Renewal of former rivalry between Eagles and Vandals could be a
sign of things to come
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Eastern Washington Univ. “Eagles”
at
University of Idaho “Vandals”
Thursday, August 30, 2012 • 6 p.m.
Pacific
Kibbie Dome (16,000) • Moscow, Idaho
EWU Coach: Beau Baldwin (Central Washington
'96)
School Record: 33-16/23-9 Big Sky Conference (5th
Season)
Career Record: 43-19 (6th Season -- was 10-3 at CWU in
2007, 6-5 at EWU in 2008, 8-4 at EWU in 2009, 13-2 in 2010, 6-5 in
2011)
2011: 6-5/5-3 Big Sky
Conference
Last Game: Eastern 45, Idaho State 14 (Nov. 19 in
Pocatello, Idaho)
TV: ESPN3
Watch Parties: All road games will be available to watch
at the Q Sports Bar and Restaurant at Northern Quest Resort &
Casino in Airway Heights and the Swinging Doors in North
Spokane.
Webcast: ESPN3 (www.watchespn.com)
Radio: 700-AM ESPN in Spokane. Larry Weir returns
for his 22nd season calling the play-by-play, with analysis handled
by Paul Sorensen and sideline commentary by Keith Osso. Osso will
also serve as host of the Eagle Tailgate Show, starting 1 1/2 hours
prior to kickoff.
Internet Radio: www.700espn.com or www.tunein.com
Radio iPhone App: Search for “Spokane
Radio” and download app. An app is also available for tunein
radio.
Weekly Coaches Show: Mondays 6 p.m. at the Q
Sports Bar and Restaurant at Northern Quest Resort & Casino. .
. 700-AM ESPN, www.700espn.com & via iphone app. (search for
“Spokane Radio” and download app). Note: First show is Monday,
Sept. 3.
Only time will tell if Thursday's (Aug. 30) season-opening
football game for Eastern Washington University is a renewal of a
formerly intense rivalry, or just a mere happenstance meeting as it
has been for more than a decade.
Eastern takes on its former Big Sky Conference rival in the
Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho. Kickoff is 6 p.m. Pacific time in a
game broadcast via ESPN3.
The radio broadcast of Thursday's game, featuring Larry
Weir, Paul Sorensen and Keith Osso, starts 1 1/2 hours prior to
kickoff with the Eagle Tailgate Show. It may be heard on 700-AM
ESPN, via the web at www.700espn.com and via iPhone
application (search for “700 ESPN” and download the
free app). The broadcast is also available via www.tunein.com and tunein's
mobile phone app.
The two teams played at least once for 17-straight seasons from
1983-1999, but only once since the Vandals left the NCAA Football
Championship Subdivision (then known as I-AA) for the NCAA Football
Bowl Subdivision (formerly I-A). After the dust cleared in the
conference shakeups in FBS recently, Idaho has announced it will
return to the Big Sky Conference in all sports but football, but
will remain a FBS independent at least for the time being.
Regardless, this Thursday's game is a savory matchup on
the Palouse between an Eastern team that finished a disappointing
6-5 a year ago after winning the NCAA Division I title in 2010.
Idaho was 2-10 a year ago and 1-6 in the Western Athletic
Conference.
The Eagles are 7-20 all-time versus members of FBS, but have
lost their last 10 such games dating back to an 8-5 victory over
the Vandals on Sept. 6, 2003, in the Kibbie Dome.
Eastern returns to the Palouse on Saturday, Sept. 8 when the
Eagles play at Washington State in the first varsity meeting
between the two schools since 1908.
