The school's first-ever football "three-peat" within reach for Eagles, but nothing is certain in the topsy-turvy Big Sky Conference

Despite the overwhelming numbers on the side of the Eastern Washington University football team, there is no such thing as a gimme in the topsy-turvy Big Sky Conference race.

A high playoff seed and an eighth Big Sky title -- including the school's first-ever three-peat – will be on the line this Friday (Nov. 21) for the fifth-ranked Eagles when they end the Big Sky Conference regular season at Portland State.

Kickoff is 7:10 p.m. Pacific time in a game televised live regionally on ROOT Sports. The game will also be carried live on 700-AM ESPN and via the web at www.700espn.com, with pre-game coverage starting 1 1/2 hours prior to kickoff.

The Eagles enter the game 8-2 on the season and are fifth in The Sports Network NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Top 25 Poll after a bye week. In their most recent action, the Eagles held off No. 11 Montana 36-26 on Nov. 8 in Cheney, Wash.

That victory over the Grizzlies all but wrapped up the school's 11th berth in the FCS Playoffs, including its eighth in the last 11 seasons since 2004. Eastern will find out its playoff fate this Sunday (Nov. 23) at 8 a.m. Pacific time during the FCS Playoffs Selection Show on ESPNU.

Eastern is 6-1 in the Big Sky Conference – currently tied with Montana State -- as it defends the league title it won with an 8-0 record last season. Breathing down Eastern's back at 5-2 are Idaho State, Montana and Northern Arizona, with the Lumberjacks having their Big Sky title hopes derailed last week with a 30-28 loss at 3-7 North Dakota. Cal Poly could have made it six teams with two losses or less, but fell to 1-8 UC Davis 48-35 for the first league win of the season for the Mustangs.

After coming ominously close to getting upended by PSU the last two seasons, the Eagles are hoping the upset bug doesn't infect them this week. Entering this week's game that counts toward the "Dam Cup" rivalry, PSU is 3-8 overall and 2-5 in the league. The Vikings are coming off a 48-41 loss at Sacramento State.

Portland State knocked off EWU 43-26 in Cheney in the 2011 season, then the Eagles had to squeak by the Vikings 41-34 in Portland in 2012 and 42-41 last year in Cheney. Records can be thrown out the window in this one -- Eastern was a collective 29-11 overall and 20-4 in the Big Sky in those three seasons, while PSU was just 16-18 and 10-14.

In last year's game, Eastern scored with 31 seconds left on a 74-yard drive that started with a minute to play and preserve EWU's first-ever perfect 8-0 finish in the Big Sky standings. Two years ago, the Eagles scored the winning points with 1:24 left on a 94-yard drive.

 "They are a very talented team," said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin, whose team has had more rushes (71) than rushing yards (70) in the last three meetings versus the Vikings. "Their coaching staff has done a very good job schematically every time we've played them, and what they've done against us offensively and defensively has been challenging. You can't predict any kind of score based on records – it just doesn't work that way. And it definitely doesn't work that way in this conference and against Portland State."

The Eagles are 26-3 in their last 29 Big Sky games since a 0-2 start in 2011.  Until an Oct. 25 loss at Northern Arizona without Vernon Adams Jr. at the helm, EWU had won 14 Big Sky Conference games in a row. Adams missed four games with a broken foot, but passed for 410 yards and four touchdowns against the Grizzlies to improve to 26-5 as a starter.

In addition, the Eagles have won their last 18 regular season games in November dating back to a 15-13 loss to Sacramento State on Nov. 1, 2008. The Eagles also won for the 16th-straight regular season game on the red turf at "The Inferno," where Eastern is 30-4 all-time.

Eastern has won its final regular season game in 14 of the past 15 seasons, with the lone loss coming to Montana by a 41-10 score in 2003. Eastern has also assured itself of its 17th winning season in the last 19 years (1996-2014). That includes a current eight-year streak, and two others of seven seasons (1999-2005 and 2007-2013). Those are the longest stretches since the Red Reese era when Eastern had a string of 11-straight winning seasons from 1931-1941.

Official Social Media Sites

Twitter:@ewuathletics, @CoachBBaldwin, @CooperKupp #GoEags, #BigSkyFB, #FCS
Facebook:EWU Football, EWU Athletics
Instagram:ewuathletics 

 

PDF Link to Fact Book

The complete version of the 2014 EWU football fact book may be found at:
http://goeags.com/trads/ewas-factbooks.html

More Eagle Football Links and Headlines

EWU Football Game Day Central - http://goeags.com/gamedaycentral/index
EWU Football Web Page - http://goeags.com/sports/m-footbl/index
EWU Football News & Notes - http://www.goeags.com/sports/m-footbl/2014-15/news
EWU Coach and Player Interview Podcasts - http://www.goeags.com/radio_podcasts/radio_podcasts.html
Link to Football Ticket & RV Parking Information: http://www.goeags.com/tickets
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
700 ESPN – http://700espn.com
The Sports Network (FCS Football) - http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/indexpic.htm
NCAA FCS Football - http://www.ncaa.com/sports/football/fcs
NCAA Statistics (2014) - http://stats.ncaa.org/rankings?sport_code=MFB&division=12
College Sports Journal - http://www.college-sports-journal.com
College Football Performance Awards – http://www.collegefootballperformance.com
College Sports Madness - http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/fcs-football

 

Milestone Watch

* Already the school record holder and second in Big Sky Conference history, senior linebacker Ronnie Hamlin has 440 tackles and ranks 15th in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. He is one tackle from ranking 14th in history, six from 13th and nine from 12th. He is 31 from the Big Sky record of 471.

* Just a sophomore, Cooper Kupp already ranks eighth in school history with 166 career catches, and needs one to move into seventh (Tony Brooks 1990-93) and two to move into sixth (Kyler Randall 2000-03). Kupp has 2,704 yards to already rank fifth in school history. His 34 touchdowns – a TD for every 4.9 catches so far – ranks second all-time in school history behind the record of 46 held by Eric Kimble (2002-05), who also holds EWU career records for receptions (253) and yards (4,140).

* Already with a Big Sky Conference and EWU record 103 touchdown passes in his career, the next TD pass junior Vernon Adams Jr. has will move him into 12th all-time in FCS history, and two will move him into 11th. He is just the 14th FCS player to have had 100 or more.

* Junior Vernon Adams Jr. has reached 10,000 yards of total offense in his career, and now is 478 yards from 10,000 passing yards. Only two players in school history have exceeded that mark in total offense (Matt Nichols 13,308, Erik Meyer 10,942) and the same two have eclipsed 10,000 passing yards (Nichols 12,616, Meyer 10,261).

Vernon Adams Jr. Update

* After missing four games with a broken foot, Vernon Adams Jr. has re-established himself as a top candidate for the Walter Payton Award given to the top player in FCS. He passed for 410 yards and four touchdowns in his return against 11th-ranked Montana on Nov. 8. Adams broke two metatarsal bones in his right foot in a 56-53 victory on Oct. 4 over Idaho State, but he played the second half with the injury and completed 23-of-35 passes for 354 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed for 79 yards and two more scores.

* Vernon Adams Jr. has 2,567 yards passing and 28 touchdowns in seven games played, having completed 68 percent of his 268 passes with four interceptions. He no longer meets the NCAA minimum of playing in 75 percent of a team's games to qualify for NCAA statistical rankings (he would need to play in nine of EWU's 11 games). If he did, he would lead FCS in per game rankings for total offense (397.7), passing offense (366.7) and points responsible for (26.9), and would be second in passing efficiency rating (179.5). Despite missing four games, he still ranks sixth in FCS with 28 TD passes (the leader has 35).

