­­­­#5/4 Ranked Eastern Washington Univ. "Eagles" versus Univ. of Idaho "Vandals"   Saturday, Oct. 27 • 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/Brad Adam)
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:	Show on Monday, Oct. 22 will be radio only and take place at Barrelhouse Pub & Pizza in Cheney at 6 p.m. Shows Mondays at the new M&D (Movie and Dinner) complex at Northern Quest Resort & Casino will resume on Oct. 29. 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.

It's time for the Eastern Washington University football team to get back up on its horse – in more ways than one -- against an old Big Sky Conference rival in Eastern's 92nd-Annual Homecoming Game.
 
After a bye that followed a frustrating 14-6 loss at Weber State on Oct. 13, No. 5/4 EWU returns to action on Oct. 27 when the Eagles welcome Idaho back to the Big Sky Conference with a rare meeting with the Vandals in Cheney. The game is already sold out, with a crowd in excess of 9,000 expected.
 
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.
 
The Vandals re-joined the Big Sky in football in 2018, and EWU will play the Vandals 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.
 
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 the last two and three of the last five.
 
"This will be a first for myself, taking on Idaho in a Big Sky game and facing them in Cheney," said Eastern head coach Aaron Best, who is in his 22nd year as a player or coach for the Eagles. "This will be fun, especially when you talk about proximity, fan bases and crossing paths in recruiting. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds in the next few years, but we hope it becomes a natural rivalry again. This in the infancy of the new version of the Eastern-Idaho rivalry, and hopefully is blossoms into a very healthy and passionate game."
 
The Eagles are now 3-1 in the Big Sky and is one of four teams with one loss or less in the standings. The lone undefeated team in the league is UC Davis (4-0), which is currently in sole possession of first in the league. Other one-loss teams in the league are Idaho State (3-1) and Weber State (3-1).
 
The Eagles host UC Davis at Roos Field on Nov. 10, which will play a big part in determining the league champion and automatic berth in to the FCS Playoffs which begin on Nov. 24. On Nov. 17, Weber State plays at Idaho State in another key game. The other three opponents on EWU's schedule are a combined 7-15 overall and 5-9 in the league – Idaho (3-4/2-3), Nov. 3 at Northern Colorado (1-7/1-4) and Nov. 16 at Portland State (3-4/2-2). The Vandals are coming off a convincing 31-22 win at home against Southern Utah, but Idaho is winless in four games on the road thus far.
 
Eastern is chasing its 10th Big Sky title and 13th appearance in the FCS Playoffs in school history. Since 2010 when EWU won the NCAA Division I title, the Eagles have won league titles five times (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016) and advanced to the playoffs all five of those seasons.
 
Eastern has added 600 extra bleachers to "The Inferno" this week to push capacity past 9,000, assuring EWU of its 29th-consecutive sellout at "The Inferno" (crowd in excess of 8,600). Eastern is 54-34-3 in its previous 91 Homecoming contests, and last year fell to Weber State 28-20 after beating Northern Colorado 49-31 in 2016.
 
The Eagles have played their last two games without All-America quarterback Gage Gubrud (lower leg injury), and EWU has split those two games – 55-17 win over Southern Utah and a 14-6 loss versus Weber State. The loss to the Wildcats is the first time in 10 years the Eagles have failed to score a touchdown, something they've done efficiently most of the season. The Eagles have won their five games this season by an average of 31.6 points per game and an average score of 50-18. 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 and Montana State 34-17 a week later.
 
Eastern is ranked fifth in this week's STATS NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Top 25 poll and fourth by the coaches. The loss to Weber State knocked Eastern down a bit in the nationally rankings, after EWU equaled its highest rankings in the past four seasons with rankings of fourth and third, respectively.
 
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.
 
 
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 Back Into Top 5 in Both Polls
 
After a bye week in which four teams ahead of it lost, Eastern has jumped up four spots in both NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Top 25 polls to rank fourth by the American Football Coaches Association and fifth in the STATS poll of sportswriters, broadcasters and sports information directors. Eastern was as high as third and fourth, respectively, before a 14-6 loss at Weber State, but dropped five positions in each poll to remain in the top 10 on Oct. 15.
 
Also ranked nationally from the Big Sky Conference this week are Weber State (4 STATS/5 AFCA) and UC Davis (6/13). The Eagles host UC Davis on Nov. 10 in Cheney in what should be a key game for both schools with league championship and playoff implications. 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.
 
In reaching its highest rankings of the season on Oct. 8, the Eagles haven't been ranked third in the coaches poll since 2016, when EWU was also as high as third in the STATS rankings (to end the regular season). Eastern was as high as fourth in both polls in 2015, but in 2014 were ranked second for nine weeks in the coaches poll, plus were second for eight weeks by STATS after entering the preseason with the No. 1 ranking. Eastern also spent at least one week in the top spot in the STATS poll in 2012 and 2011, as well as in 2010 when EWU finished first in both polls after winning the NCAA Division I championship.
 
The Eastern and Weber State game on Oct. 13 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 with WSU second.
 