Season
Outlook
A complete 2012 EWU Football Season Outlook may be found at:
http://www.goeags.com/sports/m-footbl/2012-13/Releases/12fbSEASONOUTLOOK1
PDF Link to
Fact Book
The complete version of the 2012 EWU football fact book may be
found at:
http://goeags.com/trads/ewas-factbooks.html
More Eagle
Football Links and Headlines
EWU Football Web Page - http://goeags.com/sports/m-footbl/index
EWU Football News & Notes - http://www.goeags.com/sports/m-footbl/2012-13/news
Link to Football Ticket & RV Parking Information: http://goeags.com/tickets/ewas-fbticketcentral.html
Big Sky Conference Football - http://www.bigskyconf.com/index.aspx?tab=football&path=football
Spokane Spokesman-Review EWU Football Page - http://www.spokesman.com/eagles
The Sports Network (FCS Football) - http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/indexpic.htm
NCAA FCS Football - http://www.ncaafootball.com/DivisionIFCS.aspx
NCAA Statistics (2011) - http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/mainpage.jsp?year=2011
College Sporting News - http://www.collegesportingnews.com
College Sports Journal - http://www.college-sports-journal.com/
Quick
Hits
* Expecting to be in the hunt for the Big Sky Conference title
and yet another playoff berth in the NCAA Championship Subdivision,
Eastern is hoping for big things from an experienced team that
features eight returning starters on offense and seven on defense,
with a total of 48 returning letterwinners. And the last time
Eastern had a rash of injuries like they did last season, the
Eagles parlayed that experience for younger players into the NCAA
Division I title in 2010.
* Eastern was selected 12th in The Sports Network NCAA Football
Championship Subdivision Top 25 preseason football poll as selected
by a national panel of sportswriters, broadcasters and sports
information directors. The Eagles, who won the 2010 FCS title, were
ranked No. 1 in the first two polls of the 2011 season but were not
ranked at the end of the year after finishing 6-5 overall. In the
preseason coaches poll, the Eagles were ranked seventh, and EWU has
been picked as high as seventh nationally by other preseason
publications and websites heading into the 2012 season.
* Despite coming off a 6-5 season, the Eastern Washington
University football team has been picked to finish second in the
Big Sky Conference. Two-time defending co-champion Montana State
has been selected first by the media and the coaches in the polls.
MSU, which has finished 7-1 in the conference in each of the past
two seasons and advanced to the playoffs, earned seven first-place
votes in the coaches poll and a total of 136 points. In the media
poll, the Bobcats received 30 of 40 first-place votes and 502 total
points. Eastern garnered four first-place votes and 131 total
points from the coaches. In the media poll, the Eagles earned three
first-place votes and 453 total points. A year ago, the Eagles were
picked to win the league title after they had won the 2010 Big Sky
championship and went on to win the NCAA Division I title. But an
0-4 start and a rash of injuries led to a 6-5 finish overall and
5-3 mark in the Big Sky in 2011.
* A quartet of Eagle seniors have been selected as
Eastern's co-captains for the 2012 season. They include
defensive end Paul Ena, linebacker Zach
Johnson, wide receiver Nicholas Edwards
and offensive tackle Will Post. Johnson was a
senior captain last year before an injury cut short his season, but
he was granted a sixth year by the NCAA to complete four years of
eligibility.
* A total of 12 Eastern Washington University football players
have received preseason accolades as chosen by a variety of
publications, websites and organizations that cover the NCAA
Football Championship Subdivision and the Big Sky Conference.
Senior wide receiver Nicholas Edwards is among the
seven Eagles honored with preseason All-America honors, as he
earned recognition on 10 different teams. Eight of the accolades he
received were as a first team selection. He was also selected to
the Senior Bowl Watch List, a collection of 309 seniors from NCAA
FBS and FCS schools. The other preseason All-Americans are junior
wide receiver Brandon Kaufman, senior wide
receiver Greg Herd, junior cornerback T.J.
Lee and sophomore punter Jake Miller, and
recent additions in senior offensive tackle Will
Post and senior safety Jeff Minnerly.
* As many as five Eagles are expected to make starting debuts
this week against Idaho. On defense, Washington transfer
Andru Pulu is expected to make his first start at
defensive tackle, and sophomore Evan Day should
make his starting debut at an end position. Junior cornerback
Bo Schuetzle may make his starting debut at
cornerback. On offense, SMU transfer Kyle Padron
will make his Eagle debut, but has previously started 21 games at
the NCAA FBS level. Also making their starting debut will either be
Cassidy Curtis or Clay DeBord, a
pair of redshirt freshmen at left tackle.
* Other redshirt freshmen listed on Eastern's two-deep who
will be playing for the first time in an Eagle uniform include
cornerback Miles Weatheroy, safety Jordan
Tonani, offensive guard Aaron Neary,
offensive tackle T.J. Boatright and quarterback
Vernon Adams. In addition, safety McKenzie
Murphy, who last played at Western Washington before it
dropped its football program, will play his first game for
Eastern.