* With a school-record seven TD tosses against Washington and 12 more in four games since then, Adams already has 103 touchdown passes in his career, ranking 13th all-time in FCS history (only 13 other FCS players have had 100 or more). With four TD tosses against Idaho State on Oct. 4, he broke the previous school record held by Matt Nichols (96 from 2006-09), and passed Montana's Dave Dickenson (96 from 1992-95) and Weber State's Cameron Higgins (98 from 2007-10) for the league record. The FCS record is 140 set by Grambling's Bruce Eugene (2001-05).

* Adams currently ranks No. 1 in FCS, Big Sky and EWU history with a 177.2 career passing efficiency rating (65.1 percent completion rate, 9,522 yards, 103 TD, 27 interceptions). He ranks just ahead of San Diego's Josh Johnson (176.7 from 2004-07) for the FCS record, and is ahead of former Eagle and FCS record-holder Erik Meyer (166.5 from 2002-05) for the Big Sky and EWU records. Adams has had 18 performances of at least 300 yards in 34 career games. Adams now has 9,522 career passing yards, ranking third in school history behind Meyer (10,261) and Matt Nichols (school-record 12,616 from 2006-09).

* Now 26-5 as a starter, the lone losses for 2013 Payton Award runner-up Vernon Adams Jr. have come against Sam Houston State, Toledo and Towson in 2013, Southern Utah in 2012 and Washington this season. The 20 victories he had entering the season represents the most in back-to-back season wins by a starting quarterback in school history (Bo Levi Mitchell had 19).

* Despite a loss to Washington on Sept. 6, the performance by Adams against the Huskies earned the Walter Payton Award candidate a variety of awards for his school-record seven-touchdown performance. Eastern lost 59-52 as Adams finished with a career-high 475 passing yards – the second-most in school history. He was The Sports Network NCAA Football Championship Co-Offensive Player of the Week, and was one of five National FCS "All-Stars" as selected by College Sporting News. Bleacherreport.com picked him as its National Offensive Player of the Week for all classifications of football. He was also named one of eight finalists for the Manning Award Quarterback of the Week, and finished second in fan voting. In addition, on the night after his remarkable performance, he was trending on Twitter and ESPN broadcaster Scott Van Pelt named Adams his "Star Performer of the Day." Also, College Sports Madness gave Adams its National and Big Sky player of the week honors, and Adams was recognized by the Big Ten Network. And for the second-straight week and eighth time in his career, he earned ROOT Sports Offensive Player of the Week honors from the Big Sky Conference.

* The career-high 475 yards Adams had versus Washington on Sept. 6 were the second-most in school history, ranking behind the 486 Todd Bernett had versus Montana in 1994. The yardage total was two more than Bo Levi Mitchell had in 2011 in the first-ever meeting between EWU and Washington. The seven TD's Adams finished with eclipsed the school record set five times previously, including twice by himself. "I wish we could have gotten the win," said Adams when told of his record in a game in which both teams combined for 1,110 yards of offense. "I would have settled with zero touchdowns if it would have meant getting the win." A year ago, Adams had a school-record 518 yards of offense (411 passing) in a 49-46 victory at Oregon State. That victory was just the fourth time an FCS school has defeated a ranked FBS team. His 491 total yards of offense versus UW was the third-highest total of his career, ranking only behind the OSU game and the 492 (432 passing) he had versus Idaho State in 2013.

* En route to winning the seventh ROOT Sports Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week honor in his career, junior Vernon Adams Jr. was nearly perfect against Montana Western, completing 28-of-31 passes for 370 yards and five touchdowns in less than three quarters of action for a passing efficiency rating of 243.8. In the first half alone, Adams was 17-of-19 for 198 yards and three touchdowns. Adams nearly broke a Big Sky record with a 302.2 efficiency rating on Oct. 9, 2013, when he was 16-of-18 for 300 yards and four TD in a 54-29 romp over Montana State. Adams completed 23-of-28 passes (82 percent) -- including his first 12 -- for 298 yards and a pair of scores versus UC Davis on Sept. 27.

Eagle Football Storylines

* Eastern remained fifth for the third-straight week in The Sports Network FCS top 25 poll released Nov. 17. Ranked ahead of the Eagles are New Hampshire (#1), Coastal Carolina (#2), North Dakota State (#3) and Jacksonville State. Three Eagle opponents in 2014 are currently ranked in this week's top 25 ­– Montana State is No. 12, Montana is No. 13 and Sam Houston State is No. 23. Idaho State and Northern Arizona receive enough votes to rank 27th and 30th, respectively. The Eagles were the preseason No. 1 team, then were second for eight consecutive weeks before falling to Northern Arizona and dropping to fifth.

* Eastern has won seven previous Big Sky Conference titles – 1992, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2012 and 2013 – but will be looking for its first three-peat as a league member this season. However, the Eagles won three-straight Evergreen Conference titles from 1965-67 and again from 1947-50. The 1947 title actually came in the final season of the the Washington Intercollegiate Conference (Winco), and prior to that EWU won four-straight titles in the Tri-Normal League from 1934-37.

* Look no further than rushing yards and sacks to understand why EWU has had to eke out wins the last two seasons against PSU, as well as suffer a loss to the Vikings in 2011 which essentially cost the Eagles a playoff berth that season. Eastern has had more rushing attempts (71) than yards (70) in those three meetings, and has been sacked 12 times. Eastern's passing attack accounted for 1,359 of EWU's 1,431 yards of total offense, for an average of 453.0 per game with 11 touchdown passes. Portland State, meanwhile, has had 1,526 yards of offense (508.7), including 730 on the ground on 153 carries for an average of 4.8 yards per carry.

* With five teams with two losses or less in the Big Sky Conference standings, the final weekend will feature games that will determine whether or not the Eagles will defend the titles they've won outright (2013) or shared (2012) the last two seasons. Besides EWU's game at PSU, here are games involving those five teams (EWU, Montana State, Montana, Idaho State, Northern Arizona): Nov. 22 - Montana State at Montana; Weber State at Idaho State; Southern Utah at Northern Arizona.

* Eastern has won its last 18 regular season games in November, dating back to a 15-13 loss to Sacramento State on Nov. 1, 2008. Since 2004, EWU has lost just three regular season games in November (Sac State, Weber State in 2006 and Cal Poly in 2005), with an overall record of 26-3. In November and beyond since 2004, the Eagles are 36-9, including a 10-6 record in the FCS Playoffs. Since 2010, Eastern is now 21-2 overall in November and beyond, with the lone setbacks coming in the semifinals in the FCS Playoffs to Towson in 2013 and Sam Houston State in 2012.

* Aside from a scoreless fourth quarter in a 41-9 blowout win against Montana Western on Aug. 30, Eastern has scored in every quarter of every game thus far (43 of 44 quarters total). The Eagles are 7-1 when leading/tied after the first quarter, 7-1 when leading/tied at halftime and 8-2 when leading/tied entering the fourth quarter. Eastern hasn't played an overtime game since 2011 (a 53-51 win in triple overtime at Cal Poly).

