Calif.
 
Taylor himself was a standout high school quarterback, earning Sacramento Bee Player of the Year honors at Cordova High School in 1985. In 1989 at Cal, Taylor led the Pac-10 with an average of 253 total offensive yards per game. He finished his college career as Cal's all-time leading passer with 8,126 yards, a mark that was broken in 2015 by Jared Goff. He received his bachelor's degree in sociology in 1994, and received his master's degree in cross-cultural teaching from National University in Sacramento.
 
 
Schedule Includes Non-Conference Trio With 31 Wins Last Season
 
With its three non-conference foes combining to win seven games in the postseason a year ago, Eastern began its season on Sept. 3 with a 45-42 victory at Sun Bowl champion Washington State. The Eagles then fell 50-44 in overtime at five-time NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Champion North Dakota State on Sept. 10 in the first of a home-and-home series against the Bison. Eastern, which won the national title in 2010 prior to NDSU's incredible run of five-straight, are scheduled to host the Bison on Sept. 16, 2017, in Cheney. The last team other than EWU or NDSU to win the national title came in 2009 when Villanova beat Montana 23-21 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Eastern knocked off NDSU 38-31 in overtime in the only previous meeting with the Bison on Dec. 11, 2010, in the FCS Playoffs.
 
Eastern's 2016 home opener is versus Northern Iowa on Sept. 17, in a rematch of last year's 38-35 loss for EWU in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Eagles will be looking for their first-ever win against the Panthers when they meet for the seventh time, but first in Cheney.
 
Eastern's three non-conference foes combined to win 74 percent of their games overall last season (31-11), 72 percent in league play (18-7) and 88 percent in the postseason (7-1). Eastern's 2015 schedule, which featured 2014 national runner-up Oregon, included teams that won 68 percent of their games the year prior (68-36).
 
Washington State finished 9-4 overall and 6-3 in the Pac-12 Conference in 2015, but what made the season most memorable was how they started and ended it. After losing 24-17 to Portland State to open the season, the Cougars ended the year with a 20-14 victory over Miami in the Sun Bowl.
 
North Dakota State dropped its 2015 opener to a Big Sky foe, 38-35 to Montana in Missoula. But the Bison followed with wins over Weber State (41-14) and North Dakota (34-9) on consecutive weeks, then won the Missouri Valley Football Conference title with a 7-1 mark. The team's lone loss in its last 14 games was to South Dakota (24-21), and NDSU roared through the playoffs to finish 13-2. The Bison out-scored opponents 130-36 in the playoffs, including a 37-6 win over Montana, a 23-13 victory over Northern Iowa and a championship game win over top-ranked Jacksonville State 37-10.
 
Besides its win over Eastern, Northern Iowa beat Cal Poly 34-20 prior to opening Missouri Valley Conference play with three setbacks to eventual playoff teams (Illinois State 21-13, North Dakota State 31-28 and Western Illinois 24-19). The Panthers followed with seven-straight wins, including playoff victories over Eastern Illinois (53-17) and Portland State (29-17). Northern Iowa finished 9-5 overall and 5-3 in the MVFC.
 
In 2017, Eastern is scheduled to visit Texas Tech (9/2/17) and host NDSU (9/16/17), and EWU has also previously announced agreements to play in 2018 at Washington State (9/15/18) and in 2019 at Washington (8/31/19).
 
 
Eagles Face League Favorite to Open Big Sky Schedule
 
Eastern's Big Sky Conference schedule begins Sept. 24 at Northern Arizona, which soundly defeated EWU a year ago 52-30 in Cheney. Eastern will host UC Davis on Hall of Fame Day on Oct. 1, followed by another home game against Northern Colorado on Oct. 8. After a bye, Eastern will play at Montana State on Oct. 22 in a league game.
 
Montana, a perennial playoff participant and Big Sky title contender, will visit Cheney on Oct. 29. After a road game at Cal Poly on Nov. 5, the Eagles will have Senior Day on Nov. 12 against Idaho State. Eastern closes the regular season Nov. 18 (Friday) at Portland State, which joined Montana as runner-up in the league last season and advanced to the playoffs.
 
Southern Utah, last year's league champion with a 7-1 mark and final 8-4 record, is not on EWU's 2016 schedule for the second-straight season. A year ago, Eastern started 0-2, won six-straight games and then finished with three losses to miss the playoffs. The Eagles were 6-5 overall and 5-3 in the Big Sky to finish in a four-way tie for fourth with NAU, North Dakota and Weber State.
 
 
Eastern is 28-28 in Domes
 
Eastern's Sept. 10 game at the Fargodome was EWU's 56th all-time game in a dome, with a current record of 28-28. Eastern will also play indoors at Northern Arizona on Sept. 24. In the 2015 season, Eastern beat Idaho State 45-28 in Pocatello at Holt Arena. Earlier, the Eagles fell 38-35 to Northern Iowa at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where EWU is now winless. Until losing last in the final seconds at Northern Arizona in 2014, Eastern had won nine of its last 10 games in domes. Eastern is 14-4 all-time at Idaho State's Holt Arena, 9-7 at Northern Arizona's Walkup Skydome, 4-8 at Idaho's Kibbie Dome, 0-6 at Northern Iowa's UNI-Dome, 1-0 at North Dakota's Alerus Center, 0-1 at the Fargodome and 0-1 at South Dakota's DakotaDome. Eastern also lost to Houston in 1992 at the Houston Astrodome.
 
