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­­­­­­­ #3 Ranked/#2 Seed Eastern Washington Univ. "Eagles" versus #12 Ranked University of Richmond "Spiders"   Saturday, Dec. 10 • 1:05 p.m. Pacific Roos Field (8,600) • Cheney, Wash.
TV/Webcast:	Live on ESPN3 (www.watchespn.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://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/football/fcs
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. (Note: No show on Dec. 5 and future shows are TBA). . .  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.

You can step on a spider, but these Spiders have proven to be incredibly resilient when opponents have tried.
 
The 12th-ranked University of Richmond Spiders will make their second trip from Virginia to the West in as many weeks when they play at Roos Field against third-ranked and No. 2 seeded Eastern Washington University this Saturday (Dec. 10) at 1:05 p.m. in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs.
 
The game is being produced by ESPN and made available via its watchespn.com platform. 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.
 
The Spiders, 10-3 on the season after finishing 5-3 in the CAA (Colonial Athletic Association), have lost 18 players for the season with injuries this year. Among the players lost was second team All-CAA quarterback Kyle Lauletta, with sophomore Kevin Johnson coming off redshirt to replace him. The Spiders survived to win their first two playoff games – 39-10 over North Carolina A&T and then 27-24 over eighth-ranked and No. 7 seed North Dakota.
 
Richmond traveled 1,526 miles to knock off North Dakota, which shared the Big Sky Conference championship with Eastern. Now, the Spiders will go 2,605 miles to face the Eagles.
 
Following last week's 31-14 victory over Central Arkansas in the second round of the playoffs, Eastern is now 11-1 and will host again in the semifinals on Dec. 16 or 17 if they can defeat Richmond. The Eagles-Spiders winner will face the winner of the Wofford (10-3) at Youngstown State (10-3) game. The NCAA Division I National Championship game is Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas (9 a.m. Pacific time on ESPN2).
 
"I'm excited, and now when there are only eight teams left in the country, you know your team is grinding and has done a great job during the year to earn this," said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin. "Now we are looking forward to the prep for the next one."
 
Like EWU, Richmond is 5-1 against ranked opponents this season, including last week's come-from-behind victory. The lone loss was to seventh-ranked and No. 4 seeded James Madison by a 47-43 score, and its other two losses were on the road at Stony Brook (42-14 on Sept. 17) and William & Mary (34-13 on Nov. 19). The Spiders, who opened the season with a 37-20 win at Virginia, were ranked in the top 10 in FCS up until the loss to William & Mary, and were as high as second this year.
 
North Dakota led Richmond 24-7 with 10 minutes left in the third quarter, but the Spiders used a blocked punt from Will McCombs and a game-winning 18-yard field goal by Griffin Trau as time expired to help pull out the win. Johnson, who passed for 315 yards in his first career start against N.C. A&T, completed 12-of-19 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns against the Fighting Hawks. Senior Brian Brown had six receptions for 171 yards and a score.
 
Saturday's game will be match-up of Eastern's FCS-leading passing offense (411.0 per game) against the nation's second-best defense against the pass (156.3 per game). The Spiders are seventh in passing efficiency defense (106.6), ninth in total defense (305.3 yards per game), 10th in turnover margin (+1.0) and 24th in scoring defense (22.2).
 
Brown ranks seventh in FCS in receiving yards per game (104.5), 18th in receiving TDs (10) and 29th in receptions per game (5.8). Trau, who kicked two field goals at North Dakota and is now 23-of-26 this season, ranks second in FCS with an average of 1.75 per game. He has also made all 42 of his extra point attempts.
 
 
 

Playoff Notes & EWU Playoff History

 
* The Eagles have several players with three, and even, four years' worth of playoff experience. Shaq Hill, who redshirted in 2015 when EWU missed the postseason, has played in nine games and has 19 catches for 214 yards and a touchdown, in addition to a pair of rushes for 13 yards and a score. He has also had 24 kickoff returns for 606 yards (25.3 average) and a long of 93, giving him 833 all-purpose yards (92.6 per game). Cooper Kupp has 48 catches for 679 yards and seven touchdowns in six career games, plus a kickoff return for 17 yards. Kendrick Bourne has played in three games and has 19 catches for 194 yards, and Nic Sblendorio has eight grabs for 128 yards in three as well. Running back Jabari Wilson has played in six with 55 yards rushing on 19 carries and one reception for three yards. Tight End Zack Wimberly has played in three games and has four receptions for 26 yards and a TD. On defense, five players have played in at least five games, led by the 30 tackles and forced fumble by Miquiyah Zamora in five games. Playing in six are defensive end Albert Havili (21 tackles, one interception returned 77 yards for a TD and a forced fumble), Victor Gamboa (19 tackles and a forced fumble), Samson Ebukam (12 tackles with 1 1/2 sacks), Matthew Sommer (11 tackles) and Zach Bruce (7 tackles with two passes broken up). Players with three games of experience include Andre Lino (6 tackles with a sack), Marcus Saugen (5 tackles with a sack), Jake Hoffman (5 tackles) and Dylan Donohue (4 tackles with a sack).
 
* This is the first meeting between the Eagles and Spiders, but Eastern has played current members of the CAA three times. All of those meetings have come in the FCS Playoffs -- Eastern beat Delaware 20-19 in the 2010 NCAA Division I Championship game, and one game earlier defeated Villanova 41-31 in the semifinals. Eastern fell to Towson 35-31 in the 2013 semifinals in Cheney.
 