* Started in the 2010-11 season, The Dam Cup celebrates the friendly rivalry between the states of Oregon and Washington within the Big Sky Conference. The winner is determined by a point system based on results in five sports in the 2014-15 school year. Currently, Eastern trails PSU 4-0 with losses in both soccer and volleyball, but this week's football game is worth five points. Points are only rewarded for regular season contests. The annual football game is worth five points, the women's soccer match is worth two points, the volleyball match is worth two points, and each men's and women's basketball game is worth two points for a total of four points possible in each sport. The total points possible are 19 which means that to win the cup a school would need to win at least 10 points. Portland State won the first two titles and is the defending champion. Eastern won its lone cup in 2012-13.

* After going 1-of-1 in the red zone against Montana, EWU is officially 44-of-46 for 96 percent (third in FCS), but actually is 44-of-44 as far as the Eagles are concerned. EWU was the FCS co-leader in red zone offense (100 percent, 19-of-19) entering the UC Davis game, but because they were at the UCD 18 when the game ended, the computerized statistics system used by NCAA schools credited the Eagles with only a 4-of-5 performance in the red zone versus the Aggies. The same thing happened versus ISU when EWU was 3-of-4 and the last play of the game was an Eastern kneel-down at the ISU 20.

* The Eagles are on pace to set a school record for average points per game, with a current mark of 43.5 (second in FCS) that exceeds the record of 41.9 set in 2001. For the first time in school history, Eastern has scored at least 50 points in five games this season, including outings of 56, 54, 52, 52 and 56. Only once previously in school history – 105 previous years – has EWU scored 50 or more three times. In 2001, EWU scored 66, 63 and 50 points, and a year ago, Eastern scored 109 in back-to-back wins over Idaho State (55-34) and Montana State (54-29). Defensively, the only other time EWU has given up 50 three times came in 1995 when the Eagles surrendered 63, 63 and 52 in their last three games of the season.

* The Eagles are second in FCS in first downs (293 total), second in scoring offense (43.5 per game), second in passing offense (334.5), third in total offense (525.5) and third in passing efficiency (167.74). Eastern has converted 49.7 percent of the time on third down (80-of-161) to rank sixth, down from a high of second earlier this year.

* Beau Baldwin, the reigning two-time Big Sky Coach of the Year, coached in his 100th game as a collegiate head coach in EWU's game at NAU on Oct. 25. Including a 65-24 record at Eastern and 10-3 mark in one season at his alma mater, Central, Washington, Baldwin is currently 75-27 (.735 winning percentage). The Tacoma, Wash., native is among the leaders in Big Sky Conference history for winning percentage. He is 65-24 in seven seasons for a .730 winning percentage (the school record is .719) to currently rank seventh in the 51-year history of the Big Sky Conference for both percentage and wins overall. His .800 winning percentage in league games (44-11) is the best-ever by an Eastern head coach and currently ranks fifth all-time in the league. His 44 Big Sky victories are a school record, besting the 34 of the EWU head coach he previously served under, Paul Wulff (2000-2007). Baldwin won his 50th game overall and equaled Wulff's record for league victories in the 42-37 victory over Montana in 2013. Eastern has advanced at least to the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs in three of the last four years under Baldwin. He helped lead EWU to its third Big Sky title in four seasons with the school's first-ever unbeaten conference mark (8-0) in 2013.

* For the first time in 40 years, Eastern will be wearing new white helmets this week as part of an all-white uniform when the Eagles play at PSU. Eastern wore white helmets in the late 60's under Dave Holmes, and possibly in the early 70's as well. But since the mid-1970's, Eastern has used red helmets. And, starting with the 2012 game versus Montana, black helmets have also been used on occasion.

Player Notes

* A pair of Eagles should at least equal the school record of 52 career games played set last year by five Eastern players. Running back Mario Brown and linebacker Ronnie Hamlin each have 50 in their careers, with punter Jake Miller right behind with 49. One of the games Miller missed was in the 2013 season when Eastern didn't punt in a 54-29 romp over Montana State.

* Sixth-year senior and Buck Buchanan Award candidate Ronnie Hamlin had nine tackles and an interception versus Montana on Nov. 8, establishing a new school record for career tackles by passing the 432 J.C. Sherritt had from 2007-10. Hamlin now has 440 in 50 career games (47 as a starter) to rank 15th in FCS history, and is second all-time in the Big Sky Conference behind the record of 471 set by Kane Ioane of Montana State in 2000-03. Ranked 95th in FCS this week with an average of 7.9 tackles per game (79 total in 10 games played), he has 19 performances in his career with at least 10 tackles. Most importantly, he has helped lead the Eagles to a 37-13 record overall and 26-5 Big Sky Conference mark with a pair of league titles and two appearances in the semifinals of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs. Teammate Cody McCarthy has 265 career tackles to rank 11th in school history.

Big Sky Conference & FCS Career Tackles Leaders
*Kane Ioane, Montana State, 2000-03 – 471 (48 games) – 7th in FCS
Jordan Beck, Cal Poly, 2001-04 – 449 (43 games) – 12th in FCS
Eric McBride, Richmond, 2007-10 – 446 (54 games) – 13th in FCS
Stephon Robertson, James Madison, 2010-13 – 445 (46 games) – 14th in FCS
*Ronnie Hamlin, Eastern Washington, 2011-present – 440 (50 games) – 15th in FCS
James Noel, Robert Morris, 2002-05 - 437 (41 games) – 16th in FCS
*A.J. Storms, Idaho State, 2008-11 – 434 (41 games) – 17th in FCS
*J.C. Sherritt, Eastern Washington, 2007-10 – 432 (45 games) – 18th in FCS
*Big Sky Conference players.

* Freshman cornerback Jake Hoffman finished with the sixth-most passes defended (passes broken up and interceptions) in FCS history when he had a school-record six passes broken up versus Montana. He entered the game with three on the season.

FCS RECORD PASSES DEFENDED (Passes Broken Up and Intercepted)
9 – Anthony Goodwin (Montana) – Portland State 10/5/13
7 – Kameron Scott (Morehead St.) – Butler 10/20/12
6 – Jake Hoffman (Eastern Washington) – Montana 11/8/14 – School Record
6 – 11 other occasions

* Sophomore Cooper Kupp had the 13th 100-yard receiving game of his career and finished with eight catches for 134 yards and a touchdown in EWU's 36-26 win over Montana on Nov. 8. The Walter Payton Award candidate now has 34 touchdown receptions in 25 career games, and has had a TD catch in 22 of his 25 career games as an Eagle. His season total of 13 receiving touchdowns ranks fifth (the leader has 16), and he also ranks ninth in receptions per game (7.3, total of 73) and eighth in receiving yards per game (101.3 per game, total of 1,013). He has also added punt returns to his arsenal of big plays, including a 67-yard return for a touchdown against Montana on Nov. 8. It was the first punt return for a touchdown for the Eagles since Tony Davis had a 60-yard return versus Oregon State on Aug. 31, 2006. A 41-yard punt return by Kupp in the first quarter helped set-up Eastern's first score of the day against Northern Arizona on Oct. 25. He is now averaging 18.1 on nine punt returns this season, and 15.7 on 11 in his career. He would rank second in FCS this season if he had enough attempts to qualify (he has nine and would need 12 to meet the minimum of 1.2 per game). Kupp had at least one score in the first 14 games of his career to set a FCS record, but had the streak stopped in a 2013 loss in the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs. The runaway 2013 Jerry Rice Award winner has 166 career catches – a TD for every 4.9 catches so far – to already rank eighth in school history. His 2,704 receiving yards are fifth, and his 34 touchdown receptions ranks second all-time in school history behind the record of 46 held by Eric Kimble (2002-05).  Kupp had 21 TD catches in 2013 to lead FCS as a redshirt freshman, and averaged 18.2 yards per catch (93-1691). Earlier this season, Kupp nine grabs for 152 yards and a pair of TDs versus Montana State on Sept. 20, and eight catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns versus Washington on Sept. 6. His grandfather, Jake Kupp, played for the Huskies and was on the UW's 1964 Rose Bowl team.  

