You can read between the lines with this highly-decorated list of Eastern Washington University Football all-stars.
  
All 10 Eagle offensive and defensive linemen – including nose tackle Jay-Tee Tiuli as Defensive MVP – are among the 21 EWU players recognized with a total of 23 honors on the All-Big Sky Conference football team announced Tuesday (Nov. 20) by the league office.
 
Tiuli, a 6-foot- 4, 320-pound senior from Federal Way (Wash.) High School, was joined by 15 other Eastern seniors to be honored, including two-way first-team All-Big Sky performer Roldan Alcobendas as both a kicker and punter. Senior wide receiver Nsimba Webster and senior defensive end Keenan Williams joined Tiuli and Alcobendas as first-team performers.
 
Six players earned second-team accolades, including senior center Spencer Blackburn for the third-straight year. Junior offensive tackle Chris Schlichting, senior offensive guard Kaleb Levao, running back Sam McPherson, senior linebacker Ketner Kupp, senior cornerback Josh Lewis and freshman redshirt defensive end Mitchell Johnson were also second teamers.
 
On the third team were senior offensive tackle Beau Byus, senior offensive guard Jack Hunter, sophomore quarterback Eric Barriere, senior safety Mitch Fettig, senior tight end Henderson Belk as a fullback and senior long snapper Curtis Billen as a special teams player. Four Eagles received honorable mention – junior running back Antoine Custer Jr., junior defensive tackle Dylan Ledbetter, senior cornerback D'londo Tucker and senior cornerback/nickel back Nzuzi Webster, who was recognized by the league at safety.
 
"We're very proud of these players, and it is very team driven," said Eastern head coach Aaron Best. "When you do well as a team on a particular side of the ball it's noticed by the league's coaches. We had an outstanding season in all three phases – offense, defense and special teams – and the all-league team reflects that."
 
Tiuli is just the sixth Eagle to earn player of the year honors on that side of the ball, joining J.C. Sherritt (2010), Greg Peach (2008), Joey Cwik (2005), Chris Scott (1997) and Jason Marsh (1993). Eastern has won 14 honors on offense, including the first co-MVP tandem in 2016 when Cooper Kupp and Gage Gubrud were honored. That capped a stretch in which EWU won the MVP honor on offense in 12 of 17 years.
 
"The league has spoken by naming him as the defensive MVP, and they certainly saw what we see every day at practice," Best said. "Congratulations goes to him, as well as his teammates because he makes a ton of those players on that side of the ball better. And that's why we are where we are defensively with a huge progression from where we were the last couple of years."
  
Tiuli is only the 10th Big Sky Conference interior lineman to win the defensive award since 1974 -- 45 years. He's only the second in the league since Scott from EWU won it in 1997.
 
"It's hard to do but it's well-earned," said Best. "He's a player we count on – he's our bell-cow. It shows his versatility in not only stopping the run, but getting to the quarterback."
 
Eastern finished as the Big Sky co-champions with a 7-1 record, and owned the best point differential in the league of 31.1 points per game. Eastern averaged 48.0 on offense and 16.9 on defense to lead the league in both categories, with UC Davis having the next-best margin at a plus 17.4 per game.
 
Eastern's offensive line was as veteran and experienced as any other position for the Eagles. Blackburn, a second-team All-Big Sky choice the last two seasons, has started 33 of the 35 games he has played as an Eagle, including the last 33. Schlichting has started all 36 games he has played.
 
In addition, Hunter has started 23 of 36 games played; Levao 14 of 34 games; and Byus seven of 33, giving EWU a total 103 starts and 174 games played among that quintet (average of 21/35). And that doesn't even account for the contributions of Belk, who started nine of 41 games thus far in his career.
 
Eastern enters the postseason second in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in total offense at 553.2 yards per game, trailing only Davidson with an average of 561.9. Eastern is also up to ninth in FCS in rushing offense (274.1), compared to 16th in passing (279.1). Eastern is the only FCS team to rank in the top 20 in all three categories, and is also averaging 45.2 points on the season to rank fourth.
 
