­­­­#6/5 Ranked Eastern Washington Univ. "Eagles" versus #18/20 Northern Arizona University "Lumberjacks"   Saturday, September 8 • 4:07 p.m. Pacific Walkup Skydome (10,000) • Flagstaff, Ariz.
TV:	Regionally in Eastern Washington on SWX, plus in Arizona on Phoenix CW
Webcast:	WatchBigSky.com and PlutoTV Channel 239
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:	Monday (Sept. 3 only) at Barrelhouse in downtown Cheney, then Sept. 10, 17, 24 & Oct. 1 at David's Pizza in downtown Spokane (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.

It's not a counter, but it could count in November.
 
With both teams nationally-ranked, the Eastern Washington University football team travels to Flagstaff, Ariz., Saturday (Sept. 8) to play a rare non-conference game against Northern Arizona at the Walkup Skydome.
 
Kickoff is 4:07 p.m. Pacific time in the first in a two-game series between the long-time league rivals. The return game in Cheney, Wash., is scheduled for Sept. 19, 2020. This Saturday's game will be the first non-conference match-up between the two schools since 1986. Eastern won three of the first four meetings between 1982-86 before the Eagles joined the Big Sky in 1987. Eastern leads the all-time series 20-12 but has lost two of the last three.
 
The game will be televised live regionally by SWX and will also air in Arizona by Phoenix CW, and the webcast of the broadcast may be watched via Pluto TV and watchbigsky.com. 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.
 
It's an intriguing match-up between a pair of teams which finished 6-2 in the league last season and 7-4 overall in the regular season, and had solid cases to receive berths in the NCAA Football Championship Playoffs. But the Lumberjacks were chosen and the Eagles were not, and NAU went on to lose at home 41-10 to San Diego in the first round.
 
The Eagles are both ranked in the top 20 nationally in FCS and are 1-0 on the season after impressive season-opening performances.
 
"We are in for a dogfight this weekend," said Eastern head coach Aaron Best. "We'll be at their place so the advantage is to them early. When you face experienced, talented and hungry folks, we have to bring the same things to the table. They put it on display last weekend in El Paso, and they controlled that game from start to finish."
 
It's a match-up of two of the most prolific quarterbacks in Big Sky Conference history and candidates for the Walter Payton Award given to the top quarterback in FCS Football. Eastern's Gage Gubrud is a three-year senior starter, and has thrown for 79 touchdowns and 8,905 yards in 28 career games, with 9,786 yards of total offense, a .655 completion percentage and 158.3 passing efficiency rating. He's 18-6 in 24 games as a starter and was the Big Sky Conference co-MVP in 2016.
 
Northern Arizona's Case Cookus was the 2015 Jerry Rice Award winner as the Freshman of the Year, then was an injury redshirt in 2016 after playing in four games. As a sophomore in 2017 he was the first team All-Big Sky quarterback (Gubrud was second team). He is 16-12 as a starter, and has thrown for 7,914 yards and has 8,150 yards of total offense in 28 career games. He has thrown for 74 touchdowns and has a 157.1 efficiency rating while completing 63.3 percent of his passes.
 
Lumberjack senior receiver Emmanuel Butler returns after an injury redshirt year in 2017, and was a 2015 All-American and first team All-Big Sky selection in both 2015 and 2016. He has 158 career catches for 2,679 yards and 28 touchdowns, while EWU counters with senior Nsimba Webster with 82 career grabs for 1,066 yards and nine scores.
 
Both the Eagles and Lumberjacks are coming off resounding victories in their openers on Sept. 1 – Eastern 58-13 over NCAA Division II Central Washington, and NAU 30-10 over NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision member UTEP. The Eagles opened a 20-0 lead and had a 677-321 advantage in total offense, while NAU led 17-0 and out-gained the Miners 318-229.
 
"I'm just really, really proud of our team – they played well," said Best following the win over Central in the 69th meeting between the two former rivals. "The challenge is to at least reach and/or exceed that level week-in and week-out."
 
The Eagles enter this week's game ranked fifth in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 poll for NCAA Football Championship Subdivision teams, while NAU is ranked 20th. Eastern is also sixth in the STATS poll of sportswriters, broadcasters and sports information directors, with the Lumberjacks coming in at No. 18.
 
Now 1-0 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.
 
 
Links to EWU Football Information
 
A complete Season Outlook of Eagle Football: http://goeags.com/news/2018/8/2/football-season-outlook-eastern-working-out-kinks-after-base-built-in-2017.aspx?path=football
A .pdf version of the 2018 EWU Football Fact Book & Archives: http://goeags.com/sports/2016/1/8/FB_Other%20Links-Archives.aspx
More Information on the Eastern Football Team: http://goeags.com/index.aspx?path=football
 
 
 
 

Game Notes

 
 
Eagles and Lumberjacks Both Climb in Polls
 
The Eagles made a leap, but NAU's jump was higher.
 
Eastern will enter this week's game ranked sixth in the STATS poll of sportswriters, broadcasters and sports information directors, with the Lumberjacks coming in at No. 18. Eastern is also fifth in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 poll for NCAA Football Championship Subdivision teams, while NAU is ranked 20th. Also ranked nationally from the Big Sky Conference are Weber State (10/13) and Montana (14/16).
 