 
Eagles Compile 40 Victories Overall and 27 Big Sky Wins in Last Four Years
 
Eastern, which compiled a 40-14 record overall and 27-5 league mark in the last four years from 2012-15, lost 14 seniors to graduation from its 2015 team.
 
For a program that has made deep playoff runs in recent years and was looking for a Big Sky Conference championship "four-peat," a winning record wasn't exactly what the Eagles expected in 2015. But a hunger to return to national and league prominence in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision will be the off-season quest for the Eagles after they finished 6-5 overall and 5-3 in the league.
 
There were many positives, though, that other schools would hunger for – Eastern led FCS in passing offense with an average of 353.3 yards per game, and were eighth in total offense (478.5). In the last 12 seasons (2004-15), EWU has now ranked in the top 10 in passing 10 times and in total offense on eight occasions. It was the second time EWU has led FCS in passing, matching the 2011 squad, which also was 6-5.
 
The Eagles also finished with the school's 18th winning season in the last 20 years (1996-2015). That includes a current string of nine-straight (2007-15) and another stretch of seven straight (1999-2005), feats that hadn't been accomplished since the Red Reese era when Eastern had a string of 11-straight winning seasons from 1931-1941.
 
After falling to 0-2 on the season with difficult road losses and Oregon and Northern Iowa, the Eagles had their six-game winning streak and 5-0 league start stopped Nov. 7 in a rare home loss, falling 52-30 to surging Northern Arizona. At the time, Eastern was ranked a season-high fourth in FCS in the STATS Top 25 poll. The Eagles ended the regular season ranked 23rd – the 57th-consecutive time the Eagles have been ranked. The streak ended when EWU was unranked in the final poll.
 
Eastern returns 14 starters in 2016, plus the team's kicker, punter and long snapper. Five starters will return on offense, including three wide receivers (three-time All-American Cooper Kupp, Kendrick Bourne and Nic Sblendorio). Wide receiver Shaq Hill, a starter at wide receiver in 2014, is back as an injury redshirt after suffering a knee injury in EWU's opener against Oregon and missing the rest of the season. However, all five starting offensive linemen – plus two backups – were seniors in 2015.
 
All but two starters return to the Eagle defense. Defensive end Samson Ebukam will return for his senior season after receiving second-team All-Big Sky honors in both 2014 and 2015. Nose guard Matthew Sommer earned honorable mention All-Big Sky honors both of those seasons.
 
Other returning all-league selections include Kupp, a three-time first-team selection, and Bourne, a second-team choice in 2015 and honorable mention in 2014. Hill has been honored three times previously – third team wide receiver in 2014, honorable mention wide receiver in 2013 and honorable mention return specialist in 2012 when he also earned Freshman All-America honors.
 
 
 
 

Player Game Notes

 
Gage Gubrud, With Two of Top Three Total Offense Performances in School History, Joins Kupp as Early NCAA Statistical Leaders
 
A year after leading FCS in passing offense, the EWU offense led by first-year starting quarterback Gage Gubrud hasn't missed a beat. The sophomore's first two starts of his career have yielded a school-record 551 yards of offense against Washington State on Sept. 3, and the No. 3 mark with 499 against North Dakota State on Sept. 10. The 2014 graduate of McMinnville (Ore.) High School already has 924 yards, nine touchdowns and a .750 completion percentage, and has also rushed for a team-leading 126 yards and two more scores.
 
As a result, Gubrud is the early FCS leader in total offense at 525.0 per game, a staggering 150 more than the player currently second (Peter Pujals of Holy Cross at 374.5). Gubrud also leads in passing touchdowns, passing yards, passing yards per game (462.0), points responsible for (66) and points responsible per game (33.0), and is third in passing efficiency (199.1) and fourth in completion percentage.
 
Teammate Cooper Kupp, despite missing the second half against North Dakota State on Sept. 10 with a shoulder injury, is leading FCS in receiving touchdowns (5) and scoring (15.0 points per game). He is also fourth in receptions per game (8.5) and fifth in receiving yards per game (134.0). Senior Kendrick Bourne is seventh in receptions per game (7.5) and 12th in receiving (110.0), and Stu Stiles is 15th in receiving yards per game (98.5).
 
Punter Jordan Dascalo has a 49.5 average in six punts, and would rank second in FCS had he met the minimum of 3.6 punts per game to be ranked. The leader is Miles Bergner of South Dakota with a 52.3 average.
 
