­­­­#5/4 Ranked Eastern Washington Univ. "Eagles" versus Southern Utah Univ. "Thunderbirds"  Saturday, Oct. 6 • 12:10 p.m. Pacific Roos Field (8,600) • Cheney, Wash.
TV:	Nationally on ROOT Sports, the DirecTV Audience Network and DISH Studio Channel 102 (Tom Glasgow/Taylor Barton/Jen Mueller)
Webcast:	None
Radio:	700-AM ESPN and 105.3-FM in the Spokane/Cheney area, as well as KTEL 1490-AM & 99.7-FM in Walla Walla.  Larry Weir returns for his 28th season calling the play-by-play, with analysis handled by Paul Sorensen for the 16th year. Broadcasts begin one hour prior to kickoff and include an expanded post-game show.
Internet Radio:	https://tunein.com/radio/Eastern-Washington-Eagles-Sports-Network-s273711/
Radio Mobile Phone App:	Via tunein radio.
Live Stats:	http://ewustats.com
Weekly Coaches Show:	Mondays through Oct. 1 at David's Pizza in downtown Spokane (Northern Quest Resort & Casino starting Oct. 8). Shows are at 6 p.m. via 700-AM ESPN, 105.3-FM & tunein radio, with video highlights and commentary by head coach Aaron Best at 5:30 p.m.
Watch Parties:	Consult EWU social media outlets for details the Friday before games. Those who may carry EWU games include "Epic" at Northern Quest in Airway Heights, and Borracho, David's Pizza and the Swinging Doors in Spokane.

If there is still a sour taste in the mouths of the Eastern Washington University football team from the 2017 season, they'll certainly get the opportunity to cleanse their palates the next two weeks versus the two league co-champions from a year ago.
 
Ranked as high as fourth in this week's polls, the Eagles host winless Southern Utah this Saturday (Oct. 6) in the first of two-straight Big Sky Conference games versus opponents EWU lost to last season. It should be a milestone day for Eagle senior quarterback Gage Gubrud, who is just 16 passing yards from reaching the 10,000-yard plateau in his illustrious career.
 
Kickoff is 12:10 p.m. Pacific time and the game will be televised live nationally on ROOT Sports, via the DirecTV Audience Network and on DISH Studio Channel 102. Fans can also listen to the game on 700-AM ESPN, 105.3-FM, via the web at tunein.com and via mobile phone app, with pre-game coverage starting one hour prior to kickoff.
 
Eastern had a five-game winning streak overall and a 12-game Big Sky Conference victory streak going a year ago when it lost to the Thunderbirds 46-28 on the road. The following week, the Eagles fell at home to Weber State 28-20. Although EWU finished 7-4 overall and 6-2 in the Big Sky, the Eagles were passed over for the postseason while SUU, WSU and Northern Arizona all advanced to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs.
 
A year later, EWU is 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big Sky and ranked fifth in this week's STATS FCS Top 25 poll and fifth by the coaches following a 34-17 win at Montana State. Southern Utah had a bye last week, and is still looking for its first victory after losing three nonconference games and its league opener. The Thunderbirds fell to North Alabama (34-30), Oregon State (48-25) and Arizona (62-31) to open the year, then began Big Sky play with a loss at Northern Arizona (31-23). The EWU game will be SUU's fourth-straight road game after playing North Alabama at home.
 
But head coach Aaron Best is sending out the warning to ignore the winless mark, and not to go overboard with the redemption factor. Last season, EWU jumped out to a 14-0 lead before the Thunderbirds held Eastern scoreless for a 35-minute stretch and won 46-28 in Cedar City.
 
"They are a good ball club and they were co-Big Sky champs and beat us last year," he said. "So they are going to be hungry, and because they are 0-4 does mean they are going to be hungrier for their first win. Their record doesn't indicate what they are capable of – they are only one game into their conference schedule. We have to play our very best and hold serve at home."
 
Looming ahead for EWU is the rematch with Weber State, which is 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big Sky following a bye week of its own. The Wildcats play at Northern Arizona on Oct. 6 before hosting the Eagles.
 
Weber State went on to advance to the semifinals of the playoffs, Southern Utah received a first-round bye before falling to WSU in the quarterfinals, and NAU bowed out in the first round. Weber State closed 11-3 and Southern Utah was 9-3 after those two schools finished as league co-champions at 7-1.
 
Because South Dakota State fell to top-ranked North Dakota State, Eastern moved up a spot to a tie for fourth with SDSU in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 poll and remain fifth in the STATS poll of sportswriters, broadcasters and sports information directors. Weber State is ranked right behind EWU in sixth by STATS and seventh by the AFCA, with Montana (14/15) and UC Davis (16/21) also ranked in the top 25.
 
The Eagles have now won their four games this season by an average of 30.0 points per game. Eastern won its first two games by a combined 50 points – 58-13 over Central Washington and 31-26 one week later at Northern Arizona. Eastern then blasted Cal Poly 70-17 on Sept. 22. While Eastern was picked by both the coaches and media to win the league title, Southern Utah was slated to finish sixth in both.
 
Now 4-1 in 2018, Eastern closed the 2017 season with a 7-4 record overall and was 6-2 in the Big Sky Conference in the first season under head coach Aaron Best. Last season was the 11th-straight season the Eagles have finished 5-3 or better in the Big Sky, with an 11th-straight winning season and 20th in the last 22 years. But winning a 10th Big Sky title and making a 13th appearance in the FCS Playoffs is the quest for the 2018 Eagles.
 
 
Links to EWU Football Information
 
A complete Season Outlook of Eagle Football: http://goeags.com/news/2018/8/2/football-season-outlook-eastern-working-out-kinks-after-base-built-in-2017.aspx?path=football
A .pdf version of the 2018 EWU Football Fact Book & Archives: http://goeags.com/sports/2016/1/8/FB_Other%20Links-Archives.aspx
More Information on the Eastern Football Team: http://goeags.com/index.aspx?path=football
 
 
 
 

Game Notes

 
Eagles Jump to Fourth in AFCA Poll and Remain Fifth by STATS
 
Eastern will enter this week's game ranked in a tie for fourth in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 poll and remains fifth in the STATS poll of sportswriters, broadcasters and sports information directors for NCAA Football Championship Subdivision teams. South Dakota State lost to top-ranked North Dakota State, which enabled the Eagles to move up to fourth in the AFCA poll. Also ranked nationally from the Big Sky Conference are Weber State (6 STATS/7 AFCA), Montana (14/15) and UC Davis (16/21). Eastern pulled out a 31-26 victory on Sept. 8 at Northern Arizona, which at the time was ranked 18th by STATS and 20th by the AFCA.
 
If the polls are any indication, EWU and Weber State are on a collision course toward a Big Sky Conference title showdown in Ogden, Utah. Eastern and Weber State meet on Oct. 13, and that game was picked in the preseason by STATS as the most important Big Sky game of the season on its list of Pivotal FCS Conference Games in 2018.  The Eagles were seventh and the Wildcats were eighth in the AFCA preseason poll, and WSU was one slot better than EWU in the STATS preseason poll (8th/9th). Eastern is picked to win the Big Sky Conference title by the league's head coaches and media, and Weber State was EWU's only 2018 opponent ranked in the top 25 in the AFCA poll 
 
Eastern ranked as high as fourth nationally in rankings released by a trio of preseason publications. Hero Sports pegged the Eagles as the No. 4 team in FCS, ranking behind defending champion NDSU, JMU and Kennesaw State. Eastern was sixth in the Athlon Sports rankings, and is the top-ranked Big Sky team in both polls. Eastern was 14th in the Street & Smith's top 25.
 
 
Sixth-Year Senior Roldan Alcobendas is Big Sky POW After Breaking EWU Career Kick Scoring Record
 
He was injured in Bozeman in 2014, had a triumphant return in 2016 and then set some school history there in 2018.
 
Sixth-year senior kicker Roldan Alcobendas broke the school record for career kick scoring against Montana State on Sept. 29 and received his second career ROOT Sports Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player award on Monday (Oct. 1) as a result.
 
He suffered a knee injury in 2014 at Bobcat Stadium, then returned two years later and won his first Big Sky POW honor in 2016 after a performance in Bozeman. He scored 11 points in 2016 and had 10 more in this year's 34-17 victory which improved fifth-ranked EWU to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big Sky.
 
"Getting the record and player of the week is an ice cream sundae with a cherry on top," said Eastern head coach Aaron Best. "We congratulate him, and it's all earned. He prepared for this and right now he's playing all-world."
 
In his 34-game career, Alcobendas has scored 244 points to move past Troy Griggs (231 from 1998-01) and Mike Jarrett (236 from 2008-11) for the all-time EWU lead. Alcobendas has also established EWU career records for extra points made (169) and attempted (175), breaking the previous records held by Jarrett (2009-11) with 143 makes and 150 attempts. Alcobendas has made 25-of-36 field goals in his career to rank sixth in school history for field goals made and seventh in attempts. In his career, he has 107 kickoffs for a 57.4 average (6,143 total yards) with 17 touchbacks.
 
He converted field goals of 24 and 25 yards versus the Bobcats to remain perfect on the season at 5-for-5. He also converted four extra points, and punted four times for a 46.8 average with a long of 60. Three of his punts were downed inside the MSU 20-yard line, including a key 59-yarder in the fourth quarter. In all, the average field position for MSU after his punts was the 14-yard line.
 
"It was a proud, proud moment to watch him put the ball through the pipes and get the record," Best said of his 24-yarder that gave EWU a 17-10 second-quarter lead versus the Bobcats. "We didn't mention it before or during the game, but after the game we talked about that. What an accomplishment for him after everything he's overcome in six years here, but it feels like about 10 years."
 
Alcobendas entered the season as one of 34 placekickers nationwide to be named to the watch list for the 2018 Fred Mitchell Award. The recipient of the Fred Mitchell Award will be chosen at the end of the year based on excellence on the football field and in the community.
 
Thus far in 2018, Alcobendas is 5-of-5 kicking field goals (one of 13 players in FCS to be perfect on the season) and has converted on 28-of-29 extra points (one was blocked) to currently have 43 points on the season. He made a 47-yard field goal versus Central Washington and then had a 40-yarder at Northern Arizona. He made a 37-yarder against Washington State, but later had a 44-yarder wiped out because of a holding penalty and the Eagles punted instead.
 
He is also EWU's punter this season, and has averaged 43.6 yards on 14 punts thus far. "And now, on the punting side of things, he's done a phenomenal job at this point – even exceeding our expectations which is always good," said Best. "He had a monster punt late in the game at MSU that pushed them back inside their 20."
 
