STATS All-America Team
Hero Sports Sophomore All-America Team

Quarterback Eric Barriere has joined the list of Eastern Washington University football All-Americans, as he was honored Tuesday (Dec. 18) as an honorable mention selection on the Hero Sports NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Sophomore All-America team. In addition, kicker Roldan Alcobendas, center Spencer Blackburn and nose tackle Jay-Tee Tiuli were chosen by STATS to its All-America squad, a week after that same trio earned honors from the Associated Press.
 
Alcobendas was earned first team honors from STATS, while Tiuli was on the second team and Blackburn was on the third squad. Besides earning first team All-America honors Dec. 11 from Associated Press, Alcobendas was also honored with the Fred Mitchell Award as the top place-kicker among FCS, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA and NJCAA schools. Blackburn and Tiuli were both second team All-America choices by AP. On Dec. 17, redshirt freshman defensive end Mitchell Johnson (first team) and redshirt freshman wide receiver Andrew Boston (honorable mention) were both selected to the Hero Sports Freshman All-America team.
 
After All-America starter Gage Gubrud was lost for the season five games into the 2018 campaign, Barriere has taken over to guide EWU into the NCAA Division I Championship Game in Frisco, Texas, on Jan. 5. He led EWU to an 8-1 record in his nine starts, including a current seven-game winning streak to improve EWU's record to 12-2 and help the Eagles set a school record for points in a season with 623.
 
He had a career-high 405 yards of total offense in EWU's overwhelming 50-19 victory over Maine in the semifinals. Barriere passed for 352 yards and equaled the school record of seven touchdown passes in a game, which he now shares with the player he is compared to – Vernon Adams Jr. Barriere also broke the previous record of six TD passes in the FCS Playoffs. Barriere is from Inglewood, Calif., and is a 2016 graduate of La Habra High School.
 
"We need to stop talking about how many starts he has – he's a veteran now," said Eastern head coach Aaron Best after the 21-of-30 passing performance versus Maine. "He played almost immaculate – his play was off-the-charts and he played confident. He made great decisions, and we had a couple of dropped balls which could have helped his stats that much more. He got out of traffic when there was traffic around him – not that there was a ton because the offensive line gave up zero sacks."
 
Alcobendas is only the third All-America kicker in EWU's history as a member of FCS, and the first since Jimmy Pavel was honored as a first team All-American in 2012. The 2013 graduate of Camas (Wash.) High School earned first team All-Big Sky Conference honors as both a kicker and punter in the 2018 season.
 
Blackburn earned his second All-America honor in 2018 after earning second team All-Big Sky Conference honors three-straight seasons from 2016-18.  The Eagles have now had 23 offensive linemen earn All-America accolades in 35 years in FCS (1984-2018), including 14 first team All-Americans. They have combined for 73 honors (37 first team, 19 second team, 5 third team and 12 honorable mention).
 
Tiuli was the Big Sky Conference Defensive MVP in 2018 and earned first team All-Big Sky honors. This is also his first All-America honor, and he is the first interior defensive lineman (not including defensive ends) to earn All-America honors for the Eagles since Renard Williams earned honorable mention in 2011 and first team accolades in 2010.
 
Blackburn is a 2014 graduate of Meridian High School in Bellingham, Wash., and Tiuli graduated the same year from Federal Way (Wash.) High School.
 
 
More on Barriere . . .
 
Barriere took over as EWU's starter from the injured Gage Gubrud in Eastern's sixth game of the season, and has led EWU to seven-game winning streak with a trio of playoff wins. Barriere is now 8-1 as a starter this season and 9-1 in his career. He's 10th in FCS in passing efficiency (150.8), 10th in points responsible for per game (16.0) and 13th in touchdown passes with 24 after setting school and FCS Playoff records with seven versus Maine on Dec. 15. He's also 34th in total offense (237.9 per game), 49th in passing yards (187.7) and 39th for passing yards overall (2,252).
 
