­­­­#4/3 Ranked Eastern Washington Univ. "Eagles" versus #13 Weber State Univ. "Wildcats" Saturday, Oct. 13 • 3:05 p.m. Pacific Stewart Stadium (17,500) • Ogden, Utah
TV:	Nationally on Eleven Sports
Webcast:	http://watchbigsky.com and Pluto TV Channel 235
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 at the new M&D (Movie and Dinner) complex at 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.

What the Eagles have accomplished over the years, the Wildcats are certainly working toward.
 
In a match-up of two Big Sky Conference heavyweights and nationally-ranked teams, the Eastern Washington University football team travels to Ogden, Utah, to face a Weber State team which has won eight of its last 11 games with a league championship and deep playoff run in 2017 on its resume.cio
 
Kickoff this Saturday (Oct. 13) is 3:05 p.m. Pacific time in the second of two-straight Big Sky Conference games versus opponents EWU lost to last season. The game is televised nationally by Eleven Sports, and 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.
 
Both teams will enter this week's game nationally-ranked in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. Equaling its highest rankings in the past four seasons, Eastern is ranked fourth in this week's STATS FCS Top 25 poll and third by the coaches following a 55-17 home victory over Southern Utah. Weber State is ranked 13th in both polls after a narrow 28-24 loss at Northern Arizona, a team EWU defeated in a non-conference meeting in Flagstaff on Sept. 8 by a 31-26 score.
 
While Eastern was picked by both the coaches and media to win the 2018 league title, Weber State was slated to finish second in both. Besides sharing the Big Sky title with Southern Utah last season, the Wildcats beat Western Illinois (21-19) and Southern Utah (30-13) in the FCS Playoffs, then narrowly lost to eventual FCS runner-up James Madison (31-28) in the quarterfinals. Thus, Weber State has won eight of its last 11 games while making steady progress under fifth-year head coach Jay Hill. Weber State was 2-10 overall/2-6 Big Sky in his first year, then 6-5/5-3, 7-5/6-2 and 11-3/7-1 in subsequent seasons.
 
"They do have a lot of talent," said head coach Aaron Best. "They are a very physical team on defense and they fly around, and have playmakers at all three levels. On offense they have a line that is intact from last year tackle-to-tackle, a running game that is very respected and receivers that can beat you deep.
 
The game will be a classic match-up of the Big Sky's top offense versus the league's top defense. Eastern ranks third in FCS in total offense at 570.2 yards per game, while Weber State is 41st nationally at 374.0 per game. The Eagles are scoring at a league-best 45.3 clip per game (sixth in FCS), while the Wildcats join EWU as the top defense in the league at 24.8 points per game (36th).
 
"Numbers aren't going to win games – execution will," Best continued. "We have to bring our "A" game to Ogden and be prepared for a dogfight on offense and defense. And the tipping point could be on special teams -- they are highly-regarded in that area with a game-breaker returning punts and kicks."
 
Eastern has allowed just 17 points in each of its three conference wins thus far. The Eagles are also averaging 8.0 yards per rush and 8.4 yards per play overall, while limiting opponents to an average of 3.7 yards on the ground and 5.1 overall.
 
"We are playing some pretty good football," said Best. "We're feeding off each other and the players are hungry. Remember how many seniors we have (27) – that doesn't hurt the process. When you rely upon the guys who have been in experiences and battles over the years, there is a lot to be drawn from."
 
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 Southern Utah 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 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big Sky, and 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.
 
The Eagles have now 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 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

 
 
Equaling Highest Ranking Since 2014, Eagles Jump Up a Position in Both Polls
 
Following a loss by James Madison last week, Eastern jumped up a spot in both NCAA Football Championship Subdivision polls after beating defending Big Sky co-champion Southern Utah 55-17. Eastern will enter this week's showdown at Weber State ranked in third in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 poll and fourth in the STATS poll of sportswriters, broadcasters and sports information directors for NCAA Football Championship Subdivision teams.
 
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.
 
