­­­­­­­#3 Eastern Washington University "Eagles" versus Idaho State University "Bengals"  Saturday, Nov. 12 • 3:35 p.m. Pacific Roos Field (8,600) • Cheney, Washington
TV:	Live regionally on SWX (Sam Adams/Bill Ames)…SWX is available via digital 6.2 in Spokane/Cheney/Coeur d'Alene/Sandpoint/Lewiston, 23.3 in Yakima and 25.3 in the Tri-Cities; also via Comcast 306/112 (Spokane); Davis Cable 514/81.2/12 (Cheney); Time Warner 1245 (Coeur d'Alene & Pullman/Moscow); Charter 183 (Tri-Cities/Yakima), Cable One 466 (Lewiston), Northland Cable 317 (Moses Lake) and Northland Cable 115 (Sandpoint).
­­­Webcast:	http://goeags.com/sports/2016/1/5/watchbigsky.aspx?id=73 or http://watchbigsky.com
Radio:	700-AM ESPN in Spokane. Larry Weir returns for his 26th season calling the play-by-play, with analysis handled by Paul Sorensen. Broadcasts begin one hour prior to kickoff and include an expanded post-game show.
Internet Radio:	http://www.700espn.com or http://www.tunein.com.
Radio iPhone App:	Search for "700 ESPN" and download app. An app is also available for tunein radio.
Live Stats:	http://ewustats.com
Weekly Coaches Show:	Mondays at 6 p.m. at the "Impulse Club" at Northern Quest Resort & Casino, with video highlights and commentary by head coach Beau Baldwin at 5:30 p.m. (no video or show on Nov. 14 and Nov. 21). . .  700-AM ESPN, http://www.700espn.com & via iphone app. (search for "Spokane Radio" and download app).
Watch Parties:	Consult EWU social media outlets for details the Friday before games. Those who may carry EWU games include "Epic" at Northern Quest Casino and Resort in Airway Heights, Borracho in downtown Spokane and the Swinging Doors in North Spokane.

With due respect to all 12 Eagle seniors, it could be dubbed "Cooper Kupp Day" in addition to Senior Day.
 
With the sensational Eagle wide receiver just six catches from equaling the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision career record for receptions, the Eastern Washington University football team will honor 12 seniors this Saturday (Nov. 12) when Idaho State and former Eagle head coach Mike Kramer visits Roos Field in a Big Sky Conference game with lots of playoff implications for EWU.
 
Kickoff is 3:35 p.m. Pacific time in a game televised live regionally on SWX and also available via watchbigsky.com. Fans can also listen to the game on 700-AM ESPN and via the web at www.700espn.com, with pre-game coverage starting one hour prior to kickoff and the broadcasts featuring an expanded post-game show.
 
Kupp has already broken 12 FCS, eight Big Sky and 21 EWU records in his illustrious 47-game Eastern career, but this week's is the biggest. Already the owner of FCS career records with 68 receiving touchdowns and 5,924 yards, he has 389 receptions and is now just six catches behind the record of 395 set by Elon's Terrell Hudgins from 2006-09. Kupp has already exceeded the FBS record of 387 held by Justin Hardy of East Carolina from 2011-14. Kupp broke a 12th FCS all-time mark on Oct. 29 versus Montana when he caught a pass in his 46th-straight game, which was extended to 47 in a 42-21 victory against Cal Poly when he had two passing touchdowns and another one receiving.
 
The reigning FCS Offensive Player of the Year received just two NCAA Division I offers out of high school – Eastern and Idaho State. And he's had quite a career versus the Bengals, with 30 catches for 498 yards and seven touchdowns, plus a 24-yard touchdown pass and a 76-yard punt return for a score. Thus, he's had 598 yards and averaged 18.7 on 32 touches against ISU, with a total of nine touchdowns for a TD every 3.6 touches.
 
It may be the last regular season game at "The Inferno" for Kupp and his fellow seniors, but they certainly hope they won't be clearing out their lockers any time soon. Eastern is 8-1 overall with a seven-game winning streak, and is 6-0 in the league. The Eagles played the top rushing offense in FCS last week at Cal Poly, and the EWU defense held the Mustangs to 21 points while coming up with a pair of turnovers and two key fourth-down stops.
 
"The seniors deserve the recognition – they've continued to lay the bricks on our foundation," said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin. "Yes, the foundation was laid way back by coaches Dick Zornes, Mike Kramer and Paul Wulff, and a lot of other people through the years. We're just honored to continue to lay down the foundation.
 
"When you talk about these seniors, these are players who have continued the runs we had in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014," he continued. "It's harder to be consistent over time, especially when you are a team who opponents circle on their calendar. It's even tougher these days than five or six years ago. A lot of credit goes to these seniors and their work ethic for what they have to do each and every day to earn victories."
 
Idaho State is 2-7 overall and 1-5 in the Big Sky, and is coming off a 62-44 shootout loss at Montana in which ISU allowed 20 points in the first quarter and 21 in the second and fourth periods. The two teams combined for 1,111 yards of offense. The Bengals haven't won since knocking off Sacramento State at home 42-34 on Sept. 24, and their only other victory was a season-opening 47-3 romp over Simon Fraser.
 
"It's going to be a challenge -- we know they have some firepower and can put some points on the scoreboard," said Baldwin. "They are going to play lights-out and bring everything they have. I know Coach Kramer will have them ready and we know we're in for a battle."
 
The Eagles close the regular season Nov. 18 (Friday) at Portland State, then two days later will find out their playoff fate. Eastern is gunning for its ninth Big Sky title and 12th FCS Playoff berth in school history. The league champion receives an automatic berth in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs, with pairings announced on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 8 a.m. Pacific time on ESPNU.
 
The Eagles are keeping pace in the league standings with 7-0 North Dakota, but the two teams don't play each other. 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 66th among all Division I schools, while North Dakota is 23rd among FCS schjols and 135th overall. North Dakota State is No. 1 in FCS and 55th overall.
 
The Eagles opened the year by beating Washington State of the Pacific-12 Conference (45-42), falling in overtime to top-ranked and five-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State (50-44) and beating 10th-ranked Northern Iowa (34-30). The Eagles then opened league play with a 50-35 victory against league favorite Northern Arizona, the first of four victories during the winning streak over nationally-ranked foes.
 
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. In the first of three polls released by the FCS Selection Committee on Nov. 3, the top five teams were Jacksonville State, Sam Houston State, Eastern Washington, North Dakota State and James Madison.
 
 
 
 

Senior Day at Roos Field

 
A total of 12 Eastern seniors will be playing their final regular season game at Roos Field against Idaho State, including 11 starters in the 2016 season. The only non-starter is quarterback Jordan West, who started 13 games during his sophomore and junior seasons. In all, the 12 seniors have started 276 games with nine of the 12 concluding their careers as four-year letterwinners. From 2013-16, Eastern has won 37 games overall and 26 in the Big Sky Conference, with two outright Big Sky Conference championships and NCAA Football Championship Playoff berths when most played as freshmen and sophomores. Wide receiver Shaq Hill actually started his career in 2012 when the Eagles finished 11-3 overall and 7-1 in the Big Sky in the first year of a three-peat as league champs and FCS Playoffs participant. Hill redshirted in 2015, thus, he could become the player to see action in four years to win Big Sky titles each year, with a collective record of 42-10 overall and 28-2 in the league. The only player in school history to letter in four playoff years is kicker Kevin Miller (2009-10-12-13), and Hill could be the second.
 
11 - #Kendrick Bourne - WR - 6-3 - 190 - Sr. - 4L - Portland, Ore. (Milwaukie Arts Academy '13) – 28 starts
2 - #Jabari Wilson - RB - 5-11 - 200 - Sr. - 4L* - Carson, Calif. (Orange Lutheran HS '12) – 16 starts
5 - Jordan West - QB - 6-4 - 220 - Sr. - 3L* - Maple Valley, Wash. (Liberty HS '12) – 13 starts
60 - #Jerrod Jones - OL - 6-4 - 300 - Sr. - 3L* - Arlington, Wash. (Lakewood HS '12) – 5 starts
94 - #Matthew Sommer - DL - 6-5 - 300 - Sr. - 4L - Salem, Ore. (West Salem HS '13) – 27 starts
23 - #J.J. Njoku - DB - 5-9 - 200 - Sr. - 2L* - Tacoma, Wash. (Lakes HS '12) – 7 starts

Senior Co-Captains . . .
32 - #Zach Bruce - DB - 5-10 - 195 - Sr. - 4L* - Spokane, Wash. (University HS '12) – 19 starts
3 - #Samson Ebukam - DL - 6-3 - 240 - Sr. - 4L - Portland, Ore. (David Douglas HS '13) – 33 starts
1 - #Shaq Hill - WR - 5-10 - 180 - Sr. - 4L* - Stockton, Calif. (Brookside Christian HS '11) – 20 starts
10 - #Cooper Kupp - WR - 6-2 - 215 - Sr. - 4L* - Yakima, Wash. (Davis HS '12) – 47 starts
9 - #Zach Wimberly - TE - 6-2 - 240 - Sr. - 4L* - Tumwater, Wash. (Tumwater HS '12) – 20 starts
4 - #Miquiyah Zamora - LB - 6-1 - 230 - Sr. - 4L* - Pasco, Wash. (Chiawana HS '12) – 41 starts
#Starter in 2016. *Used redshirt season.
 
 
 
 

Records/Milestone Watch

 
Just Six Catches from FCS Record, Kupp Now Up to 12 FCS Records, 8 Big Sky Marks and 21 School Records
 
Eastern senior Cooper Kupp has now broken 12 FCS records, eight Big Sky Conference all-time marks and 21 school records, and this week should break the biggest of all. Already the owner of FCS career records with 68 receiving touchdowns and 5,924 yards, he has 389 receptions and is now just six catches behind the record of 395 set by Elon's Terrell Hudgins from 2006-09.
 