During the seven-game winning streak he's directed, the Eagles have out-scored opponents 345-139 for an average score of 49-20 and a winning margin of 29.4 points. So far in 13 games played in 2018, Barriere has completed 177-of-286 passes (61.9 percent) for 2,252 yards and 24 touchdowns, with 90 rushes for 603 yards (6.7 per carry) and seven scores. He is just three yards from Gubrud's single season record for rushing yards by a quarterback of 606 in 2016.
 
In his first postseason start against Nicholls on Dec. 1, Barriere accounted for 216 yards of offense. He was 17-of-29 passing for 162 yards and a touchdown, and added 54 yards on the ground. He followed that with a 21-of-25 (84.0 percent) passing performance against UC Davis and 278 total yards (235 passing, 43 rushing). His 29-yard scramble was the first play of a game-winning 75-yard driving in the final minute for the Eagles in the 34-29 quarterfinal victory.
 
His third playoff game featured a career-high 405 yards of total offense, with 352 passing and 53 rushing. He had seven touchdown passes to set new school and FCS Playoff records. He tied the EWU record of seven set by Vernon Adams Jr. versus Washington on Sept. 6, 2014, and broke the previous FCS Playoffs record of six held by five former players, including Eagles Kyle Padron and Adams in 2012.
 
Barriere certainly had the Midas touch to end the regular season on Nov. 16 in Hillsboro, Ore., and as a result earned a pair of player of the week honors. He was not only the Big Sky Conference co-Offensive Player of the week, but College Football Performance Awards named Barriere as its FCS National Player of the Week. He accounted for 40 points and 315 yards of offense in EWU's 74-23 victory at Portland State in directing EWU to its 10th Big Sky Conference football title in school history.
 
Barriere scored on a 66-yard touchdown on the game's third offensive play, setting the stage for what was to come for the Eagles. Including his six rushes for 99 yards and 15 pass completions for 216, he averaged 15.0 yards on those plays. with a touchdown every 3.5 times he rushed or completed a pass. He completed 15-of-27 passes for a career-high five touchdowns and an efficiency rating of 176.5. Including his rushing touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversion passes, he accounted for 40 points for the Eagles.
 
 "He's been awesome and his teammates trust him," said Eastern head coach Aaron Best on the injury replacement for All-American Gage Gubrud. "He prepares well and he's a playmaker. He may not be as fluid in the pass game and as concrete with certain things that Gage was exposed to, but he's definitely a dynamic playmaker."
 
In his 18-game career, he has completed 61.5 percent of his passes (192-of-312) for 2,390 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and has rushed 108 times for 651 yards and eight more TDs. He has a passing efficiency rating of 150.8 this season and 147.2 in his career.
 
"His leadership will continue to grow, but we didn't expect that as a sophomore in the shoes he's in," Best continued. "It's going to take time, and it took Gage some time. The thing I'm most impressed with by Eric is that he's very unflappable for the most part. No matter if he throws a good ball or a bad ball, he's very competitive and he expects a lot out of himself. A lot of times you wouldn't know that from his mannerisms because he always smiles. That what makes him who he is."
 
Gubrud started for the Eagles in the first five games before suffering a season-ending foot injury against Montana State on Sept. 29. Barriere took the reins in the nine games after that, and they've produced nearly identical total offense numbers as starters. Gubrud averaged 283.2 passing and 33.8 rushing for a total of 317.0 per game; Barriere has averaged 248.8 passing and 62.1 rushing for a 310.9 average. Gubrud accounted for 17 touchdowns (13 passing, 2 rushing), and Barriere has had 30 (23 passing, seven rushing).
 
"He came here because we win and he wanted to be a part of a highly-productive, quarter-back driven football team," added Best. "He just got the opportunity to have the keys thrown up to him a little sooner than expected. Why wouldn't you rev that thing up? We tell him to go warm-up the car and drive it."
 
Barriere guided a 59-20 victory over fourth-ranked UC Davis on Nov. 10, in which EWU scored 21-straight points to take the lead for good in the first half. He also engineered a 48-13 win at Northern Colorado on Nov. 3 in a game the Eagles took a 20-0 halftime line. One game earlier, he led the Eagles to a 31-0 halftime lead and 38-14 victory over Idaho on Oct. 27.
 