In the preseason polls release in August, Eastern was ranked ninth by STATS and seventh by the AFCA, while NAU was unranked in both. The Lumberjacks received enough votes to rank 29th and 27th, respectively, but that was prior to NAU going on the road to crush UTEP 30-10 to open the 2018 season.
 
If the preseason polls are any indication, EWU and Weber State are on a collision course toward a Big Sky Conference title showdown in Ogden, Utah. Eastern and Weber State meet on Oct. 13, and that game has been picked 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 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, and Weber State was EWU's only 2018 opponent ranked in the top 25 in the AFCA poll 
 
Previously, 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 25-14 Since 2010 Versus Ranked Opponents
 
For the first time since last Nov. 4, Eastern will be playing a ranked opponent in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision when it takes on Northern Arizona, ranked 18th in the STATS Top 25 poll. However, the Eagles have lost their last three and are looking for their first win over a ranked foe since beating No. 12 Richmond 38-0 on Dec. 10, 2016.
 
The Eagles have now played 122 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 54-68 (.443 in those games, including a 17-42 mark (.288) versus top 10 foes. Since 2010, though, the Eagles are 25-14 overall (.641) 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.
 
 
After Near-Perfect Debut, Gubrud Wins National FCS Performer of the Week From CFPA
 
An 80 percent passing performance is pretty rare, but the supporting cast made it happen for Eastern Washington University senior quarterback Gage Gubrud.
 
The NCAA Football Championship Subdivision All-American has been selected as the FCS Performer of the Week by College Football Performance Awards after completing 82.3 percent of his passes (19-of-23) to finish with the 17th 300-yard passing performance of his 28-game career in EWU's 58-13 season-opening win over Central Washington on Sept. 1.
 
He finished with 337 yards with no interceptions and five touchdown passes, giving him 79 in his career (fourth in school history, just five from third). It was part of a 677-yard onslaught by the Eagle offense – fifth-best in school history – which included a 212-yard receiving day by senior Nsimba Webster and a 185-yard rushing performance by senior Sam McPherson.
 
The support was not lost on Eastern head coach Aaron Best, who was particularly proud of the team's 328 rushing yards – the most by the Eagles in nearly 14 years.
 
"Gage led us and will continue to lead us, and we'll ride him as long as we can," Best said. "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 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 fellow 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.
 
The yardage total were the fifth-most yards of offense in EWU history, and Eastern's 58 points scored ranks tied for 17th and was most in the all-time series with Central. 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. For the game, Eastern averaged 10.7 yards per play compared to 4.4 for the Wildcats.
 
This week (Sept. 8) Eastern plays a non-conference game at Northern Arizona in a match-up between two of the most prolific quarterbacks in Big Sky Conference history and candidates for the Walter Payton Award given to the top quarterback in FCS Football. Gubrud is a three-year senior starter, and has thrown for 79 touchdowns and 8,905 yards in 28 career games, with 9,786 yards of total offense, a .655 completion percentage and 158.3 passing efficiency rating. He's 18-6 in 24 games as a starter and was the Big Sky Conference co-MVP in 2016. Case Cookus leads NAU after earning first team All-Big Sky honors as a sophomore in 2017.
 
Gubrud has played in just 28 career games, but he's still making his mark in a hurry on EWU's career leaders list and soon will make his mark on the Big Sky Conference leaders list as well. He's moved up to No. 4 in school history in career passing yards with 8,905, ranking only behind 10,000-yard passers Matt Nichols (12,616), Vernon Adams Jr. (10,438) and Erik Meyer (10,261). He is also fourth in total offense with 9,786 yards, ranking behind Nichols (13,308), Adams (11,670) and Meyer (10,942). Gubrud is 1,792 passing yards from making it onto the top 10 in Big Sky history, and is only 1,156 from the total offense mark of Meyer which ranks 13th in the 55-year history of the league.
 
After setting three FCS, seven Big Sky marks and 18 school records in the 2016 season, Gubrud now seeks to maintain a pair of career marks. Now 18-6 in 24 games as a starter, he remains the Eastern career leader in passing yards per game (318.0) and total offense per game (349.5), and is second in completion percentage (.655).  He is also third in efficiency rating (158.3), fourth in touchdown passes (79), fourth in completions (673) and fifth in attempts (1,028).
 
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 17 300-yard passing performances rank only behind Nichols (19) and Adams (20).
 
Gubrud 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.
 
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.
 
 
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 was 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. The Eagles have now had a 100-yard rusher in three-straight games dating back to 2017, and have had at least 244 yards rushing as a team in those three contests (286.7 average with eight total touchdowns).
 
"When you start getting rushing yards like that, it's not just first and second level blocking, but it's third level blocking," explained head coach Aaron Best. "Receivers don't just catch balls here, they block downfield too. If we can be as balanced as we were against Central, we can continue to be a successful offensive unit."
 
Eastern has had 17 50-point games in the last 6+ seasons (including three in 2017 and one thus far in 2018), with one in 2015, six in 2014, three in 2017 and two each in 2013 and 2012. Eastern is now 53-3 in the 56 games they have scored at least 50 in school history.
 