He broke a 12th FCS all-time mark on Oct. 29 versus Montana when he caught a pass in his 46th-straight game, and has since extended it to 47. Jacksonville State's Josh Barge also has a current total of 47 in a row, and he and Kupp passed the record of 45 originally set by Marcus Lee of Towson (2005-08), then tied by current EWU wide receivers coach Nicholas Edwards (2009-12) and Tyrone Walker from Illinois State from (2009-12). Current Eagle Kendrick Bourne has a current 34-game streak, and other long streaks by former Eagles include Eric Kimble (44 from 2002-05), Aaron Boyce (42 from 2006-09) and Ashton Clark (36 from 2011-13). Boyce could have had a streak of 46, but he tore his Achilles in 2009 with four regular season games left to play.
 
Kupp and Bourne have also combined for FCS records for combined career catches (579) and combined career yards (8,746). In addition, Kupp's 126.0 average reception yards per game is currently a FCS career record, while his other six FCS records were set during his freshman season.
 
Kupp broke the school record for career all-purpose yards on Oct. 22 at Montana State – he now has 6,413 to break the previous record of 5,934 set by Eric Kimble from 2002-05. With Kupp now ranking fifth in Big Sky history, the league record is 7,112 with running backs all holding the top four positions. He bested the top receiver on the list, Fred Amey from Sacramento State with 6,343 from 2001-04.
 
With a 12-catch, 274-yard performance against UC Davis on Oct. 1, Kupp broke the FCS record for career receiving yards. His current total of 5,924 broke the record of 5,250 set by Elon's Terrell Hudgins from 2006-09. Kupp's 274 yards were one away from the school record he set a year ago against Northern Colorado. His record-breaking performance earned him Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors for the fourth time in his career (three on offense, one on special teams). In addition, Kupp earned honorable mention for STATS FCS National Player of the Week accolades.
 
Kupp broke the FCS record for career TD catches with a three touchdown day at Washington State on Sept. 3, breaking the previous FCS record of 58 set by New Hampshire's David Ball from 2003-06. Now with 68 in his career, Kupp equaled and then exceeded the FBS record as well against North Dakota State on Sept. 10. He had his 60th early in the second quarter to tie the mark of 60 set by Jarett Dillard of Rice from 2005-08, then had his 61st later in the quarter. Kupp is well behind the NCAA Division II record of 78 set by Dallas Mall of Bentley from 2001-04 and the NCAA Division III record is 75 set by Scott Pingel of Westminster (Mo.) from 1996-99, but Kupp has also exceeded the NAIA record of 59 set by Alvin Ashley of Southwest State (Minn.) from 1990-93.
 
Kupp 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 253 yards from the all-division collegiate record.
 
For catches, the FBS record is 387 held by Justin Hardy of East Carolina from 2011-14, and Kupp exceeded that on Nov. 5 against Cal Poly. Interestingly, Taylor Stubblefield and Kupp both graduated from Davis High School in Yakima, Wash., and Stubblefield once held the FBS record with 316 catches for Purdue from 2001-04. Additionally, Kupp has exceeded the NCAA Division II record (386, Justin Bernard, St. Anselm, 2010-14), but trails the all-time marks in Division III (463, Michael Zweifel, Wisconsin-River Falls/Dubuque, 2007-11) and NAIA (430, Chris George, Glenville State, 1991-94).
 
 
Chasing Their Receivers Coach, Bourne & Hill Climb EWU Receiving Charts
 
With 190 career receptions for 2,822 yards and 25 touchdowns, senior Kendrick Bourne now ranks in the top nine in all three categories in school history. His touchdowns ranks ninth and his receptions are seventh, with Tony Davis (213 from 2006-09) and his wide receivers coach Nicholas Edwards (215 from 2009-12) the next players to catch. Bourne is now sixth in yards, moving past the total of 2,634 by Edwards against Montana on Oct. 29, and is 191 yards from fifth (3,013, Tony Brooks, 1990-93).
 
Teammate Shaq Hill has 152 career catches to rank 14th in school history, good for 2,448 yards (10th) and 27 touchdowns (sixth). He had a school-record four touchdown day against Northern Colorado on Oct. 8 and had three more at Cal Poly on Nov. 5, and is one touchdown from ranking fifth in that category. He is five receptions from the No. 13 position (157, Jon Vea, 1983-86) and 13 from No. 12 (165, Greg Herd, 2009-12). Hill is also 76 yards from ranking ninth (2,524, Jason Anderson, 1991-94).
 
In all, the trio of Hill, Bourne and Cooper Kupp have combined for 731 catches for 11,194 yards and 121 touchdowns in 145 games played (95 starts). Adding junior Nic Sblendorio (33 games, 8 starts, 65 catches, 894 yards, 5 TD) and that quartet has a combined 178 games worth of experience (103 starts) with 796 catches for 12,088 yards (15.2 per catch) and 126 touchdowns.
 
 
Shaq Hill Sets Career Kickoff Return Yardage Record
 
Wide receiver/kickoff returner Shaq Hill has broken the school record for career kickoff return yards, with a current total of 2,290 yards to pass the 2,176 of Craig Richardson from 1983-86. With 94 career returns, Hill previously broke Richardson's record of 80. Hill's average of 24.4 yards per return is currently eighth in school history, as he has had returns of 99, 93, 90 and 80 yards in his career (two of them for touchdowns). His 4,846 all-purpose yards are currently fourth in school history, and he needs only 175 to move into third (5,021, Taiwan Jones, 2008-10).
 
 
Ebukam Moves Into 12th in School History With 18 Sacks
 
Senior defensive end Samson Ebukam had a sack versus Montana on Oct. 29, giving him 18 in his career to rank 12th in school history. He also had a pair of sacks in EWU's season opener against Washington State and a half-sack against Northern Iowa. He needs one more to move his way into the top 10 on EWU's all-time lists. A 33-game starter as an Eagle, Ebukam has 159 tackles in his 48-game career. One of six Eagle co-captains for the 2016 season, he received second-team All-Big Sky honors in both 2014 and 2015.
 
Although he didn't get credit for any sacks, he certainly made it difficult on Montana State's offense in a 41-17 Eagle win on Oct. 22. He had four tackles, including one on a forced fumble that was recovered by the Eagles. He also had the pressure that led to sack by teammate Jay-Tee Tiuli in the second quarter. Eastern's defense surrendered 17 points in the first 16:03 of the game, but MSU didn't score again in the final 43:57. Eastern forced five turnovers and had none themselves – the 35th-straight game EWU has won when it has also won the turnover battle. The Eagles outgained MSU 421-152 in the final three quarters and had a 496-349 advantage in the game. It was the fewest points EWU has surrendered in its last 10 games, its fewest passing yards (98) in 13 games and its fewest yards overall (349) in the last 19.
 
 
Now With 329 Career Tackles, Zamora Just Two From No. 7 Position on Leaders List
 
Senior Miquiyah Zamora became the 10th Eagle in school history to have 300 tackles in his career, with a current total of 329 to rank eighth all-time at EWU. The next players for him to catch are Joey Cwik with 331 (2002-05) and Matt Johnson with 341 (2008-11). Zamora ranks 40th in FCS and sixth in the league with an average of 9.0 tackles per game, while teammate Zach Bruce has an 8.9 average to rank 44th and eighth, respectively,
 
Zamora had the ninth double-figure performance of his career and fourth this season when he had 11 against Montana on Oct. 29. He had 14 tackles on Sept. 17 against Northern Iowa, and also had a sack, another tackle for loss, a pass broken up and a quarterback hurry to earn co-Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors. He was the first Eagle honored with that award since Ronnie Hamlin earned the honor twice in 2012. Zamora's 14 tackles against UNI was his seventh career double-figures tackle performance, and was two from his career high. Seven of his tackles came in the second half when EWU held UNI to a pair of field goals, 96 total yards (only nine in the third quarter) and forced five three-and-outs (including one ending with a missed field goal). Zamora's pass broken up was in the third quarter on third down and led to a punt, and his sack was on third down and forced UNI to kick a field goal to give them a short-lived 30-28 lead. The Panthers converted only one of their last 11 third downs, as the Eagles held Northern Iowa to 353 total yards of offense. It was Eastern's best defensive performance since it limited Montana to 347 in a 37-20 win over the Grizzlies in the FCS Playoffs on Dec. 6, 2014. The Eagles allowed three touchdowns in the first half, but held the Panthers to just a pair of field goals in their final eight possessions of the game. Although UNI quarterback Aaron Bailey had 101 yards rushing, the Eagles held Panther running back Tyvis Smith – and All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection a year ago -- to 53 yards on 24 carries (2.2 per carry).
 
 
Career Average for Dascalo is Third Among the Top Punters in School History
 
In his second year as an Eagle, junior Jordan Dascalo has now punted 62 times as an Eagle for a 41.5 career average which currently ranks third in school history. He also is 4-of-7 in his EWU career kicking field goals, and has averaged 59.3 yards (5,279 total yards) in 89 career kickoffs with 34 touchbacks.
 
Dascalo, who punted as a freshman in 2014 for Washington State, earned Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his performance against his former team on Sept. 3. He averaged 55.3 yards on three punts, including one downed inside the Cougar 20-yard line. He also kicked a 48-yard field goal on the final play of the first half that started a decisive 17-0 scoring run by the Eagles in the 45-42 win. He also had seven kickoffs for a 57.0 average against WSU with one touchback. His 48-yarder equaled the 23rd-longest in school history and was the best in nearly seven years by an Eagle since Mike Jarrett booted a 49-yarder versus Idaho State on 10/3/09.  
 