In the sixth start of his career, Barriere completed 16-of-30 passes for 285 yards and a score against UCD, and finished with 60 yards rushing to give him 345 yards of total offense. Versus UNC, Barriere accounted for 309 yards of total offense for EWU – 245 passing and 64 rushing. He completed 24-of-36 passes and TD passes of 4 and 19 yards, plus he scored runs of on 9 and 15 yards.
 
Against the Vandals, he completed 29-of-42 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns in his first 300-yard passing performance of his career. He also rushed for 70 yards and a TD, giving him a career-high 396 yards of total offense. His previous high was 331 versus Southern Utah on Oct. 6 in a 55-17 Eagle win. Barriere and the Eagles had a near-perfect first half versus UI, scoring 31 points and having a 364-129 advantage in total offense.
 
In a 55-17 win over Southern Utah on Oct. 6 in his first start this season, he passed for 233 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another 98 and two more TDs in just three quarters of action. He completed 13-of-21 passes and had his rushing yardage on five carries with no sacks. Making just his second career start, he completed a 48-yard pass on the first offensive play of the day for the Eagles, then later had an 85-yard rush for a touchdown – a school record for a quarterback and ninth-longest overall all-time -- to give the Eagles a 31-10 lead in the second quarter. He accounted for three of EWU's seven touchdowns, rushing for two scores and passing for another.
 
However, in a 14-6 loss at Weber State on Oct. 13, Eastern was held without a touchdown for the first time in 10 years. Barriere completed 19-of-42 passes for 185 yards and was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter to squelch Eagle drives. He had a net rushing gain of 18 yards despite getting sacked four times.
 
Barriere was also thrown to the fire during his redshirt freshman season when he made the first start of his career against North Dakota on Nov. 11, 2017, and led the Eagles to a 21-14 win. The 2016 graduate of La Habra (Calif.) High School had 185 yards of total offense, had a touchdown pass and scored once on the ground on a fourth down play to end the first half. He completed 13-of-23 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown, and rushed 15 times for 55 yards. He was sacked only once and had no turnovers. He rushed for a pair of first downs, and passed for another eight. Barriere helped Eastern to a turnoverless game, but had to recover his own fumble late in the game that was followed by a key 67-yard punt by Jordan Dascalo that was downed at the UND 3-yard line. Had Barriere not recovered the fumble, UND would have taken over at the EWU 31 trailing just 21-14.
 
By contrast, Vernon Adams Jr. – a former Eagle who Barriere draws comparisons to – had 75 yards passing (7-of-12) and 62 rushing (five carries) in his starting debut in 2012 at Weber State in a 32-26 victory. 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.
 
 
More on Alcobendas . . .
 
The sixth-year senior has been recognized for his perseverance and accuracy as the 2018 recipient of the Fred Mitchell Award. The announcement was made on Dec. 10, just a few days after Mitchell notified him he had won the award, presented for excellence on the football field and in the community. Alcobendas will receive the award in February at the National Football Foundation Chicago Metro Chapter Awards Ceremony at Halas Hall.
 
Alcobendas earned first team All-Big Sky Conference honors as both a kicker and punter for EWU in 2018. His 113 kick-scoring points this season broke the school record of 103 and ranks fifth in Big Sky history, and his 314 career points are also a school record and rank sixth all-time in the league. His second extra point of the season was blocked, but he's made all 67 since then for a season total of 68-of-69 to break his own single season consecutive makes record of 63 set in 2016. He also owns the career record with 85-straight from 2016-2017.
 
Alcobendas is the only player in FCS (minimum of one attempt per game) to be perfect kicking field goals (15-of-15). Alcobendas is 11th in FCS in scoring overall and third in kick scoring (8.7 per game), and is 31st with an average of 1.15 field goals per game. His 44.9 punting average is second nationally, ranking only behind a punter who plays for a school in Florida (Chris Faddoul, Florida A&M, 46.8). The season (44.9) and career averages (44.8) for Alcobendas are both on pace to either tie or break school records of 44.9 and 43.8, respectively.
 
As a bonus for his past suffering, Alcobendas 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.
 
