It was the reason senior wide receiver Cooper Kupp returned to Eastern Washington University for his senior season, and now he and his Eagle teammates can focus on winning a bigger prize.
 
Third-ranked Eastern wrapped up its ninth Big Sky Conference title and extended its winning streak to nine games with a 35-28 victory over nemesis Portland State Friday night (Nov. 18) at Providence Park in Portland, Ore. In the process, the Eagles equaled its best regular season finish in 108 years of football and finished with its second unbeaten Big Sky season in 30 years in the conference.
 
"Our players worked so hard to overcome certain things in terms of youth, finding ways to be ready and our challenging schedule," said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin. "We could have been a really good team, and results may still not have gone our way in the first three or four games. We found a way to get off to a great start and finish the year undefeated in the conference. That's hard to do."
 
Eastern battled back from deficits to knot the score at 14, 21 and 28, then took a 35-28 lead with 8:19 to play in the game on a Kendrick Bourne 10-yard pass from Gage Gubrud. Eastern's defense then stopped PSU on downs with 1:56 to play and was able to run out the clock.
 
Senior Shaq Hill caught seven passes for 124 yards and a touchdown, with Gubrud finishing with 346 yards of total offense. Senior Samson Ebukam had a pair of sacks, including one on third down on PSU's final possession. Gubrud, Ebukam and Bourne are all from the Portland area.
 
"It was great for the defense to finish the comeback off, and great for the offense to get one more needed first down to clinch it," said Baldwin. "At times, things weren't perfect today – that's part of what I love about football and part of what I love about sports . . . the imperfections. I love the grind and going through moments that aren't perfect and seeing how our players and coaches respond. That was what tonight was about. Our guys were able to respond in all three facets and help us win that game."
 
Eastern, 10-1 overall (.902 winning percentage) and a perfect 8-0 in the Big Sky, also wrapped up its 12th NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoff berth in school history. The Eagles have most likely secured a top two seed, which would give them home-field advantage leading up to the FCS Championship game on Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas (9 a.m. Pacific time on ESPN2). Eastern will open the playoffs at home in the second round on Dec. 3, while 16 of the 24 teams in the tournament will play in the first round on Nov. 26.
 
Playoff pairings will be released Sunday at 8 a.m. Pacific time on ESPNU. In last week's rankings released by the selection committee, EWU was No. 1 behind North Dakota State. The Bison, the five-time defending FCS champions, handed EWU its only loss of the season by a 50-44 score in overtime on Sept. 10 in Fargo, N.D.
 
Kupp went over 6,000 receiving yards and 400 receptions in his legendary career against PSU, catching six passes for 67 yards before leaving the game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury. The injury came on his 38-yard catch during EWU's game-tying 13-play, 65-yard scoring drive to start the second half and knot the game at 14.
 
Although he was already a bonafide professional prospect following his junior season when the Eagles finished just 6-5, he returned with the goal of competing for Big Sky and national titles. He enters the playoffs with FCS records of 68 receiving touchdowns, 6,061 yards and 402 receptions.
 
The injury to Kupp was only the tip of the injury iceberg for the Eagles. Senior linebacker Miquiyah Zamora (hamstring) missed most of the game, and EWU was already playing without a trio of injured starters – guard Matt Meyer (concussion), running back Jabari Wilson (hip/rib contusion) and rover J.J. Njoku (knee).
 
 
Won-Lost Records . . .  
 
* Eastern is 10-1 overall and 8-0 in the Big Sky Conference with its ninth-straight win, and haven't lost since falling to five-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State 50-44 in overtime on Sept. 10.
 
* Portland State finished the season 3-8 overall and 2-6 in the league following last week's playoff appearance. A year ago, the Vikings handed EWU a 34-31 loss at Roos Field, as well as a 43-26 pounding in in 2011 at Roos Field. Eagle victories in 2012 (41-34) and 2013 (42-41) both came down to touchdown drives by the Eagles with 31 and 85 seconds remaining, respectively. Portland State, with a 20-18-1 advantage in the all-time series, is the only Big Sky school other than Montana to have a winning record all-time against the Eagles.
 
* In the third set of rankings released by the FCS Selection Committee on Nov. 15, the top 10 teams were North Dakota State (9-1 entering the week), Eastern Washington (9-1), Jacksonville State (9-1), James Madison (9-1), Sam Houston State (10-0), The Citadel (10-0), Central Arkansas (9-1), Richmond (8-2), North Dakota (9-2) and South Dakota State (7-3).
 
* Eastern remained third in this week's STATS FCS Top 25 poll, and is also third in the coaches poll. Sam Houston State is No. 1 in both polls, followed by Jacksonville State, EWU and five-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State in the No. 4 position. In the Athlon Power Rankings, the Eagles remained No. 2, with season-long No. 1 North Dakota State retaining the top spot despite a loss to South Dakota State on Oct. 15
 
 
What It Means . . .
 