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 Honored Again By Big Sky After Adding School-Record Punt to Career Kick Scoring Record
 
It's been a long time since an Eastern Washington University kicker scored the lone Eagle points in a game, and, as a result of that and a school-record punting performance, Roldan Alcobendas was rewarded with ROOT Sports Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player honors for the second time this year and the third time of his career.
 
After kicking a pair of field goals in EWU's 14-6 loss at 13th-ranked Weber State on Oct. 13, the sixth-year senior kicker was honored two days later by the league after adding an Eastern punting record to his resume after earlier this season becoming the leader in kick scoring in school history.
 
He averaged 60.3 yards on seven punts in Eastern's defensive battle against Weber State on Sept. 13, including a school-record 78 yarder with the wind in the second quarter and another of 72 yards with the wind in the third. He also had a wind-aided punt of 63 yards, and a punt into the wind of 60. Two of his punts were downed inside the 10-yard line of Weber State.
 
He now owns two of the top three punts in school history, with the previous record set by Jake Miller against Washington State on Sept. 8, 2012, with a punt of 74 yards. The 60.3 average for Alcobendas versus the Wildcats nearly broke the Big Sky record of 61.5 set by Eddie Johnson of Idaho State in 2002 versus Cal Poly.
 
He kicked a 31-yard field goal in the second quarter and a 27-yarder in the third quarter to remain perfect on the season.
 
 "Roldan did a great job punting and hitting two field goals, and I was excited that he had the day he did," said Eastern head coach Aaron Best. "I wish he had a few more opportunities for him along the way as far as extra points were concerned. We just couldn't get it in the end zone."
 
Thus far in 2018, Alcobendas is 9-of-9 kicking field goals (one of just five players in FCS to be perfect on the season) and has converted on 35-of-36 extra points (one was blocked) to currently have 62 points on the season. He is 19th in FCS in scoring (8.9 per game) and is 22nd with an average of 1.29 field goals per game. His punting average of 48.3 would lead the nation if he had enough attempts to qualify (he has 25 and would need 26 to qualify/3.6 per game). His season (48.3) and career averages (48.0) are both on pace to set school records of 44.9 and 43.8, respectively.
 
In his 35-game career, Alcobendas has scored 263 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 (176) and attempted (182), breaking the previous records held by Jarrett (2009-11) with 143 makes and 150 attempts. Alcobendas has made 29-of-40 field goals in his career to rank fourth 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 originally 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 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.
 
"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."
 
He converted field goals of 24 and 25 yards versus the Bobcats, 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.
 
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.
 
 
First Meeting with Vandals in Cheney Since 1994 in Renewal of Big Sky Rivalry
 
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. In addition, a pair of Eagle assistant coaches formerly played for the Vandals from 1991-95 – including numerous games against the Eagles.
 
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.  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 the last two and three of the last five.
 
Eastern defensive line coach Brian Strandley is a 1995 graduate of Idaho and played for the Vandals as a defensive end from 1991-94. He was Idaho's 1993 defensive captain, and finished his career with 101 tackles. When he was a junior, the Vandals advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs (then known as I-AA), and in 1994, Idaho led FCS in rushing defense (65.3 yards per game). He helped Idaho to a 35-14 record, three playoff berths and one Big Sky Conference title in four seasons under head coach John L. Smith. Included were three victories in four games versus Eastern. Idaho lost to the Eagles 34-31 in double overtime his freshman season, but then won the next three games by a combined score of 127-46. He had seven tackles, a sack and a pass broken up in four career games versus EWU – a loss in 1991 and wins over EWU in 1992, 1993 and 1994. In 1994, in the last game EWU played Idaho at Roos Field (then Woodward Stadium), Strandley had two tackles with one for a loss of three yards. After he graduated from Idaho, Strandley coached at Potlatch, Idaho, High School where he served as defensive coordinator and head junior varsity coach.
 
Eagle linebackers coach Josh Fetter graduated from Idaho in 1996, one year after Strandley. While at Idaho, Fetter was a two-year starter and lettered four seasons for the Vandals as a linebacker. As a senior he was voted as a team captain and won Idaho's most inspirational player award in 1994. He had two tackles versus EWU in 1993, one against the Eagles in 1992 and four as a true freshman in 1991. Strandley also had four with a sack in that game, won 34-31 by EWU on a field goal in the second overtime by Alex Lacson. Fetter had three broken ribs and did not play against EWU in 1994 in the last game the Eagles played Idaho at Roos Field (then Woodward Stadium). Eastern took a 12-0 lead, but Idaho scored 40 of the next 43 points and won 40-15.
 
In that 1994 game, the Eagles had 359 yards through the air but just 11 on the ground, with Todd Bernett (Moses Lake HS) passing for 323 yards and a touchdown, and Jesse Hardt (Odessa HS) catching six passes for 114 yards and a score. Idaho had 246 through the air and 212 on the ground, and were aided by a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Montrell Williams after EWU had cut Idaho's lead to 16-15 early in the third quarter.
 
 
Eastern Has Hit Speed Bumps Before on Way to Deep Playoff Runs
 
The coming weeks will determine Eastern's postseason fate, but even the speed bump they had on Oct. 13 has occurred previously when the Eagles have enjoyed deep playoff runs to at least the quarterfinals of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs. Particularly noteworthy is that in all five of those seasons – 1992, 1997, 2010, 2012 and 2014 -- the Eagles won at least a share of the Big Sky Conference title and appeared in the FCS Playoffs.
 