"Getting all five offensive lineman some sort of recognition is huge, and has been accomplished very few times here," Best said. "Kudos to (offensive line) coach Jase Butorac and company for getting that done."
 
The Eagles led the league in offense with an average of 557.4 yards per league game, and was also second in defense at 346.6. That average advantage of 210.8 was also the best in the league by more than triple that of UC Davis with an advantage of 66.7.
 
"We had a good mix, although I would have liked to see a few more on the first team offensively," added Best of the entire squad of honorees. "We did some really good things in the conference with our running game and ranked second in the country in total offense. Nsimba obviously represents us well at the wide receiver position."
 
"Defensively we were very decorated on the defensive line, at linebacker and in the secondary," Best said. "With Mitch on the list as a freshman and Keenan as a senior, we had bookend defensive ends honored, with the senior going out with a bang as a first team selection."
 
"We were happy to see on special teams Roldan earn first team as a kicker and then doubling as a punter, and Curtis Billen getting recognized for paying his dues for four years here as a long snapper," added Best, with Billen serving as EWU's long snapper for all 47 out of 47 games the last four years. "It's incredible because he's been as consistent as anybody, and this is a huge honor for a player not too many people know about in the world of long snapping."
 
 

EWU All-Big Sky Performers . . . .

Defensive MVP
Defensive Tackle - 99 - #Jay-Tee Tiuli - 6-4 - 320 - Sr. - 3L* - Seattle, Wash. (Federal Way HS '14)
 
First Team
Defensive Tackle - 99 - #Jay-Tee Tiuli - 6-4 - 320 - Sr. - 3L* - Seattle, Wash. (Federal Way HS '14)
End - 90 - Keenan Williams - 6-3 - 265 - Sr. - 3L - Cheney, Wash. (Cheney HS '15)
Wide Receiver - 5 - +Nsimba Webster - 5-10 - 180 - Sr. - 3L* - Antioch, Calif. (Deer Valley HS '14)
Kicker - 37 - Roldan Alcobendas - 6-0 - 170 - Sr. - 3L* - Camas, Wash. (Camas HS '13)
Punter - 37 - Roldan Alcobendas - 6-0 - 170 - Sr. - 3L* - Camas, Wash. (Camas HS '13)
 
Second Team
Offensive Center - 75 - ~Spencer Blackburn - 6-2 - 290 - Sr. - 2L* - Bellingham, Wash. (Meridian HS '14)
Offensive Guard - 66 - Kaleb Levao - 6-4 - 310 - Sr. - 2L* - Aberdeen, Wash. (Aberdeen HS '14)
Offensive Tackle - 64 - Chris Schlichting - 6-5 - 295 - Jr. - 2L* - North Bend, Wash. (Mount Si HS '15)
Running Back - =Sam McPherson - 5-10 - 200 - Sr. - 3L - Bothell, Wash. (Bothell 'HS '15)
End - 94 - Mitchell Johnson - 6-3 - 240 - Fr. - HS* - West Linn, Ore. (West Linn HS '17)
Inside Linebacker - 40 - Ketner Kupp - 6-0 - 225 - Sr. - 3L - Yakima, Wash. (Davis HS '15)
Cornerback - 1 - =Josh Lewis - 6-0 - 190 - Sr. - 3L* - Lakewood, Wash. (Steilacoom HS '14)
 
Third Team
Offensive Tackle - 74 - Beau Byus - 6-5 - 265 - Sr. - 2L* - Spokane, Wash. (Central Valley HS '14)
Offensive Guard - 63 - Jack Hunter - 6-4 - 295 - Sr. - 2L* - Spokane, Wash. (Gonzaga Prep HS '14)
Tight End (recognized as fullback) - 85 - Henderson Belk - 6-4 - 245 - Sr. - 3L* - Mukilteo, Wash. (Kamiak HS '14)
Quarterback - 3 - Eric Barriere - 6-0 - 200 - So. - 1L* - Inglewood, Calif. (La Habra HS '16)
Safety - 4 - ^Mitch Fettig - 6-1 - 200 - Sr. - 3L* - Olympia, Wash. (Olympia HS '14)
Special Teams - 39 - Curtis Billen - 6-2 - 215 - Sr. - 3L* - Everett, Wash. (Mariner HS '14)
 