"If I were to say there were five or six plays that were the biggest plays of the games, that field goal before halftime was one of the biggest plays of the game," said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin. "For him to hit that was huge. He hit some good kickoffs and he had three good punts. He's become a player you can count on to do all three aspects of our kicking game – that's rare," Baldwin added. "You don't see many kickers/punters these days and it's usually more specialized. Granted, he's not our normal field goal kicker, but he has the strongest leg. So if we get outside a 40-yard field goal we start thinking about if this is Dascalo range."
 
 
 
 

Team Game Notes

 
Defense Holds Last Three Opponents to 54 Points to Lower Big Sky Average to 25.0 Per Game
 
The Eagles have won its last three games by an average of 24.7 points per game, led by a defense which has allowed just 54 points (18.0 per game) in those three victories. Eastern's defense has allowed just 25.0 points per game (150 total) during its 6-0 Big Sky Conference start after allowing 40.7 against three challenging non-conference opponents. Eastern has out-scored opponents by an average of 21.7 points per game in six league games thus far (46.7 to 25.0, total of 280-150).
 
A year after allowing 57 points in a 41-point setback to Montana, the Eagle defense allowed just 16 in the rematch on Oct. 29 at Roos Field in EWU's 35-16 victory. The 16 points for the Griz was their lowest total in the last 33 games in the series dating back 32 years to a 14-14 tie in 1984. Four of Montana's seven possessions in the first half ended with an interception, a missed fourth-down conversion, a missed field goal and two punts. In the second half, Eastern had an interception and forced Montana to punt four times – including a pair of three-and-outs.
 
 
 
Eastern is 23-11 (68 percent) Since 2010 Versus Ranked Opponents
 
The Eagles have now played 117 games against ranked teams in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision since becoming a member of that classification in 1983 (then known as I-AA). Eastern is 52-65 (.444) in those games, including a 17-41 mark (.293) versus top 10 foes. Since 2010, though, the Eagles are 23-11 overall (.676) and 8-6 (.571) versus top 10 teams. Thus far this year, EWU is 4-1, having lost to top-ranked North Dakota State by a 50-44 score in overtime.  Eastern defeated Northern Iowa, ranked 10th at the time, by a 34-30 score on Sept. 17, beat No. 25 Northern Arizona 50-35 on Sept. 24, defeated No. 16 Montana 35-16 on Oct. 29 and then knocked off No. 14 Cal Poly 42-21 on Nov. 5.
Overall, EWU has faced the No. 1 team in FCS nine times, winning twice (35-31 in 2004 over Southern Illinois in the FCS Playoffs and 30-21 in 2002 over Montana at Albi Stadium in Spokane, Wash.
 
 
Eagles Have Impressive 38-6 Big Sky Record Since 0-2 Start in 2011
 
The Eagles have won 38 of their last 44 Big Sky games since a 0-2 start in 2011. Eastern has won 28 of its last 32 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 32 of their last 36 versus conference foes, and are 42-6 since the 0-2 start in 2011. As a result, head coach Beau Baldwin has a 56-14 Big Sky record for a winning percentage of .800 to rank as the fifth-best in league history. His .723 winning percentage overall (81-31) is seventh all-time in the 53-year history of the Big Sky.
 
 
50th Season at Roos/Woodward Field Begins 4-0
 
The 50th season of football at EWU's current stadium location featured a come-from-behind 34-30 win against Northern Iowa, a 63-35 outburst against UC Davis, 49-31 triumph over Northern Colorado and a huge 35-16 victory over rival Montana. The Eagles close the regular season home schedule against Idaho State (Nov. 12) for Senior Day. Eastern has a current streak of 19 consecutive regular season sellouts and a total of 29 (crowds of 8,600 or more). The Montana game on Oct. 29 had a crowd of 11,931 to rank as the fifth-most in school history, with the top three coming versus the Griz (11,702 in 2010, 11,583 in 2006 and 11,339 in 2014).
 
The 2016 football season at Eastern Washington University marks the 50th season Eastern has played its football games at its current site in Cheney, Wash. But this is the seventh as "Roos Field," as a new red synthetic Sprinturf surface made its debut in 2010. Eastern finished a perfect 8-0 in its debut season at "The Inferno," including three playoff victories. Eastern is 38-7 overall (84 percent) since the red turf was installed in 2010 – including a 4-0 record versus rival Montana. Eastern has a 151-62 record (70.9 percent) in 213 games at Roos Field since 1967, with the Eagles utilizing Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane as the school's main home field from 1983-89.
 
 
On School Record Pace, Eastern Still Second in Total Offense and Maintains Lead in Passing Offense
 
Eastern ranks second in FCS in total offense with an average of 550.6 yards per game, trailing only Sam Houston State at 596.2 per outing. After nine games, Eastern is the FCS leader in passing offense (432.8 yards per game) and completion percentage (.700), and is third in passing efficiency (178.42), fourth in scoring offense (44.8) and fourth in third down conversions (52.0 percent). Eastern's school records for a single season for total offense is 533.5 set in 2013 when EWU finished with a total of 8,002, and the record for passing offense is 368.4 set in 2011 (yardage record is 5,247 set in 2013)..
 
 
With Streak of 251 Pass Attempts Without an Interception Ended versus Montana, Eagles Rank 12th in FCS in TO Margin
 
The Eagles are ranked 12th this week in FCS in turnover margin, with an average of +1.0 per game (20 total takeaways and only 11 giveaways). The Eagles had a streak of 251 passes without an interception snapped versus Montana on Oct. 29, a streak that went back to a third-quarter interception versus Northern Iowa on Sept. 17. Sophomore Gage Gubrud had his personal string of passes without an interception snapped at 222 when the Grizzlies tipped and intercepted a pass in the third quarter. He had a second interception in the fourth period. The Big Sky record is 342, and Eastern's Matt Nichols stretches of 151 and 267 (school record) without a pick as a senior in 2009 when he had only six interceptions in 458 total attempts.
 
 
Eastern Now 36-0 Since 2010 When Winning the Turnover Battle
 
After going six games without winning the turnover battle, Eastern had turnover advantages in back-to-back outings in wins over Northern Arizona and UC Davis, then had a 5-0 advantage at Montana State on Oct. 22 and a 2-1 lead over Cal Poly. Eastern had a trio of interceptions by Bruce, Tucker and Nzuzi Webster at NAU in winning its first turnover battle in seven games since winning 1-0 in a 14-13 win over Weber State on Oct. 31, 2015. The Eagles lost the turnover battle 3-1 to North Dakota State and 2-1 to UNI after tying 1-1 versus Washington State. Eastern tied Northern Colorado 1-1 on Oct. 8 and tied Montana 2-2 on Oct. 29.
In eight-plus seasons (­2008-present) under head coach Beau Baldwin, the Eagles are 45-1 when they've won the turnover battle, 20-5 when they've been tied and 16-25 when they've lost (total of 81-31). The last time EWU lost when it won the turnover battle came in the 2009 FCS Playoffs at Stephen F. Austin when EWU had two miscues and forced four in the 44-33 loss. Thus, EWU is 36-0 since 2010 when they've won the turnover battle, 17-4 when they've been tied and 14-18 when they've lost. That's a collective record of 67-22 (75 percent), with 18 of those 22 losses (82 percent) coming in games EWU has lost the turnover battle and 54 percent of EWU's wins coming when they've won the turnover battle (79 percent when including ties).
 
 
Eagles Have 143-41 Advantage in Third Quarter and 242-91 in Second Half
 
Despite trailing at halftime in five of eight games this season, a big part of EWU's 8-1 record is the team's third-quarter production, having outscored opponents 143-41 in that period. The only leads EWU has had at halftime were by the slimmest of margins – 21-14 at Cal Poly, 21-10 versus Montana, 24-17 against MSU and 22-21 at Northern Arizona when the Eagles kicked a 44-yard field goal with 23 seconds left in the second quarter. Eastern has had a third quarter advantage in every game, including 14-0 versus Washington State, 10-7 against North Dakota State, 14-0 versus Northern Iowa, 14-7 against Northern Arizona, 35-7 against UC Davis, 21-7 versus Northern Colorado, 7-0 versus Montana State, 14-6 against Montana and 14-7 in EWU's last outing versus Cal Poly. Eastern has had a fourth quarter advantage in seven of its last eight games (with one 0-0 tie), and owns a 99-50 advantage for the season. Eastern has a 242-91 advantage in the second half, but a 161-175 disadvantage in the first half (71-73 in first quarter, 90-102 in second). Its second quarter woes were punctuated by a 23-0 advantage for UC Davis on Oct. 1. Eastern's only loss this season was a six-point setback in overtime at North Dakota State, which scored a touchdown after EWU went scoreless on its first possession of OT. EWU missed a 49-yard field goal at the end of regulation that would have won it.
 
 
Eagles Record 52nd 50-Point Performance, With 13 Since 2012
 
The Eagles hit the 50-point mark for the 52nd time in school history when they beat UC Davis 63-30 on Oct. 1 – equaling EWU's best against a member of FCS and in a Big Sky game, and ranking eighth overall in 108 seasons of football at Eastern. Eastern also hit that mark versus Northern Arizona one game earlier in a 50-35 win on Sept. 24, coming a year after their last (55-50 win over Montana State on 9/19/15). Eastern has had 13 50-point games in the last five seasons (including 2016), with one in 2015, six in 2014 and two each in 2013 and 2012. Eastern is now 49-3 in the 52 games they have scored at least 50 in school history. The lone losses were to Washington (59-52 in 2014), Idaho State (55-52 in 2003 in double overtime) and Weber State (63-59 in 1991, which at the time was the highest-scoring game in FCS/I-AA history). Eastern has a program high of four 50+ scoring games versus MSU, including meetings in 2004, 2013, 2014, and 2015. Eastern has scored 50 or more against Weber State and Idaho State on three occasions.
 