 As a bonus for his past suffering, the 2013 graduate of Camas (Wash.) High School received a sixth year to complete four years of eligibility because of injuries that cost him a pair of seasons. Alcobendas had to sit out both the 2013 and 2015 seasons because of knee injuries – one suffered while playing in his senior year of soccer.
 
"What he's accomplished here isn't just the points, it's the adversity he's faced and overcome," said Best. "He came here to Eastern with an injury in soccer and that set him back a little bit, then he had the injury at Montana State in 2014 that set him back a little more. He's battled through everything and has earned everything."
 
He finished the 2016 season 9-of-15 kicking field goals and made 73-of-74 extra points. He made his last 63 extra points in a row in 2016 to shatter the previous season record of 47. His 73 total extra points made in 2016 were one behind the Big Sky Conference record of 74 set by former Eagle Kevin Miller in 2013. He also averaged 54.6 yards on 44 kickoffs with seven touchbacks.
 
He missed his first extra point attempt of the game against UC Davis on Oct. 7, 2017, ending his school-record string of consecutive career extra points made at 85. In the 2017 season, he made 46-of-47 extra point attempts and 10-of-14 field goals. He also handled kickoff duties much of the season, and averaged 59.8 yards on 39 kicks in 2017 with seven touchbacks.
 
Returning to the venue he suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2014, 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 in 2016 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.
 
 
Gubrud Set to Join a Trio of Former Eagles in Another 10,000 Yard Club
 
The 10,000-yard club has already called upon senior quarterback Gage Gubrud, and now he's just a mere 16 yards from joining another. He is currently the owner of 21 school records, eight Big Sky Conference marks and three in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.
 
The Walter Payton Award candidate went over the 10,000-yard mark in his career for total offense on Sept. 8 at Northern Arizona to become the fourth Eagle in school history to achieve that feat. Now he is just 16 yards from joining those same three players in the 10,000-yard passing club, with a current total of 9,984 in his career.
 
His current total of 11,026 yards of offense has moved him into third in EWU history and 12th all-time in the Big Sky Conference. For passing, he still needs 713 yards to rank in the top 11 in the 55-year history of the league. Gubrud also has 87 touchdown passes in his 32-game career to move into third in school history past Erik Meyer (2002-05) with 84. There are no official lists for TD passes in the 55-year history of the league, but it's believed he's tied for eighth.
 
At No. 4 in school history in career passing yards with 9,984, Gubrud ranks only behind 10,000-yard passers Matt Nichols (12,616, #1 in Big Sky), Vernon Adams Jr. (10,438, unranked) and Erik Meyer (10,261, unranked). He is also third in total offense with 11,026 yards, ranking behind Nichols (13,308, #1 in Big Sky) and Adams (11,670, #7), but surpassing Meyer (10,942, #13).
 
Gubrud seeks to maintain a pair of career EWU marks and one in the Big Sky. Now 21-7 in 28 games as a starter, he remains the Eastern career leader in passing yards per game (312.0) and total offense per game (344.6), and is third in completion percentage (.646).  He is also third in efficiency rating (155.8), third in touchdown passes (87), second in completions (753) and second in attempts (1,165). His average yards of total offense currently ranks ahead of the Big Sky record of 328.9 set by Dave Dickenson of Montana with 11,513 yards in 35 games from 1992-95.
 
Gubrud now has a school-record 10 400-yard passing performances in his career, three more than Adams with seven. He has had back-to-back-to-back 400-yard performances on three occasions, and Adams, Jordan West and Matt Nichols are the only other quarterbacks in EWU history to have accomplished that feat two games in a row. Gubrud's 19 300-yard passing performances are tied with Nichols (19) and are one behind Adams (20) for the school record.
 
Gubrud owns school records with 13 performances of at least 400 yards of total offense and six with at least 500. He owns eight of the top 10 single game total offense performances in school history (1-2-3-4-6-7-8-10), plus the Nos. 14, 20 and 29 performances. He owns nine of the top 19 passing performances (1-2-4-7-13-15-16-18-19), plus Nos. 23, 40 and 45.
 
"It's not about stats – they help tell the story but the story can have different angles," said Eastern head coach Aaron Best. "His path from 2016 to 2017 was different, but now he is a senior quarterback in a pass-first offense. I'm excited to see what he's going to do this year. We are going to give him the ball and go win games."
 
After five games in 2018, Gubrud already has 1,585 yards of total offense – 1,416 through the air and 169 on the ground. He's completed 61.9 percent of his passes (99-of-160) and has a 156.8 passing efficiency rating. He leads FCS with 13 passing touchdowns, and he's also fourth in points responsible for (90), 12th in average points responsible for (18.0), 19th in passing efficiency (156.8), 11th in total offense (317.0 per game) and 15th in passing (283.2 per game).
 
 
Eagles Seek to Continue Big Sky Success
 
The Eagles have been impressive – if not dominant – in the league in the last 11+ years, winning 80 percent of their games (72-18) and five titles. In that span, Eastern has had no league finish below 5-3 and five of them have included 7-1 or 8-0 records. Eastern got off the 2018 league season off to a great start on Sept. 22 with a 70-17 victory over Cal Poly in front of a crowd of 9,156 – the 27th-straight sellout at Roos Field (crowd of 8,600 or more).
 
 
Eagles Now 46-10 on The Red Turf, Including 36-6 in the Regular Season
 
After winning its first two homes games in 2018, Eastern is now 46-10 overall at Roos Field since 2010. Eastern has lost just six regular season games at "The Inferno" – 36-6 (85.7 percent), plus are 10-4 in playoff games. The only regular season losses at home for EWU since then are to conference foes Montana State (2011), Portland State (2011 and 2015), Northern Arizona (2015) and Weber State (2017), as well as North Dakota State.
 
The stadium has been known as "Roos Field" since 2010 when a new red synthetic Sprinturf surface made its debut. Eastern finished a perfect 8-0 in its debut season at "The Inferno," including three playoff victories. Eastern has won 82.1 percent of its games since the red turf was installed in 2010 – including a 4-0 record versus rival Montana.
 
The North Dakota State game on Sept. 9, 2017, was the 50th at Roos Field since the red turf surface was installed in 2010. In 2016, Eastern finished 7-1 in the 50th season of football at EWU's current stadium location, which opened in 1967. Eastern has a 159-65 record (70.9 percent) in 224 games at Roos Field (formerly Woodward Field) since 1967, with the Eagles utilizing Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane as the school's main home field from 1983-89.
 
 
Running Game Rolls on Behind Quartet of Tailbacks
 
Four Eastern running backs are averaging at least 8.1 yards per carry on the season, and each had at least 52 yards versus Cal Poly on Sept. 22 when the Eagles had the second-most rushing yards in school history with 441. For the season they all average more yards per game than quarterback Gage Gubrud, who led the Eagles in rushing as a sophomore in 2016.
 
So far this season, senior Sam McPherson has 576 yards (115.2 per game and 8.1 per rush) and five touchdowns; junior Tamarick Pierce has 215 yards (43.0/8.1); junior Dennis Merritt has 174 (34.8/10.9); junior Antoine Custer has 160 in two games played (80.0/9.4). Gubrud has added 169 yards on the ground (33.8/5.5).
 
In Eastern's last seven games dating back to the 2017 season, the Eagles have rushed 267 times for 1,873 yards and 18 touchdowns, with averages of 267.6 per game and 7.0 per rush. By contrast, Eastern has attempted 221 passes for 2,001 yards and 20 touchdowns, with averages of 285.6 per game and 9.1 per play. In total, Eastern is averaging 553.4 yards per game and 7.9 per play with 38 total offensive touchdowns.
 
 "I would argue with anybody that the top four backs we have in Antoine, Sam, Tamarick and Dennis all rival anybody in this league," said Eastern head coach Aaron Best. "Every one of those guys makes the players up front of them better. It's not an offensive line that makes the tailback better, it's the tailback that makes the offensive line better. It took me about five years into my coaching career to figure that out. It doesn't matter as much what you have up front, it matters what you have behind."
 
Through five games this season, Eastern is fourth in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in total offense at 554.6 yards per game. The Eagles are 10th in rushing offense (268.8), compared to 22nd in passing (285.8). McPherson, the lone senior among the group of four tailbacks, is ranked 12th in FCS with average of 115.2 yards per game and 576 total to rank eighth. He handled the bulk of the rushing load in EWU's first three games, with Custer making his 2018 debut versus Cal Poly after suffering a preseason hamstring injury.
 
In the milestone win over Cal Poly, Custer had 133 and two touchdowns on just eight carries (16.6 per rush). Merritt had 92 with an 81-yard touchdown run; McPherson had 84 on eight carries; Pierce added 52 on five rushes; and Gubrud even had 50 yards on four totes.
 
Custer, a preseason All-Big Sky Conference selection, was a second team all-league pick in 2017 when he rushed for 776 yards and 10 touchdowns. He now has 1,352 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in his 26-game career (17 as a starter), and scored on runs of 62 and 43 yards versus Cal Poly. He also has 502 receiving yards on 52 catches and 499 on kickoff returns for a total of 2,353 all-purpose yards (90.5 per game). His career 23.8 average returning kickoffs is currently 11th in school history and he's scored a total of 21 touchdowns as an Eagle.
 
"I saw some flashes -- I don't think he's 100 percent but he's close to it," said Best after Custer's debut against Cal Poly. "He had the long touchdown run early which helped his confidence and our confidence. We would never put a player out there where the doctor and/or trainer says he's not able and capable of playing, or he's going to hurt something further. He was more than healthy enough to play, but he hadn't played in a game yet so he needed to get his game legs underneath him. He had eight carries so it wasn't a ton, and I probably thought he would get 10-12 carries."
 
McPherson has now rushed for 1,225 yards and eight touchdowns in his 35-game career (five as a starter), with 509 receiving on 52 catches and a total of 1,896 all-purpose yards (54.2 per game). He's scored 13 TDs in his EWU career.
 
The Eagles have had a 100-yard rusher in five of their last seven games dating back to 2017, including three by McPherson and a pair by Custer. Eastern had 179 rushing yards against Montana State on Sept. 29 following the 441-yard outburst versus Cal Poly. The Eagles had a respectable 141 versus Washington State on Sept. 15, with McPherson finishing with 65 and Pierce adding 67 on just six carries. Eastern had 248 against Northern Arizona on Sept. 8, including 161 on 22 carries by McPherson and 80 yards by Gubrud. One game earlier against Central Washington, McPherson had 185 yards on just 15 carries and Merritt added 75 as the Eagles finished with 328 as a team. At the time, the 328 were the most rushing yards EWU has had in its last 147 games dating back to a 331-yard performance in a 47-22 win over Idaho State on Sept. 25, 2004.
 