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. That gives him 211 in his career to rank third in school history, just 20 from second and 25 from the school record of 236. His seven extra points in eight attempts helped him establish career records in both of those categories. He now has made 148 and attempted 154, breaking the previous records held by Mike Jarrett (2009-11) with 143 makes and 150 attempts. 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 the 17th 300-yard passing performance of his 28-game career. He finished with 337 yards with no interceptions and five touchdown passes, giving him 79 in his career (fourth in school history, just five from third). 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 the fourth 100-yard receiving game of his career, finishing with 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 his second 100-yard rushing game of his career, finishing with 185 on 15 carries (12.3 per carry). He scored on a 13-yard run as he eclipsed his previous high of 118 last November against North Dakota. 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. He now has 201 yards on 26 carries in his career for an average of 7.7 per carry. He scored on a 70-yard touchdown run against Fordham in 2017 when he finished with 80 yards.
 
 
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.
 
 
Eastern Has 34 Players With Combined 386 Career Starts
 
Eastern's experience is not questioned, with 34 total players with a total of 386 games of starting experience – 193 on both sides of the ball. Thus far in 2018, Eastern has had one new starter on each side of the ball – Jim Townsend at defensive end and Andrew Boston at wide receiver, with both making their starting debuts versus Central Washington in EWU's opener.
 
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 (193 starts by 16 players): Mitch Fettig 34, Nzuzi Webster 26, Josh Lewis 22, Keenan Williams 20, Cole Karstetter 15, Ketner Kupp 14, Jay-Tee Tiuli 12, Kurt Calhoun 12, Dylan Ledbetter 9, D'londo Tucker 9, Jonah Jordan 7, Tysen Prunty 5, Jack Sendelbach 4, Conner Baumann 2 (including 1 as a fullback), Jim Townsend 1, Anfernee Gurley 1.
 
Current Starts on Offense (193 starts by 18 players): Tristen Taylor 26, Chris Schlichting 26, Gage Gubrud 24, Spencer Blackburn 23, Matt Meyer 16, Antoine Custer Jr. 16, Nsimba Webster 13, Jack Hunter 13, Zach Eagle 9, Jayce Gilder 6, Terence Grady 5, Kaleb Levao 5 (including 1 as defensive lineman), Jayson Williams 3, Henderson Belk 3, Sam McPherson 2, Andrew Boston 1, Johnny Edwards IV 1, Eric Barriere 1.
 
 
Five Eagles Make NFL Rosters, Two as Starters With Rams
 
Five former Eagles are expected to be in uniform this week when the NFL season begins, including a pair of starters with the Los Angeles Rams.

Cooper Kupp is listed as 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. Ebukam is listed as 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. He had 16 receptions for 257 yards, 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, and Aaron Neary is with the Cleveland Browns after spending his rookie season with the Rams. In fact, Eastern had four rookies play in the regular season in the NFL in 2017 – certainly extremely rare if not unprecedented by a FCS school.

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.

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).
 
 
Head to Head Tiebreaker Includes Non-Conference Meetings
 
November is a long way away, but non-conference Big Sky matchups such as this week's 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.
 
 
Rematches with Cougars & Vandals Highlight 2018 Football Schedule
 
There will be plenty of interest on the Palouse this fall as EWU's schedule is highlighted by a Sept. 15 non-conference game at Washington State and an Oct. 27 Big Sky Conference home match-up with Idaho.
 
The game versus the Cougars is a rematch of 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.
 
The University of Idaho will re-join 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 5-3 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.
 
The Eagles will actually play a ninth Big Sky foe when EWU starts a home-and-home series with Northern Arizona. The first meeting will be in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Sept. 8, 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 will take a 20-12 all-time series lead into its game against NAU, with Eastern winning 50-35 in Flagstaff on Sept. 24, 2016, in a meeting between the fourth-ranked Eagles and the 26th-ranked Lumberjacks. Eastern was also ranked fourth when the two teams met on Nov. 7, 2015, in Cheney, but EWU was defeated 52-30 to end its six-game winning streak. The last time EWU and NAU played in a non-conference game came in 1986 – the year before the Eagles joined the league.
 
When Eastern visits Washington State on Sept. 15 at 5 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks, Eastern will play 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.
 
Eastern opens league play Sept. 22 at home versus Cal Poly (1-10/1-7 Big Sky) on Hall of Fame Day at EWU. The Eagles then go on the road to play at Montana State (5-6/5-3) in Bozeman in a game televised live regionally by ROOT Sports. Eastern has won the last five meetings versus Cal Poly with a 7-2 all-time record, and are 31-10 all-time versus the Bobcats with a six-game winning streak.
 
The schedule gets significantly tougher when EWU hosts Southern Utah (9-3/7-1) on Oct. 6 on ROOT Sports and then travels to Ogden, Utah, to play FCS Playoffs semifinalist Weber State (11-3/7-1) on Oct. 13. The Eagles are 6-3 all-time versus the Thunderbirds, but lost 46-28 a year ago in Cedar City, Utah. 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 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.
 
 
 

Series History

 
Eastern leads the all-time series against NAU 20-12, including a 10-7 mark in Flagstaff after a 50-35 victory there in 2016. The Eagles had lost the previous two games, but still have won eight of the last 11 meetings overall, and had a five-game winning streak snapped in 2014. Eastern is 8-4 all-time against NAU in Cheney, 2-1 in Spokane and 10-7 in Flagstaff. In the previous eight meetings in Flagstaff, the two teams have scored 590 points – an average of 73.8 per game.
 