In 1992, Eastern fell to Idaho 38-21 on Oct. 17 in a battle between unbeaten teams for first place in the league standings, then three weeks later were in Louisiana for a non-league game when the Eagles learned the Vandals had lost at Montana. The very next week, Eastern edged Boise State 14-13 at home to wrap-up a share of EWU's first-ever Big Sky title and advance to the FCS Playoffs for the second time.
 
The 1997 team advanced to the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs, but had a 17-7 loss at Montana State on Oct. 4 before winning eighth-straight games and finishing 12-2 after losing in the semifinals. In 2010, Eastern also lost at Montana State, this time 30-7 on Sept. 25, before winning its last 11 games and winning the national title with a 13-2 record.
 
More recently, in 2012, Eastern lost 30-27 at Southern Utah on Nov. 3, but then won five-straight to advance to the semifinals of the playoffs and finish 11-3. Two years later, Eastern also finished 11-3 after suffering a 28-27 loss at Northern Arizona on Oct. 25 and then winning four-straight to advance to the quarterfinals of the playoffs.
 
In the 14-6 loss at Weber State on Oct. 13, two field goals by Roldan Alcobendas helped avoid EWU's first shutout since 2006. It was the first time in almost 10 years to the day since EWU had a touchdown-less day, with the last coming in a 19-3 loss to Montana on Oct. 11, 2008. In fact, EWU scored 632 touchdowns in the 128 games in between, as EWU played its second-straight game without All-America quarterback Gage Gubrud (lower leg injury) versus WSU.
 
 
Average Score in Five Victories Thus Far is 50-18
 
The Eagles have now won their five games this season by an average of 31.6 points per game -- 248-90 for an average score of 50-18. In beating Southern Utah 55-17 on Oct. 6, The Eagles had 50 points or more for the third time this season and the 58th time in school history, and are now 55-3 in those games. The point total equaled EWU's 23rd-most. Earlier this season, EWU scored the fourth-most in school history – a record versus a FCS opponent -- in a 70-17 win over Cal Poly.
 
Eastern has had 20 50-point games in the last 6+ seasons (including three in 2017 and three thus far in 2018), with one in 2015, six in 2014, three in 2017 and two each in 2013 and 2012.
 
 
Fettig Nearing Tackles Record for Defensive Back
 
Senior co-captain Mitch Fettig has started 40 of the 41 games he's played in his Eastern career, and is chasing the school record for tackles by a defensive back. He has 273 tackles to rank 13th in school history – just 15 from the school record by a defensive back of 288 set by Julian Williams from 1997-00. He recently passed the 263 by cornerback T.J. Lee (2010-13), who now plays for the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League.
 
Fettig also has six interceptions and 12 passes broken up in his career. A 2014 graduate from Olympia HS, Fettig was a third team All-Big Sky selection as a junior and earned honorable mention in 2016. He has played in all but two games as an Eagle, having missed a pair with injuries as a freshman in 2015. But he started all 14 games in 2016, all 11 in 2017 and all six thus far for a current streak of 31 Eagle games in a row.
 
 
Junior Chris Schlichting Has Started All 32 Games in His Career
 
Eastern junior offensive tackle Chris Schlichting has started in each of EWU's 32 games in his last two-plus seasons for the Eagles. He started all 14 games as a redshirt freshman in 2016, all 11 in 2017 and seven thus far this season. Senior safety Mitch Fettig, who has a team-leading 40 career starts, has also started 32 in a row since missing the last game of the 2015 season. Senior center Spencer Blackburn has a streak of 29 consecutive starts since taking over the position in the fourth game of the 2016 season. Junior offensive tackle Tristen Taylor had started 25-of-25 games as an Eagle until a knee injury kept him out of the lineup on Sept. 22 versus Cal Poly. He's been out ever since.
 
 
Barriere Now 2-1 as a Starter After Engineering 38-Point Victory
 
Eastern has played the last two games without its All-America signal caller, and the results have been mixed.
 
The Eagles didn't miss a beat on Oct. 6 in a 55-17 victory over defensive Big Sky Conference champion Southern Utah. Junior Eric Barriere was an injury replacement for injured starting quarterback Gage Gubrud (lower leg injury suffered at Montana State on Sept. 29), and passed for 233 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another 98 and two more TDs in just three quarters of action. He completed 13-of-21 passes and had his rushing yardage on five carries with no sacks.
 
Making just his second career start, he completed a 48-yard pass on the first offensive play of the day for the Eagles, then later had an 85-yard rush for a touchdown – a school record for a quarterback and ninth-longest overall all-time -- to give the Eagles a 31-10 lead in the second quarter. He accounted for three of EWU's seven touchdowns, rushing for two scores and passing for another.
 
However, in a 14-6 loss at Weber State on Oct. 13, Eastern was held without a touchdown for the first time in 10 years. Barriere completed 19-of-42 passes for 185 yards and was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter to squelch Eagle drives.  He had a net rushing gain of 18 yards despite getting sacked four times.
 