* Senior running back Quincy Forte has averaged 128.6 yards rushing with 11 total touchdowns in the last nine games he's played (total of 1,157). Forte, who missed four games because of a shoulder injury, returned to rush 24 times for 219 yards (9.1 per carry) and a TD in EWU's 28-27 loss at Northern Arizona on Oct. 25. Forte had 178 of his yards in the second half en route to the 14th-best performance in school history. He no longer meets the NCAA minimum of playing in 75 percent of a team's games to qualify for NCAA statistical rankings (he would need to play in nine of EWU's 11 games). If he did, his 115.7 average per game (694 yards in six games) would rank 14th in FCS. He suffered the shoulder injury in his 190-yard, 4 TD rushing effort in EWU's thrilling 52-51 victory over Montana State on Sept. 20 in which he earned FCS Player of the Week accolades. He now has had eight 100-yard rushing games in his 45-game career, and is now sixth on EWU's career leaders list with 2,764 yards.

* Already Eastern's leading career punter, senior Jake Miller has a 45.4 average in 40 punts this season to rank second in FCS. As a team, EWU is sixth in FCS in net punting (including returns) with an average of 39.21 yards per punt. Of his 40 punts, 10 of them have been at least 50 yards and 20 have been downed inside the opponent 20-yard line. Thanks to Miller's talents, EWU is third in FCS in net punting (punting yards minus return yards), with an average of 39.87 yards per boot. His 63-yarder versus North Dakota on Nov. 1 was the 13th-longest in school history. He had the second-longest punt of his career and third-longest in EWU history versus Idaho State on Oct. 4 with a 70-yard boot that was downed at the ISU 6-yard line with 1:01 left in the first half. He had a school-record 74-yard boot against Washington State in 2012. Miller was forced into double-duty against Montana State when freshman redshirt Roldan Alcobendas injured his knee on a second quarter kickoff. Miller punted three times for a 45.3 average, then made all three of his extra point attempts and a 24-yard field goal in the third quarter. He received his first ROOT Sports Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honor on Sept. 1 after punting six times for a 49.3 average against Sam Houston State, including kicks of 64 (now the fourth-longest of his career and 11th in school history), 54 and 50 yards. His career average of 43.8 yards per punt is more than a full yard ahead of the record of 42.3 set by Jesse Nicassio from 2002-03, and is currently fifth in FCS history. Of his 171 career punts, 41 have been at least 50 yards, 18 have been 55 yards or longer, 61 have been downed inside the 20-yard line, 21 have been touchbacks and 35 have been fair catches.

* Junior Vernon Adams Jr. now has 38 pass plays of 40 yards or longer (24 touchdowns). Sophomore wide receiver Cooper Kupp has 17 in his young career, including 15 pass receptions (eight for touchdowns) and two punt returns. Senior wide receiver Shaq Hill has 14 plays in his career of 40 yards or longer, including five kickoff returns and nine receptions. For Adams, four of his were in his freshman season, 26 came in 2013 and eight have come in 2014. For the second-straight year in 2013, "Big Play V.A." was a finalist for Geico Play of the Year for his game-winning touchdown run versus Oregon State (8/31/13). His scramble and TD pass versus Sacramento State in 2012 also made the final cut to eight.

* In four games starting in place of injured starter Quincy Forte, senior Mario Brown rushed for 390 yards (sophomore Jalen Moore had 230 and three touchdowns in two of them). Brown had a career-high 134 yards and a touchdown in 22 carries versus Southern Utah on Oct. 11, and one game earlier had 126 yards rushing on 18 carries in EWU's 56-53 win over Idaho State on Oct. 4. The previous week he had 78 yards on 13 carries and scored a touchdown in EWU's 37-14 victory over UC Davis. All three games were punctuated by long runs. His 43-yarder against SUU led to a fourth-quarter TD and 42-24 EWU lead. He had a career-long 73-yard rush versus the Bengals that set-up the first career TD for fellow senior Cody Hecker. Brown's 45-yard run versus UC Davis led to his own 6-yard TD rush to give the Eagles a 30-7 lead. His now has four 100-yard rushing games in his career, with his previous career high entering this season 104 yards set in the 2010 FCS Playoffs against Villanova. He has 1,533 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in his 50-game career (11 as a starter), with another 44 receptions for 358 yards and three more scores. He has returned 37 career kickoffs for a 20.4 average (long of 41).

* Senior safety Tevin McDonald continues to put up All-America type of numbers for the Eagles in 2014. He is the team's fourth-leading tackler with 62 stops, and also has two interceptions, a sack, four total tackles for loss, six passes broken up, a pair of forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and a blocked punt. He had his most productive game as an Eagle against Montana State on Sept. 20, finishing with a career-high 11 tackles and two forced fumbles that EWU recovered in the second quarter versus the Bobcats. The UCLA transfer had his 2013 campaign ended in EWU's ninth game of the season with a leg injury, but it was enough to earn him third team All-Big Sky honors. He finished with 43 tackles, an interception, two passes broken up and a forced fumble. Previously, McDonald had 135 tackles in 27 career games (24 as a starter) at UCLA, plus four interceptions and 14 passes broken up. He is the son of six-time NFL All-Pro safety Tim McDonald, who is currently the defensive backs coach for the New York Jets where he previously coached former Eagle Isaiah Trufant (2002-05), who is now with the Cleveland Browns. Tevin's brother, Tim, Jr., (goes by T.J.), was a senior All-America safety at USC in 2012 and was drafted in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft by St. Louis.

* Boise, Idaho, native Cody McCarthy has had seven performances of at least 10 stops in his 44-game career (29 as a starter). He had 11 in the quarterfinals of the 2013 FCS Playoffs against Jacksonville State (12/14/13), then had a career-high 13 against Towson (12/21/13). Although he was sick and missed the Southern Utah game on Oct. 11, he is third on the team with 60 tackles thus far in 2014, and has career totals of 265 tackles (11th in school history), 3 1/2 sacks and six passes broken up.

* Sophomore Jordan West from Maple Valley, Wash. (Liberty High School '12) was 3-1 as a starter as an injury replacement this year. Starting in place of injured starter Vernon Adams Jr., he directed EWU to a total of 1,444 yards of offense (361.0 per game). In four games as a starter and three as a sub, he has completed 61 percent of his passes (86-of-142) for 1,072 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception. In his first collegiate start at Southern Utah in a 42-30 win on Oct. 11, West completed five of his first six passes, and finished 20-of-27 for 288 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He had a passer efficiency rating in the game of 192.9, and, by comparison, Adams has a career rating of 177.2 to rank first in NCAA history just ahead of the record of 176.7. West redshirted in 2012 and did not see action in 2013.

Team Notes

* The Eagles have now outscored their last 19 opponents 257-81 in the third quarter, and have had an advantage in 16 of them (tied twice). On Sept. 20 versus Montana State, the Bobcats had a 14-10 advantage in the third quarter before EWU rallied for a 52-51 win. Until then, Eastern had outscored its opponent in the third quarter in 14-straight games, including the first three games of the 2014 season and 12 of 15 games in 2013. Eastern went 10-straight games from Oct. 19, 2013, to Aug. 30, 2014, without allowing a third-quarter touchdown.