* For the second-straight game, the Eagles will be playing in a
domed stadium. The Eagles ended the 2011 season with
a 45-14 victory over Idaho State at Holt Arena in Pocatello, Idaho.
Eastern has won six of its last seven games in domes, with the lone
loss in that span a 30-17 loss in the 2011 season at South Dakota.
Eastern is 3-8 all-time in the Kibbie Dome, with victories in 1985
(42-38), 1991 (34-31 in two overtimes) and 2003 (8-5).
* Featuring an early-season schedule with a familiar feel to it,
the Eastern Washington University football team will open the 2012
season with three road games and a bye. The Eagles begin the 2012
season at former Big Sky Conference rival Idaho, then return to the
Palouse a week later to face Washington State and new head coach
Mike Leach. After a bye in the schedule, Eastern opens Big Sky
Conference play at Weber State against former EWU assistant coach
Jody Sears. Finally, on Sept. 29, the Eagles will play their home
opener versus Montana at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash. Two years ago,
in the debut of EWU's red Sprinturf surface in the first game
at the re-named field (it was formerly Woodward Field), the Eagles
knocked off the Grizzlies 36-27. A year ago, Eastern opened the
season with road losses to Washington and South Dakota, then began
league play with a loss at Montana and a home setback to Montana
State.
Injury
Report
* Defensive end Paul Ena, the lone returning
starter on the defensive line, is questionable for the Idaho game
after suffering an elbow injury in practice. Running back
Demitrius Bronson is probable after sitting out
several practices with a hamstring strain. Offensive tackle
Clay DeBord is probable following a lower
leg/ankle injury he suffered in EWU's scrimmage on Aug. 23.
Linebacker J.C. Agen, who started in 2011 after
Zach Johnson was lost for the season, has a biceps
tendon injury and it not expected to play against Idaho.
Series
Notes
* The Vandals and Eagles were Big Sky Conference rivals in the
1980's and 1990's before Idaho moved to NCAA Division
I-A (now NCAA FBS) in the 1996 season. In 1992, Eastern and Idaho
shared the Big Sky Conference title. Eastern is 2-3 versus the
Vandals since they moved up.
* Idaho was a member of the Big West Conference in four meetings
versus the Eagles from 1996-99, and the Vandals were a member of
the Sun Belt in the 2003 game. This is the first meeting with Idaho
as a member of the Western Athletic Conference.
* Since the series started in 1942, Idaho has won 15 of the 20
games played between the two schools, with a pair of five-game
winning streaks. Until the Vandals were held to five points in
EWU's 8-5 victory in 2003, Idaho had averaged 36.0 points per
game in the series. The five points Idaho scored were the fewest by
22 Idaho had ever scored in the series, and the second-fewest EWU
had scored. The previous fewest combined points came in a 28-7
Vandal win in 1942.
* In the 2003 meeting, Eastern scored its only points on a
third-quarter TD pass from Erik Meyer to Joe
Pierce, and a two-point conversion pass from Meyer to Reggie
Witherspoon. It was the first of 84 TD passes Meyer threw as an
Eagle, as he went to win the 2005 Walter Payton Award. Meyer is now
a strength and conditioning assistant at EWU after playing for the
Spokane Shock in the Arena Football League. Eastern limited the
Vandals to 295 yards of total offense and held them scoreless for
the final 54 1/2 minutes of the game en route to the gut-wrenching
victory. In all, Eastern's defense held Idaho scoreless in its last
11 possessions of the game. Idaho had two fumbles, missed a field
goal, punted four times and was 0-of-4 on fourth down conversion
attempts.
* Included in EWU's victories was a thrilling, 24-21 win
in 1997 en route to a 12-2 finish and “Final Four”
appearance in the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs (now NCAA FCS). Rex
Prescott's 3-yard touchdown run with 34 seconds left to play
in the game capped a game-winning drive in front of 7,756 fans at
Albi Stadium in Spokane. Prescott's run on the
four-play, 64-yard drive came after a pair of pass completions of
38 and 23 yards from quarterback Harry Leons to Jeff Ogden. The
1997 team will be inducted into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame
on Oct. 6, 2012.