Earlier this season, Alcobendas moved past Troy Griggs (231 from 1998-01) and Mike Jarrett (236 from 2008-11) for the all-time EWU lead for kick scoring, and now ranks seventh in Big Sky history. His 107 points in 2018 is also a school record for kick scoring, and ranks eighth all-time in the league.
 
Earlier this season, Alcobendas moved past Troy Griggs (231 from 1998-01) and Mike Jarrett (236 from 2008-11) for the all-time EWU lead for kick scoring. Alcobendas has also established EWU career records for extra points made (209) and attempted (215), breaking the previous records held by Jarrett (2009-11) with 143 makes and 150 attempts. Alcobendas has made 35-of-46 field goals in his career to rank third in school history for field goals made and fifth in attempts. In his career, he has 108 kickoffs for a 57.4 average (6,198 total yards) with 17 touchbacks.
 
Alcobendas has been rewarded three times this season (four in his career) with ROOT Sports Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors. His most recent honor came when he scored 11 points for the Eagles – just two from his career high – in EWU's 59-20 win over UC Davis on Nov. 10. He kicked a 24-yard field goal to remain perfect on the season at 13-for-13. He also converted all eight of his extra points and punted five times for a 39.8 average with four of his punts downed inside the UCD 20-yard line – three inside the 10. The average field position for UC Davis after his punts was their own 15-yard line, including the 5, 7, 9 and 19. Aside from two long touchdown runs of 46 and 69 yards, UCD got to EWU's red zone just once all day, and the Aggies had to settle for a field goal.
 
He also earned the honor after he kicked a pair of field goals in EWU's 14-6 loss at 13th-ranked Weber State on Oct. 13, and also added a punting record to his resume. He averaged 60.3 yards on seven punts in Eastern's defensive battle, including a school-record 78 yarder with the wind in the second quarter and another of 72 yards with the wind in the third. He also had a wind-aided punt of 63 yards, and a punt into the wind of 60. Two of his punts were downed inside the 10-yard line of Weber State. He now owns two of the top three punts in school history, with the previous record set by Jake Miller against Washington State on Sept. 8, 2012, with a punt of 74 yards. The 60.3 average for Alcobendas versus the Wildcats nearly broke the Big Sky record of 61.5 set by Eddie Johnson of Idaho State in 2002 versus Cal Poly. He kicked a 31-yard field goal in the second quarter and a 27-yarder in the third quarter to remain perfect on the season.
 
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. In 2018, 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.
 
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.
 
 
More on Blackburn . . .
 
Blackburn, a second-team All-Big Sky choice the last three seasons, has started 36 of the 38 games he has played as an Eagle, including the last 36. In November he was selected to the Google Cloud Academic All-District 8 Football Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). He has a 3.67 GPA in professional accounting.
 
. Eastern is the only school to rank in the top 20 in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in total offense, rushing and passing. The Eagles are averaging 540.4 yards on offense to rank second in FCS, trailing only Davidson with an average of 561.9. Broken down, EWU is averaging 263.0 rushing (10th) and 277.4 passing (17th). The Eagles are ranked third in scoring (44.5).
 
Eastern's running game has been a mainstay this season, setting records for most yards (3,682) and rushing touchdowns (39) in a single season. The previous records were 3,130 yards set in 10 games in 1950 (313.0 average) and 32 TDs in 2014. Eastern is averaging 6.73 yards per carry to rank second in FCS, compared to a 3.9 average for opponents. Only Davidson's 7.44 average per rush is better in FCS, and the Eagles are on pace to break the school record of 6.4. The Eagles are averaging 540.4 yards on offense to rank second in FCS, including 263.0 rushing to rank 10th.  Eastern has rushed for at least 300 yards in five games this season, and featured EWU's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2013 in Sam McPherson (current total of 1,352 yards to rank fifth in single season school history).
 
 
More on Tiuli . . . .
 
Tiuli is just the sixth Eagle to earn Big Sky Conference Defensive MVP 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. 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.
 
Tiuli has been a dominant force in the middle, and in the 13 games he has played he has 38 tackles, four sacks, two passes broken up, a quarterback hurry, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. He has started 24 of the 49 out of a possible 49 games he has played the last four seasons at EWU, and has had 115 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.