* Jacksonville State, the runner-up last year, received the No. 3 seed and would have been a potential semifinal opponent for Eastern or Richmond, but fell 40-24 to Youngstown State in the second round. Five-time defending champion North Dakota State (now 11-1) received the overall No. 1 seed and is in the upper half of the bracket, and eliminated San Diego 45-7. Eastern is the only seeded team left in the bottom half of the bracket after Wofford knocked off #6 The Citadel 17-3. The four seeds in the upper half are all alive and clash in the quarterfinals - #8 South Dakota State at NDSU (Saturday at 9 a.m. on ESPN) and #5 Sam Houston State at #4 James Madison (Friday night at 4 p.m. Pacific time).
 
* Similar to the Eagles, the Spiders are making their 11th appearance in the FCS Playoffs and have a current record of 15-9. Richmond won the 2008 FCS title (beating Montana 24-7 in the championship game) – just two seasons before Eastern won in 2010. The Eagles have a 15-10 record all-time in the playoffs and are making their 12th tournament appearance.
 
* Since 2010, EWU has hosted 12 playoff games at Roos Field, winning nine of them. The Eagles were the 2010 NCAA Division I Champions after winning three home games in the playoffs and then defeating Delaware 20-19 for the title in Frisco, Texas. Eastern also hosted three games in 2012 and 2013, but lost in the semifinals both seasons. Eastern hosted two more playoff games in 2014, falling in the quarterfinal round. The 12th game was EWU's 31-14 victory over Central Arkansas in 2016.
 
* This is the sixth time head coach Beau Baldwin has taken the Eagles to the playoffs as head coach (2009-10-12-13-14-16), plus two more as an assistant (2004-05). He has coached in a total of 27 postseason playoff games (12 appearances) with a record of 17-9-1, including eight appearances in the FCS Playoffs and two at both the NCAA Division II and NAIA levels when he was at Central Washington.
 
* Eastern is making its 12th appearance in the playoffs in 2016, becoming just the 15th team in FCS to have 12 or more appearances. The other appearances for the Eagles came in 1985, 1992, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014. With a 6-5 record during an injury-ravaged season in 2011, Eastern fell a victory shy of making its first back-to-back-to-back appearances, but accomplished that feat in 2012-13-14. The Eagles were also 6-5 in 2015 and missed the postseason.
 
* Eastern has nine playoff berths in a 13-year span (2004-16), ranking the Eagles as one of only three schools among 122 in FCS to accomplish that feat. New Hampshire (2004-05-06-07-08-09-10-11-12-13-14-15-16) made the playoffs for the 13th-straight time in 2016. The third team was Montana (2004-05-06-07-08-09-11-13-14-15) with 10 appearances in that stretch.
 
* The Eagles have four appearances in the last five years (2012-16), with only six other teams on that list (Illinois State, Jacksonville State, New Hampshire, North Dakota State, Sam Houston State, South Dakota State).
 
* The Eagles have a 15-10 record in their previous 12 playoff appearances (1985, 1992, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016). Eastern has advanced to the semifinals in the FCS Playoffs four times (1997, 2010, 2012, 2013), and has won its opener nine times (1985, 1997, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016). The Eagles won the title in 2010 in their first and only appearance in the championship game. Eastern has received first-round byes in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016 (the playoffs were expanded to 20 teams in 2010 and to 24 teams in 2013).
 
* The Eagles enjoyed an incredible five-year string of success from 2010-14. In that span, the Eagles won the 2010 NCAA Division title, won four Big Sky Conference titles (including the school's first-ever three-peat in 2012-13-14) and hosted 11 playoff games on the red turf at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash. The Eagles were victorious in eight of those playoff games, and won 53 games overall while going 34-6 in league games.

 

 
A Look at the Eagle Senior Class

 
A total of 12 Eastern seniors played their final regular season game at Roos Field against Idaho State on Nov. 12, 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, and was given the start versus Idaho State. In all, the 12 seniors have now started 302 games with nine of the 12 concluding their careers as four-year letterwinners. From 2013-16, Eastern has won 40 games overall and 28 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 is the first player to see action in four years to win Big Sky titles each year, with a collective record of 45-10 overall and 30-2 in the league. He will also be the second Eastern player in school history to letter in four playoff years, joining kicker Kevin Miller (2009-10-12-13).

11 - #Kendrick Bourne - WR - 6-3 - 190 - Sr. - 4L - Portland, Ore. (Milwaukie Arts Academy '13) – 31 starts
2 - #Jabari Wilson - RB - 5-11 - 200 - Sr. - 4L* - Carson, Calif. (Orange Lutheran HS '12) – 18 starts
5 - Jordan West - QB - 6-4 - 220 - Sr. - 3L* - Maple Valley, Wash. (Liberty HS '12) – 14 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) – 30 starts
23 - #J.J. Njoku - DB - 5-9 - 200 - Sr. - 2L* - Tacoma, Wash. (Lakes HS '12) – 8 starts

Senior Co-Captains . . .
32 - #Zach Bruce - DB - 5-10 - 195 - Sr. - 4L* - Spokane, Wash. (University HS '12) – 22 starts
3 - #Samson Ebukam - DL - 6-3 - 240 - Sr. - 4L - Portland, Ore. (David Douglas HS '13) – 36 starts
1 - #Shaq Hill - WR - 5-10 - 180 - Sr. - 4L* - Stockton, Calif. (Brookside Christian HS '11) – 23 starts
10 - #Cooper Kupp - WR - 6-2 - 215 - Sr. - 4L* - Yakima, Wash. (Davis HS '12) – 50 starts
9 - #Zach Wimberly - TE - 6-2 - 240 - Sr. - 4L* - Tumwater, Wash. (Tumwater HS '12) – 22 starts
4 - #Miquiyah Zamora - LB - 6-1 - 230 - Sr. - 4L* - Pasco, Wash. (Chiawana HS '12) – 43 starts
#Starter in 2016. *Used redshirt season.
 