 
After Rally Versus UNI, Eagles Have Now Won 17 Games Since 2010 When Trailing or Tied in the Final Quarter
 
Eastern has now won 17 games since 2010 when trailing or tied in the fourth quarter, including one 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. After a 21-0 scoring run overcame the deficit and gave Eastern the lead early in the fourth quarter, the Eagles actually trailed 30-28 with 4:13 left. But the Eagles rallied behind the relief quarterbacking of Reilly Hennessey, and his 23-yard touchdown pass to Beau Byus with 43 seconds remaining capped an 11-play, 75 yard drive. That TD came on a fake when EWU elected against a 40-yard field goal attempt against the wind. Hennessey was 8-of-10 for 82 yards on the drive (there was one rush for two and two penalties against EWU for 10 yards). It was the first catch in the career for Byus, a fourth-string sophomore tight end and emergency offensive tackle who graduated in 2014 from nearby Central Valley High School in Spokane.
 
 
 
 

Player Game Notes

 
Cooper Kupp Makes Plays With Arm Too in 42-21 Victory Over Cal Poly
 
It's rare when senior wide receiver Cooper Kupp misses a pass, let alone the sure touchdown grab he had in a tight game late in the first half against 14th-ranked Cal Poly on Nov. 5. But rarer is the fact he passed for more touchdowns than he had receiving. Kupp passed for two touchdowns in the third quarter to open up a 35-14 lead, and then he added a TD reception in the fourth quarter to clinch the 42-21 win over the Mustangs.
 
"At the time you're just in shock because you never see it," Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin said of the miss that left EWU clinging to a 21-14 halftime lead. "But that's a compliment for the consistency he's shown throughout his career. He's hardest on himself and you don't even need to say anything – you just let it go and move on. He's good at that too."
 
Kupp finished with 11 catches for 154 yards and a touchdown, to go along with his 2-of-2 passing with TD passes of 28 and 10 yards to Shaq Hill. It was the 29th time in Kupp's 47-game career he has had more than 100 yards receiving, and the 14th time with at least 10 catches. He has now accounted for 74 touchdowns in his career (68 receiving, four passing and two on punt returns), and has scored at least once in 39 of 47 games he has played.
 
"Adding a couple of touchdown throws in there was pretty slick," added Baldwin. "Coach (Troy) Taylor did a good job of dialing those up at the right time. Both of them were open, but they weren't the typical wide-open throws you see on those kind of plays. He had to make some throws and he put them in some tight spots."
 
Kupp has 78 catches for 1,160 yards in just eight games played this season, already ranking 10th and 12th, respectively, in school history.
 
 
Gage Gubrud on Pace to Set Big Sky Passing & Total Offense Records & Rank #3 All-Time in FCS
 
Sophomore quarterback Gage Gubrud has put up some remarkable numbers in his first season as EWU's starter, so impressive in fact that he may set a pair of Big Sky Conference records and rank among the top three in NCAA Championship Subdivision history. His average of 395.0 passing yards per game is ahead of the Big Sky record of 379.6 set by Dave Dickenson of Montana in 1995. Gubrud's average for total offense is 442.4, with the Big Sky record currently owned by Jamie Martin of Weber State with a 394.3 average in 1991. Both of Gubrud's season marks currently rank third in FCS history, with the records owned by Willie Totten of Mississippi Valley State (455.7 passing yards in 1984) and Steve McNair of Alcorn State (527.2 in 1994). Gubrud is well ahead of school records for average yards passing (364.5 set by Bo Levi Mitchell in 2011) and total offense (376.8 set by Vernon Adams Jr. in 2014).
 
Interestingly, Martin won the 1991 Payton Award given to the top offensive player in FCS, McNair won in 1994, Dickenson won in 1995, Mitchell won in 2011 and Adams was a two-time runner-up. In 2012, Old Dominion's Taylor Heinicke won the award and he is currently No. 3 all-time in FCS with averages of 390.5 passing yards and 426.6 yards of total offense per game. The Payton Award started in 1987, three years after Totten's big numbers.
 
 
Now on STATS Watch List, Gage Gubrud Remains NCAA Statistical Leader in Passing and Total Offense
 
Bidding to lead FCS in passing offense for the second-straight year, Eastern has been led by sophomore Gage Gubrud in his first year as a starter. The 2014 graduate of McMinnville (Ore.) High School has passed for 3,555 yards, 34 touchdowns and a .697 completion percentage, and has also rushed for a team-leading 427 yards (4.7 per carry) and four more scores. As a result, on Oct. 4 he was named to the mid-season "Watch List" for the STATS NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Offensive Player of the Year Award, joining Eagle senior wide receiver and last year's recipient of the award, Cooper Kupp. Gubrud was one of four players added to the 22 players already on the watch list.
 
As a result, Gubrud is the FCS leader in total offense at 442.4 per game, passing yards (3,555) and passing yards per game (395.0), and is second in points responsible per game (26.4), total points responsible for (236) and passing touchdowns (35). He is also third in completion percentage (.697) and fourth in passing efficiency (175.9) and. He is already among EWU's season leaders for passing yards (seventh), touchdown passes (third) and total offensive yards (fifth with 3,982).
 
Teammate Cooper Kupp missed 1 1/2 games with a shoulder injury, but leads FCS in receiving yards per game (145.0), is second in receptions per game (9.8), and is fourth in receiving touchdowns (12). Senior Kendrick Bourne is 21st in receptions per game (6.4) and 14th in receiving yards per game (99.2), while senior Shaq Hill is 33rd in average receptions (5.5), 26th in average yards (87.4) and second in receiving touchdowns with 13. That trio is 1-2-5 in the Big Sky in receiving yards per game, 1-3-7 in receptions per game, and 1-2-9 in touchdown receptions (Bourne has five).
 
 
Familiar With Misfortune, Njoku Making Most of His Opportunities
 
Senior J.J. Njoku suffered an Achilles injury upon transferring to Eastern Washington from Washington State, but the same misfortune by a different player has opened the way for the senior from Tacoma, Wash., to put together an impressive season thus far as EWU's rover.
 
Njoku had seven tackles plus a key fumble recovery in EWU's 42-21 victory over 14th-ranked Cal Poly on Nov. 5. He was credited with assisted tackles on EWU's two fourth-down stops of the Mustangs. Eastern's defense came up big on Cal Poly's first two possession of the second half, forcing a three-and-out before Njoku recovered an errant lateral by the Mustangs. Eastern followed with a 28-yard scoring drive, capped by the second touchdown pass of the night by Cooper Kupp to Shaq Hill, this time for 10 yards to put EWU up 35-14.
 
Njoku has started the last seven games since starter Cole Karstetter ruptured his Achilles versus North Dakota State on Sept. 10. Njoku has 31 tackles, two passes broken up and two fumbled recoveries this season.
 
 
Gubrud a Multiple Recipient of National Player of the Week Honors
 
Sophomore quarterback Gage Gubrud has just nine career starts (8-1 record), but he already owns six of the top 11 single game total offense performances in school history and five of the top 18 passing performances. In addition, he had an impressive string of 222 passes without an interception, going four full games from Sept. 24 to Oct. 22 without a pick.
 
Gubrud was given two more awards on Oct. 24, earning the prestigious STATS National FCS Offensive Player of the Week Award as well as Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week from the league office. One day earlier, Gubrud was the College Sports Madness FCS Offensive Player of the Week and its BSC Offensive Player of the Week after passing for a school-record 520 yards in a 41-17 win at Montana State on Oct. 22. He also earned FCS Performer of the Week honorable mention accolades from College Football Performance Awards.
 
Gubrud completed 37-of-51 passes, and broke the previous school record of 491 set by teammate Jordan West in 2015 versus Sacramento State. Gubrud had touchdown passes to four different receivers versus MSU, and his 538 yards of total offense were second only to the school-record 551 he had in the first start of his career in a 45-42 victory at Washington State.
 
The MSU game was Gubrud's second game to receive national honors, having earned College Football Performance Awards FCS National Performer of the Week for his performance against Washington State. He also received honorable mention recognition after both the UC Davis and Northern Colorado games in early October. In addition, he's been honored as Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week three times by the league office, and twice by College Sports Madness.
 
 
Big Sky Player of the Week Cooper Kupp Terrorizes Grizzlies Again in 35-16 Victory to Go Over 1,000 Yards Receiving for Fourth Time
 
His numbers are eye-popping, but the numbers that mean most to senior Cooper Kupp are 5-1 and 10-1.
 
Those are the win-loss records for Eastern Washington University's football team over Montana and collectively against UM and Montana State since he arrived on campus in 2012. With three touchdowns receiving and a 54-yard pass to set-up another score, he helped guide Eastern to a 35-16 victory over the Griz on Oct. 29 to earn Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors from the league office as well as College Sports Madness. He had eight catches for 140 yards, including TD receptions of 69, 40 and 5 yards.
 
In five games versus the Montana Grizzlies, Kupp has had 50 touches against the Griz, resulting in an average of 16.8 yards, eight touchdowns and one 54-yard play down to the Montana 2-yard line. And best of all, five victories in six games versus Montana since his redshirt season in 2012.
 
"His biggest attribute is his consistency, and that he continues to find ways to produce when everybody's eyes are on him," said head coach Beau Baldwin. "But he'll be the first to tell you it's easy to be get open and find success when he's playing around a lot of other great players. Whenever that moment is there, he makes a play. That's why he has such huge numbers over the years – he doesn't miss an opportunity. And the reason he doesn't miss those opportunities is that he prepares to such a level that when an opportunity presents itself, he gets it done time after time after time. Plus, he has the guts and the toughness not to be worried about any moment – he just goes out and gets it done."
 