"When you start getting rushing yards like that, it's not just first and second level blocking, but it's third level blocking," explained Best. "Receivers don't just catch balls here, they block downfield too. If we can be as balanced as we were against Central, we can continue to be a successful offensive unit."
 
Eastern finished with 677 yards of offense (349 passing) against Central and had 570 versus NAU (322 passing). Last year, Eastern ended the season with 728 yards against Portland State (440 passing/228 rushing) and one game before that had 376 against North Dakota (132 passing/244 rushing). McPherson had 118 yards on eight carries on just one half of action against UND, with Antoine Custer Jr. contributing another 70 on 19 carries. Custer had 177 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries against PSU to end the season.
 
Eastern's offensive line boasts a starting five with 111 starts between them, including 30 by Chris Schlichting; 28 by Tristen Taylor; 27 by Spencer Blackburn; 17 by Jack Hunter and 9 by Kaleb Levao. However, in the 441-yard effort against Cal Poly and the team's subsequent game at Montana State, Taylor was unavailable and former tight end Beau Byus made the first start two starts of his career.
 
 
Eagles Fourth in FCS in Total Offense
 
Through five games this season, Eastern is fourth in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in total offense at 554.6 yards per game. The Eagles are 10th in rushing offense (268.8), compared to 22nd in passing (285.8).  Eastern has never averaged more rushing yards than passing yards in a single season as a member of FCS, and the last time it happened overall was in 1981 (226.5 rushing and 145.0 passing).
 
The offensive assault has led to an average of 43.4 points per game to rank sixth, and EWU is a respectable 43rd in scoring defense (26.4). Aside from a loss at Washington State, Eastern has outscored its four opponents 193-73 for an average score of 48-18 and margin of 30 points per game.
 
The Eagles are also third in third down conversions (50.7 percent) and 16th in passing efficiency (156.85) while allowing only four sacks to rank 13th nationally. Eastern also has the 10th-most first downs in FCS with 110 and is fourth with two defensive touchdowns.
 
Sam McPherson, the lone senior among a talented group of four tailbacks, is ranked 12th in FCS with an average of 115.2 yards per game and 576 total to rank eighth. Despite Eastern's impressive rushing numbers, two-time Walter Payton Award finalist Gage Gubrud still leads FCS with 13 passing touchdowns. He's also fourth in points responsible for (90), 12th in average points responsible for (18.0), 19th in passing efficiency (156.8), 11th in total offense (317.0 per game) and 15th in passing (283.2 per game).
 
Receiver Nsimba Webster is 18th in receiving yards (101.0 per game), 55th in catches (5.0 per game) and 14th in TD receptions (four). Kicker Roldan Alcobendas is 30th in scoring (8.6 per game), and is among 13 players in FCS who are still perfect kicking field goals (5-of-5).
 
 
Eastern Has 38 Players With Combined 474 Career Starts
 
Eastern's experience is not questioned, with 38 total players with a total of 474 games of starting experience – 19 players and 237 on both sides of the ball. Thus far in 2018, six players have made starting debuts, including Jim Townsend at defensive end and Andrew Boston at wide receiver versus Central Washington in EWU's opener. Senior Nick Foerstel made his first start at Washington State at defensive end, then senior offensive tackle Beau Byus, junior linebacker Andrew Katzenberger and sophomore linebacker Chris Ojoh made their debuts versus Cal Poly.
 
The Eagles entered the season with 32 total players returning with a total of 364 games of starting experience (182 on each side), including 15 on defense and 17 on offense. Of the players lost from the 2017 team, four had at least 20 starts. They collectively had 128 starts, including 98 on defense and 26 on offense.
 
Current Starts on Defense (237 starts by 19 players): Mitch Fettig 38, Josh Lewis 26, Nzuzi Webster 26, Keenan Williams 21, Cole Karstetter 19, Ketner Kupp 17, Jay-Tee Tiuli 16, Kurt Calhoun 15, Dylan Ledbetter 13, D'londo Tucker 13, Tysen Prunty 9, Jonah Jordan 7, Jack Sendelbach 4, Jim Townsend 5, Nick Foerstel 3, Conner Baumann 2 (including 1 as a fullback), Chris Ojoh 1, Andrew Katzenberger 1, Anfernee Gurley 1.
 
Current Starts on Offense (237 starts by 19 players): Chris Schlichting 30, Gage Gubrud 28, Tristen Taylor 28, Spencer Blackburn 27, Jack Hunter 17, Antoine Custer Jr. 17, Nsimba Webster 16, Matt Meyer 16, Zach Eagle 13, Terence Grady 9, Kaleb Levao 9 (including 1 as defensive lineman), Jayce Gilder 6, Sam McPherson 5, Henderson Belk 4, Andrew Boston 4, Jayson Williams 3, Beau Byus 2, Johnny Edwards IV 2, Eric Barriere 1.
 
 
Four Eagles Make NFL Rosters, Two as Starters With Rams
 
Four former Eagles were in uniform when the NFL regular season began in September, including a pair of starters with the Los Angeles Rams.
 
Cooper Kupp is a starting receiver for the Rams after bursting onto the scene last year with 62 catches for 869 yards and five touchdowns to earn All-Rookie honors by the Pro Football Writers Association. He and his wife, Anna, and their newborn son, Cooper Jamison, actually attended the MSU game on Sept. 29, 2018, to watch his brother Ketner Kupp play. Cooper returned to a venue he caught nine passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore in 2014, and 13 for 154 and a score in his senior year in 2016. In all, Kupp caught 42 passes for 617 yards and seven touchdowns in four victories versus the Bobcats. It was the first time in the last two years with the Rams that Kupp was able to see the Eagles play. Just two days prior to attending the EWU-MSU game, he caught nine passes for a career-high 162 yards and had the first two-touchdown day of his career versus Minnesota. He had a 70-yard TD reception in the 38-31 victory, giving him 24 catches for 348 yards and four touchdowns in the first four games – all wins – for the Rams.
 
Ebukam is a starter at outside linebacker after finishing with 31 tackles, a pair of sacks and a forced fumble in 16 games (two as a starter). Kendrick Bourne, also a rookie last year, is a backup wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers and had his first regular season touchdown in the NFL on Sept. 16, 2018. He had 16 receptions for 257 yards as a rookie, all coming in the last eight games of the season. Veteran running back Taiwan Jones remains on the Buffalo Bills roster as he enters his eighth season in the NFL.
 
Aaron Neary had spent his rookie season with the Rams, even starting once at center in the regular season, but was cut at the end of training camp in 2018. He was then with the Cleveland Browns for less than a week until being released before the team's regular season opener, then was picked back up by the Rams for their practice squad.
 
Veteran Jake Rodgers, who last played for EWU in 2014, was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and rookie Albert Havili was released by the Bills after starting the preseason with the San Diego Chargers.
 
With Kupp, Ebukam, Bourne and Neary, Eastern had four rookies play in the regular season in the NFL in 2017 – certainly extremely rare if not unprecedented by a FCS school. As NFL 53-man rosters were announced for 2018, STATS reported there were 157 players from 71 different FCS schools on regular season rosters, but Eastern is the only Big Sky school with more than two. Eastern has the sixth-most in FCS, trailing only Harvard (8), North Dakota State (6), James Madison (6), Illinois State (6) and Delaware (6).
 
Eastern also has five Eagles active in the Canadian Football League, including quarterbacks Bo Levi Mitchell (Calgary), Matt Nichols (Winnipeg) and Vernon Adams Jr. (Montreal). Linebacker J.C. Sherritt (Edmonton) and T.J. Lee III (British Columbia) are also active in the league, but released in 2018 were Victor Gamboa (Ottawa), Shaq Hill (Edmonton), Cassidy Curtis (British Columbia) and Tevin McDonald (British Columbia).
 
 
First Meeting with Vandals in Cheney Since 1994 is One of Eight League Matchups
 
The return of Idaho to the Big Sky Conference and a rare meeting with the Vandals in Cheney on Oct. 27 is among the highlights of EWU's league schedule in 2018.
 
The University of Idaho re-joined the Big Sky in football in 2018, and EWU will play the Vandals on Oct. 27, in the first meeting between the two schools since 2012 when Eastern won in Moscow 20-3. The last time the former league rivals met in a Big Sky game was in 1995 when the Vandals prevailed 37-10 and the last time they met in Cheney was 1994.
 
After finishing 6-2 in league play a year ago en route to an overall 7-4 finish, Eastern's eight Big Sky Conference foes this coming season combined for a 45-59 record overall and, including Idaho in the Sun Belt, were 34-48 in league play in 2017. Eastern will play back-to-back games in October versus the 2017 Big Sky co-champions, Southern Utah and Weber State, who were a collective 20-6 overall and 14-2 in the Big Sky.
 
Eastern opened league play Sept. 22 at home with a 70-17 victory versus Cal Poly on Hall of Fame Day at EWU, then won 34-17 at Montana State in Bozeman in a game televised live regionally by ROOT Sports. Eastern has now won the last six meetings versus Cal Poly with an 8-2 all-time record, and are 32-10 all-time versus the Bobcats with a seven-game winning streak.
 
The schedule continues when EWU hosts Southern Utah (9-3/7-1) on Oct. 6 on ROOT Sports and then travels to Ogden, Utah, to play FCS Playoffs semifinalist Weber State (11-3/7-1) on Oct. 13. The Eagles are 6-3 all-time versus the Thunderbirds, but lost 46-28 a year ago in Cedar City, Utah. Weber State defeated EWU the week after that 28-20 in Cheney, to snap EWU's five-game winning streak in the series. Eastern is 19-15 all-time versus the Wildcats.
 
After an open date in the schedule on Oct. 20, Eastern will once again be on ROOT Sports on Sept. 27 in the renewal of a regional rivalry. Idaho (4-8/3-5 Sun Belt) visits Cheney. Eastern hosted Idaho at Albi Stadium in Spokane six times (1999, 1997, 1990, 1988, 1986, 1984) with a pair of wins, and have played in Cheney just three times (1994, 1992, 1942) with no wins versus the Vandals. The Eagles trail in the all-time series 15-6, but have won three of the last five.
 
The Eagles close the regular season with two of their last three on the road – Nov. 3 at Northern Colorado (3-7/2-6) and Nov. 16 at Portland State (0-11/0-8) – sandwiched around Senior Day at home against UC Davis (5-6/3-5). The Eagles are 11-1 all-time versus the Bears with a 10-game winning streak, and are a perfect 6-0 versus UC Davis. Eastern is 19-20-1 against Portland State, but have won the last two, five of the last six and seven of the last nine versus the Vikings.
 