Also ranked nationally from the Big Sky Conference this week are Weber State (13 STATS/13 AFCA), UC Davis (14/19) and Montana (22/23). 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.
 
This week's Eastern and Weber State 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 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.
 
 
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.
 
 
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 39 of the 40 games he's played in his Eastern career, and is chasing the school record for tackles by a defensive back. He has 271 tackles to rank 13th in school history – just 17 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 31 Games in His Career
 
Eastern junior offensive tackle Chris Schlichting has started in each of EWU's 31 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 six thus far this season. Senior safety Mitch Fettig, who has a team-leading 39 career starts, has also started 31 in a row since missing the last game of the 2015 season. Senior center Spencer Blackburn has a streak of 28 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 2-0 as a Starter After Engineering 38-Point Victory
 
Even without their All-America signal caller, the Eagles didn't miss a beat. Junior Eric Barriere was an injury replacement for injured starting quarterback Gage Gubrud (lower leg injury suffered at Montana State on Sept. 29), and he used his arm and feet to lead the Eagles to a 55-17 victory over defending Big Sky Conference champion Southern Utah on Oct. 6.
 
Barriere 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.
 
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 five games played in 2018, Barriere has completed 15-of-25 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns, with 10 rushes for 142 yards and two scores. In his 10-game career, he has completed 30-of-51 passes for 384 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, and has rushed 28 times for 190 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 game on Oct. 6 with a lower leg injury suffered a week earlier versus Montana State.
 
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 is sixth in  FCS with 13 passing touchdowns, and he's also 12th in points responsible for (90), 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 80 percent of their games (73-18) 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, 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).
 
 
Running Game Rolls on Behind Quartet of Tailbacks, Plus One Freshman
 
Eastern averaged 9.0 yards per carry against Southern Utah on Oct. 6 in a 55-17 victory, and for the season are averaging 8.0 (compared to 3.7 for opponents). All five EWU running backs are averaging at least 7.4 per carry – junior Dennis Merritt 9.2, senior Sam McPherson 8.8, junior Tamarick Pierce 8.4, junior Antoine Custer Jr. 7.6 and Isaiah Lewis 7.4.
 
A true freshman, Lewis played in his second game of the season versus SUU and had 47 yards with a long of 44, to go along with McPherson's 85, Custer's 77 and Pierce's 54. However, the leading rusher was Eric Barriere, who finished with 98 after recording the longest run in school history by a quarterback (ninth-longest overall) with an 85-yard touchdown run.
 
In Eastern's last eight games dating back to the 2017 season, the Eagles have rushed 309 times for 2,253 yards and 23 touchdowns, with averages of 281.6 per game and 7.3 per rush. By contrast, Eastern has attempted 248 passes for 2,269 yards and 21 touchdowns, with averages of 283.6 per game and 9.1 per play. In total, Eastern is averaging 565.3 yards per game and 8.1 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 SUU, 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 576 yards (110.2 per game and 8.8 per rush) and six touchdowns; Pierce has 269 yards (44.8/8.4); Custer has 237 and four scores in three games played (79.0/7.6); Merritt has 184 (30.7/9.2); and Lewis has 52 (26.0/7.4). Gubrud has added 169 yards on the ground (33.8/5.5) and Barriere has 142 (28.4/14.2).
 
"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 six games this season, Eastern is third in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in total offense at 570.2 yards per game. The Eagles are ninth in rushing offense (287.3), compared to 19th in passing (282.8). McPherson, the lone senior among the group of four tailbacks, is ranked 17th in FCS with average of 110.2 yards per game and 661 total to rank fifth. 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 1,429 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns in his 27-game career (18 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 54 catches and 499 on kickoff returns for a total of 2,440 all-purpose yards (90.4 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 1,310 yards and nine touchdowns in his 36-game career (five as a starter), with 517 receiving on 53 catches and a total of 1,989 all-purpose yards (55.2 per game). He's scored 14 TDs in his EWU career.
 