He now has career totals of 45 catches for 660 yards and six touchdowns in five games against the Griz, as well as a punt return for a TD and a passing score. He is 2-of-2 passing versus the Griz, including a 54-yard pass to sophomore quarterback Gage Gubrud that set-up a score in the 2016 meeting and a 21-yard touchdown pass to Kendrick Bourne in 2015. He has had three punt returns for 103 yards and an average of 34.3 yards per return. Thus, his total on 50 touches against UM is 838 yards for an average of 16.8 per touch.
 
His performance against Montana earned him Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors from the league and College Football Madness. He went over the 1,000-yard mark for the fourth time in his career, with only 13 other performances with at least that amount in school history.
 
 
Roldan Alcobendas Wins Big Sky Player of the Week Award After Performance at Montana State
 
Returning to the venue he suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2014, junior Roldan Alcobendas made field goals of 48 and 31 yards and had a career-high 11 total points in EWU's 41-17 victory over Montana State to earn Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
 
His 48-yarder was the best of his career, and equals the 23rd-longest in school history. He also had a 31-yarder blocked and made all five of his extra point attempts to account for 11 of EWU's points. In addition, he averaged 64.0 yards in three kickoffs, including one touchback.
 
"It was huge and into a little breeze too," Eagle head coach Beau Baldwin said of the key 48-yarder that came with no time remaining in the second quarter after a 49-yard drive to give Eastern a 24-17 halftime advantage. That was a big kick, and a big drive altogether. It's important to get that halftime momentum – especially when you get the ball back to start the second half – because a lot of games are won or lost during the first few minutes of the first half and coming out in the third quarter."
 
Alcobendas is a 2013 graduate of Camas (Wash.) High School, and had to sit out both the 2013 and 2015 seasons because of knee injuries. This year, he is 6-of-11 kicking field goals and has made 49-of-50 extra points. He has also averaged 57.4 yards on 24 kickoffs with six touchbacks. In his 12-game career, Alcobendas has made 7-of-12 field goals and 71-of-74 extra points.
 
 
Hill Honored for Record-Breaking Day Against Northern Colorado
 
In a perfect "pick your poison" scenario, senior Shaq Hill had the second-best game of his 47-game career with seven catches for 153 yards and four touchdowns against Northern Colorado on Oct. 8, tying a school record in the process. He also rushed four times for 41 yards, finishing with 194 all-purpose yards to earn Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors from College Sports Madness.
 
Hill tied the record of four touchdowns originally set by Jamie Buenzli in 1987 against Nevada and equaled by Joe Pierce in 2003 versus Central Washington. Cooper Kupp, the reigning FCS Offensive Player of the Year, had only 59 yards on five receptions, and rushed three times for 13 yards, a year after having school records with 20 catches for 275 yards versus the Bears.
 
Hill injured his knee in EWU's 2015 opener versus Oregon and missed the rest of the season after two surgeries. Thus far this year he has 51 catches for 787 yards and 13 touchdowns, which are the second-most in FCS. He had career highs of 278 yards of all-purpose yards and 172 yards receiving (on four catches) versus Montana State on Oct. 26, 2013, when he scored on passes of 17, 68 and 76 yards versus the Bobcats.
 
 
Antoine Custer Jr. Honored Again After Another Big Return, Helping EWU Now Rank Fourth Nationally
 
True freshman Antoine Custer Jr. is proof that lightning can strike twice in the same spot, and he has two Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors to show for it.
 
Just like he did against Northern Iowa on Sept. 17 when he had a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half against Northern Iowa, Custer provided a third quarter spark for the Eagles in EWU's 63-30 win over UC Davis on Oct. 1. He opened the third quarter with a 55-yard return this time, leading to a short touchdown drive as part of EWU's 35-point onslaught in that period. The resulting TD pulled EWU within 23-21, and the lead quickly changed hands twice before the Eagles scored the final 35 points of the game.
 
His 55-yarder was just his second return as an Eagle, and then he followed that with a 16-yard return versus the Aggies. He now has a 37.3 average on six returns. Teammate Nsimba Webster had an earlier 65-yard return against UC Davis, but broke his clavicle in the process. Senior Shaq Hill, who was a freshman All-American as a returner, had a 43-yarder against Montana on Oct. 29 and is averaging 19.1 on eight returns. Webster has a 29.8 average per return, and EWU's 24.5 average as a team ranks third in the Big Sky and 11th nationally. In addition, Eastern's 14.67 average on punt returns – including a 16.8 average for Cooper Kupp – ranks first in the league and 13th nationally.
 
"That whole unit has been fantastic," said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin said of the kickoff return unit. "Coach Kiel McDonald works with that group and has done an amazing job of getting them in the right positions for success. He makes a great plan and makes sure everybody is dialed – that's what it takes."
 
Trailing Northern Iowa by 17 at halftime on Sept. 17, Custer's TD in EWU's come-from-behind 34-30 win over Northern Iowa helped earn him his first Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honor. His TD return was the first by an Eagle since Hill had a 90-yarder against Portland State on Nov. 21, 2014. Hill, EWU's all-time leader in kickoff returns and yards, actually provided three blocks down the sideline during Custer's TD return.
 
Custer has started at running back in three games, including Eastern's opener against Washington State, and scored the first touchdown of the season for the Eagles on a pass from Gage Gubrud. So far this season he has rushed 50 times for a net of 148 yards and three touchdowns, and has caught 19 passes for 137 yards and a score. He missed the Northern Colorado game on Oct. 8 with a concussion. His most productive game was in EWU's 42-21 win at Cal Poly on Nov. 5 when he had 145 all-purpose yards -- 64 yards rushing, 39 on three catches and 42 on two kickoff returns.
 
"Antoine has stepped in and done well as a freshman," added Baldwin. "He's a mature young man, and for being a freshman he is well above his years in terms of physical and mental toughness. He's not afraid of those big moments and he's come up with some huge ones for us right after halftime. It's been impressive."
 
In the last 20+ seasons (1996-2016), Eastern has returned 36 total kicks for touchdowns while allowing just 17. Until North Dakota State had one in the FCS Playoffs in 2010, Eastern had not allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown in more than 10 years (599 total returns).
 
 
Bruce Has Interceptions in Games Versus UNC, NAU and MSU
 
Senior safety Zach Bruce had three interceptions in a four-game span, including a third-quarter interception in EWU's 41-17 win and second-half shutout over Montana State on Oct. 22. He also had a fourth-quarter pick against Northern Colorado on Oct. 8 that helped preserve EWU's 49-31 victory. He had seven tackles against the Bears, including a forced fumble that UNC was able to recover just three plays prior to his interception.
 
He is currently 45th in FCS and fifth in the Big Sky with an average of 0.3 interceptions per game. He is also eighth in the league and 44th nationally with an average of 8.9 tackles per game (team-leading 80 total). A former walk-on, Bruce now has 192 tackles, five interceptions and six passes broken up in his 45-game career (19 as a starter). He had 13 tackles – his fourth double-figure performance of his career and third this season – against Montana on Oct. 29.
 
He had a key first-half interception he returned 50 yards to get the Eagle defense on track for another impressive day in a 50-35 win at Northern Arizona. He finished with a team-high 14 tackles, equaling his career high in the process. His interception -- Northern Arizona's first of the season – came on a fourth down play from the EWU 1-yard line. He returned his third career interception 50 yards to midfield, and the Eagles followed with a 50-yard drive to take a 19-7 lead. Eastern's defense allowed 491 total yards, but registered a trio of three-and-outs and intercepted three passes against one of the top offenses in FCS. One week earlier, the Eagle defense had six total three-and-outs (one on a missed field goal attempt) and allowed Northern Iowa to convert just one of its last 11 third down conversion attempts in a 34-30 Eagle win. The Eagles held NAU to 6-of-17 on third down, a year after the Lumberjacks converted 13-of-19 in a 52-30 triumph over EWU.
 
 
Kupp Adds National Player of the Week Accolades from STATS to Heisman Candidate Recognition by Fox Sports
 
With a record-breaking performance and stirring victory over Washington State in his first game since deciding to return to Eastern Washington University for his senior football season, Cooper Kupp was selected as the STATS National Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 5. He earned the same honor from College Sports Madness, which also selected him as its Big Sky Conference player of the week as well.
 
Judging from the damage he's inflicted on Pacific-12 Conference defenses in four seasons now, it's no secret that the senior wide receiver is among the best receivers in college football at any level. In a column by Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports on Sept. 4, Kupp was regarded as one of five Heisman candidates after the first full week of the college football season. He joined Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett, Houston quarterback Greg Ward, Stanford running back/returner Christian McCaffrey and Georgia running back Nick Chubb on his list.
 
Even Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin is at a loss for words over the accomplishments of Kupp, who has been dubbed by the media as All-Galaxy and Superman. "Twelve catches, 206, three touchdowns versus a Pac-12 team – Cooper Kupp, that's what he did. Enough said."
 
All Kupp has done to warrant the success is score 11 touchdowns receiving in four games versus the Pac-12 on a total of 40 catches for 716 yards. That's an average of 17.9 yards per catch and a TD every 3.6 grabs against the four Pac-12 schools in the Pacific Northwest – Washington State, Washington, Oregon and Oregon State.
 
In EWU's 45-42 win over WSU on Sept. 3, Kupp had 12 catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns, as the three-time All-America receiver broke the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision record, finishing the game with 59. He also completed a pass for 22 yards against the Cougars, and rushed twice for 29 yards.
 
"Today, the best player on the field was Cooper Kupp," said Washington State head coach Mike Leach, whose team had nine victories and won a bowl game in 2015.