The Eagles actually played a ninth Big Sky foe when EWU started a home-and-home series with Northern Arizona on Sept. 8. Eastern won 31-26, and the return game will come two years later in Cheney, Wash., on Sept. 19, 2020. The two teams didn't play in 2017, and NAU finished 7-5 overall and 6-2 in the league. Eastern now has a 21-12 all-time series lead against NAU, and the last time EWU and NAU played in a non-conference game came in 1986 – the year before the Eagles joined the league.
 
Non-conference Big Sky matchups such as the Eagles versus Lumberjacks showdown can actually be used in a tiebreaker situation at the end of the year. The first tiebreaker, head-to-head competition, applies to not only league games, but non-conference games played between conference members. The second tiebreaker is record against common conference opponents, then record against common non-conference opponents. Sagarin ratings will be used as the final tiebreaker, or, in the unlikely event of a tie, a coin toss.
 
 
 
 
 

Series History

 
* Eastern leads the all-time series against SUU 6-3 with a 3-0 mark in Cheney, but is just 3-3 in Cedar City. Eastern's three home victories came in 2003 (49-21), 2010 (31-24) and 2013 (34-10). The Eagles lost on the road versus the Thunderbirds by a 43-21 score in the first-ever meeting in 1998, but then won there in 2002 (49-14) and 2009 (41-28) before falling in 2012 (30-27). Eastern won there again in 2014 (42-30) and lost in Cedar City in 2017 (46-28).
 
 
Looking Back to 2017 . . . Southern Utah 46, #8 Eastern Washington 28
 
Southern Utah held the Eagles without offensive points for more than 35 minutes to rally from a 14-0 deficit, and scored twice in barely over a minute in the fourth quarter to knock off EWU 46-28 in an important Big Sky Conference game in Cedar City, Utah, on Oct. 21. After EWU took a 28-25 advantage with 11:32 left in the game, Southern Utah scored two touchdowns in a 1:15 span in the fourth quarter. The dagger was an Eagle interception at its own 13-yard line that enabled SUU to take a 39-28 lead with 6:24 left. The Eagles were held to an uncharacteristic 382 yards of offense, but had a dominating 173-39 advantage after their first three possessions of the game. But SUU caught fire, out-gaining EWU 416-209 from that point on in ending EWU's 12-game Big Sky Conference winning streak. After coming up empty on its first five possessions – including three-straight three-and-outs for the Eagles – SUU scored on seven of its next nine. Eastern, meanwhile, had seven-consecutive empty possessions – a span of 35:40 -- with the lone score coming on a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Dre' Sonte Dorton. Eastern finished with four turnovers and 85 yards in penalties. Quarterback Gage Gubrud finished 24-of-44 for 246 yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for a team-leading 64 yards. Senior Nic Sblendorio had a team-leading six catches for 71 yards, and wide receiver Nsimba Webster caught three passes for 28 yards, and for the fourth-straight game had a touchdown reception. Running back Antoine Custer Jr. rushed for 43 yards and had another 23 on four catches. Safety Tysen Prunty had a team-leading 13 tackles in just his second career start. Senior defensive end Albert Havili had 10 tackles, a pass broken up and a quarterback hurry. Safety Mitch Fettig had nine tackles, and linebacker Kurt Calhoun finished with eight tackles, including a sack.
 
 
Looking Back Further
 
#2 Eastern Washington 42, Southern Utah 30 (Oct. 11, 2014) -- The second-ranked Eagles rushed for 280 yards to take pressure off the first career start by quarterback Jordan West, and the Eagles went on to defeat Southern Utah 42-30 on Oct. 11, 2014, in a Big Sky Conference game at Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City, Utah. The Eagles used timely offense and defense – as well as a blocked punt in the second quarter by Tevin McDonald – to turn a 14-7 deficit into a 42-24 lead early in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Jalen Moore and senior Mario Brown had career-best performances to combine for 267 yards and three touchdowns, while West had 288 yards through the air. Eastern had 54 rushes in the game and passed 27 times en route to a 568-513 advantage in total offense. West finished 20-of-27 with three touchdowns, one interception and an impressive passer efficiency rating of 192.9. Brown, starting in place of the injured Quincy Forte, had a career-high 134 yards rushing on 22 carries and scored once. Moore had his best game as an Eagle with 133 yards, also on 22 carries, and scored a pair of touchdowns. Sophomore Kendrick Bourne had five catches for 90 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Cooper Kupp led EWU receivers with six catches for 63 yards. Freshman redshirt cornerback Victor Gamboa had the first two interceptions of his career for the Eagles and seven tackles. Safety Zach Bruce led Eastern in tackles with eight.
 
#4 Eastern Washington 34, Southern Utah 10 (Oct. 19, 2013) -- Eastern intercepted three passes and had four sacks to beat Southern Utah 34-10 at Roos Field. Leading just 14-3 at halftime, Eastern's offense got untracked in the second half and scored touchdowns on three-straight possessions in front of a sold-out crowd of 10,135.  EWU out-gained SUU in total offense 486-368, including advantages of 161-28 in the first quarter and 175-102 in the decisive third period. Eastern quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 25-of-35 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns in the win, and Cooper Kupp had 11 catches for 168 yards and a score. Linebacker Cody McCarthy led the defense with eight tackles, and Ronnie Hamlin added seven. Eastern won the turnover battle 3-2 against a team that entered the game ranked eighth in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision with a plus nine margin for the season.  All three turnovers EWU forced were interceptions recorded by Tevin McDonald, Ronald Baines and Samson Ebukam, who returned his 21 yards for the first score of the day. Sacks were recorded by Andru Pulu, Matthew Sommer, Anthony Larry and Evan Day. It was the first time EWU had three interceptions in a single game in three seasons.
 
Southern Utah 30, #1 Eastern Washington 27 (Oct. 27, 2012) -- Senior quarterback Brad Sorenson passed for 392 yards and SUU kicked a field goal with three seconds left to pull off the upset over No. 1 ranked EWU. Eastern had entered the game 6-1 and 5-0 in the Big Sky, and SUU entered just 3-5 overall and 2-3 in the league. The Thunderbirds scored the final 10 points in a game that featured five lead changes and no lead of more than seven points. Both teams finished with nearly 500 yards of offense, but a missed Eastern field goal with 2:51 left and a made SUU field goal with three seconds remaining was the difference as the Eagles fell from their perch as the No. 1 team in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. On a day when Eastern managed only 91 rushing yards, quarterbacks Vernon Adams Jr. and Kyle Padron combined to pass for 404 yards. However, Sorenson was up to the task, as the senior completed 33-of-43 passes with one interception and one touchdown. Adams started both halves and finished 11-of-15 for 181 yards and a score. Ashton Clark had a career-high 11 catches for 86 yards and a touchdown, with his catch total ranking 12th in school history. Ronnie Hamlin had 13 tackles to lead the Eagle defense, and T.J. Lee added nine with a sack.
 
 
 

Recent Game Recap

 
No. 5 Eastern Scores 20 Unanswered Points to Defeat Bobcats 34-17
 
Behind an offense that rolled up 490 yards of offense and a defense that pitched shutouts in the second and third quarters, the fifth-ranked Eagles scored 20 unanswered points to win 34-17 at Montana State on Sept. 29, 2018, at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman.
 
Quarterback Gage Gubrud had 345 yards of total offense, and the defense held MSU scoreless for nearly 40 minutes after giving up 10 quick points. The Eagles scored 20 unanswered points to take a 34-17 lead on a 57-yard touchdown run by Sam McPherson, his second of the day. Sixth-year senior Roldan Alcobendas kicked a pair of field goals and had four extra points to give him 244 points in his EWU career to establish a new school record for kick scoring points.
 
The Eagles scored 17 points in the first 17 minutes of the game, but MSU scored 10 in its first two possessions and had 139 yards on 11 plays. After a two-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on its first possession, the Bobcats had a 10-play, 64 yard drive. But after that, Eastern held the Bobcats to 221 yards on 53 plays and just one more score– including a 38:49 scoreless stretch from the first quarter to the fourth period.
 
Montana State scored 10 points in its first two possessions, but had just a single score in its last eight possessions as the Eagles led for the final 53:15 of the game. In those seven empty possessions, EWU forced MSU to punt four times, had interceptions by senior Mitch Fettig and Josh Lewis and had a key fourth-down stop in the third quarter by senior Ketner Kupp.
 
Ahead just 17-10 late in the first half, Eastern opened a two touchdown lead thanks to the first two carries of the game by junior running back Tamarick Pierce. He started a two-play, 54-yard drive with a 34-yard run – more than double his previous career high of 15 yards – then drew a 12-yard personal foul penalty on MSU as well. He then capped the drive with a 12-yard scoring run to help give the Eagles a 24-10 lead at intermission.
 
After a fast start, Montana State quarterback Troy Andersen was held in check for the final three quarters by the Eagle defense. He finished with 94 yards rushing and 156 through the air, but 83 of the passing yards and 35 of his yards on the ground came in MSU's first 11 plays. He averaged 14.7 yards per game in his first three carries, but then just 2.5 in his last 20. He came into the game averaging 105.8 yards rushing to rank 24th in FCS, but his 8.29 average per rush was eighth and his five rushing touchdowns were ninth. He entered averaging only 47.0 yards passing per game, but was coming off 318 yards of offense versus PSU with 211 rushing and 107 passing. Montana State finished that game with 323 yards and five TDs rushing in the 43-23 win, but with just 155 yards rushing versus the Eagles.
 
Gubrud completed 27-of-41 passes for 311 yards, and also rushed for 34 yards. Junior Jayce Gilder doubled his previous career high of two receptions by finishing with four catches for 41 yards against MSU. He is from Corvallis, Mont., and is just the 11th player in school history from that state to letter in football.  Redshirt freshman Andrew Boston was one of four Eagle receivers with four catches apiece, finishing with 44 yards. Senior Nsimba Webster had four for a team-high 56 yards, and running back Antoine Custer also had four for 39 yards. McPherson scored on runs of 57 and 2 yards to finish with a team-high 74 yards on nine carries.
 
Defensively, Kupp finished with seven tackles, with one for loss, and also had a pass broken up. Senior linebacker Kurt Calhoun added five tackles with a sack. Junior safety Dehonta Hayes had a career-high six tackles, eclipsing his previous high of five.
.
 
 
 

Other 2018 Team Notes

 
Eastern Picked by Both Coaches and Media to Win Title
 
The Eagles are hoping a return to No. 1 in the preseason polls means a return to No. 1 in November and beyond. Eastern was picked to win the 2018 league title by both the coaches and media as the picks were released July 16 at the Big Sky Conference Football Kickoff in Spokane.
 