The Eagles have had a 100-yard rusher in five of their last eight 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 115, including 31 by Chris Schlichting; 28 by Tristen Taylor; 28 by Spencer Blackburn; 18 by Jack Hunter and 10 by Kaleb Levao. However, in the 441-yard effort against Cal Poly and the team's subsequent games, Taylor was unavailable and former tight end Beau Byus has started in his place.
 
 
Eagles Third in FCS in Total Offense
 
Through six games this season, Eastern is third in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in total offense at 570.2 yards per game. The Eagles are ninth in rushing offense (287.3), compared to 19th in passing (282.8). 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 45.3 points per game to rank sixth, and EWU is tied with Weber State for 36th in scoring defense (24.8). The Eagles are also seventh in third down conversions (48.7 percent) and 16th in passing efficiency (156.57) while allowing only four sacks (0.67 per game) to rank 10th nationally. Eastern also has the fifth-most first downs in FCS with 140 and is third with three defensive touchdowns.
 
Sam McPherson, the lone senior among a talented group of four tailbacks is ranked 17th in FCS with average of 110.2 yards per game and 661 total to rank fifth. Despite Eastern's impressive rushing numbers, two-time Walter Payton Award finalist Gage Gubrud is sixth in  FCS with 13 passing touchdowns, and he's also 12th in points responsible for (90), 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).
 
Receiver Nsimba Webster is sixth in receiving yards (619), 15th in receiving yards per game (103.2), 50th in catches (5.0 per game) and 11th in TD receptions (five). Kicker Roldan Alcobendas is 18th in scoring (9.3 per game), and is among eight players in FCS who are still perfect kicking field goals (7-of-7). He is 36th with an average of 1.17 field goals per game, and his punting average of 43.7 would rank 13th if he had enough attempts to qualify (he has 18 and would need 22 to qualify/3.6 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 21-30 when they've lost (total of 95-37). 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 44-0 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 83-28 (74.7 percent), with 22 of those 28 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.
 
So far in 2018, Eastern is 3-0 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).
 
 
Eastern Has 39 Players With Combined 496 Career Starts
 
Eastern's experience is not questioned, with 39 total players with a total of 496 games of starting experience – 20 players on defense, 19 players on offense and 248 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 (248 starts by 20 players): Mitch Fettig 39, Josh Lewis 27, Nzuzi Webster 26, Keenan Williams 21, Cole Karstetter 20, Ketner Kupp 18, Jay-Tee Tiuli 17, Kurt Calhoun 16, Dylan Ledbetter 14, D'londo Tucker 14, Tysen Prunty 9, Jonah Jordan 7, Jim Townsend 6, Jack Sendelbach 4, Nick Foerstel 4, Conner Baumann 2 (including 1 as a fullback), Dehonta Hayes 1, Chris Ojoh 1, Andrew Katzenberger 1, Anfernee Gurley 1.
 
Current Starts on Offense (248 starts by 19 players): Chris Schlichting 31, Gage Gubrud 28, Tristen Taylor 28, Spencer Blackburn 28, Jack Hunter 18, Antoine Custer Jr. 18, Nsimba Webster 17, Matt Meyer 16, Zach Eagle 13, Terence Grady 10, Kaleb Levao 10 (including 1 as defensive lineman), Jayce Gilder 6, Sam McPherson 5, Henderson Belk 5, Andrew Boston 5, Jayson Williams 3, Beau Byus 3, Johnny Edwards IV 2, Eric Barriere 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).
 
 
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 continued when EWU when EWU defeated Southern Utah 55-17 on Oct. 6, the first of two-straight games versus the defending Big Sky co-champions. The second will be in Ogden, Utah, versus FCS Playoffs quarterfinalist Weber State (11-3/7-1) on Oct. 13. The Eagles lost 46-28 a year ago at Southern Utah, then 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 now 7-3 all-time versus the Thunderbirds, and are 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 Weber State 19-15, and is 8-8 in Ogden, 9-6 in games played in Cheney and 2-1 at Albi Stadium in Spokane. Until last year's 28-20 home loss, Eastern had won the last three meetings at Roos Field and five-straight overall. The Eagles hadn't lost to the Wildcats since 2009 by a 31-13 score in Cheney. In the last five meetings, four of them have been decided by eight points or less.
 