 
 
 

Records/Milestone Watch

 
Just 21 Yards from an All-Division Record, Kupp Breaks a Jerry Rice Record to Go Along With the FCS Receiving Record Triple
 
Sensational senior wide receiver Cooper Kupp has now broken 15 FCS, 11 Big Sky and 25 EWU records in his illustrious 50-game Eastern career, and is just 21 receiving yards from a collegiate all-division mark. Most recently, he has assured himself of breaking Jerry Rice's FCS record for average career TD passes of 1.22 set with 50 touchdowns in 41 games from 1981-84 for Mississippi Valley State. Kupp has 70 in 50 games (1.44 per game), and at worst, could slip no lower than 1.32.
 
Already the owner of FCS career records with 412 receptions, 6,156 yards and 70 receiving touchdowns, he is just 21 yards from the collegiate all-division record. Having surpassed all other classifications in NCAA already, he has just the NAIA record to catch -- 6,177, Chris George, Glenville State, 1991-94.
 
The two-time Big Sky Offensive MVP had the first rushing touchdown of his career and a punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter versus Idaho State on Nov. 12, setting the stage in the fourth period for him to break the FCS record of 395 set by Elon's Terrell Hudgins from 2006-09. He tied and broke the record in the 48-31 win over ISU on short catches of 8 and 3 yards from backup quarterback Jordan West, also an Eagle senior. Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin promptly called timeout and presented the reigning Payton Award and FCS Offensive Player of the Year the record-breaking ball. Kupp had previously exceeded the FBS record of 387 held by Justin Hardy of East Carolina from 2011-14, making him the all-time NCAA Division I leader for receptions, in addition to yards and TDs.
 
Kupp broke a 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 50. Jacksonville State's Josh Barge also has a current total of 50 in a row, but his season concluded last week. 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 37-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 (618) and combined career yards (9,136). In addition, Kupp's 123.1 average reception yards per game is currently a FCS career record, as is his 29 100-yard receiving performances. 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 6,708 to break the previous record of 5,934 set by Eric Kimble from 2002-05. With Kupp now ranking second in Big Sky history, the only player ahead of him on the Big Sky list is Charles Roberts (Sacramento State, 1997-00) with a record total of 7,112. Roberts was a running back, as Kupp 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 6,156 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 70 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 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's 6,156 yards has also already exceeded the FBS record for reception yards, which was 5,005 set by Trevor Insley of Nevada from 1996-99 before being broken by Corey Davis from Western Michigan with 5,205 from 2013-16. Kupp has also surpassed the records in NCAA Division II (4,983, Clarence Coleman, Ferris State, 1998-01), and Division III (6,108, Scott Pingel, Westminster, 1996-99), and is just 21 yards from the NAIA record (6,177, Chris George, Glenville State, 1991-94).
 
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 206 career receptions for 2,980 yards and 26 touchdowns, senior Kendrick Bourne now ranks in the top seven in all three categories in school history. A second team All-Big Sky selection in 2016, his touchdowns ranks seventh 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 33 yards from fifth (3,013, Tony Brooks, 1990-93).
 
Teammate Shaq Hill has 173 career catches to rank eighth in school history, good for 2,738 yards (seventh) and 30 touchdowns (fifth). The first team All-Big Sky selection and four-time all-league honoree had a school-record four touchdown day against Northern Colorado on Oct. 8 and had three more at Cal Poly on Nov. 5. Hill passed his wide receivers coach (2,634, Nicholas Edwards, 2009-12) for yards against Portland State on Nov. 18.
 
In all, the trio of Hill, Bourne and Cooper Kupp have combined for 791 catches for 11,874 yards and 126 touchdowns in 154 games played (104 starts). Adding junior Nic Sblendorio (36 games, 8 starts, 76 catches, 1,034 yards, 6 TD) and that quartet has a combined 190 games worth of experience (112 starts) with 867 catches for 12,908 yards (14.9 per catch) and 132 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 5,138 all-purpose yards are currently third in school history.
 
 
Ebukam Moves Now in Ninth in School History With 21 Sacks
 
Senior defensive end Samson Ebukam has a team-high 6 1/2 sacks this season, giving him 21 in his career to rank ninth in school history. The three-time All-Big Sky performer had a pair of sacks in EWU's season opener against Washington State and two to end the regular season versus Portland State. A 36-game starter as an Eagle, Ebukam has 177 tackles in his 51-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, and first team accolades in 2016.
 
Ebukam closed the regular season with seven total tackles and the 20th and 21st sacks in his EWU career, moving him from 10th to ninth all-time at EWU. His sack for an eight-yard loss on a third down late in the fourth quarter forced a fourth-and-15 situation. A scramble by PSU quarterback Alex Kuresa came up three yards short with 1:56 left in the game, and the Eagles ran out the clock for the win. After allowing PSU to gain 166 yards and 14 points on its first 24 plays of the game, the EWU defense held PSU to 14 points and 305 yards in the final 47:14 of the game.
 
One game earlier, Ebukam had eight tackles, a sack, one pass broken up and three quarterback hurries in a 48-17 Senior Day victory on Nov. 12 versus Idaho State. Eastern's defense kept ISU's offense in check all night, giving up 133 passing yards and 159 rushing. Eastern's defense finished with four sacks, five quarterback hurries and six passes broken up. Idaho State had two turnovers and had to punt nine times, with the Eagle defense allowing just 3.4 yards per play and recording five three-and-outs.
 
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. 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 341 Career Tackles, Zamora is No. 6 on EWU Leaders List
 
Senior Miquiyah Zamora became the 10th Eagle in school history to have 300 tackles in his career, with a current total of 341 to rank sixth all-time at EWU. Currently tied with Matt Johnson with 341 (2008-11), the next players to catch are Derek Strey with 346 (1994-97) and Jason Marsh with 347 (1991-93). He missed Eastern's first playoff game against Central Arkansas with a hamstring injury.
 