It's the first time since 2014 the Eagles have been picked No. 1 in both, and in 2015 EWU was selected first by the media. In 2016 the Eagles were fourth by the coaches and third by the media, and last year Eastern was second in both. In 2013, EWU was second in both as well.
 
Since winning the league and NCAA Division I titles in 2010, Eastern has won Big Sky championships in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016. With 28 seniors and 17 starters returning, plus the team's starting kicker and long snapper, the Eagles are poised to return to the top slot again.
 
The Eagles received six first-place votes and 134 total points by the media, and had 27 first-place tallies and 651 total votes by the coaches. Weber State was second in both polls, receiving a trio of No. 1 votes and 124 overall by the coaches, and the media giving the Wildcats 19 first-place votes and 636 points overall.
 
A year ago, Eastern finished 7-4 overall and 6-2 in the league under first-year head coach Aaron Best, but the Eagles were passed over for the FCS Playoffs. Co-champion Weber State went on to advance to the semifinals of the playoffs, while NAU bowed out in the first round. Southern Utah, which was picked sixth by the coaches and fifth by the media in this year's poll, was also the co-champion last season and received a first-round bye before falling to WSU in the quarterfinals.
 
 
Eagles Have Greatest 'Imbalance' of Rushing over Passing in 173 Games
 
In a program known for its passing prowess, Eastern's rushing offense doubled its passing attack for the first time in 14 years when the Eagles rushed for the second-most yards in school history in a 70-17 drubbing of Cal Poly on Saturday (Sept. 22). The total of 441 is second only to the 456 yards Eastern had in 1999 versus Cal State Northridge (the most in EWU last 232 games) and was more than twice the 216 yards EWU had through the air versus the Mustangs.
 
Eastern hasn't had twice as many rushing yards than passing in its last 173 games dating back to a 51-7 victory at Weber State in 2004 when the Eagles rushed for 295 and passed for 121. Eastern had 71 percent of its yards on the ground in that game, 78 percent in the 48-41 home win over CSN in 1999 and 67 percent in the victory over Cal Poly when EWU rushed for six touchdowns, had two passing and two more on defensive fumble recoveries.
 
The Eagles had their rushing total on just 30 carries to set a new Big Sky record for average per rush with a mark of 14.7. That broke the old record of 11.1 set by Portland State versus UC Davis in 2013 (427 yards, 38 attempts).
 
Eastern has never averaged more rushing yards than passing yards in a single season as a member of FCS, and the last time it happened overall was in 1981 (226.5 rushing and 145.0 passing). The closest Eastern has come to having more rushing yards than passing yards in a single season as a member of FCS came in 1999. That year EWU averaged 196.3 on the ground and 201.0 through the air, with Jovan Griffith finishing with 1,275 yards and Jesse Chatman 889.
 
Eastern's all-time records for rushing yards and average in a single season came in 1950 when it rushed for 3,130 total in 10 games (313.0 average). As a member of FCS, the record is 225.4 set in 2001 when Chatman averaged 190.5 single handedly.
 
The 53-point margin in EWU's 70-17 victory over Cal Poly was EWU's largest in 31+ seasons as a member of the Big Sky Conference (239 games), and its third-largest in 34+ years a member of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (401 games). The 70 points scored were the fourth-most in Eastern school history and most versus a NCAA Division I opponent.
 
Eastern has had 18 50-point games in the last 6+ seasons (including three in 2017 and two thus far in 2018), with one in 2015, six in 2014, three in 2017 and two each in 2013 and 2012. Eastern is now 54-3 in the 57 games they have scored at least 50 in school history.
 
In the last 132 games since EWU last had twice as many rushing yards than passing, just 17 times has EWU even had more rushing yards than passing in a single game. In fact, in 401 total games as a member of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, on just 69 occasions has EWU's rushing offense out-gained its passing attack – and just nine times has EWU had twice as many rushing yards than passing.
 
In the 2004 game versus Weber State, Eastern's Dezmon Cole rushed for 199 and Toke Kefu had 89, with both players scoring twice. Interestingly, Eastern also scored in that game on an interception return, a punt return, a fumble that was recovered for a touchdown and a safety; in EWU's 2018 drubbing of Cal Poly the Eagles scored on a pair of fumble returned for TDs.
 
In 1999 when EWU had 456 rushing yards, the Eagles broke the previous school record of 438 set on Sept. 19, 1981, versus Carroll College in a 51-0 romp.  In that 1999 game, Jovan Griffith rushed for 262 yards and six touchdowns on 42 carries, and Jesse Chatman had 211 on just 16 rushes (13.2 yards per carry). Griffith's carries and touchdowns are still school records, and his yardage is fifth (third at the time). Chatman's 211 are 20th now (10th at the time), but he exceeded that total five times after that – four in 2001 when he finished with a school-record 2,096 yards.
 
Four Eastern players had between 78 and 102 yards in the 1981 game, a game in which Jim McElwain played as a backup quarterback for the Eagles. He is the former head coach at Florida and Colorado State, and now is now a wide receivers coach at Michigan.
 
 
EWU Plays in 400th Game as FCS Member
 
The Washington State game on Sept. 15 was Eastern's 400th game as a member of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, dating back to 1984 when EWU became a member of that classification (then known as I-AA). The Eagles have now won 60.2 percent of its 402 games in 34+ seasons in FCS, with a 241-159-2 record.
 
 
Eastern is 26-14 Since 2010 Versus Ranked Opponents
 
Eastern beat a ranked NCAA Football Championship Subdivision opponent for the first time since 2016 when the Eagles beat Northern Arizona 31-26 on Sept. 8. Northern Arizona had entered the game ranked 18th in the STATS Top 25 poll, and the win snapped a three-game losing streak in games versus ranked foes. The last win came over No. 12 Richmond 38-0 on Dec. 10, 2016, in the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs.
 
The Eagles have now played 123 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 55-68 (.447 in those games, including a 17-42 mark (.288) versus top 10 foes. Since 2010, though, the Eagles are 26-14 overall (.650) and 8-7 (.533 versus top 10 teams.
 
In 2017, Weber State was the second ranked FCS foe Eastern played that year and the first in Big Sky Conference play. Prior to beating EWU 28-20, Weber State was ranked 19th in the STATS Top 25 poll, and 14th by the coaches. Eastern was 11th in both at the time. Earlier, Eastern lost 40-13 to second-ranked North Dakota State (the Eagles were ranked seventh).
 
Eastern was 6-2 against ranked teams in 2016, having lost to top-ranked North Dakota State by a 50-44 score in overtime and then falling 40-38 to 13th-ranked Youngstown State in the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs. Eastern defeated Northern Iowa, ranked 10th at the time, by a 34-30 score on Sept. 17, beat No. 25 Northern Arizona 50-35 on Sept. 24, defeated No. 16 Montana 35-16 on Oct. 29 and knocked off No. 14 Cal Poly 42-21 on Nov. 5. In the playoffs, EWU beat No. 14 Central Arkansas 31-14 on Dec. 3 and was victorious over No. 12 Richmond 38-0 on Dec. 10.
 
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.
 
 
Superlatives Galore in Convincing 58-13 Opener, Including Most Rushing Yards Since 2004
 
Both as a team and individually, there were plenty of superlatives from Eastern's season-opening 58-13 victory over Central Washington on Sept. 1, when EWU doubled-up the Wildcats in total offense (677-321). The Eagles finished with 349 yards through the air and 328 rushing.
 
The yardage total were the fifth-most yards of offense in EWU history, and Eastern's 58 points scored ranks tied for 17th and was most in the all-time series with Central. For the game, Eastern averaged 10.7 yards per play compared to 4.4 for the Wildcats. It was also the most rushing yards EWU has had in its last 147 games dating back to a 331-yard performance in a 47-22 win over Idaho State on Sept. 25, 2004.
 
Here were the individual milestones from the avalanche of points and yards:
 
* Sixth-year senior kicker Roldan Alcobendas made a 47-yard field goal – the second-longest in his career – and finished with 10 total points. His seven extra points in eight attempts helped him establish career records in both of those categories. Alcobendas is also EWU's new punter, but EWU didn't punt after scoring on nine of 12 possessions and fumbling on three of them.
 
* Senior quarterback Gage Gubrud completed 82.3 percent of his passes (19-of-23) to finish with 337 yards with no interceptions and five touchdown passes. His completion percentage was close to the record of 90.5 percent (19-of-21) set by Erik Meyer in 2004, and Gubrud also averaged 14.2 yards per attempt and 17.2 per completion. Those records, respectively, are 18.0 set by Meyer in 2004 and 26.0 set by Vernon Adams Jr. in 2012.
 
* Senior wide receiver Nsimba Webster had 10 catches for a career-high 212 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He scored on receptions of 50 and 15 yards, as he had the 16th 200-yard performance in school history to rank ninth overall.
 
* Senior running back Sam McPherson had 185 yards rushing on 15 carries (12.3 per carry), scoring on a 13-yard run. His yardage total ranks 39th in school history and was the most since Jabari Wilson had 188 versus Montana State in 2015. The record for average per rush in a game is 16.3 set by Mike MacKenzie in 1997.
 
* Junior Dennis Merritt added 75 yards on 10 carries, and had a long of 46 and a 10-yard touchdown run.
 
 
Walter Payton Watch List Includes Two-Time Finalist Gage Gubrud
 
Already a two-time finalist, quarterback Gage Gubrud once again starts the season as a bona fide candidate for the highest honor in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. The senior from McMinnville, Ore., was among 25 players nationally and five from the Big Sky Conference selected Aug. 1 to the Watch List for the Walter Payton Award to be presented by STATS at the end of the 2018 season to the top offensive player in FCS. One day earlier, Gubrud was a third team choice on the STATS FCS Preseason All-America squad.
 
The other three players in the Big Sky selected to the Watch List include quarterbacks Case Cookus (Northern Arizona), and Jake Maier (UC Davis), as well as wide receiver Keelan Doss (UC Davis). Doss is the reigning Big Sky Conference Offensive MVP, an honor Gubrud shared with former Eagle wide receiver Cooper Kupp in 2016. Doss was also the preseason choice to repeat as MVP in 2018.
 
Later in August, Gubrud was announced as one of 36 players in the nation to be on the Watch List for the FCS National Performer of the Year selected at the end of the year by College Football Performance Awards.
 
As a first-year starter in 2016, Gubrud earned FCS Player of the Year honors from the Football Club of Columbus and shared Big Sky Conference MVP honors with four-time All-America wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Gubrud was third in the voting for the Walter Payton Award and was selected to six FCS All-America teams after leading EWU to a 12-2 record and perfect 8-0 Big Sky Conference record.
 