Barriere was also 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 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 six games played in 2018, Barriere has completed 34-of-67 passes for 431 yards and two touchdowns, with 24 rushes for 160 yards and two scores. In his 11-game career, he has completed 49-of-93 passes for 569 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions, and has rushed 42 times for 208 yards and three more TDs.
 
 
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, but missed the Southern Utah and Weber State games with a lower leg injury suffered versus Montana State on Sept. 29.
 
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 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 no longer meets the NCAA minimum of playing in 75 percent of a team's games to be ranked in terms of averages and percentages, but he is still 24th in FCS with 13 passing touchdowns and 36th in points responsible for (90). In stats released on Oct. 7, he was 12th in average points responsible for (18.0), 15th in passing efficiency (156.8), ninth in total offense (317.0 per game) and 12th 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 79 percent of their games (73-19) 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, followed by wins over Montana State (34-17) and Southern Utah (50-17). A crowd of 8,887 was on hand for the SUU game – the 28th-straight sellout at Roos Field (crowd of 8,600 or more).
 
 
Defense Allowing Just 16.25 Points in Four League Games
 
Eastern's defense has been impressive during league play, with EWU allowing only 65 points (16.3 per game) – with seven of those coming on a punt return touchdown. Eastern has allowed 30 points in the first quarter of its four Big Sky games thus far, 14 in the second and third quarters and just seven points in the fourth. Eastern has pitched a shutout in seven of 16 quarters.
 
In those four league games, Eastern has allowed the fewest points per game (16.3) while ranking third in total defense (361.8), second in passing defense (167.5) and seventh in rushing defense (194.2). Overall, Eastern is 32nd in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in scoring defense (23.3), 60th in total defense (392.0), 51st in rushing defense (157.3) and 79th in passing defense (234.7).
 
In a 14-6 loss at Weber State, Eastern's defense held the Wildcats to just one offensive touchdown and scoreless for the final 51:25 of the contest. The Eagles held Weber State to 166 first-half yards and just 109 in the second half to keep the game within striking distance. The Eagles allowed just 159 yards through the air and 116 on the ground, and held Weber State to just 4-of-15 on third down. Weber State's average per rush was just 2.6 yards and the Eagles recorded six three-and-outs, and forced and recovered a fumble on another WSU possession.
 
 
Running Game Hits Speed Bump, But Still Boasts Impressive Numbers
 
Eastern's running game has been a mainstay this season, despite the fact the Eagles averaged just 1.7 yards per carry against Weber State on Oct. 13. Eastern had a net total of 62 yards on 36 carries – including four quarterback sacks – as Eastern entered the game averaging 8.0 yards per carry compared to 3.7 for opponents.
 
For the season the Eagles are averaging 7.1 yards per carry (compared to 3.5 for opponents). All five EWU running backs are averaging at least 6.0 per carry – junior Dennis Merritt 9.2, senior Sam McPherson 8.8, junior Tamarick Pierce 7.7, junior Antoine Custer Jr. 6.0 and Isaiah Lewis 7.4.
 
Quarterback Eric Barriere is averaging 6.7 per carry, despite getting sacked four times versus Weber State. One game earlier against Southern Utah, he finished with 98 yards on the ground after recording the longest run in school history by a quarterback (ninth-longest overall) with an 85-yard touchdown run.
 
In Eastern's last nine games dating back to the 2017 season, the Eagles have rushed 345 times for 2,315 yards and 23 touchdowns, with averages of 257.2 per game and 6.7 per rush. By contrast, Eastern has attempted 290 passes for 2,454 yards and 21 touchdowns, with averages of 272.7 per game and 8.5 per play. In total, Eastern is averaging 529.9 yards per game and 7.5 per play with 44 total offensive touchdowns.
 
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. There is no record for average yards per rush, but the record for average yards per play of 7.7 was set in 2013.
 
Eastern had its fourth rushing performance of at least 248 yards on the season with 380 versus Southern Utah on Oct. 6, but two weeks earlier EWU had the second-most rushing yards in school history with 441 versus Cal Poly on Sept. 22. The EWU running game has come a long way since 2016 when quarterback Gage Gubrud led the Eagles in rushing as a sophomore in 2016.
 
So far this season, McPherson has 683 yards (97.6 per game and 8.8 per rush) and six touchdowns; Pierce has 277 yards (39.6/7.7); Custer has 259 and four scores in four games played (64.8/6.0); Merritt has 184 (26.3/9.2); and Lewis has 52 (26.0/7.4). Gubrud has added 169 yards on the ground (33.8/5.5) and Barriere has 160 (26.7/6.7).
 
"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 seven games this season, Eastern is fifth in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in total offense at 524.0 yards per game. The Eagles are 11th in rushing offense (255.1), compared to 27th in passing (268.9). McPherson, the lone senior among the group of four tailbacks, is ranked 21st in FCS with average of 97.6 yards per game and 683 total to rank 23rd. 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 1,451 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns in his 28-game career (19 as a starter), and scored on runs of 62 and 43 yards versus Cal Poly and 2 and 13 yards against SUU. He also has 512 receiving yards on 55 catches and 499 on kickoff returns for a total of 2,462 all-purpose yards (87.9 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.
 