A first team All-Big Sky selection in 2016, Zamora had the 10th double-figure performance of his career and fifth this season when he had 11 against Idaho State on Nov. 12. 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 Fourth Among the Top Punters in School History
 
In his second year as an Eagle, junior Jordan Dascalo has now punted 72 times as an Eagle for a 41.1 career average which currently ranks fourth in school history. He also is 4-of-7 in his EWU career kicking field goals, and has averaged 59.7 yards (5,787 total yards) in 97 career kickoffs with 38 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

 
Eagles Chase School Record of 13 Wins After Equaling Best Regular Season in 33 Years in FCS
 
Now 11-1, the Eagles equaled the 1997 squad with the best regular season finish in 33 seasons as a member of FCS with a 10-1 mark, and now the Eagles can set their sights on the school record of 13 victories set in 2010. This is Eastern's seventh 10-win season in 108 seasons of football at Eastern. The first was in 1967 when Eastern was 11-0 before losing in the NAIA Championship game. Since then, the 10-win seasons include 1997 (12-2), 2010 (13-2), 2012 (11-3), 2013 (12-3), 2014 (11-3) and 2016 (11-1).
 
 
Eagles Join Select List of Teams Finishing Unbeaten in Big Sky
 
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 was also unbeaten in 2016, as well as 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.
 
 
Defense Holds Last Six Opponents to 113 Points For Average of Less Than 20 Per Game
 
The Eagles have won their last six games by an average of 19.9 points per game, led by a defense which has allowed just 113 points (18.8 per game) in those six victories (Eastern's offense has scored 232 for an average of 38.7). Eastern's defense allowed only 24.4 points per game (195 total, second-best in the league) during its 8-0 Big Sky Conference start after allowing 40.7 against three challenging non-conference opponents. Eastern out-scored opponents by an average of 21.0 points per game in eight league games (45.4 to 24.4, total of 363-195).
 
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.
 
 
Eagles Have Impressive 40-6 Big Sky Record Since 0-2 Start in 2011
 
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.
 
 
Eagles Resume November Excellence After Burp in 2015
 
In November and beyond since 2004, the Eagles are now 42-13, including a 12-7 record in the FCS Playoffs. Since 2010, Eastern is 27-6 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 31-6.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
 
 
50th Season at Roos/Woodward Field Begins 6-0
 
Eastern is now 6-0 in the 50th season of football at EWU's current stadium location. With 9,302 on hand for the ISU game on Nov. 12, Eastern has a current streak of 20 consecutive regular season sellouts and a total of 32 (crowds of 8,600 or more). Eastern's 2016 average is now 9,516 (57,094 in six home games), just behind the school record of 9,577 set in five home games in 2015. The Montana game on Oct. 29 had a crowd of 10,931 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).
 
Of those 50 years, 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 40-7 overall (85 percent) since the red turf was installed in 2010 – including a 4-0 record versus rival Montana. Eastern has a 153-62 record (71.2 percent) in 215 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 540.4 yards per game, trailing only Sam Houston State at 570.4 per outing. Eastern is the FCS leader in passing offense (411.0 yards per game), and is third in completion percentage (.690), third in scoring offense (43.1), third in third down conversions (53.3 percent) and fourth in passing efficiency (168.3). 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 (Eastern currently has 6,485 yards), and the record for passing offense is 368.4 set in 2011 (yardage record is 5,247 set in 2013 with a current total of 4,932, just 315 from the record). The Eagles have already set four team records this season, including passing completions (380), attempts (551), first downs passing (216) and Big Sky wins (8), and are also on pace to set the record for completion percentage (.690).
 
 
With Streak of 251 Pass Attempts Without an Interception Ended versus Montana, Eagles Rank 15th in FCS in TO Margin
 
The Eagles are ranked 15th this week in FCS in turnover margin, with an average of +0.75 per game (25 total takeaways and 16 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 had 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 37-0 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 3-1 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, tied Montana 2-2 on Oct. 29 and tied Portland State 1-1 on Nov. 18. Despite a 48-17 win over Idaho State on Nov. 12, EWU lost the turnover battle in that game 4-2. In its latest outing, EWU had a 2-0 advantage over Central Arkansas.
In eight-plus seasons (­2008-present) under head coach Beau Baldwin, the Eagles are 46-1 when they've won the turnover battle, 21-5 when they've been tied and 17-25 when they've lost (total of 84-31). 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 37-0 since 2010 when they've won the turnover battle, 18-4 when they've been tied and 15-18 when they've lost. That's a collective record of 70-22 (76 percent), with 18 of those 22 losses (82 percent) coming in games EWU has lost the turnover battle and 53 percent of EWU's wins coming when they've won the turnover battle (79 percent when including ties).
 
 
Eagles Have 174-62 Advantage in Third Quarter and 308-112 in Second Half
 
Despite trailing at halftime in six of 12 games this season, a big part of EWU's 11-1 record is the team's third-quarter production, having outscored opponents 174-62 in that period. Eastern had a third quarter advantage in its first 10 games until tying Portland State 14-all on Nov. 18, and then outscored Central Arkansas 3-0 on Dec. 3. EWU had advantages of 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 versus both Cal Poly and Idaho State.
 
Eastern has had a fourth quarter advantage in 10 of its last 11 games (with one 0-0 tie), and owns a 134-50 advantage for the season. Eastern has a 308-112 advantage in the second half (average score of 26-9), but a 209-213 disadvantage in the first half (85-90 in first quarter, 124-123 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 Rallies Versus UNI & PSU, Eagles Have Now Won 18 Games Since 2010 When Trailing or Tied in the Final Quarter
 
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. 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 at the time and now an offensive tackle, who graduated in 2014 from nearby Central Valley High School in Spokane. In 35-28 victory at Portland State to end the regular season, 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.
 