* The Eagles have won 16 regular season games in a row at Roos Field dating back to the final home game of the 2011 season against Portland State (43-26). The Eagles are now 30-4 all-time at "The Inferno," with two of the losses coming the past two seasons in the semifinals of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs.  Those included a 45-42 loss to Sam Houston State in 2012 when EWU rallied from a 35-0 halftime deficit to nearly pull off an improbable comeback, and a 35-31 semifinal loss to Towson in 2013. The fourth loss EWU has suffered on the red turf was a 36-21 loss to Montana State on Sept. 24, 2011. Eastern is 23-2 in the regular season at "The Inferno" and 7-2 in the FCS Playoffs.

* The third-largest crowd in school history of 11,339 was on hand for the Montana game on Nov. 8, ranking only behind crowds versus Montana of 11,702 in 2010 and 11,583 in 2006. That was EWU's 22nd sellout (crowd of 8,600+) in school history, sixth this year and 10th-straight in the regular season since 2013. The crowd of 11,256 for EWU's home game versus Idaho State on Oct. 4 now ranks as the fourth-largest in school history. Eastern's crowds of 10,310 for the Sam Houston State game (ninth most in school history), 10,064 for Northern Colorado (12th), 9,212 for North Dakota (15th) and 9,116 for Montana Western (16th) were also sellouts.

* The Eagles played their 200th game at 48-year-old Roos Field when EWU hosted North Dakota for Homecoming on Nov. 1. Formerly known as Woodward Field, the stadium was built in 1967 and Eastern has a 142-59 record (71 percent) at that venue. Since it was re-named to Roos Field in 2010, the Eagles have won 88 percent of their games with a record of 30-4.

* The offensive production by the Eagles in six of their games this season rank in the top 32 in school history. Most recently, the Eagles had 568 against Southern Utah to rank 32nd. Eastern also had 617 versus Idaho State to rank 11th, 573 versus Washington (29th), 582 versus Montana State (25th), 583 versus Montana Western (23rd), and 624 yards against Sam Houston State (ninth). The team with the next-most was 2013 with five ranked in the top 32.

* Eastern was No. 1 in the preseason poll – the fourth time in five seasons Eastern has earned a No. 1 ranking by TSN. Eastern finished the 2010 season No. 1 and as NCAA Division I champion. Eastern also was ranked No. 1 during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. North Dakota State, ranked second in the preseason poll behind the Eagles, found the formula back to the No. 1 spot after its 34-14 romp past FBS member Iowa State.

* The Eagles have now been ranked in The Sports Network Poll 42-consecutive times, having entered 2014 with a streak of 29-straight. In finishing third in the 2013 season, it was the 11th time Eastern has finished the season nationally ranked, including seven times since 2004. The other seasons were in 1985, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012.

* The Eagles have blocked five kicks in the past six games, including a blocked extra point (sophomore Samson Ebukam) and a blocked field goal (sophomore Matthew Sommer) against Northern Arizona on Oct. 25. Previously, EWU blocked punts in three-straight games – a "trifecta" as head coach Beau Baldwin called it -- with all providing significant boosts for EWU. As a result, EWU is tied for the lead in FCS in that category with three on the season. Senior Zackary Johnson had his in the third quarter versus Northern Colorado on Oct. 18. It was recovered by sophomore Ebukam and led to an Eagle touchdown and 20-3 lead. As a result, Johnson was selected on Oct. 20 as the Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. A blocked punt in the second quarter by Tevin McDonald against Southern Utah on Oct. 11 was recovered by Terence Grady at the SUU 15-yard line. Two plays later, a 15-yard TD pass from Jordan West to Kendrick Bourne gave EWU its first lead of the day at 21-14, and the Eagles went on to win 42-30. One game earlier, Ebukam blocked an Idaho State punt on Oct. 4 that was recovered by senior Dylan Zylstra for his first career touchdown. That gave EWU a 35-17 lead, the first of two 18-point bulges EWU enjoyed (the other was at 49-31 in the third quarter).

* The Eagles passed for nearly 10,000 yards and 100 touchdowns in the 2013 and 2014 seasons combined – 9,716 yards and 95 TDs to be exact. So far in 2014, EWU has 3,679 yards and 38 touchdowns.

2014 Senior Class

Eastern said goodbye to some of the most successful players in school history on "Senior Day" on Nov. 8 versus Montana at Roos Field. The 20 Eagle seniors made their final regular season appearance at "The Inferno" and have already been a part of two Big Sky Conference championships and a pair of playoff berths. Many were redshirts in 2010 when EWU won the NCAA Division I Championship, but running back Mario Brown did play as a true freshman that season and started in the title game. Eastern has won 25 of 30 Big Sky Conference games and 37 games overall in the last four years.

"They've put in a lot of time and work to get this program where it is today," said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin. "They are a huge part of our culture and mindset. When all is said in done, they have put together a four and five year span of success that is going to be tough to be touched. It's a special group and we're excited for them to be able to run out on the field on Senior Day."

  42 - Cory Alcantar – Long Snapper - 6-4 - 260 - Sr. - 1L/JC - Yucaipa, Calif. (Yucaipa HS '11 / Riverside, Calif., CC)
23 - Blair Bomber – Wide Receiver - 5-8 - 170 - Sr. - 1L/TR* - Lynden, Wash. (Lynden HS '10 / Washington State Univ.)
69 - Ashton Boothroyd – Defensive Tackle - 6-3 - 285 - Sr. - 1L* - Mead, Wash. (Mt. Spokane HS '10)
5 - Mario Brown – Running Back - 5-9 - 190 - Sr. - 3L* - Berkeley, Calif. (Bishop O'Dowd HS '10)
90 - Evan Day – Defensive End - 6-3 - 245 - Sr. - 3L* - Sammamish, Wash. (Skyline HS '10)
41 - Austin Ehlo  - Wide Receiver - 6-3 - 195 - Sr. - SQ* - Spokane, Wash. (Lewis & Clark HS '10 & Whitworth)
22 - Quincy Forte – Running Back - 5-11 - 200 - Sr. - 3L - Fairfield, Calif. (Vacaville HS '11)
45 - John Goldwire – Defensive End - 6-1 - 255 - Sr. - 2L* - Lakewood, Wash. (Lakes HS '10)
36 - Cody Hecker – Running Back - 6-0 - 210 - Sr - 2L* - Sandpoint, Idaho (Sandpoint HS '10)
8  - Isaiah Jenkins - Safety - 6-0 - 185 - Sr. - 2L* - Seattle, Wash. (West Seattle HS '10)
40 - Zackary Johnson – Defensive End - 6-4 - 250 - Sr. - 2L/TR* - Stanwood, Wash. (Stanwood HS '10 / Washington St.)
47 - Cody McCarthy – Linebacker - 6-1 - 230 - Sr. - 3L - Boise, Idaho (Bishop Kelly HS '11)
48 - Jake Miller - Punter - 6-5 - 225 - Sr. - 3L/TR* - Spokane, Wash. (Central Valley HS '10 / Washington State Univ.)
65 - Jake Rodgers – Offensive Tackle - 6-6 - 315 - Sr. - 1L/TR - Spokane, Wash. (Shadle Park HS '10 / Washington St.)
29 - Larren Wright Jr. – Wide Receiver - 6-0 - 180 - Sr. - SQ* - Kent, Wash. (Kent-Meridian HS '10)