Last season, Kupp set Autzen Stadium records of 15 catches for 246 yards against Oregon, including three TD grabs. The year before that he caught eight passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns against Washington -- the former team his grandfather, Jake Kupp, played for before becoming a Hall of Fame offensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints. As a redshirt freshman in 2013, in his first collegiate game, Kupp caught five passes for 119 yards and two scores against OSU. The Eagles upset the 25th-ranked Beavers 49-46, becoming just the fourth FCS team to beat a ranked squad from the NCAA Football Bowl Championship Subdivision.
 
 
Gage Gubrud Also Honored Nationally and as Big Sky Player of the Week After Sensational Starting Debut
 
It takes a heady player to knock Vernon Adams Jr. out of the Eastern Washington University football record book. And in his first start to boot.
 
Sophomore Gage Gubrud was selected as the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 5 after accounting for six touchdowns in a 45-42 victory Sept. 3 over Washington State of the Pacific-12 Conference. On Sept. 6, he received honors from College Football Performance Awards as its FCS National Performer of the Week.
 
Gubrud (pronounced "Goo-Brood") was one of six Eagles – five on offense – making the first starts of their careers, and he completed 34-of-40 passes for 474 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for 77 yards and another score. His 551 yards of total offense broke the previous school record of 518 set by Vernon Adams Jr. against Oregon State in 2013 when he passed for 411 and rushed for 107.
 
Gubrud's passing total at the time was the fourth-best in school history, ranking only behind Adams (475 vs. Washington on 9/6/14), Todd Bernett (486 versus Montana on 9/17/94) and teammate Jordan West (school-record 491 versus Sacramento State on 9/26/15). Gubrud had a passing efficiency rating in the game of 220.79, with West owning that record of 313.5 versus Montana State on 9/19/15 when he was 21-of-24 for 410 yards and six touchdowns.
 
As a redshirt freshman in 2015, Gubrud held for kicks all season, then made his Eagle debut as a quarterback at Montana (11/14/15). He completed 7-of-13 passes for 66 yards and an interception, and also had 18 net rushing yards and a touchdown. He was also called on as EWU's rugby-style punter during the year.
 
 
Bruce, Ebukam, Wimberly and Hill Join Kupp and Zamora as co-Captains
 
Six players are serving as co-captains for the 2016 season, including a pair of returning captains in wide receiver Cooper Kupp and linebacker Miquiyah Zamora. The four new captains are safety Zach Bruce, defensive end Samson Ebukam, tight end Zach Wimberly and wide receiver Shaq Hill. Four of Eastern's six co-captains are from the state of Washington, including Bruce, a strong safety out of Spokane's University High School. Wimberly is from Tumwater High School, Kupp is from Davis High School in Yakima and Zamora is a graduate of Chiawana High School in Pasco. All four graduated in 2012. Ebukam is from Portland, Ore., and graduated in 2013 from David Douglas High School. Hill, who redshirted in 2015 because of a knee injury, is a 2011 graduate of Brookside Christian High School in Stockton, Calif. All six of the team's co-captains have previously earned All-Big Sky Conference accolades, including four for Kupp and three for Hill. Ebukam has been honored twice, and Zamora, Bruce and Wimberly have been honored once each. That sextet has also combined for eight Big Sky All-Academic honors, with Kupp earning Academic All-America accolades each of the last two seasons.
 
 
 Incoming Freshman Class for Eagles Includes Running Back Duo Seeing Significant Action
 
A pair of running backs from Eastern's talented recruiting class played in the opener against Washington State on Sept. 3 when Antoine Custer Jr. and Tamarick Pierce received carries at running back. Custer started and had the first EWU touchdown of the season on a 14-yard reception, and rushed once for no gain. Pierce did not get a carry, but carried four times for 18 yards the next week at North Dakota State. Custer was a California two-time All-State selection out of powerhouse De La Salle High School, and Pierce was an All-State selection from Oakland, Calif., and Saint Mary's High School. Custer rushed for 4,429 yards (103.0 per game and 10.3 per carry) and scored 66 total touchdowns while helping his team compile a 41-2 record in three seasons, with a pair of state titles and a runner-up finish. He finished with 5,965 all-purpose yards in his career, and scored 53 touchdowns rushing, four receiving and nine on returns and recoveries. Pierce rushed for 3,342 yards (8.8 per carry) in his career with 35 rushing touchdowns, caught 44 passes for 424 yards and eight more scores, and scored 47 total TDs in three seasons.
 
Offensive lineman D.J. Dyer made his Eagle debut against Northern Arizona on Sept. 24 when injuries to Eagle offensive linemen forced him to burn his redshirt. The other 15 true freshman on the roster are pegged for redshirts and duty on scout teams, including highly-touted quarterback Eric Barriere from La Habra (Calif.) High School. He accounted for 130 career touchdowns with 9,304 passing yards and 1,718 rushing yards in high school, and led the Highlanders to a collective 30-8 record and a perfect league record in three championship seasons.
 
 
 

More Cooper Kupp Notes

 
Cooper Kupp Continues to Collect Accolades as One to "Watch"
 
Not surprisingly, Cooper Kupp's name found its way onto every NCAA Football Championship Subdivision preseason honor that exists. Further establishing himself as one of the most dominant players of all-time in the FCS, the senior wide receiver was one of 25 players named Aug. 3 to the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year Watch List. Kupp had an incredible junior season with the Eagles to win that honor in a close outcome with a pair of running backs. Three other offensive players from the Big Sky Conference made this year's watch list, including Northern Arizona quarterback Case Cookus and Lumberjack wide receiver Emmanuel Butler. North Dakota's John Santiago also made the squad.
 
* In 2016, Kupp could be the first wide receiver and just the fourth player overall in what will be the 54-year history of the Big Sky Conference to earn first team All-Big Sky honors four seasons. The others are Weber State's Trevyn Smith (RB 2006-09), Weber State's Scott Shields (Kicker 1995-97, Punter 1996, Strong Safety 1998) and Charvez Foger (RB 1985-88).
 
* In 2015, Kupp became only the second wide receiver in 42 years to capture the Big Sky Conference Offensive MVP Award, and continued a long legacy of Eagles to win the award. Eastern players have now won the honor 11 times in the last 15 seasons, and 12 times overall.
 
* Kupp capped his 2015 season by being selected as the FCS Offensive Player of the Year by both STATS and the FCS Athletic Director's Association, and he was also presented the 2015 Walter Payton Award as selected by Mickey Charles LLC.  Kupp became only the second wide receiver in 42 years to win the Big Sky Conference Offensive MVP Award, and only the second receiver to ever win the Payton Award.
 
* Kupp was selected as Amateur Athlete of the Year by the Inland Northwest Sportswriters and Broadcasters (SWABS), continuing the tradition established since the Eastern Washington University football program won a national championship in 2010. In being honored by SWABS, Kupp won an award that has been selected since 1948, but won by only six Eastern athletes in the last 68 years. Four of them have come since 2010, and a total of 12 SWABS honors have been garnered by the Eagles in the last six seasons.
 
* He caught a league-record 114 passes in 2015, and announced on Nov. 30, 2015, his intention to return for his senior year rather than pursue professional opportunities a year early.
 
* But the numbers don't tell the whole story about the amazing abilities of the 2012 graduate of Davis High School in Yakima, Wash. He'll be the first to say that what he has already accomplished doesn't mean anything heading into the 2016 season in which he is picked to repeat as the best player in FCS. "You have to prove it, and I'll try to do the best I can day-in and day-out," said Kupp. "More importantly, as a team we want to win the league championship and compete for the national championship. I want to contribute to that."
 
* His average of 10.4 catches per game in 2015 was also a Big Sky record (sixth all-time in FCS), to go along with five career marks he set in just three seasons – all ending with first team All-Big Sky accolades. Kupp even passed for a pair of touchdowns in the 2015 season and had another via punt return. Including his 2016 totals, he has scored 70 total touchdowns and has accounted for 74 in his 47-game career (all as a starter).
 
* His career catches, yards and TDs are all Big Sky records, and he also established a new league record for average catches per game (8.28), which also ranks second in FCS history. Kupp has averaged a TD reception for every 5.7 catches so far in his career. He has scored at least once in 39 of 47 games he has played, with 28 performances of at least eight catches (14 with 10 or more) and 29 with at least 100 receiving yards.
 
* In June 2012, he concluded his fourth year working at the Manning Passing Academy as a college counselor/coach. While in high school he previously attended the camp, which is run by Archie Manning, the father of NFL quarterbacks Eli and Peyton Manning. Archie is a former New Orleans Saints teammate of Cooper's grandfather, Jake Kupp.
 
* Kupp has helped Eastern win 37 games overall and 26 in the Big Sky Conference in the past three-plus seasons, with two outright Big Sky Conference championships and NCAA Football Championship Playoff berths his freshman and sophomore seasons. Eastern had a six-game winning streak in 2015, but finished the year with a three-game losing streak and final records of 6-5 and 5-3.
 
* Kupp's younger brother, Ketner, is a sophomore linebacker for the Eagles this year. Ketner played in all 11 Eastern games as a true freshman in 2015, finishing with 19 tackles and an interception. He made his starting debut against top-ranked and five-time defending champion North Dakota State on Sept. 10, 2016, and finished with eight tackles.
 
 
 

Series Notes

 
The Eagles have dominated the series against Idaho State, winning 27 of the 36 previous meetings with a current nine-game winning streak and victories in 16 of the last 19. Eastern is 10-4 in meetings in Cheney, 16-5 in Pocatello and 1-0 at Spokane's Albi Stadium. Idaho State head coach Mike Kramer is 0-4 against the Eagles, and 2-9 overall including his stint at Montana State. He was 4-2 versus the Bengals in his six seasons as EWU's head coach (1994-1999), losing the first two meetings but winning the last four.
 