 
 
Eastern is 24-11 (69 percent) Since 2010 Versus Ranked Opponents
 
The Eagles have now played 118 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 53-65 (.449) in those games, including a 17-41 mark (.293) versus top 10 foes. Since 2010, though, the Eagles are 24-11 overall (.686) and 8-6 (.571) versus top 10 teams. Thus far this year, EWU is 5-1, 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, knocked off No. 14 Cal Poly 42-21 on Nov. 5 and then beat No. 14 Central Arkansas 31-14 on Dec. 3.
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.
 
 
 
 
 

Player Game Notes

 
With Nine School Records Already, Gage Gubrud on Pace to Set EWU & Big Sky Total Offense Mark
 
Sophomore quarterback Gage Gubrud – the Big Sky's co-Offensive MVP along with teammate Cooper Kupp, 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 best in NCAA Championship Subdivision history. His average of 376.7 passing yards per game is just off of the Big Sky record of 379.6 set by Dave Dickenson of Montana in 1995. Gubrud's average for total offense is 420.9, with the Big Sky record currently owned by Jamie Martin of Weber State with a 394.3 average in 1991. Gubrud's total offense mark currently ranks fourth in FCS history, with the record owned by Steve McNair of Alcorn State (527.2 in 1994). The passing record is owned by Willie Totten of Mississippi Valley State (455.7 in 1984) and Gubrud currently ranks seventh. 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.
 
Gubrud has broken season records for total offensive plays (627), passing completions (347) and attempts (505), and has tied the record for most 300-yard passing performances (10). His completion percentage (.687) is also on record pace. The five single game records he holds are for passing yards (520 vs. Montana State), total offense (551 vs. Washington State), touchdowns responsible for (7 vs. UC Davis), points responsible for (42 vs. UC Davis) and completions (47 vs. Central Arkansas).
 
Gubrud has just 11 career starts (10-1 record), but he already owns six of the top eight single game total offense performances in school history (1-2-3-5-6-8) and five of the top 14 passing performances (1-3-6-13-14). 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.
 
 
After Long Climb Back, Shaq Hill Becomes Eastern's First Four-Time League Champion
 
It was a big hill to climb, but Shaq Hill has introduced Eastern football fans to the first four-time Big Sky Conference champion in school history. The senior from Stockton, Calif., sparked the Eagles with an 84-yard touchdown on Nov. 18 against Portland State, helping the third-ranked Eagles wrap up their ninth Big Sky Conference title and extend their winning streak to nine games with a 35-28 victory. The following week, he became a four-time All-Big Sky honoree, earning first team All-Big Sky honors as a wide receiver.
 
Hill played as a true freshman in 2012 when the Eagles won the first of three league titles and advanced to the playoffs each season. But he injured his knee in EWU's 2015 opener against Oregon, and two knee surgeries sandwiched around a recurrence of the injury kept him off the field for nearly a year. As a result, he is the first EWU player to see action in four years to win Big Sky titles each year, with a collective record of 45-10 overall (81.8 percent)) and 30-2 (93.8 percent) 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 will be the second.
 
Hill finished with seven catches for 124 yards versus the Vikings, the 10th time in his career he has had at least 100 yards receiving. He also went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season, moved into third in school history for all-purpose yards and moved past his receivers coach Nicholas Edwards for career receiving yards (current total of 2,738 to rank seventh). His 84-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter sparked the Eagles to its historic victory. The long play was nothing new for Hill, who now has 20 plays of 40 yards or more in his career. Seven of them have been 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.
 
 
Cooper Kupp Sets Big Sky Records with 74 Touchdowns & 446 Points to Rank Fourth in FCS History in Both
 
You name it, and Cooper Kupp does it, although he saves the defense for his younger brother, Ketner Kupp.
 
The senior has piled up Big Sky Conference and school records with 74 touchdowns in his career, good for a record total of 446 points. Both marks also rank fourth all-time in FCS history behind a trio of running backs. The previous league records were 61 TDs (Charles Dunn, Portland State, 1997-00 and Sherriden May, Idaho, 1991-94) and 413 points (Dan Carpenter, Montana, 2004-07). Of his 74 touchdowns, Kupp has scored 70 via receiving, three on punt returns (school record) and one via rushing. He has also passed for four scores, thus accounting for 78 in his career.
 
Ahead just 27-17 in the third quarter, Kupp sparked the Eagles to a 48-17 victory over Idaho State on Nov. 12 by returning a third-quarter punt 76 yards for a score. It was a school record-tying third of his career, having also had a 76-yarder versus Idaho State last season and a 67-yarder versus Montana in 2014. As a result, Kupp was selected as the Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week – the sixth time he has been honored by the league office in his career (four on offense, two on special teams). Kupp also had the first rushing touchdown of his career earlier in the third quarter versus ISU, setting the stage for a record-breaking performance in the fourth period when he established a new FCS mark for career receptions.
 
Against 14th-ranked Cal Poly on Nov. 5, Kupp actually 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. 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.
 
Kupp has now had more than 100 yards receiving a FCS record 29 times in 50 career games, and 15 times he has had at least 10 catches. He has scored at least once in 41 of 49 games he has played. Kupp has 101 catches for 1,392 yards in just 11 games played this season, already ranking third and fifth, respectively, in school history. He currently holds down the 1-2-3-5 season marks in receptions, and 2-3-5-9 in yards.
 