 
 
With Eight Catches for 169 Yards and a TD, Stu Steals the Show With Kupp Out
 
Sophomore Stu Stiles easily had his best game as an Eagle, finishing with eight catches for 169 yards and a touchdown in Eastern's 50-44 overtime loss to North Dakota Sate on Sept. 10. He eclipsed his previous highs of three catches for 30 yards last season against Sacramento State. In fact, the 2014 graduate of Mt. Spokane (Wash.) High School entered the NDSU game with no catches on the season and just seven for 70 yards in his career.
 
He saw more action than usual when senior Cooper Kupp was lost for the second half with a shoulder injury. His breakthrough performance was similar to that of Nic Sblendorio a year before when he had 10 catches for 158 yards against Northern Iowa when Kupp missed the second half with a hip pointer.
 
 
Starting Debuts for Ketner Kupp and Kurt Calhoun Come Versus Five-Time Defending Champions
 
They came into the game with a combined 43 tackles in their careers, but Ketner Kupp and Kurt Calhoun came out of it with a great deal of admiration and respect. The sophomore linebackers were forced to start their first games of their careers because of a pair of injuries to EWU's starters. Senior middle linebacker Miquiyah Zamora missed the game because of a hamstring injury suffered in practice during the week, while strong-side linebacker Alek Kacmarcik was held out because of a concussion suffered versus Washington State.
 
Kupp, brother of Eastern senior receiver Cooper Kupp, finished with eight tackles, having entered the game with just 20 after playing as a true freshman in 2015. Calhoun, a walk-on whose brother Tim was a tight end for the Eagles (2002-06), had 13. He entered the game with just 23 in his career, with five in EWU's opener against Washington State. Ketner Kupp is a 2015 graduate of Davis High School in Yakima, Wash., and Calhoun graduated the year before from Zillah (Wash.) HS.
 
 
 
Kupp Adds National Player of the Week Accolades from STATS to Heisman Candidate Recognition by Fox Sports
 
With a record-breaking performance and stirring victory over Washington State in his first game since deciding to return to Eastern Washington University for his senior football season, Cooper Kupp was selected as the STATS National Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 5. He earned the same honor from College Sports Madness, which also selected him as its Big Sky Conference player of the week as well.
 
Judging from the damage he's inflicted on Pacific-12 Conference defenses in four seasons now, it's no secret that the senior wide receiver Cooper Kupp is among the best receivers in college football at any level. In a column by Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports on Sept. 4, Kupp was regarded as one of five Heisman candidates after the first full week of the college football season. He joined Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett, Houston quarterback Greg Ward, Stanford running back/returner Christian McCaffrey and Georgia running back Nick Chubb on his list.
 
Even Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin is at a loss for words over the accomplishments of Kupp, who has been dubbed by the media as All-Galaxy and Superman. "Twelve catches, 206, three touchdowns versus a Pac-12 team – Cooper Kupp, that's what he did. Enough said."
 
All Kupp has done to warrant the success is score 11 touchdowns receiving in four games versus the Pac-12 on a total of 40 catches for 716 yards. That's an average of 17.9 yards per catch and a TD every 3.6 grabs against the four Pac-12 schools in the Pacific Northwest – Washington State, Washington, Oregon and Oregon State.
 
In EWU's 45-42 win over WSU on Sept. 3, Kupp had 12 catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns, as the three-time All-America receiver broke the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision record. He left that game with 59 and has a current total of 61 touchdown receptions. He also completed a pass for 22 yards against the Cougars, and rushed twice for 29 yards.
 
"Today, the best player on the field was Cooper Kupp," said Washington State head coach Mike Leach, whose team had nine victories and won a bowl game in 2015.

It was the pass that caught the eye of Baldwin on the stat sheet after the thrilling win over the Cougars, a performance that wouldn't have happened had Kupp elected to pursue professional opportunities instead.
 
"It means way more than any record or any statistic, and obviously, those are off the charts," said Baldwin of the return of Kupp. "But what I first saw on the stat sheet was 1-of-1 again throwing the ball, so he found a way to do that too."
 
"I joke with our staff that No. 10 is probably more mature than most of us," continued Baldwin on what the return of the 2012 graduate of Davis High School in Yakima, Wash., means to his program. "And I mean that with how he handles things, and how he brings that maturity level and discipline to our team. As a coach, that's what you want in your locker room – that type of culture and character that Cooper carries."
 
Last season, Kupp set Autzen Stadium records of 15 catches for 246 yards against Oregon, including three TD grabs. The year before that he caught eight passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns against Washington -- the former team his grandfather, Jake Kupp, played for before becoming a Hall of Fame offensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints.
 
As a redshirt freshman in 2013, in his first collegiate game, Kupp caught five passes for 119 yards and two scores against OSU. The Eagles upset the 25th-ranked Beavers 49-46, becoming just the fourth FCS team to beat a ranked squad from the NCAA Football Bowl Championship Subdivision.
 
"It's definitely special, but I knew this would be a special year," added Kupp of his fourth and final appearance versus a Pac-12 opponent. "The last eight months in the offseason was completely worth coming back – that was the time we were grinding. To go through what we did with those guys made it worth it. We're starting the fun part of the season knowing that my wife (Anna) and I made the best decision of my life. It's special to get that first win in the way we envisioned."
 