 
Looking Back . . . #19/14 Weber State 28, #11 Eastern Washington 20 
 
The 11th-ranked Eagles led 7-0 and 14-7 in the first half, but No. 19/14 Weber State scored 14 unanswered points and went on to beat the Eagles 28-20 in an important Big Sky Conference game at Roos Field on Nov. 4, 2017, in EWU's 91st Homecoming Game. After a pair of EWU field goals cut Weber State's lead to one with 7:01 to play, the Wildcats went on a time-consuming drive of 4:35 that was capped by a 24-yard touchdown run. Eastern turned the ball over on downs in its next possession, all but sealing EWU's second-straight setback after a five-game winning streak. Although the Eagles were 3-of-3 in scoring in the red zone, twice in the last 12:19 of the game Eastern had to settle for field goals after having first-and-goal situations from inside the Weber State 10-yard line. Eastern even had one TD called back because of a penalty. The loss spoiled an impressive defensive performance in which the Eagles held Weber State to 414 yards of offense, with EWU managing only 383. Eastern took a 7-0 lead on the first possession of the game when the Eagles drove 78 yards on seven plays, capped by a 7-yard touchdown run by Antoine Custer Jr.. After WSU knotted the score, Eastern went 74 yards on seven plays in the second quarter to take a 14-7 lead, capped by a 23-yard touchdown pass from Gage Gubrud to Nsimba Webster. Gubrud finished 22-of-42 for 239 yards and a touchdown. Webster caught a team-high seven passes for 94 yards, and for the fifth-straight game had a touchdown reception.  Custer led Eastern's rushing attack with 76 yards and a touchdown, and Sam McPherson chipped in 69 yards. Linebackers Kurt Calhoun and Ketner Kupp combined for 23 tackles, with Calhoun finishing with a career-high 13 and Kupp getting 10 with a pass broken up and a quarterback hurry. Safety Mitch Fettig had eight tackles. Kicker Roldan Alcobendas made field goals of 25 and 26 yards in the fourth quarter for the Eagles.
 
