The Eagles dug a hole, but couldn't quite dig themselves out.
The No. 6/5 Eastern Washington University football team fell behind by an early 28-3 score, but rallied to within 11 on two occasions before suffering a 59-24 loss to Washington State Saturday (Sept. 15) at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Wash.
Eastern had just 84 yards on its first 27 plays – including one on a 42-yard reception by
Nsimba Webster – but rallied behind the arm of
Gage Gubrud. He engineered touchdown drives that resulted in TD passes to
Andrew Boston,
Zach Eagle and
Dennis Merritt to cut the lead to 11 on pair of occasions.
But a penalty that took three points off the board for the Eagles in a situation where they would have cut into the lead even more proved to be a dagger. Washington State then out-scored EWU 24-0 in the fourth quarter.
"There was some good – there always is – but when you are playing a really good football team at this level on the road, you have to play really well," said Eastern head coach
Aaron Best. "'We'll get back and look at the film, but we didn't play well enough and they made more plays than us."
Turnovers though, were Eastern's demise as three interceptions and a fumble led to 24 WSU points. Washington State had a kickoff return of 100 yards and scoring drives of 99 and 98 yards as the Cougars out-gained EWU 565-372 in total offense.
"They were more efficient on offense and they were more efficient on defense at times more than us," added Best. "And they were certainly more efficient on special teams."
Both teams entered undefeated on the young season, and it was just the fifth varsity meeting ever between the two schools. Eastern is a member of the Big Sky Conference and the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, while the Cougars are a member of the Pac-12 Conference and the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision.
Eastern and Washington State begin league play next week, including EWU's home game versus Cal Poly on Sept. 22 at 1:05 p.m.
Records & Rankings . . .
* Now 2-1 in 2018, Eastern closed the 2017 season with a 7-4 record overall and was 6-2 in the Big Sky Conference in the first season under head coach
Aaron Best. Last season was the 11th-straight season the Eagles have finished 5-3 or better in the Big Sky, with an 11th-straight winning season and 20th in the last 22 years. But winning a 10th Big Sky title and making a 13th appearance in the FCS Playoffs is the quest for the 2018 Eagles, who are hungry to make that happen.
* Both the Eagles and Cougars entered the game 2-0 this season, with EWU out-scoring its two opponents by 50 points and WSU having a 53-point advantage. Eastern beat Central Washington (58-13) and Northern Arizona (31-26), while Washington State beat Wyoming (41-19) and San Jose State (31-0).
* The Eagles entered the WSU game ranked fifth in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 poll for NCAA Football Championship Subdivision teams. Eastern was also sixth in the STATS poll of sportswriters, broadcasters and sports information directors for the second-straight week. Washington State received 21 votes in the Coaches Poll to rank 33rd in FBS, plus received four votes in the Associated Press poll.
What It Means . . .
* Washington State gained a measure of revenge from a 45-42 Eagle upset to open the 2016 season on Sept. 3, 2016. In the first start of his Eagle career,
Gage Gubrud had what was then a school-record 551 yards of total offense, passing for 474 yards and five touchdowns, and rushing for another 77 and a game-clinching score. He is one of 32 Eagles on this year's roster who played in that game, including five starters on offense, five on defense and 22 backups.
What's Next . . .
* Preseason Big Sky favorite Eastern Washington hosts Cal Poly in the Big Sky Conference opener for both schools on Saturday (Sept. 22) at 1:05 p.m. at "The Inferno" on Hall of Fame Day at EWU. The Eagles have been impressive – if not dominant – in the league in the last 11 years, winning 80 percent of their games (70-18) 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 is 7-2 all-time versus Cal Poly – 4-0 at home -- with a five-game winning streak in the series. The Eagles have won 46 of their last 54 Big Sky games since a 0-2 start in 2011 (85 percent). Including four non-conference victories (one versus Cal Poly) and a playoff win, the Eagles are 51-8 (86 percent) since the 0-2 start in 2011. However, the Mustangs have an option attack not seen by the Eagle defense on a regular basis, and that has given EWU fits in the past. In fact, the last time the two teams met in Cheney in 2015, the Eagles needed overtime and a failed 2-point conversion by Cal Poly to prevail 42-41 in a game in which Eastern trailed by 15 in the fourth quarter.
Keys to Game . . .
* Eastern hadn't trailed all season, but EWU managed only one first down and 19 total yards on its first three possessions to fall behind 14-0. Eastern's
Roldan Alcobendas kicked a 37-yard field goal to cap an 11-play, 45-yard drive that cut the lead to 10. However, the Cougars took a 28-3 lead with a 100-yard kickoff return and a seven-minute, 98-yard drive.
Turning Point . . .
* Eastern had narrowed the lead to 35-24 in the third quarter and received a much-needed stop on defense to seize momentum. Eastern then drove 43 yards to the WSU 26-yard line when
Roldan Alcobendas made it a one-possession game with a 44-yard field goal. But a holding penalty nullified the score and Eastern punted instead. Washington State then followed with the last 24 points of the game.
Top Performers . . .
* Senior quarterback
Gage Gubrud completed 14-of-36 passes for 231 yards and had three interceptions. He had three touchdown passes, giving him 86 in his career to move into third in in school history (past Erik Meyer, 2002-05, with 84).
* Senior
Zach Eagle and redshirt freshman
Andrew Boston each had four catches and a touchdown for the Eagles, with Eagle finishing with a career-high 73 yards and Boston gaining 47.