 
Looking Back – Eastern 50, NAU 35 (Sept. 24, 2016)
 
The fourth-ranked Eagles opened a 19-7 lead in the first half and leads of 36-21 and 50-28 in the second half to defeat Big Sky Conference favorite and No. 26 Northern Arizona 50-35 Sept. 24, 2016, at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, Ariz. The victory snapped a two-game losing streak against the Lumberjacks, who at one point in 2015 had handed the Eagles their only two losses in a 24-game span. Because EWU didn't play NAU in 2012 and 2013, it was the first Eagle win over the Lumberjacks since 2011. Even more importantly, the Eagles had three interceptions to win the turnover battle 3-0 against a team that had no interceptions and just one fumble lost entering the game. The win avenged a heartbreaking 28-27 loss to the Lumberjacks the last time they met in Flagstaff. Sophomore quarterback Gage Gubrud had 487 yards of total offense – his third game of the season with at least that many and the eighth-most in school history – and directed the Eagles on touchdown drives of 64, 62, 50, 70, 72, 76 and 43 yards. He passed for 392 yards and two scores, and rushed for another 95 yards and a TD. Senior Cooper Kupp returned after missing 1 1/2 games with a shoulder injury and caught 12 passes for 111 yards. Senior Shaq Hill caught five passes for 74 yards and had a 39-yard touchdown catch from Gubrud in the first quarter. Senior Kendrick Bourne had a key 40-yard reception late in the second quarter and finished with six catches for 100 yards. Defensively, senior safety Zach Bruce had a key first-half interception he returned 50 yards to set up an Eagle touchdown and early 19-7 lead. He finished with a team-high 14 tackles and senior Miquiyah Zamora had 10 tackles. Albert Havili finished with eight stops and Samson Ebukam and Ketner Kupp each had seven. The Eagles finished with 540 yards of offense to 491 for NAU. Eastern had 392 through the air and 148 on the ground, compared to 322 and 169 for the Lumberjacks, respectively. The first half alone featured five lead changes, with EWU's Roldan Alcobendas kicking a 43-yard field goal to give EWU a 22-21 advantage at intermission. That came after a 55-yard kickoff return by Nsimba Webster. Eastern then scored the first 14 points of the second half on drives of 70 and 72 yards to open a 36-21 advantage. Ahead just 36-28, Eastern's defense had a key third down stop late in the third quarter to force a Lumberjack punt. Eastern then faced a third-and-long of its own, but Gubrud completed a 40-yard pass to Bourne that led to a 10-play, 76-yard drive to give EWU a 43-28 lead with 14:20 to play. A total of 57 of the 60 players EWU traveled with to NAU played. In the first quarter alone, 53 saw action.
 
 
Looking Back Further
 
* The 2015 meeting came on a day when teams ranked second, third, fifth, seventh and 10th in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision rankings lost, and fourth-ranked Eastern Washington followed suit. With missed opportunities plaguing their offense through the first 34 minutes of the game and turnovers finishing it off, the Eagles were defeated 52-30 by Northern Arizona in a Big Sky Conference game Nov. 7, 2015, at Roos Field to drop out of first place in the league standings. The Lumberjacks scored 21 points off four Eagle turnovers (their most in 25 games) and finished with 384 yards of offense. Northern Arizona had four scoring drives of 54 yards or longer, and converted 13-of-19 third downs. Eastern finished with 438 yards of offense, but converted only 5-of-12 third downs, 1-of-4 fourth downs and was stopped twice in the red zone. The loss ended EWU's six-game winning streak, and was just its second loss in its last 24 league games, with both losses coming at the hands of the Lumberjacks. Northern Arizona won for the third-straight game, scoring 167 points in those three games. With Eastern trailing 24-14 early in the fourth quarter, Northern Arizona took advantage of back-to-back Eastern turnovers and scored a pair of touchdowns in a 1:16 span. Eastern faced a fourth-and-1 in NAU territory, but a tipped pass was intercepted by NAU's Marcus Alford and returned 70 yards for a touchdown. Eastern fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, leading to a 25-yard drive to give NAU a 38-14 lead with 12:48 to play. Cornerback Nzuzi Webster led Eastern's defense with 10 tackles, and linebacker Miquiyah Zamora and safety Zach Bruce each had nine. Kendrick Bourne finished with nine catches for 154 yards and Cooper Kupp had nine for 98 yards and a touchdown. Terence Grady had his best day as an Eagle, catching five passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. Jordan West completed 20-of-38 passes for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns with one interception. Reilly Hennessey replaced him in the fourth quarter and completed 8-of-13 passes for 123 yards, and added a 4-yard touchdown run.
 