* The Eagles tied 8-0 North Dakota for the league title, but EWU and UND didn't play each other this season. Thus, the tiebreaker in the event both teams are unbeaten comes down to the Sagarin Rankings, and EWU has a commanding edge because of a 2-1 record during the toughest preseason schedule in school history. Eastern is second in FCS and 69th among all Division I schools, while North Dakota is 21st among FCS schools and 129th overall. North Dakota State is No. 1 in FCS and 55th overall.
 
 
What's Next . . .
 
* In just two days, EWU will find out its playoff path when the brackets are revealed on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 8 a.m. Pacific time on ESPNU. The 2016 championship field consists of 10 automatic qualifiers and 14 at-large qualifiers. The top eight teams will be seeded, receive first-round byes and host second-round games providing they satisfy the hosting criteria. The 16 other teams will bid to host first-round games.
 
 
Keys to Game . . .
 
* While Eastern's defense came up with some big plays at times with a blocked field goal by Albert Havili and an interception by Victor Gamboa, the Vikings were able to put together three long scoring drives. Portland State took a 14-0 lead with drives of 84 and 82 yards, then added a 77-yarder to take a 21-14 lead in the third quarter. A 48-yard drive gave the Vikings a 28-21 lead late in the third quarter. Both teams scored 14 points in the quarter – the first time this season EWU has not had an advantage in that period. Portland State drove to the EWU 23-yard line on its next possession, but a sack by Samson Ebukam on third down led to failed fourth-down scramble by PSU quarterback Alex Kuresa with 1:56 left in the game. Ketner Kupp and Victor Gamboa were in on the tackles for EWU.
 
 
Turning Point . . .
 
* Eastern trailed 14-7 at halftime, but found a way to knot the score in the second half on three occasions. The Eagles tied it at 14 with a 65-yard drive, 21 with a Gage Gubrud-to-Shaq Hill touchdown connection of 84 yards and 28 on a 61-yard drive. Then, after Eastern's defense forced PSU to punt, the Eagles took their first lead at 35-28 with 8:19 left on a 10-yard TD reception by Kendrick Bourne to cap another 61-yard drive.
 
 
Top Performers . . .
 
* Sophomore Gage Gubrud, who attended high school at nearby McMinnville High School, completed 24-of-41 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns.
* Senior Shaq Hill had seven catches for 124 yards, the 10th time in his career he has had at least 100 yards receiving. He went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season. He had an 84-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter, giving him 20 plays of 40 yards or more in his career, including seven of at least 76 yards. He now has pass receptions of 86, 84 and 76 yards, and kickoff returns of 99, 93, 90 and 80 yards.
* Senior Cooper Kupp caught six passes for 67 yards, including a 38-yarder in the third quarter. Although he didn't score, he has accounted for 76 touchdowns in his career (68 receiving, four passing, one rushing and three on punt returns), and has scored at least once in 40 of 49 games he has played (all as a starter).
* Junior Nic Sblendorio caught five passes for 69 yards and a touchdown, including a 46-yard gain.
* Sophomore linebacker Alek Kacmarcik had 14 tackles, giving him six double-figure performances in his Eastern career.
* Senior safety Zach Bruce had the fifth performance of 10 or more tackles in his career, finishing with 11.
* Senior defensive end Samson Ebukam had seven total tackles and the 20th and 21st sacks in his EWU career, ranking him ninth all-time at EWU.
* Senior linebacker Miquiyah Zamora had one tackle before leaving the game with a hamstring injury. He now has 341 career tackles, equaling Matt Johnson (341 from 2009-11) for sixth in school history.
 
 
Key Stats . . .
 
* The Eagles finished with 442 yards of total offense, compare to 471 for the Vikings. Eastern was out-gained by PSU early 166-23, and the Vikings had a 265-164 advantage and a 14-7 lead at halftime.
 
 
Team Highlights . . .
 
* The Eagles have a total of seven players from Oregon on its roster, including starting sophomore quarterback Gage Gubrud out of McMinnville High School (2014 graduate). Three senior starters are also from Oregon -- wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (attended Milwaukie Arts Academy '13 and played for Milwaukie High School), defensive end Samson Ebukam (David Douglas HS '13) and Matthew Sommer (Salem HS '13). All three seniors played as true freshmen in 2013 and have not redshirted. Five others played across the Columbia River in Washington in either Vancouver or Camas.
 
 
Milestones & Records . . .
 
* Already with the FCS receiving record triple, sensational senior wide receiver Cooper Kupp is nearing the all-division collegiate record for receiving yards. With 6,061 yards, Kupp has also already exceeded the FBS record for reception yards, which is 5,005 set by Trevor Insley of Nevada from 1996-99. He has also surpassed the NCAA Division II record (4,983, Clarence Coleman, Ferris State, 1998-01), and is nearing the all-time marks in Division III (6,108, Scott Pingel, Westminster, 1996-99) and the NAIA (6,177, Chris George, Glenville State, 1991-94). Thus, he is 116 yards from the all-division collegiate record. Kupp has now broken 13 FCS, 10 Big Sky and 22 EWU records in his illustrious 49-game Eastern career.
 