* Senior wide receiver
Nsimba Webster finished with a pair of receptions for 46 yards, including a 42-yard catch. Webster now has 91 career grabs for 1,288 yards and 11 scores, including 19 catches for 434 yards and four TDs this season alone.
* Senior running back
Sam McPherson finished with 65 yards on 16 carries. He now has 411 this season alone.
* Junior running back
Tamarick Pierce led EWU with 67 yards rushing on just six carries to nearly establish a new career high. He had 68 yards on six carries versus Idaho State in 2016.
* Senior cornerback
Josh Lewis broke-up four passes and also finished with four tackles. He now has 16 PBU's in his career, just four from ranking 10th on EWU's all-time list.
* Senior linebacker
Ketner Kupp had a team-high seven tackles, including a pair for loss.
* Senior cornerback
Nzuzi Webster chipped in six tackles and broke-up a pass.
* Redshirt freshman
Mitchell Johnson recorded a pair of quarterback sacks, giving him a team-high three for the season.
* Sixth-year senior kicker
Roldan Alcobendas kicked a field goal and converted three extra points to finish with six total points. That gives him 224 in his career to remain third in school history, just seven from second and 12 from the school record of 236. He also punted four times for a 42.4 average and a long of 54.
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Key Stats . . .
* Washington State won the turnover battle 4-0, and also had 565 yards to EWU's 372. The Eagles had entered the game leading the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision with an average of 623.5 yards per game, and ranked sixth in both rushing (288.0) and passing (335.5). But the Cougars entered with the second-best defense in the Football Bowl Subdivision, allowing just 157.5 yards per game – fifth in passing (83.5) and 14th in rushing (74.0).
Other Team Highlights . . .
* After struggling offensively most of the first half, Eastern came alive at the end of the second quarter and to start the third on a trio of
Gage Gubrud touchdown passes. The Eagles drove 82 yards on seven plays in just 1:33 to pull within 28-10 at intermission, then opened the second half with a nine-play, 78-yard drive that took 3:19 off the clock. Redshirt freshman
Andrew Boston scored the first TD on a 26-yard catch for his first career score as an Eagle, and
Zach Eagle had the second with a 34-yard grab. Later, Eastern scored on a 44-yard TD pass from Gubrud to
Dennis Merritt for EWU's final points of the day with 3:54 left in the third quarter.
Notables . . .
* The WSU game 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 entered the game having 60.2 percent of their 399 games in 34+ seasons, with a 239-158-2 record.
* Eastern played a WSU team coming off a 9-4 finish in 2017. The Cougars were 6-3 in the Pac-12 Conference and ended the season with a 42-17 loss to Michigan State in the Holiday Bowl. Eastern lost the previous three meetings versus WSU dating back to 1907, but between 1921 and 1946 had an 8-10 record versus Washington State freshman or junior varsity squads.
* The Cougars and Eagles have both had great success since that meeting in 2016. Washington State finished 8-5 in 2016, and has won 20 of its last 28 games, with Holiday Bowl appearances each of the last two years. The Cougars have also won their last eight games at Martin Stadium dating back to a season-ending loss in 2016 to Washington (WSU won its other five home games that season and its last two of 2015, thus, has won 16 of its last 18 at home with the lone losses to schools from the state of Washington). The 2016 victory over the Cougars catapulted Eastern all the way to the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs as EWU finished 12-2 in 2016. Coupled with a 7-4 record last season and 2-1 start this year, EWU is 20-77 overall and 14-2 in the Big Sky after the loss to WSU.
* Since the early 1980's when it began the move to become a member of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (in 1984), Eastern is now 10-26 all-time versus Football Bowl Subdivision teams. Eastern has won three of its last nine games versus FBS foes. Against current Pac-12 Conference members, EWU is now 2-10 (2-12 including losses to Washington State in 1907 and 1908) after a 49-46 upset of 25th-ranked Oregon State in 2013 and a 45-42 win over Washington State in 2016. A 35-17 win over Connecticut on Sept. 8, 2001, snapped a five-game losing streak versus FBS foes, then a 20-3 win at Idaho in 2012 snapped a 10-game skid. The Eagles are scheduled to play at Washington on Aug. 31, 2019, at Florida on Sept. 5, 2020, and Oregon on Sept. 3, 2022 (subject to change)
Head Coach Aaron Best Comments . . .
On Game: "Obviously it's not the outcome we wanted or prepared for. You play every game and prepare every game to win every game. That was a really good football team which really spreads the wealth on offense and has fast and athletic players on defense. They got in our face a little bit more that we thought we would see based on film from the last two weeks. They challenged us on the offensive side of the ball."
On Cougars: "They did a great job – we almost had to play perfect in certain situations. At times early on we played a little tight and didn't play loose enough, and we weren't very productive in the first two or three series. In the second and third quarter we had some dynamic plays and got back in it. We talked this week that it would come back to some chunk plays and maybe a special teams play that would change momentum. We had a couple of good pooch punts inside the 5, but both times they went the length of the field."
On Defense: "Our first-half defensive production wasn't very good. We were giving up big yardage on first down which then allowed them on second down to have their way with their play-calling options. We got real excited for pinning them deep a couple of times and making them go the distance, so kudos to their offense for going the length of the field twice."
On Tempo Offense: "It's hard to tempo if you're unproductive on first down. We got ourselves in situations early where we were second-and-long, and that hurt us and didn't allow us to play at our tempo. In the second and third quarters we hit our stride a little bit. The running game is always going to be tough no matter who you face, but especially against players a little bigger, taller and more athletic. It's not an excuse, it's the truth. But we had enough runs where it allowed to help our passing game."