* In the 2014 meeting in Flagstaff, Northern Arizona drove 77 yards on just three plays in the final minute to stun the second-ranked Eagles 28-27 and spoil Quincy Forte's career-high performance with 219 yards rushing. In a game in which the biggest lead for either team was eight points – just five after intermission – the Lumberjacks used a 54-yard pass play to set-up the game winning 20-yard TD with 12 seconds to play. An Eagle incompletion and an unsuccessful string of laterals ended the game. The loss knocked the Eagles out of the driver's seat in the race for the Big Sky Conference title, but EWU still managed to win the outright title. The Eagles had their league winning streak snapped at 14 games, having not lost in nearly two years since falling 30-27 at SUU on Oct. 27, 2012. Northern Arizona out-gained EWU 496-421, including 343 yards through the air for the Lumberjacks. Eastern was just 3-of-13 on third down, and 0-of-1 on fourth down. The fourth down play came with 47 seconds left after EWU had driven 49 yards to the NAU 23-yard line. NAU followed with its game-winning drive. Forte rushed 24 times for 219 yards (9.1 per carry) and a TD. Forte, who missed the last four games with a shoulder injury, had 178 of his yards in the second half. A career-long 41-yard punt return by Cooper Kupp in the first quarter helped set-up Eastern's first score of the day on a 5-yard TD pass from Jordan West to Zach Wimberly. West made his third career start in place of injured starter Vernon Adams Jr. and completed 16-of-34 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Eastern's offense had a slow start, with as many punts as first downs through the first 21 minutes – four – and just 60 yards. But a nine-play, 88-yard drive erased that and gave EWU a 14-6 lead with 5:30 left in the second quarter. Eastern had only 150 yards of offense in the first half, but finished with 421.
 
* In 2011 in Flagstaff, the Eagles forced four Northern Arizona turnovers and quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell passed for three touchdowns and rushed for another in a 36-28 victory. Eastern won the turnover battle, 4-0, including a pair of fumbles recovered and an interception in the fourth quarter. The biggest turnover of the game came with 2:35 to play when free safety Jeff Minnerly intercepted a pass in the EWU end zone to squelch a NAU threat. Minnerly, who finished with a team-high 12 tackles, recorded his first interception of the season and the fourth of his career. Mitchell passed for 356 yards – accounting for all but 34 of Eastern's total of 390 yards of offense. Greg Herd caught seven passes for 112 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown catch. Senior Mike Jarrett kicked field goals of 27, 47 and 37 yards for the Eagles, and punter Jake Miller had six punts for a 41.2 average, including two downed inside the NAU 20-yard line. His game-best 53-yarder helped pin NAU back at its own 17 with just 38 seconds to play. Defensively, four Eagles had double figures in tackles, including Ronnie Hamlin with 10.
 
* In 2010 in Cheney, the 13th-ranked Eagles overcame five turnovers to hold off NAU 21-14. Eastern out-gained NAU 354-317 in total offense, but lost the turnover battle 5-3 as NAU had 30 more offensive plays than the Eagles and had a nearly 10 minute advantage in possession time. Linebacker J.C. Sherritt led Eastern's defense with 16 tackles, and also had an interception, a sack and a quarterback hurry. Despite two interceptions, Bo Levi Mitchell was extremely accurate by completing 20-of-26 passes for 288 yards and three touchdown passes.
 
* Included in EWU's wins in Flagstaff was a season-ending 49-45 triumph in 2009 that catapulted EWU into the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs. The Eagles let an 18-point lead slip through its grasp, but scored the winning touchdown with 3:30 left in the game on a 13-yard pass from Matt Nichols to Nathan Overbay. The defense did the rest, stopping NAU on a fourth-and-three play at the EWU 32-yard line with 34 seconds to play. Eastern was out-gained in total yards 747-487, but won the important turnover battle 4-0. The Eagles led 28-10 and 35-17 in the first half, and 42-27 late in the game, however, NAU scored three-straight times to take a 45-42 lead with 5:20 left. Nichols completed 22-of-33 passes for 408 yards, no interceptions and five touchdowns as EWU wrapped-up a fourth-straight victory. Nichols became only the second player in league history to pass for more than 12,000 career yards.
 
 

Recent Game Recap

 
Fast Start Leads Eastern Past Central 58-13
 
The first play started the avalanche as All-America quarterback Gage Gubrud found fellow senior Nsimba Webster for a 50-yard touchdown pass on the game's first offensive play to lead Eastern to a season-opening 58-13 victory versus regional rival Central Washington on Sept. 1 at Roos Field.
 
Eastern, which joined Central as top 10 teams nationally in their respective divisions, scored 20 points on its first 12 plays in the game in the 69th all-time meeting between the two schools. The 26th-straight sellout crowd at EWU of 8,658 fans at "The Inferno watched EWU out-gain CWU 677-321 in total offense as Eastern finished with 349 passing and 328 rushing.
 
The yardage total were the fifth-most yards of offense in EWU history. Eastern's 58 points scored ranks tied for 17th and was most in the all-time series with Central. 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.
 
Eastern's defense pitched a shutout in the second half after yielding 13 points in the second quarter. The Wildcats had 119 yards in that period and 109 in the first quarter, but only 57 in the third and 36 in the fourth. Senior safety Mitch Fettig and senior linebackers Kurt Calhoun and Ketner Kupp led EWU's defense with seven tackles apiece. Kupp also was in on a sack and had two quarterback hurries.
 
Gubrud led the way with 337 yards and five touchdowns with a near-perfect 19-of-23 performance. Webster finished with a career-high 212 yards receiving (ninth-most in school history) on 10 catches (second-most in his career) and scored twice. Senior running back Sam McPherson had a career-high 185 yards – the most by an Eagle in five years – and scored once.
 
Central's Reilly Hennessey, a former Eagle, had 21 yards of total offense on 19-of-32 passing for 164 yards and a touchdown to go along with 12 rushes for 53 yards and a score.
 