* Eastern also won in the Kibbie Dome on Nov. 30, 1985, beating
the Vandals 42-38 in the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs (now NCAA FCS)
after getting thumped earlier in the year in Moscow, 42-21. Gambles
that went Eastern's way -- including a fake punt, a lateral on a
kickoff return and onside kickoffs in both the second and
third quarters -- helped keep the Eagles in the game. But things
looked dim for the Eagles, who were coached by Dick Zornes, when
they trailed by three and faced a third-and-10 at their own 10-yard
line with less than a minute left. However, a 73-yard screen pass
from Rick Worman to Jamie Townsend set-up Worman's game-winning
17-yard touchdown pass to Eric Riley with 12 seconds to play.
Eagle-Vandal
Connections
* Eastern tight ends/offensive tackles coach Brian
Strandley is a 1995 graduate of Idaho and played for the
Vandals. He was Idaho's 1993 defensive captain, and finished his
career with 101 tackles. When he was a junior, the Vandals advanced
to the semifinals of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision
Playoffs (then known as I-AA), and in 1994, Idaho led FCS in
rushing defense (65.3 yards per game). He helped Idaho to a 35-14
record, three playoff berths and one Big Sky Conference title in
four seasons under head coach John L. Smith, who is now head coach
at Arkansas. Included were three victories in four games versus
Eastern. Idaho lost to the Eagles 34-31 in overtime his freshman
season, but then won the next three games by a combined score of
127-46. He had seven tackles, a sack and a pass broken up in four
career games versus EWU. After he graduated from Idaho, Strandley
coached at Potlatch, Idaho, High School where he served as
defensive coordinator and head junior varsity coach.
* Eagle linebackers coach Josh Fetter graduated
from Idaho in 1996, one year after Strandley. While at Idaho,
Fetter was a two-year starter and lettered four seasons for the
Vandals. As a senior he was voted as a team captain and won
Idaho's most inspirational player award.
* Running backs coach Kiel McDonald is a third
Eastern assistant coach who previously played for the Vandals.
After playing the 2005 season for EWU's fellow Big Sky
Conference member Sacramento State, McDonald played as a cornerback
for Erickson in the 2006 season at Idaho. He had 31 tackles (two
for loss), one interception and five passes broken up as Idaho
finished 4-8.
* Former Eastern coach Torey Hunter is in his second year as
cornerbacks/recruiting coordinator at Idaho. The former standout at
Washington State coached at EWU (2008-10), Central Washington
(2007) and Idaho State (2003-06).
Eagles to
Watch For
* Eastern led the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in
passing offense in 2012, averaging 368.5 yards per game. In
Beau Baldwin's four years as Eastern's
head coach, the Eagles have ranked in the top 10 in FCS in passing
offense three times and total offense twice. In EWU's last
eight seasons (1994-2011), including seven with Baldwin on the
coaching staff, EWU has ranked in the top 10 in passing six times
and total offense on five occasions.
* Following in the footsteps of EWU's reigning Walter
Payton Award winner Bo Levi Mitchell, Kyle Padron (pronounced
“puh-DRONE”) transferred to Eastern from Southern
Methodist University where he passed for 5,902 yards and 41
touchdowns in his 24-game career. In his 21 games as a starter at
SMU, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Padron led the Mustangs to a 12-9
record. He was 5-1 as a freshman, as SMU's late-season surge
helped it beat Nevada 45-10 in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. Padron
passed for a school-record 460 yards and two touchdowns to earn
Hawaii Bowl MVP honors, then started all 14 games as a
record-breaking sophomore (7-7 record). During his sophomore
campaign, he passed for 280 yards and four touchdowns, with one TD
rushing, in a 35-21 victory against Washington State on Sept. 18,
2010. Mitchell was injured in the 2009 season at SMU and
transferred to EWU after Padron secured the starting job mid-way
through his freshman season. The same thing happened in 2011 to
Padron, who suffered ankle and back injuries and was replaced in
the lineup by J.J. McDermott for the final 11 games of the
year.
* Among the injured players returning were five lost for the
year early in the 2011 season – All-America wide receiver
Brandon Kaufman (knee/hand), guard Ashton
Miller (Achilles), guard Steven Forgette
(broken fibula), guard Jase Butorac (knee) and
linebacker Zach Johnson (knee). All five players
will start or compete for starting positions in 2012.