His record-breaking season included the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision record for passing yards with 5,160. In all, he broke three FCS records, seven Big Sky Conference marks and 19 EWU records. He finished with 48 touchdown passes and a Big Sky record of 5,766 yards of total offense, and was also the team's leading rusher with 606 yards and five more scores.
 
In 2017, Gubrud earned second team All-Big Sky honors from the league's head coaches. Gubrud was second in FCS in total offense per game (357.8), and was fourth in passing yards per game (334.2), third in FCS in points responsible for per game (19.4), fourth in completions per game (26.1) and 13th in total passing touchdowns (26).
 
 
Eagle Trio Honored on Preseason FCS All-America Team; 10 Receive All-Big Sky Honors
 
Eastern Washington University senior football players Gage Gubrud, Jay-Tee Tiuli and Spencer Blackburn have been selected by Phil Steele FCS Magazine as preseason All-Americans, joining seven other Eagles on the Phil Steele preseason All-Big Sky squad.
 
Gubrud was selected to the second team, and is a highly-honored quarterback who graduated from McMinnville (Ore.) High School in 2014. Named to the third team, Tiuli was an injury redshirt last season, and is from Seattle and a 2014 graduate of Federal Way (Wash.) High School. Blackburn, a fourth team pick, is a center from Bellingham, Wash., and graduated from Meridian High School, also in 2014.
 
Gubrud was also among 15 players from the Big Sky Conference honored July 31 on the STATS NCAA Football Championship Preseason All-America squad. The 2016 FCS All-American was a third team choice among the group of 98 players honored nationally representing 56 teams and 13 conferences.
 
Besides the All-America honor, Tiuli was picked as one of 50 players to the 2018 Watch List for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award. The Award is presented annually to the most outstanding Polynesian college football player that epitomizes great ability and integrity. The Watch List is composed of 50 players from 34 different schools, with Tiuli the lone representative from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. The winner will be announced on Dec. 14, and prior to that five finalists will be unveiled on Dec. 5.
 
On the Phil Steele preseason All-Big Sky team, Gubrud, Tiuli and Blackburn all earned a spot on the first team. Named to the second team were junior running back Antoine Custer Jr., junior offensive lineman Tristen Taylor, senior safety Mitch Fettig, junior kick returner Dre' Sonte Dorton and senior long snapper Curtis Billen. On the third team were senior receiver Nsimba Webster and senior cornerback Josh Lewis.
 
Earlier in the summer Gubrud was selected by Athlon Sports as the lone quarterback on its 27-player preseason All-America team. He was also a third team preseason All-America selection by Hero Sports, and joined Tiuli and Custer as preseason All-Big Sky selections. 
 
 
Sam McPherson Among 169 Nominees Nationally for AFCA Good Works Team
 
Eastern Washington University senior running back Sam McPherson was among 169 football players nationally who were announced by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) as nominees for the 2018 Allstate Insurance AFCA Good Works Team^®. The student-athletes who are nominated for this award not only demonstrate a unique dedication to community service and desire to make a positive impact on the lives around them, but they also show tremendous perseverance as well as the ability to overcome personal struggles and come out victorious against all odds.  
 
McPherson was among 99 players nominated in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. There were 70 nominees at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level.
 
"Sam is true reflection of what we identify, recruit and expect from out of an EKG (Eastern Kind of Guy)," said Eagle head coach Aaron Best. "Sam is a good player but an even better person. His off-field commitments are an example for all."
 
A 2016 graduate of Bothell (Wash.) High School, McPherson served on Eastern Washington University's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. SAAC exists to create a safe environment for discussion of all aspects of the student-athlete's life. They strive to better their community with community service, event organization, and leadership. As leaders, they hope to promote open communication between student-athletes, students, and staff.
 
Academically, McPherson is an Academic All-America candidate and has been selected to the 2015, 2016, and 2017 Big Sky Conference All-Academic team. An interdisciplinary studies major, he has a 3.75 grade point average thus far at EWU and hopes to go into the aerospace industry.
 
While at Bothell High School, McPherson was a first-team 4A All-State selection by the Associated Press as both a running back and defensive back. He was named by the Seattle Times as a "Red Chip" selection as one of the top 18 prospects in the state of Washington.
 
 
Five Seniors Selected as Co-Captains for the 2018 Season
 
On a team chock full of veterans, seniors Gage Gubrud, Spencer Blackburn, Sam McPherson, Mitch Fettig and Ketner Kupp have been selected by their teammates as Eastern football captains for the 2018 season. The five seniors are among the 28 seniors playing under second-year head coach Aaron Best.
 
Gubrud is a 2014 graduate of McMinnville (Ore.) High School and was a captain in 2017 as well. The other four are products from the state of Washington -- Blackburn is a 2014 graduate of Meridian HS in Bellingham, Wash.; McPherson graduated in 2015 from Bothell HS; Fettig graduated in 2014 from Olympia HS; and Kupp graduated from Davis HS in Yakima, Wash., in 2015.
 
 
NCAA Passes Legislation to Allow True Freshmen to Play Four Games and Still Redshirt
 
The days of four years of eligibility are a thing of the past – now it's 4 1/2. The NCAA Division I Council passed a proposal in June of 2018 that will allow players to participate in any four games in a season and still use a redshirt that year. The change, not retroactive, took effect in 2018.
 
Eagle head coach Aaron Best said he and his coaching staff will make decisions on a game-by-game basis on which, if any, of the team's 23 true freshmen will play. The team will allow selected "Eagle-Shirts" to suit up and possibly play, but the No. 1 focus will be on making sure those players are physically and mentally ready to play Division I football. In Eastern's first two games, Tre Weed was the only true freshman among the 65 players who saw action. On Sept. 15, tight end Aiden Nellor saw action on special teams. Nellor played again on Sept. 22, and was joined by defensive lineman Joshua Jerome and running back Isaiah Davis. Jerome had nine tackles in his debut, and Davis carried once for five yards.
 
 
Eagles Have Impressive 48-8 Big Sky Record Since 0-2 Start in 2011
 
The Eagles have won 48 of their last 56 Big Sky games since a 0-2 start in 2011. At one point the Eagles had won 44 of 50 league games, and the only Big Sky school which has come close to that in the 55-year history of the league was Montana, which won 50 of 55 games from 1995-2002 and 46 of 51 from 2003-2009.
 
Including four non-conference victories (two versus MSU, and one each against Cal Poly and Northern Arizona) and a playoff win (Montana), the Eagles have won 43 of their last 49 versus conference foes, and are 53-8 since the 0-2 start in 2011. Including three wins at the end of the 2009 season, Eastern has a 59-11 record in league games since then.
 
What's perhaps most impressive is Eastern's ability to consistently win on the road. Until losing at Southern Utah last October, the Eagles had won their previous road game versus all 13 other league members, as well a 2012 road victory at Idaho, which will join the league in 2018.
 
 
Eagles Set School Record with 10,000+ Fans Per Game
 
The Eagles set a school record with an average of 10,123 fans per game in 2017 (50,617 in five games), besting the previous record of 9,577 set in five home games in 2015. Eastern's 2016 average attendance was 8,435 (67,477 in eight home games). Eastern had its fifth-most fans in school history against MSU (11,301), No. 8 against Sacramento State (10,917), No. 17 versus North Dakota State (10,231) and No. 23 against Weber State (9,451). Eastern had 8,717 fans at their home finale versus Portland State, ranking 32nd and giving EWU 25 consecutive sell-outs and 37 total in school history (crowds of 8,600 or more). The Eagles extended that to 26 versus Central Washington with 8,658 fans in EWU's 2018 opener, then to 27 when 9,156 were on hand for EWU's game versus Cal Poly on Sept. 22.
 
 
Eagles Continue Stretch of Success in FCS Statistics in Passing and Total Offense
 
In EWU's last 14 seasons (2004-2017), EWU has ranked in the top 10 in passing 12 times, total offense on 10 occasions and scoring five times. In school history, EWU has won two FCS titles for total offense (2001, 1997), as well as three passing offense titles (2016, 2015, 2011) and two for scoring offense (2014, 2001).
 
In the 2017 season, Eastern was eighth in FCS in passing (320.5 per game) and fifth in total offense (476.7), and was also 14th in scoring (34.5) and 11th in third down conversions (46.1 percent).
 
Quarterback Gage Gubrud was second in FCS in total offense per game (357.8), and was fourth in passing yards per game (334.2), third in FCS in points responsible for per game (19.4), fourth in completions per game (26.1) and 13th in total passing touchdowns (26). In 2016 he led FCS in both passing and total offense (368.6 and 411.0, respectively).
 
 
Eastern Now 43-0 Since 2010 When Winning the TO Battle
 
In the last 10+ seasons (2008-18), the Eagles are now 52-1 when they've won the turnover battle, 22-6 when they've been tied and 21-30 when they've lost (total of 94-37). 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 43-0 since 2010 when they've won the turnover battle, 20-5 when they've been tied and 19-23 when they've lost. That's a collective record of 82-28 (74.5 percent), with 22 of those 28 losses (79 percent) coming in games EWU has lost the turnover battle and 52 percent of EWU's wins coming when they've won the turnover battle (77 percent when including ties).
 
Eastern opened the 2018 season by losing the turnover battle against Central Washington 3-1, but winning on the scoreboard 58-13. The Eagles were tied 1-1 against NAU in turnovers, but prevailed 31-26. Washington State scored 24 points on four Eastern turnovers, with the Eagles failing to register a takeaway. Eastern won the turnover battle 2-1 in its 70-17 romp past Cal Poly and 2-1 at Montana State in a 34-17 win.
 
So far in 2018, Eastern is 2-0 it when it wins the turnover battle, 1-1 when it has more turnovers and 1-0 when tied. In 2017, EWU was 3-0 when it won the turnover battle, 3-3 when it lost and 1-1 when it was tied. Eastern finished the 2017 season at minus 10 turnovers for the season, ranking EWU 105th out of 123 FCS schools in turnover margin (-0.91 per game), 90th in turnovers lost (23) and 105th in turnovers gained (13).
 
 
Eagles Have Now Won 23 Games Since 2010 When Trailing or Tied in Fourth Quarter
 
Eastern has now won 23 games since 2010 when trailing or tied in the fourth quarter, including two in the 2017 season, two in 2016 and 2015, one in 2014, two in 2013, six in 2012, two in 2011 and six during EWU's national championship season in 2010.
 