McPherson has now rushed for 1,332 yards and nine touchdowns in his 37-game career (five as a starter), with 521 receiving on 54 catches and a total of 2,015 all-purpose yards (54.5 per game). He's scored 14 TDs in his EWU career.
 
The Eagles have had a 100-yard rusher in five of their last nine games dating back to 2017, including three by McPherson and a pair by Custer. 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. Eastern finished with 677 yards of offense (349 passing) against Central and had 570 versus NAU (322 passing).
 
"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."
 
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 entered the year boasted a starting five with 93 starts between them. Currently they have 119, including 32 by Chris Schlichting; 29 by Spencer Blackburn; 28 by Tristen Taylor; 19 by Jack Hunter and 11 by Kaleb Levao. However, in the 441-yard effort against Cal Poly and the team's subsequent two games, Taylor was unavailable and former tight end Beau Byus started in his place. Converted guard Matt Meyer had to start at tackle in place of Byus on Oct. 13.
 
 
Eagles Fifth in FCS in Total Offense
 
Through seven games this season, Eastern is fifth in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in total offense at 524.0 yards per game. The Eagles are 11th in rushing offense (255.1), compared to 27th in passing (268.9). 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).
 
Eastern is averaging 39.7 points per game to rank 10th, and EWU is 32nd in scoring defense (23.3). The Eagle defense has been impressive in league play, and is now 60th in total defense (392.0), 51st in rushing defense (157.3) and 79th in passing defense (234.7). In addition, EWU is also 33rd in passing efficiency (141.45) while allowing eight sacks (1.14 per game) to rank 20th nationally. Eastern also has the 22nd-most first downs in FCS with 158 and is fourth with three defensive touchdowns.
 
Sam McPherson, the lone senior among the group of four tailbacks, is ranked 21st in FCS with average of 97.6 yards per game and 683 total to rank 23rd. Receiver Nsimba Webster is 13th in receiving yards (680), 15th in receiving yards per game (97.1), 34th in catches (5.4 per game) and 34th in TD receptions (five).
 
Kicker Roldan Alcobendas is 19th in FCS in scoring (8.9 per game) and is 22nd with an average of 1.29 field goals per game, and is just one of five players in FCS to be perfect kicking field goals (9-of-9). His punting average of 48.3 would lead the nation if he had enough attempts to qualify (he has 25 and would need 26 to qualify/3.6 per game). His season (48.3) and career averages (48.0) are both on pace to set school records of 44.9 and 43.8, respectively.
 
Quarterback Gage Gubrud no longer meets the NCAA minimum of playing in 75 percent of a team's games to be ranked in terms of averages and percentages, but he is still 24th in FCS with 13 passing touchdowns and 36th in points responsible for (90). In stats released on Oct. 7, he was 12th in average points responsible for (18.0), 15th in passing efficiency (156.8), ninth in total offense (317.0 per game) and 12th in passing (283.2 per game).
 
 
Eastern Now 44-0 Since 2010 When Winning the TO Battle
 
In the last 10+ seasons (2008-18), the Eagles are now 53-1 when they've won the turnover battle, 22-6 when they've been tied and 21-31 when they've lost (total of 95-38). 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 44-0 since 2010 when they've won the turnover battle, 20-5 when they've been tied and 19-24 when they've lost. That's a collective record of 83-29 (74.1 percent), with 23 of those 29 losses (79 percent) coming in games EWU has lost the turnover battle and 53 percent of EWU's wins coming when they've won the turnover battle (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, 2-1 at Montana State in a 34-17 win and 2-1 at home against Southern Utah. Eastern lost the turnover battle 2-1 in a 14-6 loss at Weber State when the Eagles threw two fourth-quarter interceptions.
 
So far in 2018, Eastern is 3-0 it when it wins the turnover battle, 1-2 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).
 
 
Eastern Has 39 Players With Combined 518 Career Starts
 
Eastern's experience is not questioned, with 39 total players with a total of 518 games of starting experience – 20 players on defense, 19 players on offense and 259 on both sides of the ball.
 
Thus far in 2018, seven 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. Against Southern Utah on Oct. 6, Dehonta Hayes made the first start of his career and finished with a career-high 11 tackles.
 
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 (259 starts by 20 players): Mitch Fettig 40, Josh Lewis 28, Nzuzi Webster 26, Keenan Williams 22, Cole Karstetter 21, Ketner Kupp 19, Jay-Tee Tiuli 18, Kurt Calhoun 17, Dylan Ledbetter 15, D'londo Tucker 15, Tysen Prunty 9, Jonah Jordan 7, Jim Townsend 6, Nick Foerstel 5, Jack Sendelbach 4, Dehonta Hayes 2, Conner Baumann 2 (including 1 as a fullback), Chris Ojoh 1, Andrew Katzenberger 1, Anfernee Gurley 1.
 
Current Starts on Offense (259 starts by 19 players): Chris Schlichting 32, Spencer Blackburn 29, Gage Gubrud 28, Tristen Taylor 28, Jack Hunter 19, Antoine Custer Jr. 19, Nsimba Webster 18, Matt Meyer 17, Zach Eagle 13, Terence Grady 11, Kaleb Levao 11 (including 1 as defensive lineman), Henderson Belk 6, Andrew Boston 6, Jayce Gilder 6, Sam McPherson 5, Eric Barriere 3, Jayson Williams 3, Beau Byus 3, Johnny Edwards IV 2.
 