* Eastern regained the services of linebacker Zach
Johnson, who was injured as a senior in 2011 and was
granted a sixth year by the NCAA to complete four years of
eligibility. Johnson had 19 games wiped out, including the entire
2009 season, because of the same knee injury. He has 260 tackles in
his career, just three from moving into ninth all-time at Eastern.
He is only 81 from ranking fifth and equaling the total of 341 by
his twin brother Matt Johnson, who now plays for the Dallas
Cowboys.
* Eastern has perhaps the top wide receiver trio in all of FCS,
with three players who have all earned All-America accolades and
have 1,000-yard seasons in their careers -- Nicholas
Edwards, Greg Herd and Brandon Kaufman.
They have combined for 99 games worth of experience (69 starts),
and have collective totals of 405 catches for 5,475 yards and 56
touchdowns. There is still one season left to play for Edwards and
Herd, and a pair for Kaufman after he received an injury redshirt
in 2011.
* Nicholas Edwards is by far the most decorated
Eastern player returning, having earned first team NCAA Football
Championship Subdivision All-America accolades on seven different
teams in 2011 -- American Football Coaches Association, The Sports
Network, College Sporting News “Fabulous Fifty”, Walter
Camp Football Foundation, Phil Steele Publications, Beyond Sports
College Network and College Sports Journal. He also earned second
team accolades from Associated Press and Collegesportsmadness.com
after catching a school-record 95 passes for 1,250 yards and 19
touchdowns to lead FCS. Herd earned Beyond Sports College Network
honorable mention All-America recognition, having caught 67 passes
for 1,022 yards and seven scores. He was a second team All-Big Sky
Conference selection.
* Brandon Kaufman redshirted the 2011 season as
an injury hardship case, but in 2010 was a first team All-America
selection by the College Sporting News and fourth team from Phil
Steele Publications. He was a first team All-Big Sky selection with
76 catches for 1,214 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore when he
helped lead the Eagles to the NCAA Division I title.
* Eastern also has lots of experience at tight end, with junior
Zack Gehring returning as a starter, sophomore
Ryan Seto back after a redshirt season and junior
Cody Humphrey getting lots of action after moving
from the offensive line. Gehring led the tight ends by catching six
passes for 63 yards in 2011, and had 12 catches for 173 yards and
two scores in 2010.
* Eastern's top offensive lineman returning is 6-foot-6,
310-pound senior tackle Will Post, who earned
honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference honors a year ago. He has
started 22 games – the most among Eastern's offensive
linemen and third most overall.
* In the secondary, Eastern is replacing a starting cornerback
(Alden Gibbs) and one of three players who shared the starting
safety positions last year (Matt Johnson, now with the Dallas
Cowboys). Cornerback T.J. Lee III and safeties
Jeff Minnerly and Allen Brown
return to starting positions, but after that, Eastern is still
determining the next five players who will see the majority of
action for the Eagles this fall.
* Running back is another area where the Eagles have plenty of
experience, with four players sharing the load last year. That
group includes no seniors, and each of the four players –
Demitrius Bronson, Mario Brown, Quincy Forte and Jordan
Talley -- started at least one game. Talley started six
games and rushed for a team-high 413 yards and five touchdowns.
Bronson, who has overcome a rash of injuries to claim the starting
position heading into 2012, rushed for just 21 yards in 2011. Forte
had 270 yards rushing and 215 receiving as a true freshman, while
Brown added 141 yards on the ground. Brown is expected to redshirt
the 2012 season.
* Jake Miller, after nearly setting a school
record with a 44.2 average per punt, was named to the College
Sports Journal All-Freshman All-America Team. He earned honorable
mention All-Big Sky accolades.
* Cornerback T.J. Lee was a first team All-Big
Sky selection a year ago, finishing the season with 48 tackles, a
pair of interceptions and one pass broken up.