Senior Co-Captains . . .
59 - Jase Butorac - Center - 6-3 - 290 - Sr. - 3L* - Sammamish, Wash. (Skyline HS '10)
6 - Cory Mitchell – Wide Receiver - 6-2 - 195 - Sr. - 3L* - Katy, Texas (Katy HS '06)
57 - Dylan Zylstra – Defensive Tackle - 6-4 - 285 - Sr. - 3L* - Kent, Wash. (Kentridge HS '10)
7 - Tevin McDonald - Safety - 5-11 - 200 - Sr. - 1L/TR* - Fresno, Calif. (Edison HS '10 / UCLA)
39 - Ronnie Hamlin - Linebacker - 6-2 - 235 - Sr. - 3L* - Lacey, Wash. (Timberline HS '09)

Academic Honors

* Four Eastern Washington University Football players – running back Mario Brown, defensive lineman Ashton Boothroyd, defensive back Jordan Tonani and wide receiver Cooper Kupp have been selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII team as selected by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America. The squad includes NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football players from schools in Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii and Canada. Their names are now forwarded to the national ballot for CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades. A total of nine Eagles were nominated for Academic All-America honors – one per position. Eastern players have now been honored 60 times since 1989 on the team, with a best-ever five recognized in 2007. Eight Eastern players have gone on to win 10 Academic All-America honors, including Jeff Minnerly – also a Ferris HS graduate -- in 2012.  "We are always proud of the academic accomplishments of our players, but earning regional and even national honors is something very special," said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin. "It's no coincidence that the student-athletes in our program are not only outstanding on the field, but outstanding in the classroom as well."

Defensive Line - #69 - Ashton Boothroyd - Sr. - Mead, Wash. (Mt. Spokane HS '10) - 3.76 GPA – Management
Linebacker - #39 - Ronnie Hamlin - Sr. Lacey, Wash. (Timberline HS '09) - 3.56 GPA – Technology
Defensive Back - #34 - Jordan Tonani - Jr. - Spokane, Wash. (Ferris HS '11) - 3.73 GPA – Business Administration
Offensive Line - #59 - Jase Butorac - Sr. - Sammamish, Wash. (Skyline HS '10) - 3.42 GPA – Economics
Quarterback - #14 - Jordan West - So. - Maple Valley, Wash. (Liberty HS '12) - 3.33 GPA – Business Administration
Running Back - #5 - Mario Brown - Sr. - Berkeley, Calif. (Bishop O'Dowd HS '10) - 3.31 GPA – Communication Studies
Tight End - #82 - Jake Withnell - Jr. - Salem, Ore. (South Salem HS '11) - 3.91 GPA – Business Administration
Wide Receiver - #10 - Cooper Kupp - So. - Yakima, Wash. (Davis HS '12) - 3.48 GPA – Economics
Punter - #48 - Jake Miller - Sr. - Spokane, Wash. (Central Valley HS '10 / Washington State Univ.) - 3.41 GPA - Finance

Series Notes

* The Eagles have won four of the last five games versus Portland State, but still trails in the all-time series 19-16-1. Eastern is 8-9 against the Vikings in Portland, including victories in 2010 (50-17) and 2002 (27-24) at Hillsboro Stadium. Eastern is 7-10-1 at home against them and 1-0 in neutral site games. The road team has won nine of the last 16 meetings, not including a 2009 neutral site game in Seattle.

* The meeting in 2008 was the third-straight victory in the series for PSU, which lost three-straight to EWU before that from 2003-05. The longest winning streak by either team was by Portland State in the first four games of the series from 1968-71.

* The teams have played every year since 1990 when PSU was a member of NCAA Division II. The Vikings became a member of the Big Sky in 1996, and EWU leads the series 10-8 since then.

* In last year's game, quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. and wide receiver Cooper Kupp connected for the game-winning touchdown with 31 seconds remaining to help EWU defeat Portland State 42-41 Nov. 23 at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash.  The victory preserved Eastern's unbeaten Big Sky Conference season and helped the third-ranked Eagles win the league's outright title. The game featured four ties and a pair of lead changes, and EWU did not have a lead in the final three quarters until the game-winning TD. It was EWU's 13th victory since 2010 when trailing or tied in the fourth quarter. The Eagles were aided by a missed PSU extra point on a touchdown with a minute left that gave PSU a short-lived 41-34 lead. Adams had five touchdown passes, including the game-winner to Kupp to cap a frantic four-play, 74-yard drive that started with a minute to play. Adams completed 34-of-56 passes for 457 yards, setting career highs for attempts and completions and equaling his career-high of 457 yards (broken in the 2014 season). Linebacker Ronnie Hamlin had 14 tackles in a game that featured 1,131 yards of total offense. Portland State finished with 603 and Eastern ended with 528. It was a match-up of the top two offenses in FCS, with EWU ranking fourth in FCS in total offense (531.4 per game) and seventh in scoring (40.3), while PSU was just ahead of the Eagles in third in offense (league-leading 534.8 average per game) and 24th in scoring (34.4).

* In 2012 in Portland, "Find a way," were the continual words of Eastern head football coach Beau Baldwin in the waning seconds on Nov. 17 at Jeld-Wen Field in Portland, Ore. Eastern's All-America wide receivers – and transfer quarterback Kyle Padron -- came up with huge plays when the Eagles needed them most, and EWU secured its sixth Big Sky Conference title with a 41-34 victory over Portland State. Eastern scored the winning points on an eight-play, 94-yard drive to break a 34-all tie with 1:25 to play in a steady downpour. Padron passed for 380 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Nicholas Edwards in the second half as Eastern rallied from season-high deficits of 13 and 12 points. Padron, a junior who transferred that year from Southern Methodist, came off the bench to complete 26-of-38 passes for 381 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for one. He replaced starter Vernon Adams Jr., who was 4-of-7 for 82 yards. Brandon Kaufman had nine catches for 161 yards, including two sensational, highlight-reel catches after tipped balls. Senior Greg Herd added seven catches for 108 yards, and Edwards added four for 77 yards and his two scores. Defensively, senior linebacker Zach Johnson had a pair of interceptions in the second half and three tackles, and junior cornerback T.J. Lee had eight tackles and three passes broken up.  Eastern rushed for four touchdowns, but was held to a paltry rushing total for the second-straight year, finishing with no yards on the ground to go along with 463 through the air.

* In the 2011 loss, Eastern was gashed for more than 300 yards rushing as Portland State ran its way to a 43-26 Big Sky Conference football victory Oct. 29 on Senior Day at Roos Field. That game essentially kept the Eagles from getting a berth in the FCS Playoffs – the PSU loss was EWU's only setback in its last seven games as Eastern overcame an 0-4 start to finish 6-5. The Vikings used their pistol offense to score on four-straight possessions in the second quarter and three-straight possessions in the third. Portland State scored 21 unanswered points to turn a 20-15 EWU lead into a 36-20 advantage in the third quarter. Viking quarterback Connor Kavanaugh rushed for 154 yards and passed for another 147 and a touchdown for PSU, which finished with 338 yards rushing and 499 total yards. Eastern, led by the 440 passing yards of quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, rushed for minus 1 yard as Mitchell was sacked five times. Eastern finished with 439 yards of total offense and lost the turnover battle 3-1. Mitchell completed 20-of-42 passes and had four touchdowns in the loss, including three to Nicholas Edwards and one to Greg Herd. Edwards finished with nine catches for 166 yards and Herd had five receptions for 196 yards (sixth in school history at the time). Safeties Allen Brown and Jeff Minnerly each had 10 tackles for the Eagles, and true freshman middle linebacker Cody McCarthy also had 10.