 
Notables . . .
 
* The Eagles have won their last four games by an average of 26.7 points per game, led by a defense which has allowed just 71 points (17.8 per game) in those four victories. Eastern's defense has allowed only 23.9 points per game (167 total) during its 7-0 Big Sky Conference start after allowing 40.7 against three challenging non-conference opponents. Eastern has out-scored opponents by an average of 23.0 points per game in seven league games thus far (46.9 to 23.9, total of 328-167).
 
* Finishing off an unbeaten league season at 8-0, Eastern joins Montana as the only multiple unbeaten teams since 1987 when the Eagles joined the league. In those 30 years, only 12 teams now have finished unbeaten, including EWU in 2016 and 2013. North Dakota has also done it this year, Idaho in 1989, Nevada in 1991 and Montana in seven seasons (1993-96-00-01-06-07-09). In all, there have been a total of 23 unbeaten seasons in 53 years of Big Sky Conference football, not counting Montana State's 3-0 finish in 1964 in a five-team league and Boise State's 7-0 mark in 1979 when it was ineligible for the title.
 
* The Eagles have won 40 of their last 46 Big Sky games since a 0-2 start in 2011. Eastern has won 30 of its last 34 league games, with the lone losses coming against Montana and Portland State in 2015 and Northern Arizona in both 2015 and 2014. An Oct. 25, 2014, loss at Northern Arizona snapped EWU's 14-game conference winning streak and a home loss against the Lumberjacks on Nov. 7, 2015, ended a streak of eight Big Sky wins in a row. Including non-conference victories (two versus MSU and one against Cal Poly) and a playoff win (Montana), the Eagles have won 34 of their last 38 versus conference foes, and are 44-6 since the 0-2 start in 2011. As a result, head coach Beau Baldwin has a 58-14 Big Sky record for a winning percentage of .806 to rank as the fifth-best in league history. His .728 winning percentage overall (83-31) is seventh all-time in the 53-year history of the Big Sky.
 
* In November and beyond since 2004, the Eagles are now 41-13, including an 11-7 record in the FCS Playoffs. Since 2010, Eastern is 26-6 overall in November and beyond, with the lone setbacks coming in 2015 to Portland State, Montana and Northern Arizona, and in the FCS Playoffs to Illinois State in 2014 (quarterfinals), Towson in 2013 (semifinals) and Sam Houston State in 2012 (semifinals). Until losing to Northern Arizona on Nov. 7, 2015, Eastern had won its last 19 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 six regular season games in November (NAU, Portland State and Montana in 2015; Sac State and Weber State in 2006; and Cal Poly in 2005), with an overall record of 30-6.                    
 
 * The Eagles have won five of the last seven games versus Portland State, but still trail in the all-time series 20-17-1. Eastern is 9-9 against the Vikings in Portland, including victories in 2010 (50-17) and 2002 (27-24) at Hillsboro Stadium. Eastern is 7-11-1 at home against them and 1-0 in neutral site games. The road team has won 11 of the last 18 meetings, not including a 2009 neutral site game in Seattle. 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 11-9 since then.
 
* Eastern has now won 18 games since 2010 when trailing or tied in the fourth quarter, including two this season, two in the 2015 season and six during EWU's national championship season in 2010. Facing deficits of 24-7 at halftime and 24-21 entering the final quarter, Eastern rallied for a 34-30 win over Northern Iowa on Sept. 17.
 
* Portland State head coach Bruce Barnum played for Eastern under legendary head coach Dick Zornes, and graduated from EWU in 1987. He redshirted in 1982 and was on the roster in 1983 but didn't letter for the Eagles after coming from Columbia River High School in Vancouver, Wash. His nickname has stuck too -- in the '82 football media guide he was listed as "Barney" and the style of football played in PSU in 2015 is called "Barnyball." On his coaching staff at PSU is former Eagle assistant coach Malik Roberson, who is currently PSU's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Roberson was at EWU from 2000-01 (student assistant) and again from 2002-07 (defensive line coach) under Paul Wulff. Former Eastern defensive end Jason Belford is PSU's defensive line coach. He played for the Eagles from 2005-08 and received his degree in 2008.
 

Head Coach Beau Baldwin Comments . . .
 
On Needed Bye Week: "It's going to be really big. We'll see where we are, but it's one of those things where you feel bad for the guys who are injured, but the next guys have to be ready to go. They were today in that second half. A lot of guys were stepping in with a couple of leaders and captains out. Whether they come back or they don't doesn't matter – we have to move forward and have a great bye week. We'll see what's up after that."