 
Gage Gubrud Also Honored Nationally and as Big Sky Player of the Week After Sensational Starting Debut
 
It takes a heady player to knock Vernon Adams Jr. out of the Eastern Washington University football record book. And in his first start to boot.
 
Sophomore Gage Gubrud was selected as the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 5 after accounting for six touchdowns in a 45-42 victory Sept. 3 over Washington State of the Pacific-12 Conference. On Sept. 6, he received honors from College Football Performance Awards as its FCS National Performer of the Week.
 
Gubrud (pronounced "Goo-Brood") was one of six Eagles – five on offense – making the first starts of their careers, and he completed 34-of-40 passes for 474 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for 77 yards and another score. His 551 yards of total offense broke the previous school record of 518 set by Vernon Adams Jr. against Oregon State in 2013 when he passed for 411 and rushed for 107.
 
Gubrud's passing total was the fourth-best in school history, ranking only behind Adams (475 vs. Washington on 9/6/14), Todd Bernett (486 versus Montana on 9/17/94) and teammate Jordan West (school-record 491 versus Sacramento State on 9/26/15). One game later, in a 50-44 overtime loss to North Dakota State, he finished with 499 yards of total offense to rank as the third-most in school history, including the No. 11 passing performance with 450 yards.
 
The steady progression of the 2014 graduate of McMinnville (Ore.) High School has been witnessed firsthand by EWU team personnel. But 32,952 fans at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Wash., and a national television audience got their first glimpse of his talent and poise.
 
"He didn't get scared or wide-eyed in the moment, and I've seen that before in a lot of great quarterbacks," said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin. "I've called Vernon Adams the best quarterback to play here and he ended up in a couple of those moments – you can be nervous, and Vernon admitted he had a couple of moments like that early in his career. But Gage was composed, with the exception of his touchdown run when he kind of freaked out and didn't know whether to dive or run it in. He kind of lost it for a second. But outside of that, he played the game like there weren't 32,000 fans and it wasn't loud. He was able to slow down and just play football."
 
"He didn't play perfect – nobody played perfect and I didn't coach perfect," Baldwin said after the game. "You're always searching for that, but he went out there with confidence and attacked it. I think that helps you a lot when you settle down and don't pay attention to everything else that's going on."
 
Gubrud's 30 completions were the ninth-most in school history. He had a passing efficiency rating in the game of 220.79, with West owning that record of 313.5 versus Montana State on 9/19/15 when he was 21-of-24 for 410 yards and six touchdowns.
 
Gubrud helped three-time All-America receiver Cooper Kupp put up some staggering numbers against the Cougars too, finishing with 12 catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns. In the process, Kupp broke the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision record for career TD receptions with his 57th, 58th and 59th versus WSU.
 
"The first thing I looked at was Gage throwing only six incomplete passes," Kupp said of his first glance at the stat sheet from the Cougar game. "For Gage to put a game together like that here in his first game starting is special. He ran when he could, got out of stuff to buy himself time and made the throws."
 
As a redshirt freshman in 2015, Gubrud held for kicks all season, then made his Eagle debut as a quarterback at Montana (11/14/15). He completed 7-of-13 passes for 66 yards and an interception, and also had 18 net rushing yards and a touchdown. He was also called on as EWU's rugby-style punter during the year.
 
 
Six Eagles Make Starting Debuts in Opener Versus Washington State
 
Six Eastern players made their starting debuts against Washington State. The lone starting debut on defense was made by sophomore cornerback Josh Lewis. On offense, three of the four new starters are along the offensive line where all five starters and two senior backups were lost from the 2015 team. Freshman redshirts Tristen Taylor (tackle) and Chris Schlichting (guard) made their debuts on the left side of Eastern's line, and sophomore Matt Meyer made his debut at right guard. The other new starter was sophomore quarterback Gage Gubrud, who attempted just 13 passes as a redshirt freshman in 2015. True freshman Antoine Custer Jr. started for the first time in his career, and he and Gubrud hooked up on a 14-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter that was the initial TD of the 2016 season and of their careers. Junior Albert Havili made his first career start as a defensive end and finished with six tackles versus the Cougars. He started twice in 2014 as a linebacker before a knee injury forced him to redshirt in the 2015 season. His injury occurred in the first padded practice in spring of 2015 right after he moved from linebacker to defensive end. He set an EWU true freshman record with 61 tackles in 2013.
 