Three of the 23 comebacks have been against Montana, including Eagle victories in 2017 (48-41), 2012 (32-26) and 2010 (36-27). In the 2017 season, No. 11 Eastern trailed 24-6 at halftime but scored 42 points in the second half to stun the Grizzlies. In the second half, Eastern scored on touchdowns on five of its six possessions after intermission, and had a dominating 259-68 yardage advantage in the third quarter. After knotting the game at 27 and 34, Eastern took the lead for good on a tie-breaking 3-yard TD pass from Gage Gubrud to Nic Sblendorio with 6:53 left. Eastern expanded it to 48-34 on a 10-yard TD run by Antoine Custer Jr. with 2:12 to play. The defense did its part by recording three key stops in the fourth quarter Gubrud broke his own school record with a 549-yard passing performance, finishing with four touchdowns through the air and one on the ground. His 560 yards of offense were also a record, as he eclipsed his own previous records of 520 passing and 551 total yards. The 549 team passing yards were also a school record, breaking the previous mark of 526 set in 2015 versus Northern Iowa.
 
At UC Davis on Oct. 7, No. 10 Eastern rallied from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter by scoring 21 points in the period and went on to win a heart-stopping 41-38 victory over the Aggies at Davis, Calif. Gubrud engineered scoring drives of 71, 55 and 75 yards in the final quarter, and finished with six touchdown passes and 452 yards passing. He passed 6 yards to Sblendorio for a game-winning TD with 1:37 to play, followed by a missed 49-yard field goal by the Aggies that could have knotted the game. Gubrud passed for 452 yards and six touchdowns in the win.
 
 
Eagles Continue November Excellence
 
The month of November has long been a successful month for Eastern, and they continued that in 2017. Since 2004, EWU has lost just seven regular season games in November (Weber State in 2017; NAU, Portland State and Montana in 2015; Sac State and Weber State in 2006; and Cal Poly in 2005), with an overall record of 32-7.
 
In November and beyond since 2004, the Eagles are now 45-15, including a 13-8 record in the FCS Playoffs. Since 2010, Eastern is 30-8 overall in November and beyond, with the lone setbacks coming in 2017 to Weber State; 2016 to Youngstown State in the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs; 2015 to Portland State, Montana and Northern Arizona; 2014 to Illinois State in the playoff quarterfinals; 2013 to Towson in the playoff semifinals; and 2012 to Sam Houston State in the playoff 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.
 
 
 

2018 Player Notes

 
Total of 64 Players Play in Opener, Including Debuts by 16
 
A total of 64 Eagles played in EWU's opener versus Central Washington, including 16 players making their debuts in an Eastern uniform. Of the newbies, redshirt freshman Andrew Boston received the first start of his career in his first game, and finished with one catch for 10 yards. He is from Puyallup, Wash., and is a 2017 graduate of Emerald Ridge High School. Tre Weed was the only true freshman to see action for the Eagles, and he ended up returning four punts for 43 yards with a long of 22.
 
 
78 Percent of EWU's Roster are Players from Washington
 
The Eagles have 105 players in their program, and 82 of them – 78 percent – are from the state of Washington. Eastern's coaching staff is Washington-based as well, with eight of the team's 11 full-time coaches (73 percent) hailing from the Evergreen State. Head coach Aaron Best is a 1996 graduate of Curtis High School in Tacoma, Wash., and shares the same alma mater with Brian Strandley (1990) and Jay Dumas (1992).
 
 
10 of 13 Eagles Selected to 2017 All-Big Sky Team Return, Plus Two From 2016
 
The Eagles had 13 players honored on the All-Big Sky Conference team in 2017, but even more noteworthy is the number 10. That's the number of selections returning for the 2018 campaign, as only a trio of seniors were on the list of Eagles selected by the league's head coaches for yearly honors in the Big Sky.
 
However, one of them, special teams standout Anfernee Gurley, will redshirt the 2018 season after suffering a knee injury in preseason practices. He went on to earn first team Freshman All-America honors from Hero Sports in 2017.
 
Four of six second team selections return, including quarterback Gage Gubrud, who was also one of 25 finalists for the Walter Payton Award presented by STATS to the top offensive player in FCS. The other second team selections back are center Spencer Blackburn, running back Antoine Custer Jr., and kickoff return specialist Dre' Sonte Dorton. Custer also earned honorable mention honors on the sophomore All-America team as chosen by Hero Sports.
 
All six of EWU's third team or honorable mention selections are back, including wide receiver Nsimba Webster, safety Mitch Fettig and Gurley on the third team. Running back Sam McPherson, cornerback Josh Lewis, and sophomore offensive guard Tristen Taylor received honorable mention and are back. In addition, Jay-Tee Tiuli returns after earning first team All-Big Sky honors in 2016 before having to redshirt in 2017 after an early-season injury.
 
Also on the 2016 All-Big Sky squad was third team cornerback Nzuzi Webster, thus giving EWU 12 players who have previously won all-league accolades. Blackburn also earned second team honors in 2016, and Fettig and Taylor were both honorable mention that season.
 
Blackburn, with 27 starts and 29 games played in his career, is among several of the returning All-Conference performers with extensive experience as starters in the Eagle program. Most notably, Fettig has started 38 of the 39 games he's played. He has 262 tackles to rank 15th in school history, six interceptions and 12 passes broken up in his career.
 
McPherson has now rushed for 1,225 yards and eight touchdowns in his 35-game career (five as a starter), with 509 receiving on 52 catches and a total of 1,896 all-purpose yards (54.2 per game). He's scored 13 TDs in his EWU career. He's even a perfect 3-of-3 passing for 77 yards and touchdowns on all three passes.
 
He is the younger brother of four-time EWU FCS All-American Cooper Kupp, who now plays for the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL.
 
Tiuli has started 16 of the 41 games he has played in his career, and has had 90 total tackles with 10 1/2 sacks, three quarterback hurries and two passes deflected. Prior to the 2017 season, he earned third team preseason All-America honors from STATS.
 
2017 All-Big Sky Selections Returning in 2018
Second Team -- #Quarterback - 8 - Gage Gubrud - 6-2 - 205 - Jr. - 3L* - McMinnville, Ore. (McMinnville HS '14)
Second Team -- Running Back - 28 - Antoine Custer Jr. - 5-9 - 190 - So. - 2L - Berkeley, Calif. (De La Salle '16)
Second Team -- ~Center - 75 - Spencer Blackburn - 6-2 - 285 - Jr. - 2L * - Bellingham, Wash. (Meridian HS '14)
Second Team -- Return Specialist - 87 - Dre' Sonte Dorton - 5-10 - 185 - So. – 1L* - Pasco, Wash. (Chiawana HS '15)
Third Team -- Wide Receiver - 5 - Nsimba Webster - 5-10 - 180 - Jr. - 3L* - Antioch, Calif. (Deer Valley HS '14)
Third Team -- ^Safety - 13 - Mitch Fettig - 6-1 - 200 - Jr. - 3L* - Olympia, Wash. (Olympia HS '14)
Third Team -- Special Teams - 34 - Anfernee Gurley - DB - 5-10 - 180 - Fr. – 1L - Everett, Wash. (Archbishop Murphy HS '17)
Honorable Mention -- ^Offensive Guard - 65 - Tristen Taylor - 6-6 - 315 - So. - 2L * - Stockton, Calif. (Stagg HS '15)
Honorable Mention -- Running Back - 20 - Sam McPherson - 5-10 - 200 - Jr. - 2L - Bothell, Wash. (Bothell 'HS '15)
Honorable Mention -- Cornerback - 1 - Josh Lewis - 6-0 - 190 - Jr. - 2L* - Lakewood, Wash. (Steilacoom HS '14)

• Jay-Tee Tiuli (first team) and Nzuzi Webster (third team) were honored in 2016.

#Big Sky MVP & First Team All-Big Sky in 2016. ~Second Team All-Big Sky in 2016. ^Honorable mention All-Big Sky in 2016. *Has used redshirt year.
 
 
Gubrud Earns Honors in First Two Weeks of the Season
 
Senior quarterback Gage Gubrud was honored for a pair of 300-yard passing performances in the first two weeks of the season. He currently owns three FCS records, eight Big Sky marks and 21 school records, most set during the 2016 season.
 
He had 402 yards of total offense – 322 passing and 80 rushing – in EWU's nail-biting 31-26 victory over Northern Arizona on Sept. 8. He completed 18-of-33 passes and had four touchdowns and no interceptions, as he finished with his 13th game with at least 400 yards of total offense and his 18th with at least 300 passing. He helped Eastern finish with 570 yards of total offense. That enabled him to win Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors from the league for the seventh time in his career, and he also earned the same honor from College Sports Madness.
 
One week earlier versus Central Washington in a 58-13 win on Sept. 1, an 82.3 percent passing performance helped the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision All-American receive FCS Performer of the Week honors by College Football Performance Awards.  He completed 19-of-23 passes, finishing with 337 yards with no interceptions and five touchdown passes. It was part of a 677-yard onslaught by the Eagle offense – fifth-best in school history.
 
"Gage led us and will continue to lead us, and we'll ride him as long as we can," Best said after the Central win. "He had a cast of characters who played really well around him, but you are only as good as your quarterback no matter what offense you run."
 
Gubrud's completion percentage versus CWU was close to the record of 90.5 percent (19-of-21) set by Erik Meyer in 2004, and Gubrud also averaged 14.2 yards per attempt and 17.2 per completion. Those records, respectively, are 18.0 set by Meyer in 2004 and 26.0 set by Vernon Adams Jr. in 2012. The first play offensive play of the game started the avalanche for the Eagles when Gubrud found Webster for a 50-yard touchdown pass. Eastern scored 20 points on its first 12 plays in the game, and out-gained CWU 187-50 in those 12 plays (15.6 per play). Gubrud completed nine of his first 10 passes in that stretch for 172 yards and a pair of scores.
 
During Eastern's five-game winning streak from Sept. 16 to Oct. 14 in 2017, Gubrud had 2,071 passing yards (414.2 average per game) while completing 69 percent of his passes. He passed for 19 touchdowns and accounted for another four (three rushing, one receiving). In his best five-game stretch in 2016, he completed 69 percent of his passes for 2,160 yards (432.0 average) and 20 touchdowns in five victories from Sept. 24 to Oct. 29.
 
In addition, he had an impressive string of 222 passes without an interception in 2016, going four full games in 2016 from Sept. 24 to Oct. 22 without a pick. He had what was then a school-record 551 yards of total offense in the first start of his career, a 45-42 season-opening victory over Washington State of the Pac-12 Conference.
 
 
One Webster on a Roll, Another Ranked Fifth in School History
 
The Webster twins are making their mark in Eastern history through their junior seasons.
 