* Safety Jeff Minnerly had an honor-filled
career as a 4.0 student at nearby Ferris High School in Spokane,
Wash., and he has followed that with a variety of athletic and
academic awards at Eastern. In 2011, he repeated as a honorable
mention All-Big Sky Conference selection and was selected to the
Capital One Academic All-District VIII squad for the
second-straight year as well. In the 2010 season, Minnerly was
awarded the “Elite 88” Award by the National Collegiate
Athletic Association. He received the award for having the highest
cumulative grade point average among the participants in the 2010
NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at Pizza Hut Park in
Frisco, Texas. Eastern won that game 20-19, as Minnerly finished
with two passes broken up and two tackles. He has a 3.83 grade
point average as a finance major. In his 31-game Eastern career
– 17 as a starter – he has 127 total tackles with four
interceptions, eight passes broken up, two forced fumbles and 10
tackles for loss. Minnerly started eight of 11 EWU games in 2011,
and ranked second on the team with 77 tackles.
* Eastern's defensive line returns honorable mention
All-Big Sky Conference end Paul Ena, who finished
his junior campaign in 2011 with 48 tackles and three sacks.
Another end, senior Jerry Ceja, had a team-leading
5 1/2 sacks and finished with 21 tackles total.
* Senior linebacker Tyler Washburn battled a
knee injury and had only 20 tackles in 2011, but he finished his
sophomore season with 54 and had 41 as a freshman in 2009.
* At kicker, Eastern loses senior Mike Jarrett after he broke
EWU's career record for kick scoring (236) and the single
season record for field goals (16). An impressive 16-of-18 (88.9
percent) kicking field goals in the 2011 season, Jarrett will be
replaced by either senior Jimmy Pavel or junior
Kevin Miller. Pavel handled kickoff duties for the
Eagles in 2011, and Miller held the job the two previous seasons
when he also made 2-of-3 field goals.
* Eastern also returns one of the league's premier long
snappers in senior Jake Potter. Potter is
inconspicuous, which means he's good, laughs Baldwin.
“It's kind of nice when you forget about your long
snapper, because that means they are so consistently good that you
don't notice them,” he said. “When you
aren't thinking about them, that's usually a good
thing.”
More Eagle
Notes
* Among the players lost to graduation were Walter Payton
Award-winning quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, as well as
All-Americans Chris Powers (center), Renard Williams (defensive
tackle) and Matt Johnson (safety).
* In all, a total of 14 starters – seven on each side of
the ball – suffered injuries that kept them out of the lineup
in 2011, including seven players lost for the season. Eastern
stumbled to a 0-4 start, but the Eagles adjusted well to the injury
epidemic and won six of their final seven games to finish with the
school's 14th winning season in the last 16 years.
* Eastern started 46 different players in the 2011 season
– 24 on offense and 22 on defense – with only five
players starting all 11 games. A total of 21 players made starting
debuts during the season, and most of those return for the 2012
campaign.
* Eastern fell a victory shy of its sixth playoff berth since
2004. Although the Eagles came up short, EWU is one of just seven
schools among the 120 in FCS to have advanced to the playoffs five
times in the last eight seasons (2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010).
* Although ravaged by injuries in 2011, there is definitely room
for improvement on defense after the Eagles ranked 101st out of 120
FCS schools in total defense, surrendering an average of 411.9
yards per game. Eastern allowed 213.2 yards rushing per game, and
only 10 schools in FCS allowed more.
Records
Watch
* Wide receiver Nicholas Edwards is just 40
receiving yards away from moving into ninth all-time in Eastern
history (he currently has 2,198), and is three points away from
moving into eighth in points scored (currently he has 176).
His 178 career catches ranks fourth in school history (No. 3 has
213) and his 29 TD receptions is second (the record is 46).
* Although just one punt from meeting the minimum of 40 career
punts to qualify, the 44.2 career punting average of sophomore
Jake Miller currently ranks ahead of the school
record. Jesse Nicassio had a 42.3 average in two
seasons from 2002-03.
* Linebacker Zach Johnson has 260 tackles in
his career, just three from moving into ninth all-time at Eastern.
He is only 81 from ranking fifth and equaling the total of 341 by
his twin brother Matt Johnson, who now plays for the Dallas
Cowboys.
* The next fumble that defensive end Paul Ena
recovers will equal the school record of eight shared by Nicholas
Ramos (2006-09) and Steve Mattson (1994-97).