* In 2010, EWU's Taiwan Jones rushed for 196 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone as eighth-ranked Eastern Washington University defeated PSU 50-17 on Oct. 30, 2010. Eastern finished with 523 yards of offense, and at one point had a 183-5 advantage over the Vikings en route to jumping out to a 14-0 lead. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell added 231 yards and two touchdowns through the air, finishing 13-of-23 with no interceptions. Freshman redshirt tight end Zack Gehring finished with a team-high 123 yards on three receptions with a 70-yard touchdown. J.C. Sherritt had 15 tackles to lead the defense. After leading 28-10 at intermission, the Eagles turned a blocked punt by Darriell Beaumonte into a recovery for a touchdown by T.J. Lee to increase the advantage to 18. Eastern scored the next 10 points on a 44-yard field goal by Kevin Miller and a 15-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell to Brandon Kaufman.

* Eastern linebacker coach Josh Fetter was defensive line coach at Portland State from 2006-09. In the 2009 season, two of his Viking linemen earned honorable mention All-Big Sky honors, and in 2007, all three of his regular starters were all-league. In 2006, PSU led the Big Sky in turnover margin, passing efficiency defense, sacks per game, tackles for loss, third-down defense, fourth-down defense and red-zone defense. The Vikings shut-out Eastern 34-0 in 2006, beat EWU 28-21 in 2007 and knocked off Eastern 47-36 in 2008, then EWU defeated PSU 47-10 in 2009 at Qwest Field in Seattle.

* Portland State head coach Nigel Burton is 1-3 as a head coach versus EWU, but as an assistant was 3-0. He coached the secondary from 2003-07 at Oregon State, which defeated EWU 56-17 in 2006. Burton was also defensive backs coach at PSU in 2001 and 2002, with EWU losing 37-22 the first season and 34-31 the next year.

* The Eagles have a total of seven players from Oregon on its roster, including a pair of Jesuit High School graduates (running back Jordan Talley and cornerback Miles Weatheroy). Kendrick Bourne attended the Milwaukie Arts Academy and played for Milwaukie High School. Samson Ebukam played at David Douglas High School. Five others played across the Columbia River in Washington in either Vancouver or Camas.

Upcoming

* The Eagles now await word on their playoff fate, with the pairings announced on an hour-long show this Sunday (Nov. 23) at 8 a.m. Pacific time on ESPNU. The NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs begin after Thanksgiving on Nov. 28, but the top eight seeds get first-round byes.

 

Career Starts

Defense (242 starts by 21 players): Ronnie Hamlin 47, Cody McCarthy 28, Miquiyah Zamora 19, Tevin McDonald 19, Evan Day 17, Jordan Tonani 14, Dylan Zylstra 13, Todd Raynes 12, Matthew Sommer 10, Zackary Johnson 9, Samson Ebukam 9, Rashad  Wadood 8, Victor Gamboa 9, Frank Cange 3, Jake Hoffman 4, Ashton Boothroyd 3, Miles Weatheroy 2, Albert Havili 2, Zach Bruce 2, Jordan Talley 10 (1 on defense and 9 on offense), John Goldwire 1.

Offense (255 starts by 23 players): Clay DeBord 38, Vernon Adams Jr. 31, Cooper Kupp 25, Quincy Forte 22, Cory Mitchell 17, Jake Rodgers 15, Jake Withnell 11, Jase Butorac 12, Mario Brown 11, Aaron Neary 11, Thomas Gomez 11, Shaq Hill 10, Cassidy Curtis 10, Zach Wimberly 7, Kendrick Bourne 7, Jordan West 4, T.J. Boatright 3, Jabari Wilson 2, Nic Sblendorio 2, Blair Bomber 1, Cody Hecker 1, Conner Baumann 1, Terry Jackson II 1.

Recent Game Recap

Walter Payton Award candidate Vernon Adams Jr. returned after missing four games with a broken foot to pass for 410 yards and four touchdowns, and the fifth-ranked Eagles held off No. 11 Montana 36-26 on Nov. 8 in a pivotal game in the chase to the 2014 Big Sky Conference football title. Thanks to the passing of Adams and a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown by sophomore Cooper Kupp, Eastern jumped out to a 33-10 lead in the third quarter. Montana rallied to make it a one-score game, but EWU kicker Tyler McNanny capped a late 58-yard drive with a 34-yard field goal with 28 seconds to play to provide the final margin.  Adams had the sixth-most yards in his 34-game career with 410 versus the Grizzlies, and was the 18th game of his career with at least 300 yards. He completed 25-of-37 passes against the Grizzlies with no interceptions. Kupp had his 13th 100-yard receiving performance in just 25 career games, finishing with eight catches for 134 yards and a touchdown. Junior Shaq Hill finished with eight catches for 114 yards and a touchdown and had a total of 179 all-purpose yards. Redshirt freshman Nic Sblendorio had career highs with five catches for 89 yards for the Eagles, including a brilliant one-handed 32-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. Eastern had interceptions by Ronnie Hamlin and Tevin McDonald to win the turnover battle 2-1. Montana entered the game leading FCS with just four turnovers in nine games this season and was 10th in turnover margin (+0.89 per game with 12 takeaways). Ahead just 33-26 with 2:32 to play, Adams had completions of 17 yards to Kupp and 23 and eight yards to Sblendorio to pick up key first downs and move the ball to the Montana 16-yard line. Included was a key third-down completion after the Eagles had converted on just 5-of-12 to that point. The Eagles converted in the red zone with a 34-yard field goal by Tyler McNanny to clinch the win, which was set-up by a 10-yard run by Mario Brown -- the longest rush for an Eagle running back in the game.  Eastern's defense had a total of 11 passes broken up, three quarterback hurries and a pair of sacks. A crowd of 11,339 attended the Montana game, ranking third in school history behind crowds versus Montana of 11,702 in 2010 and 11,583 in 2006. The sellout was EWU's sixth this year and 10th-straight in the regular season since 2013. It was EWU's 22nd sellout in school history.

Quoting Beau Baldwin

On Portland State: "There is also an element of being a rivalry game and a local flavor of players from both teams. Whenever you have that type of game where players know each other or were recruited by both schools, that sometimes can bring out even that much more in an opponent. It's going to be a tough ballgame against a very talented and well-coached team. We know that and we expect it. We're also on the road, and that adds another element of having to handle that part of the adversity as well."

On Cooper Kupp's Production: "It is amazing. It's amazing statistically what he's done in a short amount of time, but it seems like he's been here a long time with the amount of plays he has made. It's even more impressive in terms of what he's meant as a leader and example to our other players. We have a lot of mature players and great role models in our wide receiver group, but they still look up to him. The entire team respects him for how he hard he works day-to-day, in the off-season and during the season as well. He's been big for us both on the field and through the example and work ethic he has off the field. He shows the standard of what we are looking for in all of our student-athletes."

On Importance of Montana Win: "It was huge from a standpoint of where we are in terms of the Big Sky race, which is first and foremost your goal, especially this late in the year and you still have a shot at it. It is huge in terms of playoff seeding, and it is huge for a lot of reasons. It is huge because it is your last regular season game at home, and the last one you know you for sure you get. For the seniors, you can't write a better script knowing these seniors that are so deserving get to finish their regular season with a win against Montana on the red."