 
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).
 
 
League Season Enters Stretch Run
 
The Eagles close the regular season with two of their last three on the road – Nov. 3 at Northern Colorado (3-7/2-6 Big Sky last season) 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

 
Since the series started in 1942, Idaho has won 15 of the 21 games played between the two schools, with a pair of five-game winning streaks. But Eastern has won the last two, holding Idaho to no touchdowns and eight total points in an 8-5 win in 2003 and a 20-3 victory in 2012. Until the Vandals were held to five points in EWU's 8-5 victory in 2003, Idaho had averaged 36.0 points per game in the series. The five points Idaho scored were the fewest by 22 Idaho had ever scored in the series, and the second-fewest EWU had scored. The previous fewest combined points came in a 28-7 Vandal win in 1942.
Eastern has never defeated the Vandals in Cheney, losing 28-7 in 1942, 38-21 in 1992 and 40-15 in 1994. Eastern is 2-4 all-time at Albi Stadium in Spokane (1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1997, 1999), plus is 4-8 at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow.
 
The two teams played at least once for 17-straight seasons from 1983-1999, but only six times since the Vandals left the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (then known as I-AA) for the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly I-A). The Vandals and Eagles were Big Sky Conference rivals in the 1980's and 1990's before Idaho moved to NCAA Division I-A (now NCAA FBS) in the 1996 season. Eastern is 3-3 versus the Vandals since they moved up. In 1992, Eastern and Idaho shared the Big Sky Conference title.

Idaho was a member of the Big West Conference in four meetings versus the Eagles from 1996-99, and the Vandals were a member of the Sun Belt in the 2003 game. The 2012 game came with Idaho as a member of the Western Athletic Conference.

Starting in 1984, the game was billed as the "Governor's Cup" with a large traveling trophy presented to the victor, and for a time, a bushel of apples and potatoes were wagered between the two governors. The President's Cup was last played between the Vandals and Eagles in 1997, but was rebranded to the Eastern-Montana contest for four seasons after that. In 1998 and 2000, it was called the George Gee Governor's Cup; in 2002 it was the Rockwood Clinic Governor's Cup; and in 2004 it was named the WestCoast Ridpath Hotel Governor's Cup presented by TicketsWest. The first three meetings were at Albi Stadium in Spokane, and the 2004 game was at Woodward Field in Cheney (now Roos Field).
 
 
Looking Back . . . #12 Eastern Washington 20, Idaho 3
 
Transfer quarterback Kyle Padron completed 13-of-33 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown in his EWU debut, as the Eagles rode their defense to a 20-3 victory over its former Big Sky Conference in the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho, on Aug. 30, 2012. The win over the NCAA Football Bowl Division foe broke a 10-game losing streak against FBS opponents for the Eagles. Padron, Eastern's second-straight transfer from Southern Methodist University, had his first touchdown pass as an Eagle with 3-yard touchdown strike to redshirt freshman Jake Withnell in the second quarter. Eastern finished with 412 yards of total offense, including 260 passing and 152 rushing. Only once the previous season did Eastern have more than 139 yards rushing in a single game, and EWU's 40 rushing attempts were the most since the 2010 season. The first half was punctuated by mistakes by the Eagles, despite a 223-135 advantage in total offense. At one point, Eastern had 66 yards to a minus-1 by Idaho. In the first half, the Eagles were whistled for seven penalties for 40 yards; had a holding penalty on an Idaho punt that led the lone points of the day for the Vandals; gave up the 66-yard pass to a wide-open Idaho receiver on a third-and-long play; and Idaho intercepted a pass that went through the hands of an Eastern receiver. After a trade of field goals, Eastern took a 10-3 lead when Padron led Eastern on a five-play, 67-yard drive. The big play was a 33-yard pass to Edwards. After a third-quarter field goal, Eastern scored on an 11-play, 65-yard drive that was capped by a 2-yard TD run by Quincy Forte. Forte finished with a team-leading 66 yards on 17 carries, and Jordan Talley added 63 yards on 18 carries. Nicholas Edwards added 62 yards on a pair of receptions.
 