 
Looking Back Further
 
* In 2015, Eastern's defense made a one-point lead hold up for the final 21 minutes and the fifth-ranked Eagles remained unbeaten in the Big Sky Conference with a 14-13 victory over Weber State on Oct. 31, 2015, at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash. Eastern recorded its first victory with 14 or less points since defeating Idaho 8-5 in 2003. It was EWU's first win in league play with 14 or less since beating Northern Arizona 14-10 in 1999.With howling 23-mile per hour winds causing havoc in the passing game, two Jordan West-to-Cooper Kupp passing touchdowns held up in the final 21:07 after EWU took a 14-13 lead with 8:53 left in the third quarter. Weber State missed field goals on its next three possessions, then EWU clinched the win by forcing four-straight incompletions on the final possession of the day for Weber State. The fourth was an incompletion on fourth down from the WSU 48-yard line with nine seconds left. Eastern was out-gained in total offense 412-189, and EWU had only 12 yards in the final quarter. But linebacker Miquiyah Zamora led the way for the Eagle defense with a career-high 16 tackles and rover Todd Raynes had 13. Eastern had three sacks, including 1 1/2 by defensive end Samson Ebukam. Mitch Fettig equaled his career high at the time with eight tackles and had a pair of passes broken up. West completed 12-of-25 passes for 121 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Kupp caught seven passes for 74 yards. Jalen Moore rushed for 68 yards on 18 carries.
* In 2013, also in Cheney, quarterback Vernon Adams accounted for five touchdowns, Mario Brown rushed for 98 yards and the defense did the rest as sixth-ranked Eastern romped past Weber State 41-19 on Oct. 5, 2013, at Roos Field. The Eagles rushed for 279 yards and passed for 214 in their league opener, while holding the Wildcats to 249 total yards. The Eagles scored 14 points before halftime to take a 27-12 lead. Eastern had a 165-14 advantage in the third quarter, turning a 15-point halftime lead into a 29-point bulge entering the final quarter. In just three quarters of action, Adams finished the game 16-of-23 for 194 yards and four touchdowns, and also added 66 yards and a TD on the ground. Cooper Kupp led the Eagles with five catches for 87 yards and a pair of first-quarter touchdowns. Brown had 10 rushes for 98 yards (9.8 per carry), and added two catches for 20 more yards. Three other Eagle running backs combined for 114 yards – Quincy Forte with 51, Demitrius Bronson with 40 and a touchdown and Jalen Moore with 23. Defensively, linebackers Cody McCarthy and Ronnie Hamlin led the Eagles with nine and eight tackles, respectively. Linebacker Miquiyah Zamora added five tackles and an interception in his first career start.
* In 2012 in Ogden, Vernon Adams made his first career start – an unannounced one -- in EWU's 32-26 victory, and used his arm and his feet to lead EWU to a 20-3 halftime lead. Adams led Eastern to scores on four of five drives in the first half, including a 75-yard touchdown march on his first drive as an Eagle. He finished the game 7-of-12 for 75 yards, and ran five times for 62 yards, but missed most of the second half with cramping. Of his five rushes, four were for first downs; of his seven completions, four more resulted in EWU first downs.
* In 2011 in Cheney, Eastern notched its first victory of the season by holding off Weber State 27-21. Weber State rallied from a 24-7 halftime deficit, but Eastern sealed it when Charles Moetului forced a fumble with 21 seconds left that was recovered by teammate Anthony Larry after the Wildcats had driven to the EWU 17-yard line. Linebacker Ronnie Hamlin had 11 tackles and a pass broken up to lead the way on defense, with fellow backers J.C. Agen and Cody McCarthy adding eight and seven tackles, respectively. Nicholas Edwards caught 10 passes for 115 yards, and Greg Herd had 92 yards on three grabs.
* In Ogden  in 2010, Eastern scored 21-straight second-half points to surge past the Wildcats 35-24.  Bo Levi Mitchell passed for 337 yards and four touchdowns and the defense had three interceptions that led to scores. Brandon Kaufman caught five passes for 138 yards and Tyler Washburn had an interception for the Eagles. Eastern finished with 465 yards of offense, and Weber State finished with 459 after having just 150 in the first half. But most importantly for the Eagles, Eastern had leads after all four quarters -- including an 11-point winning margin.
* In 2008, Eastern ended the season with a 33-26 victory over the playoff-bound Wildcats, keeping them from being the first team other than Montana to win the outright Big Sky title since EWU did it in 1997. It enabled Montana to share the league title -- its 11th-straight in a streak that ended at 12 when MSU and EWU shared the 2010 championship.
 
 
 

Recent Game Recap

 
Junior Eric Barriere was an injury replacement for injured starting quarterback Gage Gubrud, and he used his arm and feet to lead the Eagles to a 55-17 victory over defending Big Sky Conference champion Southern Utah Oct. 6 at Roos Field. While Gubrud sat out with a lower leg injury suffered against Montana State on Sept. 29, Barriere made his second career start and completed a 48-yard pass on the first offensive play of the day for the Eagles. He 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 98 yards and two scores on five carries and passing for 233 and a TD (13-of-21 with no interceptions and no sacks). The Eagles had their 12th-most yards in school history with 648 and equaled the 23rd-most points all-time. Eastern had 380 yards rushing and 268 passing, and averaged 9.4 yards per play compared to just 4.4 for the Thunderbirds. Defensively, Eastern had seven passes broken up, an interception and a sack, and won the turnover battle 2-1. The Eagles scored 20 points in the second quarter and 21 in the third quarter – 31 unanswered in all in holding SUU scoreless for 22:13. Senior Nsimba Webster led all EWU receivers with six catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. Senior running back Sam McPherson had 85 yards and a touchdown on just four carries, with a non-scoring long rush of 64 yards.  Junior running back Antoine Custer chipped in 77 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 14 carries, and Tamarick Pierce had another 54 yards on seven attempts. Junior safety Dehonta Hayes, made the first start of his career against SUU and finished with a career-high 11 tackles, and senior safety Mitch Fettig had nine stops. Senior nose tackle Jay-Tee Tiuli combined with senior linebacker Kurt Calhoun on a sack, and recovered a fumble for a touchdown in the second quarter. Redshirt freshman defensive end Mitchell Johnson had a pass interception and a pass broken up. Sixth-year senior kicker Roldan Alcobendas made field goals of 32 and 19 yards and also converted all seven of his extra points. He punted four times for a 44.0 average with a long of 50, and two of his punts were downed inside the MSU 20-yard line.
 