 
Bruce, Ebukam, Wimberly and Hill Join Kupp and Zamora as co-Captains
 
Six players have been chosen as co-captains for the 2016 season, including a pair of returning captains in wide receiver Cooper Kupp and linebacker Miquiyah Zamora. The four new captains are safety Zach Bruce, defensive end Samson Ebukam, tight end Zach Wimberly and wide receiver Shaq Hill. Four of Eastern's six co-captains are from the state of Washington, including Bruce, a strong safety out of Spokane's University High School. Wimberly is from Tumwater High School, Kupp is from Davis High School in Yakima and Zamora is a graduate of Chiawana High School in Pasco. All four graduated in 2012. Ebukam is from Portland, Ore., and graduated in 2013 from David Douglas High School. Hill, who redshirted in 2015 because of a knee injury, is a 2011 graduate of Brookside Christian High School in Stockton, Calif. All six of the team's co-captains have previously earned All-Big Sky Conference accolades, including four for Kupp and three for Hill. Ebukam has been honored twice, and Zamora, Bruce and Wimberly have been honored once each. That sextet has also combined for eight Big Sky All-Academic honors, with Kupp earning Academic All-America accolades each of the last two seasons.
 
 
 Incoming Freshman Class for Eagles Includes Running Back Duo Seeing Significant Action
 
A pair of running backs from Eastern's talented recruiting class played in the opener against Washington State on Sept. 3 when Antoine Custer Jr. and Tamarick Pierce received carries at running back. Custer started and had the first EWU touchdown of the season on a 14-yard reception, and rushed once for no gain. Pierce did not get a carry, but carried four times for 18 yards the next week at North Dakota State. Custer was a California two-time All-State selection out of powerhouse De La Salle High School, and Pierce was an All-State selection from Oakland, Calif., and Saint Mary's High School. Custer rushed for 4,429 yards (103.0 per game and 10.3 per carry) and scored 66 total touchdowns while helping his team compile a 41-2 record in three seasons, with a pair of state titles and a runner-up finish. He finished with 5,965 all-purpose yards in his career, and scored 53 touchdowns rushing, four receiving and nine on returns and recoveries. Pierce rushed for 3,342 yards (8.8 per carry) in his career with 35 rushing touchdowns, caught 44 passes for 424 yards and eight more scores, and scored 47 total TDs in three seasons.
 
Eastern also dressed offensive lineman D.J. Dyer and safety Calin Criner for the WSU game, but the Eagles are hoping to redshirt both. The other 14 true freshman on the roster are pegged for redshirts and duty on scout teams, including highly-touted quarterback Eric Barriere from La Habra (Calif.) High School. He accounted for 130 career touchdowns with 9,304 passing yards and 1,718 rushing yards in high school, and led the Highlanders to a collective 30-8 record and a perfect league record in three championship seasons.
 
 

 
More Cooper Kupp Notes

 
Cooper Kupp Continues to Collect Accolades as One to "Watch"
 
Not surprisingly, Cooper Kupp's name has found its way onto every NCAA Football Championship Subdivision preseason honor that exists. Further establishing himself as one of the most dominant players of all-time in the FCS and in the upcoming 2016 season, the Eastern Washington University senior wide receiver is one of 25 players named Aug. 3 to the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year Watch List. Also on the watch list in 2015, Kupp had an incredible junior season with the Eagles to win the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year honor in a close outcome with a pair of running backs. Three other offensive players from the Big Sky Conference made this year's watch list, including Northern Arizona quarterback Case Cookus and Lumberjack wide receiver Emmanuel Butler. North Dakota's John Santiago also made the squad.
 
* In 2016, Kupp could be the first wide receiver and just the fourth player overall in what will be the 54-year history of the Big Sky Conference to earn first team All-Big Sky honors four seasons. The others are Weber State's Trevyn Smith (RB 2006-09), Weber State's Scott Shields (Kicker 1995-97, Punter 1996, Strong Safety 1998) and Charvez Foger (RB 1985-88).
 
* In 2015, Kupp became only the second wide receiver in 42 years to win the Big Sky Conference Offensive MVP Award, and continued a long legacy of Eagles to win the award. Eastern players have now won the honor 11 times in the last 15 seasons, and 12 times overall.
 
* Kupp capped his 2015 season by being selected as the FCS Offensive Player of the Year by both STATS and the FCS Athletic Director's Association, and he was also presented the 2015 Walter Payton Award as selected by Mickey Charles LLC.  Kupp became only the second wide receiver in 42 years to win the Big Sky Conference Offensive MVP Award, and only the second receiver to ever win the Payton Award.
 
* Kupp was selected as Amateur Athlete of the Year by the Inland Northwest Sportswriters and Broadcasters (SWABS), continuing the tradition established since the Eastern Washington University football program won a national championship in 2010. In being honored by SWABS, Kupp won an award that has been selected since 1948, but won by only six Eastern athletes in the last 68 years. Four of them have come since 2010, and a total of 12 SWABS honors have been garnered by the Eagles in the last six seasons.
 
* He caught a league-record 114 passes in 2015, and announced on Nov. 30, 2016, his intention to return for his senior year rather than pursue professional opportunities a year early.
 
* But the numbers don't tell the whole story about the amazing abilities of the 2012 graduate of Davis High School in Yakima, Wash. He'll be the first to say that what he has already accomplished doesn't mean anything heading into the 2016 season in which he is picked to repeat as the best player in FCS. "You have to prove it, and I'll try to do the best I can day-in and day-out," said Kupp. "More importantly, as a team we want to win the league championship and compete for the national championship. I want to contribute to that."
 