On Adams: "Vernon was gutsy. He definitely wasn't 100 percent in terms of being able to move and get out of things like he usually can, but he was still was able to buy time, see things, throw from the pocket and make a lot of plays. I guarantee his foot is hurting him, but it was a very impressive performance by Vernon. Vernon brings something electric and he was able to make some huge plays. There will be stuff we can go back and look at, and there are still things we still need to work on. That is the neat thing. He is going to find things, I am going to find things, and we all are going to find things to work on. He was out there doing his thing. It is huge to have him back. I am proud to have all the guys back, but great to have No. 3 back in the saddle. It was really special for him to do the things he did, make the plays he made and get us in rhythm against one of the top defenses in the Big Sky. It was huge for him to play, even not at 100 percent."

On Ronnie Hamlin and Tackles Record: "Ronnie has been so stellar in terms of his work ethic and leadership. This is well-deserved. Obviously J.C. was special, but I am sure J.C would be the first to say if somebody were to beat the record, he loves to see a guy like Ronnie do it because Ronnie does it the right way. He leads the right way. He is a great player and he deserves it."

One Word to Describe Hamlin: "Tenacious. That is how he goes about playing the game. It is tough going to one word because there are so many attributes he has, including humbleness. That is what I love about Ronnie. He is going to be quiet, be humble and he is going to lead by example. Players are going to respect him so much not by anything he says, but how he lives, how he plays, how he grinds and how he competes in the offseason. He is such a leader by example. Those are two guys that are memorable around here (J.C. and Ronnie), but it is neat. J.C. would be the first to say if someone is going to pass me it is neat to see a guy like Ronnie Hamlin do it, so it is a special game."

On Nic Sblendorio: "Sblendorio has been a little unsung, but we have been seeing it in practice. Sometimes we get to see good things happen in practice and they don't quite happen yet in the game. We've seen it all the time in practice. He was able to finally have a break out game he deserves. He works hard and he is a great player."

On Offensive Line: "It has been a great group that has worked hard that has found ways even when we lost skill players. We have lost a lot of skill players at different times this year. We have been down receivers in games, we have been down running backs in games, and obviously we have been down an All-America quarterback for four games. Who do you turn to? You have to turn to your offensive line to keep the train going. That is what they have done whether we are running the ball or whether we are throwing the ball. Every game is going to play out differently, and they are always there to get us going as an offense. That's what they did today."

On Beating Montana Last Four of Five Years: "We talked about it before we won a national title. We had a vision for the decade and that was something big for us. To be able to do that and put ourselves in a position against a program that I respect so much is not easy. It is a lot of work from a lot people. From administration to presidents, to game day environment, the support we get from our fans, the sellouts. Everything goes into it, including all of our assistants and ultimately the players on the field. It is a collective group that has gotten to that point. I know all we focus on is the 2014 season, but over time we were looking to start the decade out and start something special. It has been huge for us as a program and we are very proud of that."

On Bye Week: "It was huge to have the bye week. We have played a lot of weeks in a row, and we have been more banged up than other years. It has been the way the year has been. It is great to get it to this point where we are still the top of the Big Sky. We needed the bye week going into a Friday night game against a very good Portland State team. They are a team that we go down to the wire year in and year out with."

On Senior Class: "This class is special for a number of reasons. It is a group of hard-working grinders. Not a lot of vocalness to them, but that can be a good thing. They go about their business, they do their work, they respect one another, but they compete like mad on the field. If you think about the four years, and if you go back to their redshirt year, what they have done in those five years up to this point is probably unparalleled in terms of their careers. They will be the first to say 'on to the next one coach'. When we look back this is going to be a group that has helped pave the way towards the run we've had during the beginning of this decade."

Injury Report

* Thanks to the bye week, Eastern will be rested and as close to full strength as it has been all season. Quarterback Vernon Adams missed four games with two broken metatarsals in his right foot suffered versus ISU on Oct. 4, but returned to play against Montana on Nov. 8. Also returning were safety Jordan Tonani (concussion) and cornerback Rashad Wadood (foot) who both missed the North Dakota game, as well as running back Jabari Wilson (ankle, missed four games) and tight end Terry Jackson II (ankle, missed two games). Senior defensive end John Goldwire also played against Montana – he missed the MSU game with a concussion, returned to play versus UC Davis, but then missed four games with a shoulder injury. Safety Isaiah Jenkins (ankle) missed five games before returning versus the Grizzlies.

* Running back Quincy Forte (shoulder) was injured versus Montana State then missed four games before returning against Northern Arizona on Oct. 25. Senior wide receiver Cory Mitchell (broken collarbone) also returned versus NAU after suffering his injury against Washington on Sept. 6 and having surgery five days later. Linebacker Cody McCarthy was sick and did not play against Southern Utah. Running back Jalen Moore (ankle) returned to play versus Idaho State on Oct. 4 after missing the previous two games, but then missed the NAU game with influenza. Safety Todd Raynes (shoulder) also was injured versus MSU and missed the UC Davis game on Sept. 27, then injured his knee versus Idaho State on Oct. 4 and missed three games before returning versus North Dakota.

* Freshman redshirt kicker Roldan Alcobendas (knee) was injured on a second-quarter kickoff against Montana State on Sept. 20 and was lost for the season. It was the same knee in which he had an ACL injury as a high school soccer player that forced him to rehabilitate the knee in the 2013-14 school year. Cornerback Nzuzi Webster (knee) was injured against Washington and will probably apply for a medical hardship. Junior cornerback Frank Cange (ruptured patellar tendon) was lost for the season and underwent surgery on Sept. 4 after getting injured versus Montana Western. Defensive lineman Jordan Pulu (elbow) played versus Sam Houston State but hasn't played since and is also not expected back this season.

* Earlier this season, both Shaq Hill (hamstring) and Samson Ebukam (ankle) missed the Washington game. Running back Jabari Wilson (hamstring) played versus the Huskies, did not carry the ball. Five other Eagles who sat out the Montana Western game for precautionary reasons returned to play against Washington -- linebacker Ronnie Hamlin (ankle), wide receiver Cooper Kupp (ankle), center Jase Butorac (ankle), running back Quincy Forte (knee) and safety Jordan Tonani (knee).

* The Eagles lost two projected starters to knee injuries and subsequent surgery in the spring. Returning All-Big Sky Conference defensive end Evan Day isn't expected back and will appeal to the NCAA for a sixth year. Cornerback D'londo Tucker, who saw action in 2013 as a true freshman, suffered his injury following the end of spring practices and will redshirt.

* Three players are returning from season-ending injuries suffered a year ago. Safety Tevin McDonald was lost for the season with a broken fibula suffered against Idaho State that required surgery. Defensive end John Goldwire did not play in 2013 because of a severe case of Rhabdomyolysis (rhab·do·my·ol·y·sis), a condition in which damaged skeletal muscle breaks down rapidly and releases potentially damaging products into the bloodstream. In Goldwire's case, it affected his kidneys. Before the season began, freshman All-America safety and Ferris HS graduate Jordan Tonani began surgical treatment for a hip ailment that cost him the 2013 season. Tonani's painful hip injury was called hip joint acetabular impingement, and the ailment requires surgery to both hips with six months of rehabilitation required for each. His first surgery on his left hip took place on July 29, and also included a labral tear that was repaired. He had the second surgery on his right hip on Sept. 16.