 
Looking Back Further
 
● In the 2003 meeting, and 8-5 Eagle victory, Eastern scored its only points on a third-quarter TD pass from Erik Meyer to Joe Pierce, and a two-point conversion pass from Meyer to Reggie Witherspoon. It was the first of 84 TD passes Meyer threw as an Eagle, as he went to win the 2005 Walter Payton Award. Eastern limited the Vandals to 295 yards of total offense and held them scoreless for the final 54 1/2 minutes of the game en route to the gut-wrenching victory. In all, Eastern's defense held Idaho scoreless in its last 11 possessions of the game. Idaho had two fumbles, missed a field goal, punted four times and was 0-of-4 on fourth down conversion attempts.
● Included in EWU's victories was a thrilling, 24-21 win in 1997 en route to a 12-2 finish and "Final Four" appearance in the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs (now NCAA FCS). Rex Prescott's 3-yard touchdown run with 34 seconds left to play in the game capped a game-winning drive in front of 7,756 fans at Albi Stadium in Spokane.  Prescott's run on the four-play, 64-yard drive came after a pair of pass completions of 38 and 23 yards from quarterback Harry Leons to Jeff Ogden. The 1997 team was inducted into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 6, 2012.
● Eastern also won in the Kibbie Dome on Nov. 30, 1985, beating the Vandals 42-38 in the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs (now NCAA FCS) after getting thumped earlier in the year in Moscow, 42-21. Gambles that went Eastern's way -- including a fake punt, a lateral on a kickoff return and onside kickoffs in both the second and third quarters -- helped keep the Eagles in the game. But things looked dim for the Eagles, who were coached by Dick Zornes, when they trailed by three and faced a third-and-10 at their own 10-yard line with less than a minute left. However, a 73-yard screen pass from Rick Worman to Jamie Townsend set-up Worman's game-winning 17-yard touchdown pass to Eric Riley with 12 seconds to play. It was the last game before Idaho head coach Dennis Erickson departed for Wyoming. He would go on to coach at Washington State, Miami and Oregon State, then return to Idaho in 2006, and conclude his collegiate head coaching career at Arizona State. He also was head coach in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
 
 

Recent Game Recap

 
No. 4/3 Eastern Defense Impressive Despite 14-6 Loss to 13th-ranked Weber State
 
Despite a stellar performance by its defense, Eastern fell to Weber State 14-6 in a Big Sky Conference game matching nationally-ranked foes Oct. 13 at Stewart Stadium in Ogden, Utah. No. 4/3 Eagles held the 13th-ranked Wildcats to just 275 total yards and just one offensive touchdown – numbers typically good enough to win. The Eagles held WSU scoreless for the final 51:25 of the game, but fell from the unbeaten ranks in the Big Sky after the fewest combined points in an EWU game since 2009. However, the Weber State defense held EWU to 247 yards, and for the first time since a 19-3 loss to Montana in 2008, the Eagles did not score a touchdown. The game included a combined total of 15 punts and 11 three-and-outs. They also were just a combined 6-of-32 on third down, and combined for 3-of-7 on fourth down.  Eastern's Roldan Alcobendas punted seven times for a 60.3 average, including a school-record punt of 78 yards and three others of at least 60 yards. He also booted a pair of field goals. For the second-straight game, junior Eric Barriere was an injury replacement for injured starting quarterback Gage Gubrud (lower leg injury suffered at Montana State on Sept. 29. The sophomore passed for 185 yards, but EWU's vaunted rushing attack managed just 62 yards in support of him. Weber State used a hot start to open a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, and held the Eagles to 41 yards on their first 23 plays of the game. After Eastern's first of four three-and-outs in the first half, the Wildcats scored on a 75-yard punt return by Josh Davis. Eastern's lone score of the half came on a 31-yard field goal by Roldan Alcobendas, but EWU managed only 83 yards at intermission. Eastern then had 63 yards in the third quarter and 101 in the fourth. Eastern had a key fourth-down stop with 13:27 to play on a tackle by Calin Criner and Keenan Williams, and the Eagles followed with a 10-play, 71-yard drive to get to the Weber State 7-yard line. But a third down pass by Barriere was intercepted in the end zone by Weber State's Jawian Harrison Jr. with 9:34 to play to end what was EWU's longest drive of the day – 45 was the longest prior to that. Weber State then went on a 39-yard drive to take 6:28 off the clock before an Eastern interception ended its comeback chances. Nsimba Webster caught seven passes for 71 yards to lead EWU receivers, and running backs Sam McPherson and Antoine Custer Jr. were EWU's leading rushers, but were held to 22 yards apiece with the long run of the day for the Eagles being 19 yards.  Safety Dehonta Hayes led EWU with 12 tackles, and safety Calin Criner finished with 11. Linebacker Kurt Calhoun also had 11 tackles for EWU, and defensive ends Keenan Williams and Jim Townsend each had sacks.
 
 

Other 2018 Team Notes

 
Eastern is 26-15 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. Eastern, however, fell 14-6 to No. 13 Weber State on Oct. 13, 2018, in Ogden, Utah, in EWU's most recent game versus a ranked foe.
 
The Eagles have now played 124 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 55-69 (.444) in those games, including a 17-42 mark (.288) versus top 10 foes. Since 2010, though, the Eagles are 26-15 overall (.634) 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.
 
 
Eagles Now 47-10 on The Red Turf, Including 37-6 in the Regular Season
 
After winning its first three homes games in 2018, Eastern is now 47-10 overall at Roos Field since 2010. Eastern has lost just six regular season games at "The Inferno" – 37-6 (86.0 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.
 
 
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 60.1 percent of its 404 games in 34+ seasons in FCS, with a 242-160-2 record.
 
 
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. Weed, Nellor, Jerome and Davis all played again versus Southern Utah on Oct. 6, but no true freshmen played at Weber State on Oct. 13.
 
 
Eagles Have Impressive 49-9 Big Sky Record Since 0-2 Start in 2011
 
The Eagles have won 49 of their last 58 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 44 of their last 51 versus conference foes, and are 54-9 since the 0-2 start in 2011. Including three wins at the end of the 2009 season, Eastern has a 60-12 record in league games since then.
 