The Eagles jumped out to a 20-0 lead just 10:49 into the game, and out-gained CWU 187-50 in those 12 plays (15.6 per play). Gage Gubrud completed nine of his first 10 passes in that stretch for 172 yards and a pair of scores. For the game, Eastern averaged 10.7 yards per play compared to 4.4 for the Wildcats.
 
After scoring on the first offensive play of the game (following a 20-yard return by Calin Criner off a short kickoff), Eastern scored the next two times it had the ball as well. Tight end Jayce Gilder caught a 10-yard TD pass from Gubrud to cap an eight-play, 84-yard drive, then McPherson scored on a 13-yard run to cap a three-play, 58-yard drive. That gave the Eagles a 20-0 lead with 4:11 left in the first quarter. Eastern then scored 14 points in the second quarter, 10 points in the third and 14 in the final period.
 
The Wildcats were able to cut EWU's lead to 34-13 late in the first half, then CWU recovered an EWU fumble on the ensuing kickoff. But Eastern's defense allowed just a net three yards in three plays, and Central missed a 35-yard field goal to maintain EWU''s 21-point lead at halftime. The Eagles then scored four of its first five possessions in the second half to regain control.
 
Eastern entered the game ranked seventh in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 poll for NCAA Football Championship Subdivision teams, and Central was ninth by AFCA in Division II. Eastern is also ninth in the STATS poll of sportswriters, broadcasters and sports information directors.
 
 
 
 

2018 Preseason 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 quarterfinals.
 
 
Walter Payton Watch List Includes Two-Time Finalist Gage Gubrud
 
Already a two-time finalist, quarterback Gage Gubrud once again starts 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.
 
Gubrud could break a variety of EWU and Big Sky Conference career records in 2018. He is currently 18-6 in 24 games as a starter, and in 28 total games as an Eagle he has 9,786 yards of total offense and 8,905 passing yards. A duplication of last year's totals (3,578 total offense and 3,342 passing in 10 games played) and he'll challenge Big Sky records owned by former Eagle Matt Nichols (13,308 total offense and 12,616 passing).
 
"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 as 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."
 
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. He was the College Sports Madness FCS Offensive Player of the Week for the second-straight week after directing EWU's fourth-quarter rally in a 41-38 win at UC Davis (10/7/17), one week after a win versus Sacramento State (9/30/17).
 
He also won his third-straight Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week honor for his performance against Sac State – the sixth time overall in his career he has been honored and the first Eagle to win it three consecutive weeks.
 
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).
 
Gubrud now seeks to maintain a pair of EWU career records. He remains the Eastern career leader in passing yards per game (318.0) and total offense per game (349.5), and is second in completion percentage (.655). He is also fourth in touchdown passes (79), fourth in completions (673) and fifth in attempts (1,028). Gubrud now has a school-record 10 400-yard passing performances in his career, and 17 with at least 300 (three behind the record).
 
 
Eagle Trio Honored on Preseason FCS All-America Team; 10 Receive All-Big Sky Honors
 
Eastern Washington University senior football players Gage Gubrud, Jay-Tee Tiuli and Spencer Blackburn have been selected by Phil Steele FCS Magazine as preseason All-Americans, joining seven other Eagles on the Phil Steele preseason All-Big Sky squad.
 
Gubrud was selected to the second team, and is a highly-honored quarterback who graduated from McMinnville (Ore.) High School in 2014. Named to the third team, Tiuli was an injury redshirt last season, and is from Seattle and a 2014 graduate of Federal Way (Wash.) High School. Blackburn, a fourth team pick, is a center from Bellingham, Wash., and graduated from Meridian High School, also in 2014.
 
Gubrud was also among 15 players from the Big Sky Conference honored July 31 on the STATS NCAA Football Championship Preseason All-America squad. The 2016 FCS All-American was a third team choice among the group of 98 players honored nationally representing 56 teams and 13 conferences. Eastern head coach Aaron Best already knows he has one of the best field generals in FCS, but he also likes the supporting cast Gubrud has this season.
 
"I think having nine starters back on offense really helps," said Best, whose team lost just a starter at wide receiver and another at offensive tackle from last year's team. "I tell our team that just because you have guys back doesn't mean you're going to be better. One would assume that's the case, but just because you're older doesn't mean your better. That's what I challenge Gage with."
 
Besides the All-America honor, Tiuli was picked as one of 50 players to the 2018 Watch List for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award. The Award is presented annually to the most outstanding Polynesian college football player that epitomizes great ability and integrity. The Watch List is composed of 50 players from 34 different schools, with Tiuli the lone representative from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. The winner will be announced on Dec. 14, and prior to that five finalists will be unveiled on Dec. 5.
 
On the Phil Steele preseason All-Big Sky team, Gubrud, Tiuli and Blackburn all earned a spot on the first team. Named to the second team were junior running back Antoine Custer Jr., junior offensive lineman Tristen Taylor, senior safety Mitch Fettig, junior kick returner Dre' Sonte Dorton and senior long snapper Curtis Billen. On the third team were senior receiver Nsimba Webster and senior cornerback Josh Lewis.
 
Earlier this summer Gubrud was selected by Athlon Sports as the lone quarterback on its 27-player preseason All-America team. He was also a third team preseason All-America selection by Hero Sports, and joined Tiuli and Custer as preseason All-Big Sky selections. 
 