* His average of 10.4 catches per game in 2015 was also a Big Sky record (sixth all-time in FCS), to go along with five career marks he set in just three seasons – all ending with first team All-Big Sky accolades. Kupp even passed for a pair of touchdowns in the 2015 season and had another via punt return. Including his 2016 totals, he has scored 63 total touchdowns and has accounted for 65 in his 41-game career (all as a starter).
 
* His career catches, yards and TDs are all Big Sky records, and he also established a new league record for average catches per game (8.00), which also ranks third in FCS history. Kupp has averaged a TD reception for every 5.4 catches so far in his career. He has scored at least once in 35 of 41 games he has played, with 23 performances of at least eight catches and 24 with at least 100 receiving yards.
 
* In June 2012, he concluded his fourth year working at the Manning Passing Academy as a college counselor/coach. While in high school he previously attended the camp, which is run by Archie Manning, the father of NFL quarterbacks Eli and Peyton Manning. Archie is a former New Orleans Saints teammate of Cooper's grandfather, Jake Kupp.
 
* Kupp has helped Eastern win 30 games overall and 20 in the Big Sky Conference in the past three-plus seasons, with two outright Big Sky Conference championships and NCAA Football Championship Playoff berths his freshman and sophomore seasons. Eastern had a six-game winning streak in 2015, but finished the year with a three-game losing streak and final records of 6-5 and 5-3.
 
* Kupp's younger brother, Ketner, will be a sophomore linebacker for the Eagles this year. Ketner played in all 11 Eastern games as a true freshman in 2015, finishing with 19 tackles and an interception. He made his starting debut against top-ranked and five-time defending champion North Dakota State on Sept. 10, 2016, and finished with eight tackles.
 
 
 

Series Notes

 
* Eastern will look for its first victory in seven games in the series, with all of the previous six matchups taking place at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The first meeting came in the 1985 FCS Playoffs when the Eagles lost 17-14, a score matched seven years later in the playoffs in 1992. The Panthers also triumphed 41-38 in the FCS Playoffs in 2005. Eastern also fell in the UNI Dome in regular season games in 1989 (47-21), 1994 (27-17) and 2015 (38-35).
* Following EWU's loss to North Dakota State last week, the Eagles are 4-11 all-time versus current members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, including a 4-5 record in the FCS Playoffs and a 0-6 record in non-conference games. Besides six games against Northern Iowa, Eastern also has played three times against Illinois State (1-2), twice against North Dakota State (1-1), Southern Illinois (1-0), South Dakota State (1-0), Youngstown State (0-1), South Dakota (0-1).
* In an announcement made Aug. 8, 2014, Eastern Washington and North Dakota State – the only NCAA Football Championship Subdivision teams to win a national title since 2009 – will play a home-and-home series with each other starting in 2016. The Bison beat Eastern 50-44 in overtime on Sept. 10, 2016, and will meet again at "The Inferno" in Cheney, Wash., on Sept. 16, 2017.
 
LOOKING BACK . . . Despite a school-record 526 passing yards, Eagles fall to Panthers of the Missouri Valley Football Conference
Penalties, injuries and poor field position conspired against Eastern at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Sept. 12, 2015. The seventh-ranked Eagles rallied from a 21-14 deficit to take the lead, but 14th-ranked Northern Iowa scored 17-unanswered points in the fourth quarter thanks to its passing game and a late interception and went on to defeat Eastern 38-35 in a NCAA Football Championship Subdivision showdown.
With three EWU starters already missing the game because of injuries, two more were felled against the Panthers. Add that to 159 yards of penalties and a more than 10-yard average difference in punting, and the Eagles couldn't capitalize on a 526-yard passing performance that broke the school record.
Eastern quarterbacks Jordan West and Reilly Hennessey combined to complete 37-of-47 passes (79 percent) for four touchdowns, helping the Eagles overcome a running game that managed just 26 yards on 25 carries. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp had another splendid performance with nine catches for 179 yards and touchdown catches of 18 and 73 yards. However, he suffered a hip pointer and couldn't play in the second half. Sophomore Nic Sblendorio had career highs with 10 catches for 158 yards and junior Kendrick Bourne added eight grabs for 84 yards and two TDs. Defensively, Alek Kacmarcik made the first start of his career and finished with five tackles with a pair of sacks. Linebacker Miquiyah Zamora and Miles Weatheroy each had seven tackles, and Mitch Fettig had six stops with a pass broken up.
Eastern's defense held UNI to just 10 yards and scoreless in the first quarter and to only 83 yards and no points in the third quarter. The Eagles held UNI scoreless in their first four possessions of the second half – including a trio of three-and-outs – but the Panthers changed quarterbacks and had 153 yards in the final quarter. Sawyer Kollmorgen was 10-of-13 for 103 yards and a touchdown during the team's 17-point onslaught. Prior to that, UNI had just 91 passing yards, but did finish the game with 266 rushing. Northern Iowa's running game racked up 266 of the team's 460 yards, with quarterback Aaron Bailey rushing for 134 and passing for another 91.
Eastern had 102 more penalty yards than the Panthers (159-57) and had a 33.8 punting average compared to 44.0 for UNI. The lone turnover of the game was a 16-yard interception return for a touchdown by the Panthers with 5:19 to play after they had taken a 31-28 lead. Eastern responded with a five-play, 77-yard drive, but UNI picked up a pair of first downs on the ensuing possession to run out the clock.
 