What's perhaps most impressive is Eastern's ability to consistently win on the road, with records of 21-5 on the road, 23-3 at home and 44-8 overall in the last six-plus seasons since 2012. Since then, Eastern has defeated every Big Sky team on the road at least once, including former Big Sky member North Dakota and a 2012 non-league road victory at Idaho, which re-joins the league in 2018. Until losing at Southern Utah in October of 2017, the Eagles had won their previous road game versus all 13 other league members.
 
 
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 have extended that to 28 in 2018 -- versus Central Washington with 8,658 fans in EWU's 2018 opener, 9,156 on hand for EWU's game versus Cal Poly on Sept. 22 and an attendance figure of 8,887 against Southern Utah on Oct. 6.
 
 
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).
 
 
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

 
 
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 45-game career (26 as a starter), he has 153 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 36-game career (18 as a starter), he has caught 110 passes for 1,534 yards and 12 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.
 
 
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 29 starts and 31 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 40 of the 41 games he's played. He has 273 tackles to rank 13th in school history – just 15 from the school record by a defensive back of 288 set by Julian Williams from 1997-00. Fettig also has six interceptions and 12 passes broken up in his career.
 
McPherson has now rushed for 1,332 yards and nine touchdowns in his 37-game career (five as a starter), with 521 receiving on 54 catches and a total of 2,015 all-purpose yards (54.5 per game). He's scored 14 TDs in his EWU career. He's even a perfect 3-of-3 passing for 77 yards and touchdowns on all three passes.
 
Kupp, with 201 tackles in his career to rank 39th in school history, 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 18 of the 43 games he has played in his career, and has had 94 total tackles with 11 sacks, four quarterback hurries, three passes deflected and a fumble recovered for a touchdown. 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.
 
 
 
 

More Aaron Best Comments

 
On Idaho: "They had a huge win over Southern Utah, and were coming off a one-point loss against a very good Montana State team. They are playing their best football now, and just a few days ago played passionately on offense, ran the ball well and were efficient in the passing game. Defensively they were nails. They stopped the pass, and although they gave up a few big runs, what they did do is cause turnovers (four). We have our work cut out for us. They have a very talented bunch both offensively and defensively. We are going to have to play up to our own standards and create our own opportunities. It should be a fun game."
 
On Big Sky Race: "We're going to worry about ourselves, not about the Big Sky or possible life after the Big Sky. We played a tough, hard-nosed Weber State team and it didn't go any different than we thought it would be. We just didn't make enough plays to win not only on the road, but on any day – especially against a great outfit like Weber."
 
On Loss at Weber State: "Our players swung at every pitch thrown. Defensively I couldn't be prouder – our team played their tails off and I can't say enough about them. We have the ingredients and know we have an outfit that can play defense really well. We were just up against a better opponent today and we have to make more plays on offense."'
 
On Defensive Battle in Ogden: "It was a defensive game because there were two good defenses on the field. I don't think there was enough productivity on offense on our side. They played well and put us in tough situations, and we didn't get out of those tough situations like we prepared for and would have liked. But my hat is off to a great defensive outfit. At the end of the day there were 13 points scored on offense, and seven scored on special teams. Coach Hill does a great job and we knew it was going to be slugfest. We didn't get our running game going a ton, and we didn't get enough chunk yardage and big plays. We had too many three-and-outs against a physical outfit, and we knew what they would be like coming in. There is much to work on as we move forward."
 
On Eric Barriere and Offense Versus Weber: "We knew it was going to be a tough test. It was his third career start and we'll never make excuses why he didn't make more plays than he did. He made some chicken salad out there, but we didn't make enough plays. It starts with the run game – it doesn't matter if our guys up front are bruised and beaten, we have to get better. It has to occur and it will occur, and we'll take the time to make sure that gets done."
 
On Barriere Versus SUU: "From start to finish I was a proud coach of Eric Barriere. He's one individual that no matter how much I yell or how much I hug him, he looks the same no matter what. He has the same unflappable personality, which is a great trait to have as a quarterback. There are going to highs and there are going to be lows, but he had a great day at the office. He brings a little something different to that position. Gage has a ton of experience and he's a very witty and cat-like type of quarterback. Eric is kind of new and kind of green, and he's going to take some shots every once in a while and pull the ball every once in a while. At the end of the day, you take what they give you and try to do more right than wrong."
 
On Sticking with the Playbook: "We have to be able to run what we run. We can't condense the playbook because one person doesn't have the ability to function in what we ask them to do. There are always things we put in play, but very seldom are we going to take anything out of play. It was an all-around effort by those 11 players who were on the field the entire day (versus Southern Utah). When we have players replacing others, we aren't going to hang our heads and say woe is us. We have to put 11 players out there every play, and we have to get players ready – that's our duty and responsibility."
 
On Defense: "It's a commendable effort by (defensive coordinator) Jeff Schmedding and his assistant coaches. They do a marvelous job. When you believe in something, it may not happen the next minute or the next day, but it's going to be believed over time. We have enough talent, commitment and dedication, and coaches who coach their tails off and know what they are doing."
 
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."