 
In Top 3 for Payton Award, 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 4,520 yards, 42 touchdowns and a .687 completion percentage, and has also rushed for a team-leading 531 yards (4.4 per carry) and five 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, and subsequently, he and Kupp were on the voting list for the Walter Payton Award presented this year by STATS. They both finished in the top three in the voting for the award, which will be presented on Jan. 6, 2017.
 
Gubrud is the FCS leader in total offense at 420.9 per game, passing yards (4,520) and passing yards per game (376.7), and is second in points responsible per game (23.7), total points responsible for (284) and passing touchdowns (42). He is also third in completion percentage (.687) and fourth in passing efficiency (167.0). He is already second in school history for single season passing yards (474 behind), touchdown passes (13 behind) and total offensive yards (5,051, 508 behind). All three records were set by Vernon Adams Jr. in 15 games in 2013 (4,994, 55, 5,559).
 
Teammate Cooper Kupp missed 1 1/2 games earlier in the season and almost a half at both Portland State on Nov. 18 and Central Arkansas on Dec. 3 with shoulder injuries. But he still leads FCS in receiving yards per game (126.5), is second in receptions per game (9.2), and is third in receiving touchdowns (14). Senior Shaq Hill is 24th in average receptions (6.0), 18th in average yards (89.8) and is second in receiving touchdowns with 15, while senior Kendrick Bourne is 21st in receptions per game (6.2) and 25th in receiving yards per game (87.6). That trio is 1-2-3 in the Big Sky in receiving yards per game, 1-4-5 in receptions per game, and 1-2-11 in touchdown receptions (Bourne has six).
 
 
Antoine Custer Jr. Makes Big Plays Rushing & Returning for Eagles
 
True freshman running back Antoine Custer Jr., continues to make big plays for the Eagles, most recently by returning four kickoffs for a 26.8 average in a 35-28 victory against Portland State on Nov. 18. He had a long of 35, which sparked EWU's nine-play, 61-yard drive that knotted the game at 28 in the fourth quarter. En route to a career-high of 185 all-purpose yards, he also rushed for a team-high 69 yards on 13 carries (5.3 per carry), giving him 210 yards in his last two regular season games of the season.
 
He had the first 100-yard rushing game of his career, and first of the season for the Eagles in EWU's 48-17 win over Idaho State on Nov. 12. He finished with 141 yards on 12 carries, including an 83-yard touchdown in the second quarter which equals the ninth-longest in school history. It was the first 100-yard rushing performance by an Eagle in EWU's last 15 games dating back to Jalen Moore's 128-yard performance at Northern Colorado. His 141 were the most for an Eagle in 19 games since Jabari Wilson had 188 versus Montana State earlier in the 2015 season. While EWU's offense ended up with four turnovers and had to punt three times, the Eagles had excellent balance with 281 on the ground and 276 through the air. Eastern finished with a total of 557, including 209 in the third quarter. It was the first time in 23 games the Eagles had more rushing yards than passing yards, dating back to a playoff win over Montana on Dec. 6, 2014, when the Eagles had 212 on the ground and 182 through the air.
 
Custer 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. 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. Custer has a 28.9 average on 13 returns, Webster has a 29.8 average per return, and EWU's 22.7 average as a team ranks third in the Big Sky and 17th nationally. In addition, Eastern's 20.5 average on punt returns – including a 22.9 average for Cooper Kupp – ranks first in the league and third in FCS.
 
"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 four 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 84 times for a net of 358 yards and four touchdowns, and has caught 24 passes for 172 yards and a score. He missed the Northern Colorado game on Oct. 8 with a concussion. He was also very productive in a 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 37 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).
 
 
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.
 
Njoku has started eight 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 fumble recoveries this season, but he missed the last two games of the regular season with a knee injury that resulted in minor surgery on Nov. 22. He returned to start against Central Arkansas and had five tackles.
 
 
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. The first team All-Big Sky Conference selection 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 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.
 
He is ninth in the league and 57th nationally with an average of 8.3 tackles per game (team-leading 100 total). A former walk-on, Bruce now has 212 tackles, five interceptions and six passes broken up in his 48-game career (22 as a starter). He has had five double-figure tackle performances in his career and four this season, including 13 against Montana on Oct. 29 and 11 versus Portland State on Nov. 18.
 
 
Gubrud a Multiple Recipient of National Player of the Week Honors
 
Gage Gubrud added two more awards to his grown list of accolades 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 four times by the league office, and twice by College Sports Madness. He and teammate Cooper Kupp were selected as the Big Sky Conference's co-Offensive MVPs in 2016, and they both finished in the top three in the voting for the Walter Payton Award, which will be presented by STATS on Jan. 6, 2017.
 
 
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 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. Against the Grizzlies 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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
 
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 7-of-13 kicking field goals and has made 63-of-64 extra points. He has also averaged 56.4 yards on 35 kickoffs with seven touchbacks. In his 16-game career, Alcobendas has made 8-of-13 field goals and 85-of-89 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 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 72 catches for 1,077 yards and 15 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.
 
 
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 six for Kupp (four as a receiver and two as a return specialist) and four for Hill (three as a receiver, one as a return specialist). Ebukam has been honored three times, Zamora and Bruce twice and Wimberly once. That sextet has also combined for eight Big Sky All-Academic honors (20-16 recipients will be announced in January), with Kupp earning Academic All-America accolades each of the last three 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 and will likely do the same this postseason. 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, and eventually was on the voting list along with teammate Gage Gubrud for the Walter Payton Award presented this year by STATS. They both finished in the top three in the voting, with the winner announced Jan. 6, 2017. Kupp had an incredible junior season with the Eagles to win that honor in a close outcome with a pair of running backs.
 