 
 

Recent Game Recap

 
After Toe-to-Toe Battle, No. 8 Eastern Falls 50-44 in OT to Top-Ranked Bison
 
Top-ranked and five-time defending national champion North Dakota State rallied in the final minutes and beat No. 8 Eastern Washington University 50-44 Sept. 10 in overtime in a thrilling showdown in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision at the Fargodome in Fargo, N.D.
 
After trailing most of the game, Eastern had back-to-back scores to take a 44-41 lead with 4:32 to play after a 53-yard drive. Eastern's defense held NDSU to single scores in the third and fourth quarters to that point, but the Bison put together a 15-play, 71-yard drive to knot the score at 44 with a 28-yard field with 42 seconds remaining.
 
Following a 35-yard pass play on EWU's next possession, Jordan Dascalo missed a 49-yarder that could have won it. After an EWU interception in overtime, a 25-yard run by Lance Dunn on the first play of the ensuing possession by the Bison ended the game.
 
Eastern had 556 yards of offense, and had scoring drives of 82, 75, 85, 75, 62 and 53 yards. Eastern had 450 passing yards, while the Bison finished with 280 on the ground and 257 through the air for a total of 537.
 
Sophomore quarterback Gage Gubrud passed for 450 yards and four touchdowns, and rushed for 49 and a touchdown in a losing effort. His 499 yards of total offense were the third-most in school history. He led the Eagles on four second-half scoring drives after Eastern lost senior wide receiver Cooper Kupp for the game with a shoulder injury.
 
In Kupp's place, sophomore receiver Stu Stiles caught eight passes for 169 yards and a touchdown. Senior wide receiver Kendrick Bourne had the sixth 100-yard receiving game of his career, finishing with eight receptions for 133 yards. Kupp had a pair of touchdown catches in the first half, and finished with five catches for 62 yards.
 
Senior safety Zach Bruce had a career-high 14 tackles, eclipsing his previous high of 10. Sophomore linebackers Ketner Kupp and Kurt Calhoun were forced to start their first games of their careers because of a pair of injuries to EWU's starters. Kupp, brother of Eastern senior receiver Cooper Kupp, finished with eight tackles. Calhoun, whose brother Tim was a tight end for the Eagles (2002-06), had 13.
 
 
 

Injury Report

 
Injuries have already been a major factor for the Eagles, and against North Dakota State on Sept. 10 Eastern played without its two starting linebackers, senior Miquiyah Zamora (hamstring) and Alek Kacmarcik (concussion), and nose guard Matthew Sommer (knee) missed his second-straight game. Against NDSU, senior wide receiver Cooper Kupp (shoulder) and sophomore rover Cole Karstetter (ruptured Achilles) were lost in the second half with injuries, as was starting offensive guard Chris Schlichting (shoulder). Karstetter, a 2014 graduate of Spokane's Ferris High School, was lost for the season and will undergo surgery after making the fifth start of his career against the Bison. Sommer, Zamora, Kacmarcik, Kupp and Schlichting are all listed as questionable for this week's game versus Northern Iowa. Said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin on Kupp: "He's practiced so much that we'll obviously be very smart with what happens in practice this week, and then we'll get a feel closer to game time with where he is with his shoulder and AC joint."
 
Previously, defensive end Nick Foerstel (knee) is out for the year because of an injury suffered the first week of spring practices, and defensive end Conner Baumann (foot) is still recovering from an injury he suffered in the spring.
 
 
 

Quoting Beau Baldwin

 
On Northern Iowa: "It came down to the wire last year, and last week they obviously played a tough, grinding game with Montana. They are a very good team and beat Iowa State the week before, and is traditionally a top team in our division. They have also become a more dynamic team on offense with the addition of their quarterback Aaron Bailey, and he is very effective. They are always really good on defense, and they are a program that knows how to win. They are going to be a tough, tough opponent, just like the last two have. We have our hands full."
 
On Narrow Loss at North Dakota State: "I'm just proud of our players, and I'm not caught up in the end result with how I feel about how these guys came in here and battled. It was a game either team could have won and came down to the wire. Give them credit, they found a way to win. From a broad perspective in how we competed, our attitude and our effort, I loved how it felt the entire game. I know we got down 10, but we never rolled over. We kept fighting and threw punches on both sides of the ball. We got some key stops late and made some big plays to score some key points."
 
On Sophomores Filling in For Injured Players: "Those are things we've seen Stu do in practice and scrimmages, but he took it to another level on this stage. And Ketner and Kurt did a great job filling in for starters – that's the guts of this team. We say 'next man up' as a mantra of our team, but our guys truly live it. They don't panic in those moments. I'm proud of those guys, but there are many more players throughout our team who gave great effort today."
 