 
Sam McPherson Among 169 Nominees Nationally for AFCA Good Works Team
 
Eastern Washington University senior running back Sam McPherson is among 169 football players nationally who were announced by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) as nominees for the 2018 Allstate Insurance AFCA Good Works Team^®. The student-athletes who are nominated for this award not only demonstrate a unique dedication to community service and desire to make a positive impact on the lives around them, but they also show tremendous perseverance as well as the ability to overcome personal struggles and come out victorious against all odds.  
 
McPherson was among 99 players nominated in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. There were 70 nominees at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level.
 
"Sam is true reflection of what we identify, recruit and expect from out of an EKG (Eastern Kind of Guy)," said Eagle head coach Aaron Best. "Sam is a good player but an even better person. His off-field commitments are an example for all."
 
A 2016 graduate of Bothell (Wash.) High School, McPherson served on Eastern Washington University's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. SAAC exists to create a safe environment for discussion of all aspects of the student-athlete's life. They strive to better their community with community service, event organization, and leadership. As leaders, they hope to promote open communication between student-athletes, students, and staff.
 
Academically, McPherson is an Academic All-America candidate and has been selected to the 2015, 2016, and 2017 Big Sky Conference All-Academic team. An interdisciplinary studies major, he has a 3.75 grade point average thus far at EWU and hopes to go into the aerospace industry.
 
While at Bothell High School, McPherson was a first-team 4A All-State selection by the Associated Press as both a running back and defensive back. He was named by the Seattle Times as a "Red Chip" selection as one of the top 18 prospects in the state of Washington.
 
 
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, takes effect this coming season.
 
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 opener, Tre Weed was the only true freshman among the 65 players who saw action.
 
 
Several Key Rule Changes in Store in 2018
 
There are several rule changes in effect in college football in the 2018 season, most notably involving kickoff returns, penalties on field goal attempts, blocking below the waist, uniforms and pace of play.
 
The kickoff return continues to be the play with the highest risk of head injuries, and there have been a number of rule changes in recent years intended to provide incentives for a team not to return the kickoff. Now, if a kickoff receiver makes a fair catch inside his 20-yard line, his team will receive the ball at the 25-yard line -- just as if the ball had been caught and downed inside the end zone for a touchback. The hope is that this change will encourage teams to take advantage of the better field position rather than return the kick.
 
Beginning in 2018, on field goals there is now the option for the kicking team to keep the three points and enforce any penalties on the kickoff -- just as with such a foul during a touchdown. The effect of this change is to make penalty enforcement the same on all scoring plays.
 
The rules committee took steps to try to make the blocking below the waist rule not only simpler, but also safer. Downfield, more than five yards beyond the line of scrimmage, any block below the waist is illegal. Linemen who are inside the tackle box at the snap may block below the waist from the front or the side until the ball leaves the tackle box. All others may block below the waist only if the force of the block is directly from the front -- that is, in the region between "10 o'clock and 2 o'clock" forward of the concentration area of the player being blocked. The exceptions to the legal blocks include when a player is outside the tackle box or in motion at the snap, he may not block below the waist back toward the location of the ball at the snap -- this is the crackback block and it is illegal even if it is directed from the front. Also, once the ball has left the tackle box, no player is allowed to block below the waist toward his own end line - this is commonly called the peelback block. For the team on defense, the rule is quite simple: these players are allowed to block below the waist only within a 10-yard belt, which extends five yards behind and five yards beyond the line of scrimmage. If they are outside this belt when they block below the waist, it's a foul-even if the block is directly from the front. These rules are for low blocks from the front or the side; clipping (i.e., blocking below the waist from behind) is essentially always illegal.
 
 Because of the trend in player pants getting shorter, and risking knee injuries and lacerations, the legal uniform will include knee pads in the pants with the knee pads and pants completely covering the knees. Officials are mandated to enforce this rule strictly by not allowing players to be in the game with pants that do not completely cover the knees. Uncovered knees indicate illegal equipment: players must leave the game for at least one down, and they may not return until the equipment is legal.
 
And finally, this year the rules have changed to shorten the time between the touchdown and the extra point, and between the kickoff return and the first play from scrimmage. In both cases, the 40-second play clock will start as soon as the ball is dead. Instead of pausing for one minute between the touchdown and the extra point, the 40-second play clock will begin counting down as soon as the touchdown is scored. Similarly, when the ball becomes dead after the kickoff the 40-second play clock will start. This should have a significant impact on the amount of time it takes to "manage" a touchdown and the ensuing kickoff.
 
 
Eagles Have Impressive 46-8 Big Sky Record Since 0-2 Start in 2011
 
The Eagles have won 46 of their last 54 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 non-conference victories (two versus MSU and one against Cal Poly) and a playoff win (Montana), the Eagles have won 40 of their last 46 versus conference foes, and are 50-8 since the 0-2 start in 2011. Including three wins at the end of the 2009 season, Eastern has a 56-11 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 last October, the Eagles had won their previous road game versus all 13 other league members, as well a 2012 road victory at Idaho, which will join 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 extended that to 26 versus Central Washington with 8,658 fans in EWU's 2018 opener.
 
 
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).
 
Nsimba Webster was 36th in receptions (5.4, total of 59) and 68th in yards (63.0, total of 693). Running back Antoine Custer Jr. had 177 yards rushing and three touchdowns in his last game of the season versus Portland State, and finished 42nd in FCS and fifth in the Big Sky with an average of 70.5 yards per game (776 total). His 10 rushing touchdowns ranked him 25th in FCS and third in the league.
 