Scrimmage
Summaries
* The first glimpse of quarterback Kyle Padron
was worth the wait for Eagle football fans, but the efforts in the
running game were also a welcome sight. The Southern Methodist
University transfer passed for 214 yards and a touchdown in the
Eastern Washington University football team's first scrimmage
of preseason practices Saturday (Aug. 18) at Roos Field in Cheney,
Wash. But the Eagles also placed an added emphasis on its rushing
attack, with junior Demitrius Bronson rushing for
41 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the 71-play scrimmage. In all,
Eastern rushed 25 times for 62 yards and four Eastern quarterbacks
combined to complete 23-of-46 passes for 322 yards. The defense
contributed numerous big plays with four interceptions, five passes
broken up and a pair of sacks. Read more at http://www.goeags.com/sports/m-footbl/2012-13/Releases/12fbAug18ScrimmageRecap-1
* It was easy to see that Eastern Washington University's
quarterbacks were the focal point Thursday (Aug. 23) in the final
preseason scrimmage before the Eagles open the 2012 season. With
more than half of the team's starters sitting out –
particularly those on defense – Eastern's quarterback
trio of Kyle Padron, Vernon Adams and
Anthony Vitto combined to complete 23-of-33 passes
in the 55-play scrimmage. In all, the offense managed 277 yards
through the air and another 62 on the ground for a total of 339.
Read more at http://www.goeags.com/sports/m-footbl/2012-13/Releases/12fbAug23ScrimmageRecap-2
Quoting Coach
Beau Baldwin
On Being Ready to Play a Game: “When
you get to the end of two-a-days you're ready. We've been doing a
little bit of preparation last week but were going to dive into it
even more. It doesn't mean though we want to get away fundamentals.
We talk about doing the ordinary things better than everyone else.
We want to stay with that motto, but it is always fun to get into
that game week -- that's why we do it. I wouldn't be
coaching if we just did spring ball and fall camp. Game days are so
special.”
On Idaho: “They're a really
good team -- they weren't that far off from possibly a bowl
game last year when you really look at some of the things they did.
Obviously they have a new look on offense that we're going to
have to adjust to when we see it. They have a defense that has been
very good, and coach Akey and his coordinators have done a great
job for a long time. So it's going to be an absolute tough
challenge for us to go on the road and play against a very good
Idaho football team.”
On Progress of Team Following Final Scrimmage:
“There are always things you want to improve on and
adjustments you want to make. But with the exceptions of the two
interceptions, I thought our ball-handling was a lot better and
some of the unforced errors I talked about were a lot better. You
always want more, but my feeling is that we're in a position
where I believe we did a better job in the summer and we're
better than we were last August. But at the same time, when it gets
to game three and game four, I expect us to continue to make
improvements each week. Once we get into game weeks, we say we're
still going to keep improving and still stick to fundamentals no
matter where we are right now.”
On Injuries: “We're probably a lot
like everyone in the nation where we have our dings, and might have
one or two guys that are going to be hampered going into week one
or two. But we're in a pretty good spot.”
On Starters Listed on Depth Chart:
“Where you stand on day one of week one doesn't
mean a whole lot. Our players will continue to compete all season.
It's a continuous battle and a continuous competition
throughout the season.”
Career
Starts
Defense (167 starts by 16 players): Zach
Johnson 30, Paul Ena 24, Tyler
Washburn 22, Jeff Minnerly 17,
Evan Cook 14, David Gaylord 12,
Allen Brown 12, Ronnie Hamlin 8,
T.J. Lee 7, Cody McCarthy 5,
Grant Williams 5 (includes one start on offense in
2009), J.C. Agen 4, Jerry Ceja 3,
Will Katoa 2, Ronald Baines 1,
Rusty Haehl 1.
Offense (164 starts by 19 players):
Nicholas Edwards 37,
Brandon Kaufman 23, Will Post 22,
Steven Forgette 17, Zack Gehring
12, Greg Herd 9, Brandon Murphy
9, Drew Reynolds 8, Jordan Talley
6, Mario Brown 5, Ashton Clark 4,
Demitrius Bronson 2, Jase Butorac
2, Quincy Forte 2, Cody Humphrey
2, Cory Mitchell 1, Daniel
Johnson 1, Ashton Miller 1, Ryan
Seto 1.