* In 2016, Kupp became the first wide receiver and just the fourth player overall in 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 12 times in the last 16 seasons, and 13 times overall. He and quarterback Gage Gubrud shared the 2016 honor, becoming the first teammates in the history of the league to be honored as co-MVPs.
 
* 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 didn't mean anything heading into the 2016 season in which he was 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 before adding to his list of records and accomplishments in 2016. Kupp even passed for a pair of touchdowns in the 2015 season and had another via punt return. Including his 2016 totals with two more touchdown passes, one rushing and one on a punt return, he has scored 74 total touchdowns and has accounted for 78 in his 50-game career (all as a starter).
 
* His career catches, yards and TDs are all Big Sky and FCS records, and he also established a new league record for average catches per game (8.24), which also ranks second in FCS history. Kupp has averaged a TD reception for every 5.9 catches so far in his career. He has scored at least once in 41 of 49 games he has played, with 29 performances of at least eight catches (15 with 10 or more) and a FCS record of 29 with at least 100 receiving yards.
 
* In June 2016, 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 40 games overall and 28 in the Big Sky Conference in the past four seasons, with three Big Sky Conference championships (two of them outright and two of them unbeaten) and NCAA Football Championship Playoff berths his freshman, sophomore and senior 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.
 
 
 
 

Recent Game Recap

 
The Eagle defense has been nails the past six games, and picked a great time to have its best performance of the season. The third-ranked and No. 2 seeded Eastern Washington University football team used a defensive shutout in the second half and 517 yards of total offense by sophomore Gage Gubrud to roll past the 14th-ranked University of Central Arkansas Bears at Roos Field Dec. 3 in Cheney, Wash., in the second round of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs. Eastern's defense held Central Arkansas to 244 yards of offense, bettering the 292 Eastern held Idaho State to on Nov. 12. It was the third time in six games Eastern has held an opponent to 17 points or less, with the 14 allowed bettering the previous best in a 35-16 win over Montana on Oct. 29. After spotting Central Arkansas a 14-0 lead and 163 yards of total offense, Eastern held the Bears scoreless for the final 35:11 of the game, allowing just 35 yards in the third quarter and 40 in the final stanza. Gubrud, who joins teammate Cooper Kupp as one of three finalists for the Payton Award given to the top offensive player in FCS, had a school record 47 completions. He finished with 517 yards of total offense to rank fourth in school history, while passing for 449 and rushing for another 68. Eastern had 11 different players catch passes, including a career-high 13 for 126 yards by senior Kendrick Bourne. Kupp, playing with a shoulder injury suffered against Portland State on Nov. 18, had 10 catches for 95 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Sophomore linebacker Ketner Kupp, starting in place of injured senior captain Miquiyah Zamora, had a team-high 11 tackles. His total eclipsed his previous high of eight on two occasions. Sophomore safety Mitch Fettig had an interception and seven tackles, and junior defensive end Albert Havili had seven tackles and a quarterback hurry. The Eagles finished with 531 yards of total offense and scored the final 31 points of the game. Down 14-0 in the second quarter, the Eagles used a 12-play, 95-yard drive to score its first points with 4:47 left in the half. On the ensuing kickoff, redshirt freshman Sam Inos forced a fumble that was recovered by fellow redshirt Tysen Prunty. Eastern tied the game three plays later on the first of two Gubrud to Kupp touchdown passes in the quarter. Later, after a UCA punt, Eastern went on an 11-play, 59-yard scoring drive, capped by Kupp's 6-yard TD pass from Gubrud. That gave EWU the lead for good and a 21-14 advantage at intermission. Eastern added a field goal and a touchdown in the second half.
 
 
 

Injury Report

* A shoulder injury to Cooper Kupp on Nov. 18 versus Portland State 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). Njoku missed his second-straight game after getting injured at Cal Poly, and had minor knee surgery on Nov. 22. However, only Zamora missed the Central Arkansas game on Dec. 3, while Kupp was limited and missed most of the second half. Meyer, Wilson and Njoku all started.
* Three other key players missed extended time at the end of the regular season and could return for the playoffs. Linebacker Kurt Calhoun (hamstring) is close to returning, but has still missed the last six games after getting injured versus Montana State on Oct. 22. Senior starting center Jerrod Jones (knee) missed his ninth-straight game versus UCA, but is expected back soon. Wide receiver Nsimba Webster broke his clavicle on a 61-yard kickoff return against UC Davis on Oct. 1 and returned to play versus Central Arkansas.
* Previously, 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. 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 UCA Game & Defense: "I was really proud of our players of finding a way to win. It seemed like a grind at times, but certain imperfections are going to happen because you are playing a great opponent and there are only 16 teams left in the tournament. But we found a way to keep responding. When you are down 14-0 and find a way to work your way back and win 31-14, that's not easy to do. I'm so proud of how our defense stepped up – we've grown as the year has gone along. I don't think people were believing me four or five weeks ago when they were talking about our shootouts with other teams. That wasn't really the reality. Our defense keeps playing great football."
 
On Offense & Turnovers: "Offensively we found a way to erupt a little bit in the second quarter and finished on that last drive. Even though we didn't score as many points as we've been averaging, we found a way to win the turnover battle 2-0. When you take care of the ball in the playoffs and don't turn it over at all, and are able to get a couple, that leads to wins – it flat out does. That's one thing we did really well in that regard."
 
On Halftime Speech: "It's the same I said for the last 11 halftimes, 'I do not care what the score says right now.' I said that when we've been up at half, or we've been down at half. We are going to make the proper adjustments, and more importantly, we're going to be mentally and physically better than our opponents. And what we've done for the last 11 months is going to put us in that position to be that way. It doesn't happen just by saying it – they have to have done it. Our guys were willing to work so hard in the offseason, and it's led them to these kind of second halves. It's a mental and physical toughness where we're playing with more stuff in minutes 40, 45, 50, 55, than our opponent. And it's been that way all year with this group."
 