Honorable Mention
Running Back - 28 - &Antoine Custer Jr. - 5-9 - 190 - Jr. - 2L - Berkeley, Calif. (De La Salle '16)
Defensive Tackle - 57 - Dylan Ledbetter - 6-3 - 270 - Jr. - 2L* - West Seattle, Wash. (O'Dea HS '15)
Cornerback - 18 - D'londo Tucker - 6-0 - 180 - Sr. - 4L* - Federal Way, Wash. (Federal Way HS '13)
Cornerback/Nickel (recognized as safety) - 6 - %Nzuzi Webster - 5-10 - 180 - Sr. - 3L* - Antioch, Calif. (Deer Valley HS '14)
 
#First team in 2016. ~Second Team All-Big Sky in 2016 and 2017. ^Third team in 2017 and honorable mention in 2016. #Second team in 2017 and 2018. &Second team in 2017. +Third team in 2017. =Honorable mention in 2017. %Third team in 2016. *Has used redshirt season.
 
 

More on All-Big Sky Conference First Team Performers . . .

Tiuli was a dominant force in the middle, and finished the 2018 regular season with 29 tackles, four sacks, two passes broken up, a quarterback hurry, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He has started 22 of the 47 out of a possible 47 games he has played the last four seasons at EWU, and has had 106 total tackles with 12 1/2 sacks, four quarterback hurries, four passes deflected, a pair of forced fumbles and a fumble he recovered for a touchdown. He had to redshirt in 2017 because of an injury, but before the start of that season he earned third team preseason All-America honors from STATS.
 
"That redshirt year last year really vaulted him into the elite company of this league," Best said. "I have a lot of respect for the coaches around the league for selecting him. Hopefully when it comes to All-America nominations and selections he'll get recognition from a national standpoint."
 
Williams has 142 tackles, 8 1/2 sacks and three forced fumbles in his 42-game career (26 as a starter).

Nsimba Webster, a senior wide receiver, became the 20th player in school history to go over the 1,000-yard mark for receiving in a single season. He currently ranks 19th in FCS receiving yards (1,021), 20th in receiving yards per game (92.8) and 32nd in catches (5.5 per game with a total of 60). In his 40-game career (22 as a starter), he has caught 132 passes for 1,875 yards and 13 touchdowns.
 
Alcobendas is one of just three players in FCS to be perfect kicking field goals (13-of-13, with Adam Lippy of North Carolina Central 11-of-11). A sixth-year senior, Alcobendas is eighth in FCS in scoring overall and second in kick scoring (9.3 per game), and is 20th with an average of 1.30 field goals per game.
 
His 45.9 punting average is second in FCS, ranking only behind a punter who plays for a school in Florida (Chris Faddoul, Florida A&M, 46.8). The season (45.9) and career averages (45.8) for Alcobendas are both on pace to break school records of 44.9 and 43.8, respectively. In league games only, Alcobendas led the Big Sky in average per punt (46.5), average field goals (1.43), field goal percentage (10-of-10) and average points per game (10.0).
 
In his 38-game career (he did not play against Portland State on Nov. 16), Alcobendas has scored 294 points to rank 11th in Big Sky Conference history. His 93 kick scoring points this season already ranks fourth in school history, and the 100 he had in 2016 ranks third. The only players ahead of him are Jimmy Pavel with 101 in 2012 and Josh Atwood with a school-record 103 in 1997. He has been awarded three times this season with Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week accolades, and four times in his career.
 
 

More on All-Big Sky Conference Second Team Performers . . .

McPherson, the lone senior among the group of four tailbacks, is ranked second in FCS for average per carry (7.75, ranking only behind Kentel Williams from Austin Peay at 7.99), is 28th with an average of 91.6 yards per game, has 1008 total rushing yards to rank 23rd and is 34th with nine rushing touchdowns.
 