 

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 second round.
 
 
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.
 
 
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 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.
 
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.
 
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 more than 400 total games as a member of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, on just 70 occasions (twice in 2018) 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 60.3 percent of its 403 games in 34+ seasons in FCS, with a 242-159-2 record.
 
 
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 were the 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 started 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).
 
 
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.
 
 
Eagles Have Impressive 49-8 Big Sky Record Since 0-2 Start in 2011
 
The Eagles have won 49 of their last 57 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 50 versus conference foes, and are 54-8 since the 0-2 start in 2011. Including three wins at the end of the 2009 season, Eastern has a 60-11 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 in October of 2017, the Eagles had won their previous road game versus all 13 other league members, as well a 2012 road victory at Idaho, which re-joins 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 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 44-game career (26 as a starter), he has 152 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 35-game career (17 as a starter), he has caught 103 passes for 1,473 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.
 
 
Sixth-Year Senior Roldan Alcobendas Adds to Career Kick Scoring Record
 
Sixth-year senior kicker Roldan Alcobendas scored 13 points in a 55-17 win over Southern Utah on Oct. 6, finishing 2-of-2 on field goals (32 and 19 yards to remain perfect on the season at 7-for-7) and converting all seven of his extra point attempts. He also punted four times for a 44.0 average with a long of 50, and two of his punts were downed inside the MSU 20-yard line.
 
In his 34-game career, Alcobendas has scored 257 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 27-of-38 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 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.
 
Thus far in 2018, Alcobendas is 7-of-7 kicking field goals (one of just eight players in FCS to be perfect on the season) and has converted on 35-of-36 extra points (one was blocked) to currently have 56 points on the season. He is 18th in FCS in scoring (9.3 per game) and is 36th with an average of 1.17 field goals per game. His punting average of 43.7 would rank 13th if he had enough attempts to qualify (he has 18 and would need 22 to qualify/3.6 per game).
 
 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.
 
 
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 28 starts and 30 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 39 of the 40 games he's played. He has 271 tackles to rank 13th in school history – just 17 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 1,310 yards and nine touchdowns in his 36-game career (five as a starter), with 517 receiving on 53 catches and a total of 1,989 all-purpose yards (55.2 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.
 
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 17 of the 42 games he has played in his career, and has had 91 total tackles with 11 sacks, three quarterback hurries, two 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 Weber State Defense: "They have seven senior starters back on defense. They are still playing man-to-man and are in your face, and are still challenging receivers to get off the line. Our receivers are going to have to be very efficient and focused on their route running – the timing of balls is different against man than zone, so there is going to be lesser windows to get the ball to receivers. We have to mix in the run and still stay balanced, and try to introduce the run-pass option game when it is there for us. They are a very physical bunch."
 
On SUU Win and 5-1 Start: "We have things to work on, but we scored 55 points at home and for the third-straight game the defense has only allowed 17 points. I'm very proud of our team – it was a very gritty effort. We are over the halfway point of the season, and right now we are firing on some good cylinders. And if that means No. 3 or No. 8 is our guy moving forward next week, we all believe in both players and we know what they can do and are capable of. They all trust each other in the process."
 
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 Scoring: "When you add special teams and defensive points, that just makes the engine a little more oiled. Defensive touchdowns are bonus points and momentum changers in a game – especially at home when you have the ability to start putting people away with defensive scores and pressure. You start getting opponents playing a little bit more tense on the opposite side of the ball."
 
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.'"