On Filling In for Miquyah Zamora & Alek Kacmarcik: "You can't just replace certain players. To see Ketner and Katzenberger step up like they did, that's huge. And our guys believe it. We don't say next man up and have it not mean it. Our guys live it – we all just know Ketner and Katzenberger are going to be just fine. Same with when Coop goes down. Our guys just believe that. We are excited when we get those great players and leaders back, but until then we believe strongly the next men up are going to put us in a great position to win. I'm happy for all our players, but especially those guys who maybe play limited reps and then get put into those spots on the biggest stages and answer."
 
On Health of Team Heading Into Playoffs: "When you look at a body of work in 11 games, I think we're in a pretty good spot. We might have guys who could be missing, but all teams are in the same position at this point. Overall, the health of the team and our fitness and strength is good -- I give a lot of credit to the work done by Amir Owens and our strength and conditioning program, and Brian Norton and our athletic training staff. I know it's been a huge part of what we've been able to sustain over the course of a long season."
 
On Playoffs: "We've gotten to experience lots of things as coaches, but these student-athletes have only a small window of time to experience this. If you're a younger player, it doesn't automatically mean you are going to get another shot. To see Eastern Washington on the screen and hear our name called is cool. Just to be in this great tournament is a blast, and we're excited to have home games throughout. You realize it more when you miss it, and we missed getting in last year. That's on us and we didn't earn it."
 
On Cooper Kupp Consistency: "His biggest attribute is his consistency, and that he continues to find ways to produce when everybody's eyes are on him. 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."
 
On Gage Gubrud: "We had some question marks, and one of them was exactly who was going to play quarterback and how that was going to look once we were on the field. What Gage has been able to accomplish working with (quarterbacks coach and passing game quarterback) Troy Taylor is huge. His production was impressive, especially with the challenging schedule we had even before we got into league play. He's taken most every snap and has added pieces to our offense that maybe weren't there a year ago. But again, he's worked at it. He worked the entire off-season, and prepped and grinded to be at this point as a quarterback. I give him a lot of credit for that."
 
On Four First-Team Selections on Defense: "I'm very happy for those defensive players who were honored – they've put in a lot of time with (defensive coordinator) Jeff Schmedding and that staff. They worked extremely hard in the off-season to get us to a level we believed we could get to as a defense. It was an incredible year for what we did defensively. Once we got into league play we really started to find a rhythm. We got stops when stops were needed, and got some turnovers – those weren't there to that level in 2015. That was a huge spark for in where we are right now as a team."
 
On Having to Replace Three Senior Receivers: "I remember that question was asked in 2012. We aren't going to just replace this group, we know that. Cooper Kupp, Shaq Hill and Kendrick Bourne were pretty incredible, including the runs they've had this season and in their career. It's all come together this year, and for them to stay healthy and play this whole season together has been a blast. I'm excited for the rest of the season with these players and enjoy every minute of it. They are not only great football players, but they are just great young men I enjoy being around day-to-day. But, I'll be excited for that next group when they come out next spring. It will be exciting to see those guys with a little chip on their shoulder as well."
 
On Eastern's Ninth League Title and 12th Playoff Berth: "It's exciting, and there are a lot of people before us that helped get that going. I just thank all former Eastern Eagles and everybody that has been involved with building this program. There is a tradition and foundation here, and we were fortunate to come into a very strong foundation when we got here. We just try to continue and keep taking it to another level, and that's hard to do. But our players keep working towards it, and it's exciting to add the 2016 team to that list."
 
On Finishing League Season Unbeaten: "Our players worked so hard to overcome certain things in terms of youth, finding ways to be ready and our challenging schedule. 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. At times, things weren't perfect – 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."
 
On Winning By Comfortable Margins: "That's something we've done really well this year. Even when there are times we haven't got it all together and haven't been perfect -- knock on wood -- we still haven't been in a lot of really close ones. Out of conference we had a lot of close games, but in conference it hasn't always been that way."
 
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 as a Senior: "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."
 
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."
 
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. Our program relishes and embraces the challenges."
 
 
 

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, eight Eagles have made starting debuts, plus one more (Kaleb Levao) making his first start on offense after making a start on defense a year ago). Most recently, junior John Kreifels started at rover versus Idaho State. 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 (297 starts by 22 players): Miquiyah Zamora 43, Samson Ebukam 36, Matthew Sommer 30, Victor Gamboa 22, Zach Bruce 22, Nzuzi Webster 20, Andre Lino 20, Mitch Fettig 20, Albert Havili 14, Alek Kacmarcik 12, Keenan Williams 9, Jay-Tee Tiuli 8, Josh Lewis 9, J.J. Njoku 8, Cole Karstetter 5, Jake Hoffman 5, D'londo Tucker 5, Ketner Kupp 3, John Kreifels 2, Kurt Calhoun 1, Jonah Jordan 1, Conner Baumann 2 (including 1 as a fullback).
 
Offense (255 starts by 22 players): Cooper Kupp 50, Kendrick Bourne 31, Shaq Hill 23, Zach Wimberly 22, Jabari Wilson 18, Jordan West 14, Nick Ellison 13, Tristen Taylor 12, Chris Schlichting 12, Matt Meyer 11, Gage Gubrud 11, Spencer Blackburn 9, Nic Sblendorio 8, Jerrod Jones 5, Antoine Custer Jr. 4, Jack Hunter 3, Terence Grady 2, Reilly Hennessey 2, Stu Stiles 1, Jayce Gilder 1, Nsimba Webster 1, Kaleb Levao 2 (including 1 as defensive lineman).