With 26 passes broken up in his career, senior cornerback Nzuzi Webster is ranked fifth in school history, tied with Julian Williams (1997-00) and one ahead of T.J. Lee III (2010-13). In his 43-game career (26 as a starter), he has 149 total tackles and a pair of interceptions. In the 2017 season, he had 31 tackles and seven passes broken up.
 
His twin brother Nsimba Webster, a senior wide receiver, opened the 2018 season in blazing fashion with 10 catches, two touchdowns and a career-best 212 yards to rank as the ninth-most in school history. He followed that victory over Central Washington with two more touchdowns on seven catches for 176 yards in a win over nationally-ranked Northern Arizona.
 
In his 34-game career (16 as a starter), he has caught 97 passes for 1,359 yards and 11 touchdowns, and could eventually approach Eastern's career leaders lists in several categories. He had a touchdown catch in five-straight games in 2017 from Sept. 30 to Nov. 4, and for the season he caught 59 passes for 693 yards and five scores.
 
The twins are from Antioch, Calif., and were 2014 graduates of Deer Valley High School where they helped the Wolverines to an 11-2 record and semifinal appearance in the 2013 CIF Division I North Coast Section Playoffs. They lost to eventual champion De La Salle 57-27, whose roster included future Eagle Antoine Custer Jr. (who rushed for 1,141 yards and 14 TDs as his team's Sophomore of the Year). Nsimba passed and ran for 50 touchdowns as a senior and Nzuzi contributed greatly on offense, defense and special teams. Former Eagle and current Buffalo Bill Taiwan Jones ('07) also attended Deer Valley High School.
 
 
Barriere Wins First Start of Career Versus UND
 
Sophomore Eric Barriere was thrown to the fire during his redshirt freshman season when he made the first start of his career against North Dakota on Nov. 11, 2017, and led the Eagles to a 21-14 win. The 2016 graduate of La Habra (Calif.) High School was as a replacement for starter Gage Gubrud, who was serving a one-game team suspension for violation of team rules.
 
Barriere had 185 yards of total offense, had a touchdown pass and scored once on the ground on a fourth down play to end the first half. He completed 13-of-23 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown, and rushed 15 times for 55 yards. He was sacked only once and had no turnovers. He rushed for a pair of first downs, and passed for another eight. Barriere helped Eastern to a turnoverless game, but had to recover his own fumble late in the game that was followed by a key 67-yard punt by Jordan Dascalo that was downed at the UND 3-yard line. Had Barriere not recovered the fumble, UND would have taken over at the EWU 31 trailing just 21-14.
 
By contrast, Vernon Adams Jr. – a former Eagle who Barriere draws comparisons to – had 75 yards passing (7-of-12) and 62 rushing (five carries) in his starting debut in 2012 at Weber State in a 32-26 victory. Adams missed most of the second half with cramping, and rushed for five first downs and passed for four. Before the UND game, Barriere had appeared in three games in 2017 and was 1-of-2 for 13 yards and an interception, all coming against Texas Tech on Sept. 2.
 
So far in 2018, Barriere has completed 2-of-4 passes for 13 yards in three games worth of action, with five rushes for 44 yards. In his career, he has played in eight games and completed 17-of-30 passes for 151 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and has rushed 23 times for 92 yards and a score.
 
 
 

More Aaron Best Comments

 
On Southern Utah & Loss in Cedar City Last Season: "2017 was a different season than 2018, and they had our number last year and beat us in Cedar City. We had a few chances in that game to stay in it toward the end, but we didn't take advantage of our opportunities. We definitely have to have more than that this Saturday. We have to play well from the start and play better offensively, defensively and on special teams, although a kickoff return on special teams kept us in last year's game. We just didn't make enough plays to allow ourselves to be in a really good situation toward the end of the third quarter and into the fourth quarter. They were ready for our offense, and we just weren't in a rhythm and were kind of out of sync the entire way. "
 
On MSU Win: "Our players played their ever-living tails off today – on the road with a seven-hour bus ride I can't say enough how proud I am of this bunch. I was excited for the fans who came to watch us and the fans who watched at home. This was a big victory for us. I know we were sluggish early on defense, but they buckled down. We held this team to 17 points, and that was impressive after what they did last week in Portland. I'm very proud of this team overall. It was very, very well-earned victory."
 
On Overcoming Road Trip Adversity for Win: "We had great preparation and a great mindset. We overcame tons of adversity on the road trip, which is always the case when you travel. From the 509 through the 208 and into Montana, we embrace it all. We had everything from phone calls at 5 a.m. in the hotel, to eating at one hotel and sleeping at another. We actually embrace that stuff, and the players, coaches and support staff did a great of finding a way to win convincingly in all three phases."
 
On Alcobendas: "Through five games he has been nails. He's been accurate kicking the ball, and even punting. He struck the ball well to get us up by 17 in the third quarter and that was big. He's one of many who has overcome the adversity. We didn't mention a single thing about his leg injury here and him becoming the all-time kick scoring leader at Eastern because we didn't want to put anything in his head. We prepare every week the same way – we didn't say he had zero points coming into his first start, so why would we say he was two points away from a record? But it was a great job by Roldan and our special teams."
 
On Defense Versus MSU: "Early we were trying to find our footing, and we weren't really in sync defensively. But then we did find our footing. We brought calculated pressure when they were forced to throw, and we put them in third and medium to longs. That outfit doesn't want to throw – they want to be in third and short. When you put them in positions where it's not their strength, you have the upper hand. That's not to say they can't do it or won't do it – they threw the ball around late and made a little hay doing that."
 
On Cal Poly Win: "It makes us feel better than the taste we had in our mouths a week earlier (loss to Washington State). It's great to see a resilient team bounce back against a quality football team. There was some home cooking for us – we've played really well at home since the turf has been in place, and we're all about protecting the red. But any time you get two defensive touchdowns, especially one right before halftime, really slingshots yourself. Those are huge momentum boosters."
 
On Rebounding from WSU Loss: "I was excited to see our team and coaches rebound from our first loss in 2018 in this fashion. It was clear that wasn't our best performance in any capacity – offense, defense or special teams – everybody had a hand in the matter against Washington State. That was unacceptable and it's not what Eagle Football is all about. The Cal Poly game was less about getting after people and more about re-stating the standard as far as what we've become over the last decade here at Eastern. The message was clear from Sunday on that we would be a more disciplined football team, and we demonstrated some of those moments. It's never going to be perfection, but when we can get as close to that as we can is always beneficial.
 
On "Eagle-Shirts" Aiden Nellor, Joshua Jerome & Isaiah Lewis Playing Versus Cal Poly: "They were dedicated to play last Sunday. It wasn't because of the score that we played them. We talk on the Sundays before games which "Eagle-Shirts" are going to be suiting and if you are going to suit then you have the potential to play. We aren't suiting or traveling people who are not going to play. We are smart about it based on health, depth and roster size based on being home or away. There are a lot of variables as to who we are going to "Eagle-Shirt" and that has changed the last few weeks. It's nice because we get to see what those guys can do in a college setting. They've put themselves in a position to get the opportunity to function on Saturday."
 
On Northern Arizona Win: "This was a game against a playoff team from last year, and we got a win on their home field, in a playoff-like atmosphere, all in a non-league game against a non-league opponent. Our team did a great job stopping the two-point play late (to hold onto a five-point lead). We prepared for 7,000 feet and we had a 94-yard run by Sam McPherson to put the game on ice. We're really proud that we played dogfight football against a great opponent. And the last two minutes we buckled down and made enough plays. We used and needed all of our players. Whatever their role was, we told them to do as well in that role as they could and not be complacent in your role. These games are going to come down to the fourth quarter as they should. It's exciting for us as coaches, for fans and for people to ask questions about the decisions that are made in opportunistic moments."
 
On New Redshirt Rule for True Freshmen: "We as a coaching staff wrote down a ton of ideas before we even got the 2018 class on campus. We put those in the blender, and we talked about it. Now it's just a matter of determining who is capable of doing it on Saturdays in a winnable fashion. It's not a tryout, that's what we have to understand. We have great players, we have good players, and we have guys that could potentially fill the good or great roles. We are not just going to throw out the balls – it's not a PE class in the sense that everybody gets a chance to see how good they are in a game of kickball. We are not going to put something on the special teams plate of coach (Heath) Pulver, where a player is not trusted in a one-play sequence. It's not going to be, 'Hey let's get them some reps, and see how it goes.' If they have earned the reps they will get the reps. There is also the question that if they have earned the reps to play in four games, then what decision are we going to make for game five? That could even come in our ninth game of the season the way the rule works. That's where I think the decision-making takes place. By no means are we going to put a player on the field that's not going to be capable of doing what a non-first year player can do. We will try identify three or four guys that could be Eagle-Shirts and we'll have the redshirt in our minds. When you become an Eagle-Shirt, you will suit up that week but not necessarily play. They will have the opportunity to play if the coaches decide to put that player in. Then, three weeks after that they could be a redshirt, and the fifth week could be an Eagle-Shirt again. Every Sunday we're going to sit as a staff and see who the Eagle-Shirt candidates are. We'll ask ourselves who do we see suiting up -- whether it be home or away – and want to see on that roster while we work it out as the week progresses. Number one, the new redshirt rule not really a try out. Number two, it's not only the first four games. Number three, if we see that they have earned the right to play in the fifth game we will look into it when the time comes."
 
On Defense: "A lot of people have asked how much we are going to lean on the defense. I've always rooted on the defense secretly -- a team's best friend is a running game and a defense. We're certainly going to lean on those guys and we have a lot of experienced players back. We are putting them in positions situationally to allow them to make plays, rather than trying to make them make plays. We're allowing guys to play a little freer and a little faster, and hopefully that leads to a lot more plays being made."
 
On Gage Gubrud and Veteran Leadership: "Here's some coach-speak again, but the best teams are player-led.  You can only do so much as a coach. It's more of the players keeping other players accountable, and watching our p's and q's while making sure we are communicating on and off the field. Gage is just one of those guys. I will say that over the years, and I have been here a long time, most offenses are not really rah-rah types of outfits. Usually if you want that on one side of the ball, you want it on the defensive side of the ball, because those guys are go-getters. Five of the 11 on offense want to conserve their energy, and that's from tackle to tackle. They don't want to spend a ton of energy, because then they can't zone block, or pull, or run pass pro on third downs. So, five of the 11 players really aren't looking forward to spending their energy to rally the troops. So, we do lean on the quarterbacks, the Sam McPherson's, the Antoine Custer's, the Terence Grady's, and the Zach Eagle's of the group that have been there and done that. It is noticeable and it's very nice to see as a coach, because nothing's forced and nothing is scripted. We don't slip a note in Gage's pocket and say, 'Hey, go talk to the guys and get this figured out.'"