Looking Back . . . 
* Accounting for touchdowns in three different ways, wide receiver Cooper Kupp led Eastern to a 45-28 victory over Idaho State on Oct. 17, 2015, at Holt Arena in Pocatello, Idaho. Kupp caught 14 passes for 261 yards and two touchdown receptions, but it was the play of the defense that helped generate the 17-point victory. The Eagles held ISU to 381 yards, forced four turnovers, made ISU punt on three drives of five plays or less and stopped the Bengals on downs twice. Kupp, whose brother Ketner Kupp had an interception and six tackles on defense, also had a touchdown pass to quarterback Jordan West and returned a punt 76 yards for TD in the third quarter. En route to taking a 31-21 halftime lead, the Eagles forced four first half turnovers – three on interceptions and one a fumble – leading to 17 Eastern points. Senior rover Todd Raynes returned an interception 25 yards for a score, and Mitch Fettig also picked off a pass. The fourth turnover was a forced fumbled and recovery on a sack by Nick Foerstel. Trailing 14-7 in the first quarter, Eastern responded with a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive – including a key fourth-down conversion. A 9-yard TD pass from Jordan West to Cooper Kupp started a 17-0 scoring run for the Eagles that gave them a 24-14 lead in the second quarter. West completed 29-of-46 passes for 323 yards and a trio of touchdown passes, and Kendrick Bourne finished with 10 catches for 102 yards. Jabari Wilson added 59 yards on 16 carries. Linebacker Miquiyah Zamora had seven tackles and a pass broken up. In the first quarter alone, the two teams combined for 321 yards, on pace for a nearly 1,300-yard collective total. But the two teams slowed down significantly after that, finishing with 832 yards (451 for EWU and 381 for ISU). The first quarter was a crazy one, with a pair of turnovers, a turnover that was overturned by replay, a converted fake punt by ISU, a fourth-down conversion by EWU and TD passes from West to Cooper Kupp AND Kupp to West. In the first quarter alone, 52 of the 58 Eagles on the trip played. Eventually, 55 players saw action on the day.
* The 2014 meeting in Cheney was a shootout in every sense of the word as the second-ranked Eagles survived for a 56-53 Big Sky victory on Oct. 4 at Roos Field. Despite suffering a foot injury that would keep him out of EWU's next four games, Vernon Adams Jr. accounted for six TDs on the day, with two rushing and four passing, and in the process went over the 10,000-yard mark for total offense in his career. Three of his TD tosses went to Cooper Kupp, who finished with eight catches for 132 yards. Running back Mario Brown had a career-high 126 yards in the win, and Samson Ebukam blocked a punt that was recovered for a touchdown by Dylan Zylstra. The two teams finished with just 1,231 yards and 109 total points, but after the first quarter they were on pace to combine for 140 points and nearly 2,000 yards. Facing a fourth-and-2 at the ISU 34-yard line with about two minutes to play, Adams found Shaq Hill for a 12-yard gain and a first down that helped EWU run out the clock.
 * In a 55-34 Eagle win in 2013 in Pocatello, Eastern had a school-record 743 yards of offense, with 432 through the air and 311 on the ground. The Eagles broke the previous record of 740 set in 1997 against Rocky Mountain. The coach for EWU in that game was Mike Kramer, now the head coach at ISU. Eastern's 311 rushing yards were the most for the Eagles in their last 117 games dating back to a 331-yard performance against Idaho State on Sept. 25, 2004, in a 47-22 win. Vernon Adams Jr. passed for 432 yards and five touchdowns in the win, and Quincy Forte had what was then a career-high 119 rushing yards on just six carries (19.8 per rush). He had an 83-yard touchdown that ranks as the ninth-longest rush in school history, and the longest since Taiwan Jones had a school-record 96-yarder at Idaho State on Oct. 3, 2009. Then-freshman Cooper Kupp had eight catches for 205 yards and a pair of scores, which at the time were the eighth-most receiving yards in school history. Linebacker Ronnie Hamlin had 10 tackles against Idaho State and a key third-quarter interception that led to an Eagle TD.
* In 2011, Eastern secured its 14th winning season in 16 years with a 45-14 victory over Idaho State on a record-breaking day for EWU at Holt Arena in Pocatello, Idaho. The defending NCAA Division I Champions, the Eagles overcame a rash of injuries to win six of their last seven games after a 0-4 start. Senior quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell accounted for 433 yards of total offense in the victory on his way to winning the Walter Payton Award. He finished with 4,009 passing yards to break the school's single season school record, and junior wide receiver Nicholas Edwards finished the season with 95 receptions and 19 touchdown catches to break two other school records. Senior kicker Mike Jarrett added the school record for career kick scoring, finishing with 236 points.


 

EWU-ISU Connections

 
* Mike Kramer is 2-9 in his coaching career against the Eagles, and was 4-2 versus the Bengals when he was EWU's head coach. In his first season at the helm at ISU in 2011, Eastern won 45-14 in Pocatello, then EWU returned in 2013 for a 55-34 victory. The 2014 meeting was the first time Kramer brought his ISU team to Cheney, but he coached MSU there in 2005 in a 35-14 Eagle victory. When he was at MSU, Kramer was 2-5 versus EWU, picking up victories in 2001 (48-38 in Spokane) and 2002 (25-14). His losses against EWU came in 2000 (20-14 en route to a 0-11 debut), 2003 (34-25 in Spokane), 2004 (51-44 in overtime), 2005 (35-14 in Cheney) and 2006 (19-10). He spent five years as an Eastern assistant (1989-93), then six seasons as Eastern's head coach (1994-1999) with records of 37-32 overall and 24-22 in league play. He was the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year in 1997 after he helped guide the 1997 team to the Big Sky title and an appearance in the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs. That 12-2 team was inducted into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.
* Eastern assistant coaches Josh Fetter, Brian Strandley and Cherokee Valeria all coached previously at Idaho State. Amir Owens, Eastern's assistant athletic director for athletic performance, played safety at ISU from 2006-09 and received his degree in 2010.
* It will be a double-Sorensen kind of day in the Roos Field pressbox this week. Long-time Eagle radio analyst Paul Sorensen will be in the home radio booth, while his son, Cody, will be doing the same job in the visiting radio booth. Cody previously played for Idaho State after attending Ferris High School in Spokane, and is now working in the Pocatello area.
 
 
 

Recent Game Recap

 
It was never easy, but the Eastern offense and defense came through again and the third-ranked Eagles defeated 14th-ranked Cal Poly 42-21 in a key Big Sky Conference showdown Nov. 5 at Alex G. Spanos Stadium in San Luis Obispo, Calif.  Eastern's defense allowed the Mustangs to rush for 386 yards, on par with the 370.3 yards per game Cal Poly averaged entering the game to lead the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. But EWU also came up with two turnovers – both resulting in touchdowns -- to help EWU open a 35-14 lead in the third quarter. The defense also came up with a pair of big fourth down stops, including a key one at the EWU 7-yard line with 7:50 to play and EWU clinging to a 14-point lead. Senior wide receiver Cooper Kupp passed for two touchdowns in the third quarter alone, and added a TD reception in the fourth quarter to clinch the win. Shaq Hill and Kendrick Bourne combined for five touchdowns receiving to lead the Eagle offense. Eastern finished with 513 yards of offense, including 397 by quarterback Gage Gubrud who passed for 357 and rushed for another 40. The first half for EWU's offense included an interception, a dropped touchdown pass, a field goal attempt that clanked off the upright and big losses on a bad snap and a bad pitch. But Eastern still led at halftime 21-14 thanks to touchdown drives of 93, 59 and 52 yards. Eastern then scored on an eight-play, 79-yard drive to open the second half. The final play of the drive was a 28-yard touchdown pass from Kupp to Hill to give the Eagles a 28-14 lead. Eastern's defense came up big on Cal Poly's first two possession of the second half, forcing a three-and-out before J.J. Njoku recovered an errant lateral by the Mustangs. Eastern followed with a 28-yard scoring drive, capped by the second touchdown pass of the night from Kupp to Hill, this time for 10 yards to put EWU up 35-14. Although Cal Poly converted four of its first five tries on fourth down, the sixth attempt was a huge stop by the defense with 7:50 to play at the EWU 7-yard line. Cal Poly quarterback Dano Graves was pressured by Dylan Donohue, then tackled by Miquiyah Zamora, Jonah Jordan and Njoku a full four yards short of a first down. Kupp had 11 catches for 154 yards and a touchdown and Gubrud completed 27-of-37 passes for 357 yards and four touchdowns. Senior Kendrick Bourne caught four passes for 78 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and senior Shaq Hill had three touchdown receptions, and finished with seven catches for 93 yards. True freshman running back Antoine Custer Jr. had a season-high 145 all-purpose yards. He rushed nine times for 64 yards, caught three passes for 39 yards and had an additional 42 yards on two kickoff returns. Sophomore safety Mitch Fettig had a team-high 10 tackles and a pass broken up, and senior safety Zach Bruce added eight tackles. Zamora had seven tackles, giving him 329 in his career to move into eighth in school history. Njoku had seven tackles plus a key fumble recovery. Senior defensive end Samson Ebukam and junior defensive lineman J.T. Tiuli each had six stops. Eastern has 13 players from California, and eight played against the Mustangs. Five of them are starters (Nzuzi Webster, Jabari Wilson, Hill, Tristen Taylor and punter Jordan Dascalo), plus Custer and Tamarick Pierce. The eighth is special teams standout John Kreifels.
 