So far this season, McPherson has 1,008 yards (91.6 per game and 7.8 per rush) and nine touchdowns. He became EWU's first 1,000-yard rusher since Quincy Forte in the 2013 season when he finished with 1,208. McPherson has now rushed for 1,657 yards and 12 touchdowns in his 41-game career (seven as a starter), with 582 receiving on 61 catches and a total of 2,401 all-purpose yards (58.7 per game). He's scored 18 TDs in his EWU career.
 
"Seeing Sam as a second team running back was phenomenal after watching him become our first 1,000-yard rusher since Quincy Forte," praised Best. "It was great to see his teammate in the backfield, Antwan Custer, get honorable mention too after being banged up early in the year."
 
One of the team's co-captains, Kupp led the Eagles in tackles with 69, and also broke-up three passes and had four quarterback hurries. He has 221 tackles in his career to rank 29th in school history, has played in 44 games and has started 23.
 
Lewis had 37 tackles with three picks and a team-leading nine PBU, He has started 32 out of the 47 games he's played as an Eagle, Lewis has career totals of 126 tackles, eight interceptions and 20 passes broken up to rank 10th in school history.
 
Johnson burst on the scene in 2018 and responded with 25 tackles with four sacks, an interception, two passes broken up, a pair of quarterback hurries, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.
 
 

More on All-Big Sky Conference Third Team Performers . . .

Taking over as EWU's starter from injured Gage Gubrud in Eastern's sixth game of the season, Barriere is now 5-1 as a starter this season and 6-1 in his career. He has led the Eagles to four-straight victories in which the Eagles have out-scored opponents 219-70. So far in 10 games played in 2018, Barriere has completed 118-of-202 passes (58.4 percent) for 1,503 yards and 13 touchdowns, with 61 rushes for 542 yards (7.4 per carry) and six scores.
 
In his 15-game career, Barriere has completed 58.3 percent of his passes (133-of-228) for 1,641 yards, 14 touchdowns and five interceptions, and has rushed 79 times for 501 yards and seven more TDs. He has a passing efficiency rating of 138.2 this season and 134.7 in his career.
 
Fettig has started all 10 of the games he's played this season, but injuries have kept him out of one game and most of two others. He has 51 tackles this season with an interception and five passes broken up, including three break-ups and seven tackles in EWU's 59-20 victory over UC Davis on Nov. 10.
 
Fettig has started 43 of the 44 games he's played in his Eastern career, and is chasing the school record for tackles by a defensive back. He has 282 tackles to rank 13th in school history – just six from the school record by a defensive back of 288 set by Julian Williams from 1997-00. Fettig also has six interceptions and 17 passes broken up in his career
 
 

More on All-Big Sky Conference Honorable Mention Performers . . .

Nzuzi Webster has 26 tackles win five passes broken up and an interception he returned for key 45-yard touchdown in EWU's victory over UC Davis on Nov. 10. In his 49-game career (27 as a starter), he has 159 total tackles and a pair of interceptions. A third team selection as a sophomore in 2016, he also has 27 passes broken up in his career to rank fifth in school history.
 
A sixth-year senior, Tucker has 89 tackles, six interceptions and also has 20 PBUs in his 46-game career (19 as a starter). He finished the 2018 regular season with a team-high four interceptions to go along with his 32 tackles and seven pass breakups.
 
Ledbetter closed his junior campaign with 38 tackles, with 1 1/2 sacks three passes broken up, two quarterback hurries and a pair of blocked kicks. He has 8 1/2 sacks in his 36-game career (17 as a starter), with totals of 112 tackles, five passes broken up and three blocked kicks.
 
Custer has 560 yards rushing and eight scores in eight games played this season, with averages of 70.0 per game and 6.5 per rush. He was a preseason All-Big Sky Conference selection this year after earning second-team honors in 2017 when he rushed for 776 yards and 10 touchdowns.
 
He now has 1,752 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns in his 32-game career (21 as a starter). He also has 542 receiving yards on 62 catches and 499 on kickoff returns for a total of 2,793 all-purpose yards (87.3 per game). His career 23.8 average returning kickoffs is currently 11th in school history and he's scored a total of 23 touchdowns as an Eagle.