On Nearly Knocking Off Five-Time Champions: "Anytime you just play against great competition and against great players, it helps you as you go further in your season. That's especially true with our non-conference schedule heading into our conference schedule, which is always tough. We can take a lot from this, and we will. Win or lose, you just have to continue to correct mistakes and look at things you did well at a really, really high level. Most of all, I'm proud of our players for competing like warriors against a very good North Dakota State team. We were fighting back and fighting back all the way to take the lead in the fourth quarter."
 
On Five New Starters on Offensive Line Versus WSU: "Based on offensive numbers and what people saw, I thought they answered a lot of questions. It's especially tough on an offensive line on the road when it's tougher to hear and you have to go with silent counts. They did their work humbly and they were hungry. They respected the crew that was here last year, but they want to start something and grow together as an offense line. They are going to have to continue to grow because there are going to be plenty of mistakes to correct. Whether we won that game by three or lost that game by seven, all the plays you study are all the same. Sometimes we get caught up with end result, but sometimes he comes down to one play here or there in the result. Yet the other 100-plus plays have to be evaluated. But I really believe, like I said about Gage, they didn't come in worried or nervous. They had the mindset that we belong, and they took that approach and attitude."
 
On Readiness of Freshman Running Backs: "We feel like they have come in here ready to go. And part of that is they got here in the summer and they did work. Had they just showed up in August they wouldn't be where they are now. So that was a mindset by them too, to do some things early to just get around the guys even when we weren't around as coaches. On top of that, coach Mac (Kiel McDonald) has done a great job of getting them ready. That's not easy and this offense is not necessarily easy for running backs in terms of being ready mentally. It's a challenge for those guys because they are in lot of spots -- they are not just back there behind the quarterback – they are all over the place. To me that says a lot about what coach Mac has done with those guys. And it says a lot about them and their desire to learn it and to be ready so that they can play fast. Because once you're thinking, you can't play at the speed you need to. But we've seen those guys play at that speed, which means they're not thinking that much. I'm just happy about that group in general, including our three returning backs and newcomer Dennis Merritt. We're a lot better right now, so that says a lot about where we've come in one year at that position."
 
On Receivers: "I like the fact that we have a core of guys -- seven or eight receivers – who are all contributing at a high level. It's not like the burden is all going to be put on the shoulders of one or two guys. It may seem like that when people talk about Coop and K.B., but realistically we have a lot of guys spread out that can make a lot of plays. And that includes our tight ends. So you don't feel that burden on one or two guys."
 
On Cooper Kupp: "We're excited to not only get such an outstanding student-athlete like Cooper back for another year, but we are grateful to have such an amazing leader and presence in our locker room return for his senior season. He is one of the smartest and most mature student-athletes I've been around, and the best football player I've ever coached. And that's saying a lot. But it's true. He's hands-down the best all-around football player I've been lucky enough to be around."

On Challenging Schedule: "It's exciting to play a tough schedule and put ourselves in some challenging situations. That's what our coaches and players love to do. I always wonder if it can get any more challenging than whatever we did last year or the year before, but this one might be the topper. But it's exciting at the same time. When I sit down with (athletic director) Bill Chaves and talk about the games we have the opportunity to play, we get excited about putting ourselves on that stage and in that challenging moment. It's a chance to do special things. To play a home-and-home with North Dakota State is huge, on top of playing Washington State and Northern Iowa again. It's going to be a challenge, but our program relishes that and will embrace it."
 
On Last Year's Big Sky Race: "It probably shook out in the end a little bit different than people thought it would. But you have to be ready knowing each week in this league is going to be a battle, and embrace the fact you are in a tough conference. We face a challenge each and every week."
 
 

Career Starts by Returning Players

 
Defense (187 starts by 20 players): Miquiyah Zamora 34, Samson Ebukam 26, Matthew Sommer 24, Victor Gamboa 21, Zach Bruce 13, Nzuzi Webster 12, Andre Lino 10, Mitch Fettig 10, Keenan Williams 9, Cole Karstetter 5, Albert Havili 4, Jay-Tee Tiuli 4, Jake Hoffman 4, Alek Kacmarcik 3, Josh Lewis 2, Ketner Kupp 1, Kurt Calhoun 1, D'londo Tucker 1, Jonah Jordan 1, Conner Baumann 2 (one as a fullback).
 
Offense (145 starts by 18 players): Cooper Kupp 41, Kendrick Bourne 21, Zach Wimberly 15, Shaq Hill 14, Jordan West 13, Jabari Wilson 11, Nick Ellison 6, Nic Sblendorio 5, Jerrod Jones 4, Gage Gubrud 2, Tristen Taylor 2, Chris Schlichting 2, Matt Meyer 2, Terence Grady 2, Reilly Hennessey 2, Antoine Custer Jr. 1, Nsimba Webster 1, Kaleb Levao 1 (as defensive lineman).