 

 
Injury Report

 
* Linebacker Kurt Calhoun (hamstring) missed the Montana and Cal Poly games after getting injured versus Montana State on Oct. 22. Senior starting center Jerrod Jones (knee) missed his sixth-straight game versus Cal Poly and remains out indefinitely. After missing two games, starting tackle Nick Ellison (rib) returned to start against Montana State. Backup offensive lineman Will Gram (concussion) missed three games starting with the Northern Arizona game, and as a result, Eastern converted a defensive lineman (Jakob Stoll) and tight end (Beau Byus) to the offensive line. Wide receiver Nsimba Webster broke his clavicle on a 61-yard kickoff return against UC Davis on Oct. 1 and is also out indefinitely.
* Previously, running back Antoine Custer Jr. (concussion) missed the UNC game, and backup defensive back Asan Neil-Evergin (groin) missed the UNC and UC Davis games. Backup wide receiver Stu Stiles (shoulder) missed the UC Davis game, while defensive end Keenan Williams (ankle) missed his third-straight game versus UC Davis. Cornerback Victor Gamboa (concussion) missed the Northern Arizona game, and wide receiver Cooper Kupp (shoulder), nose tackle Matthew Sommer (knee) and linebacker Alek Kacmarcik (concussion) were out versus Northern Iowa. Kupp missed 1 1/2 games, Kacmarcik missed two and Sommer saw his first action of the season versus NAU. Against the Bison, Eastern played without its two starting linebackers, senior Miquiyah Zamora (hamstring) and Kacmarcik. Kupp and sophomore rover Cole Karstetter (ruptured Achilles) were lost in the second half with injuries, as was starting offensive guard Chris Schlichting (shoulder). Karstetter, a 2014 graduate of Spokane's Ferris High School, was lost for the season and underwent surgery after making the fifth start of his career against the Bison. Schlichting returned to start versus Northern Iowa. Defensive end Nick Foerstel (knee) is out for the year because of an injury suffered the first week of spring practices, and defensive end Conner Baumann (foot) is still recovering from an injury he suffered in the spring and will redshirt
 
 
 

Quoting Beau Baldwin

 
On Cal Poly Victory: "It's tough to come down here and win, and our team found a way to grind out a victory. It was even a closer game than it showed on the scoreboard – it was a battle for 60 minutes. It was a huge team win, and any time you can do that on the road against a great team like this, you feel excited. We knew it was going to be a tough ballgame, and it definitely took all three facets in offense, defense and special teams. The defense had a lot of big plays at times, and we were able to force some turnovers. That was a big key to this ballgame, and it would have probably been a lot closer if we hadn't won the turnover margin."
 
On Defense: "Sometimes there is a misconception that every game we play is something like 56-54. That's not true. When you just look at Big Sky play, our defense is right up there near the top of the conference in points allowed. We just play a really tough non-conference schedule which not everybody does. Our guys are making plays and that's part of being a great defense if you can win the turnover battle."
 
On Cooper Kupp: "What he is doing is phenomenal, especially considering how productive he can be when everybody knows he's going to get balls thrown his way. But he'll be the first to say it's hard to focus on just him in our offense with the players we have around him at wide receiver, running back and Gage at quarterback having the ability to take off and run. It's fun and I'm just enjoying every minute of this season of being around him and watching him continue to grow as a leader and person. We're going to ride it as long as we can. He has a competiveness, will and desire to chase perfection. He looks for things he can do better, and it started in the offseason. He wants to understand the whole game of football better and he wants to continue to grow in everything he is doing. That's just how he is wired."
 
On Narrow Loss at North Dakota State: "I'm just proud of our players, and I'm not caught up in the end result with how I feel about how these guys came in here and battled. It was a game either team could have won and came down to the wire. Give them credit, they found a way to win. From a broad perspective in how we competed, our attitude and our effort, I loved how it felt the entire game. I know we got down 10, but we never rolled over. We kept fighting and threw punches on both sides of the ball. We got some key stops late and made some big plays to score some key points."
 
On Five New Starters on Offensive Line Versus WSU: "Based on offensive numbers and what people saw, I thought they answered a lot of questions. It's especially tough on an offensive line on the road when it's tougher to hear and you have to go with silent counts. They did their work humbly and they were hungry. They respected the crew that was here last year, but they want to start something and grow together as an offense line. They are going to have to continue to grow because there are going to be plenty of mistakes to correct. Whether we won that game by three or lost that game by seven, all the plays you study are all the same. Sometimes we get caught up with end result, but sometimes he comes down to one play here or there in the result. Yet the other 100-plus plays have to be evaluated. But I really believe, like I said about Gage, they didn't come in worried or nervous. They had the mindset that we belong, and they took that approach and attitude."
 
On Readiness of Freshman Running Backs: "We feel like they have come in here ready to go. And part of that is they got here in the summer and they did work. Had they just showed up in August they wouldn't be where they are now. So that was a mindset by them too, to do some things early to just get around the guys even when we weren't around as coaches. On top of that, coach Mac (Kiel McDonald) has done a great job of getting them ready. That's not easy and this offense is not necessarily easy for running backs in terms of being ready mentally. It's a challenge for those guys because they are in lot of spots -- they are not just back there behind the quarterback – they are all over the place. To me that says a lot about what coach Mac has done with those guys. And it says a lot about them and their desire to learn it and to be ready so that they can play fast. Because once you're thinking, you can't play at the speed you need to. But we've seen those guys play at that speed, which means they're not thinking that much. I'm just happy about that group in general, including our three returning backs and newcomer Dennis Merritt. We're a lot better right now, so that says a lot about where we've come in one year at that position."
 
On Receivers: "I like the fact that we have a core of guys -- seven or eight receivers – who are all contributing at a high level. It's not like the burden is all going to be put on the shoulders of one or two guys. It may seem like that when people talk about Coop and K.B., but realistically we have a lot of guys spread out that can make a lot of plays. And that includes our tight ends. So you don't feel that burden on one or two guys."
 
On Return of Cooper Kupp: "We're excited to not only get such an outstanding student-athlete like Cooper back for another year, but we are grateful to have such an amazing leader and presence in our locker room return for his senior season. He is one of the smartest and most mature student-athletes I've been around, and the best football player I've ever coached. And that's saying a lot. But it's true. He's hands-down the best all-around football player I've been lucky enough to be around."

On Challenging Schedule: "It's exciting to play a tough schedule and put ourselves in some challenging situations. That's what our coaches and players love to do. I always wonder if it can get any more challenging than whatever we did last year or the year before, but this one might be the topper. But it's exciting at the same time. When I sit down with (athletic director) Bill Chaves and talk about the games we have the opportunity to play, we get excited about putting ourselves on that stage and in that challenging moment. It's a chance to do special things. To play a home-and-home with North Dakota State is huge, on top of playing Washington State and Northern Iowa again. It's going to be a challenge, but our program relishes that and will embrace it."
 
 
 

Career Starts by Returning Players

 
Six Eagles Make Starting Debuts in Opener Versus Washington State
 
Six Eastern players made their starting debuts against Washington State. The lone starting debut on defense was made by sophomore cornerback Josh Lewis. On offense, three of the four new starters are along the offensive line where all five starters and two senior backups were lost from the 2015 team. Freshman redshirts Tristen Taylor (tackle) and Chris Schlichting (guard) made their debuts on the left side of Eastern's line, and sophomore Matt Meyer made his debut at right guard. The other new starter was sophomore quarterback Gage Gubrud, who attempted just 13 passes as a redshirt freshman in 2015. True freshman Antoine Custer Jr. started for the first time in his career, and he and Gubrud hooked up on a 14-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter that was the initial TD of the 2016 season and of their careers. Junior Albert Havili made his first career start as a defensive end and finished with six tackles versus the Cougars. He started twice in 2014 as a linebacker before a knee injury forced him to redshirt in the 2015 season. His injury occurred in the first padded practice in spring of 2015 right after he moved from linebacker to defensive end. He set an EWU true freshman record with 61 tackles in 2013.
Since then, seven Eagles have made starting debuts. Sophomore Jack Hunter started at guard against UC Davis and Spencer Blackburn made his starting debut versus Northern Arizona because of injuries along the offensive line. Freshman redshirt Jayce Gilder made his starting debut against Northern Arizona when EWU started the game in a two tight end formation. Sophomore wide receiver Stu Stiles made his against Northern Iowa as an injury replacement for Cooper Kupp. Defensively, sophomore linebackers Kurt Calhoun and Ketner Kupp made their starting debuts as injury replacements against top-ranked and five-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State. Senior J.J. Njoku made his debut one game later versus Northern Iowa, also as an injury replacement. Njoku, who tore his Achilles just after arriving at EWU following his transfer from Washington State, was replacing Cole Karstetter, who also suffered a ruptured Achilles.
 
 
Defense (264 starts by 21 players): Miquiyah Zamora 41, Samson Ebukam 33, Matthew Sommer 27, Victor Gamboa 21, Zach Bruce 19, Nzuzi Webster 18, Andre Lino 17, Mitch Fettig 17, Albert Havili 11, Alek Kacmarcik 9, Keenan Williams 9, Jay-Tee Tiuli 8, Josh Lewis 7, J.J. Njoku 7, Cole Karstetter 5, Jake Hoffman 5, D'londo Tucker 4, Ketner Kupp 2, Kurt Calhoun 1, Jonah Jordan 1, Conner Baumann 2 (one as a fullback).
 
Offense (222 starts by 22 players): Cooper Kupp 47, Kendrick Bourne 28, Shaq Hill 20, Zach Wimberly 19, Jabari Wilson 16, Jordan West 13, Nick Ellison 11, Gage Gubrud 9, Tristen Taylor 9, Chris Schlichting 9, Matt Meyer 9, Nic Sblendorio 8, Spencer Blackburn 6, Jerrod Jones 5, Antoine Custer Jr. 3, Jack Hunter 2, Terence Grady 2, Reilly Hennessey 2, Stu Stiles 1, Jayce Gilder 1, Nsimba Webster 1, Kaleb Levao 1 (as defensive lineman).