Gubrud's average of 334.2 passing yards per game is the fourth-best single season performance in school history, and his 357.8 average per game of total offense is fifth. His 32 total touchdowns responsible for (26 passing, five rushing, one receiving) is eighth.
 
In addition, EWU's special teams were ranked high in FCS statistics in 2017. Dre' Sonte Dorton, who entered his junior season with the fourth-best career average all-time at EWU (26.7), ranked ninth in FCS with in 2017 with an average of 27.4 on 22 returns. The team was ninth in FCS at 24.3 per return in 2017.
 
In other national statistics in 2017, Eastern was 16th in net punting (38.24), allowing just 3.50 yards by opponents on punt returns in 2017 to rank seventh nationally. Punter Jordan Dascalo led the Big Sky and was 14th in FCS in average per punt (42.6). Thanks to a career-long 33-yard return in EWU's final game of the season against Portland State, junior Zach Eagle ranked 31st in FCS with an average of 6.8 yards per punt return.
 
Safety Mitch Fettig averaged 8.4 tackles per game (total of 92) to rank 61st nationally and ninth in the Big Sky. With three fumble recoveries, sophomore Jack Sendelbach ranked ninth in FCS. Senior defensive end Albert Havili was 46th in FCS and fifth in the league in sacks with an average of 0.64 per game (seven total), and the team averaged 2.55 per game (total of 28) to rank 28th in FCS.
 
 
Eagles Now 45-10 on The Red Turf, Including 35-6 in the Regular Season
 
After winning its opener in 2018, Eastern is now 45-10 overall at Roos Field since 2010. Eastern has lost just six regular season games at "The Inferno" – 35-6 (85.4 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) and Northern Arizona (2015), as well as North Dakota State and Weber State (2017).
 
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 81.8 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 158-65 record (70.9 percent) in 223 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.
 
 
Eastern Now 41-0 Since 2010 When Winning the TO Battle
 
In the last 10 seasons (2008-17), the Eagles are now 50-1 when they've won the turnover battle, 22-6 when they've been tied and 21-29 when they've lost (total of 93-36). 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 41-0 since 2010 when they've won the turnover battle, 19-5 when they've been tied and 19-22 when they've lost. That's a collective record of 79-27 (74.5 percent), with 21 of those 27 losses (78 percent) coming in games EWU has lost the turnover battle and 52 percent of EWU's wins coming when they've won the turnover battle (76 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. 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).
 
 
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). Earlier 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, 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

 
 
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 23 starts and 25 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 34 of the 35 games he's played. He has 238 tackles to rank 19th in school history, five interceptions and 12 passes broken up in his career.
 
Lewis has 90 tackles, five interceptions and 12 passes broken up in his 37-game career (22 as a starter). McPherson has played in 30 career games (two as a starter), and has career totals of 834 on the ground, 443 receiving and 1,499 all-purpose yards. He's even a perfect 3-of-3 passing for 77 yards and touchdowns on all three passes.
 
Kupp has started 14 of the 34 career games he's played, and has 159 career tackles with three sacks after finishing with 66 stops in eight games as a junior. 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 12 of the 37 games he has played in his career, and has had 80 total tackles with 8 1/2 sacks, three quarterback hurries and two passes deflected. Prior to the 2017 season, he earned third team preseason All-America honors from STATS.
 
In Custer's 24-game career (16 as a starter), he has 1,192 yards on the ground, 463 receiving and 499 on kickoff returns for a total of 2,154 all-purpose yards (89.8 per game). His career 23.8 average returning kickoffs ranked 11th in school history entering the 2018 season.
 
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.
 
 
One Webster on a Roll, Another Ranked Eighth in School History
 
The Webster twins are making their mark in Eastern history through their junior seasons.
 
With 22 passes broken up in his career, senior cornerback Nzuzi Webster is ranked eighth in school history. In his 39-game career (26 as a starter), he has 137 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. In his 30-game career (13 as a starter), he has caught 82 passes for 1,066 yards and nine touchdowns, and should 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.
 
 
On Fred Mitchell Award Watch List, Sixth-Year Senior Roldan Alcobendas is Third in Career Kick Scoring Points
 
Sixth-year senior kicker Roldan Alcobendas has been selected as one of 34 placekickers nationwide to be named to the watch list for the 2018 Fred Mitchell Award. The recipient of the Fred Mitchell Award will be chosen at the end of the year based on excellence on the football field and in the community.
 
 As a bonus for his past suffering, the 2013 graduate of Camas (Wash.) High School received a sixth year to complete four years of eligibility because of injuries that cost him a pair of seasons. In his 30-game career, he has scored 211 points to rank third in school history in points kicking. He is only 20 points from No. 2 (Troy Griggs, 231, 1998-01) and 25 from the record (Mike Jarrett, 236, 2008-11). He has also established EWU career records for extra points made (148) and attempted (154), breaking the previous records held by Mike Jarrett (2009-11) with 143 makes and 150 attempts.
 
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. He has made 20-of-31 field goals in his career to rank seventh in school history for both field goal attempts and made.
 
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. In his career, he has 107 kickoffs for a 57.4 average (6,143 total yards) with 17 touchbacks.
 
Alcobendas had to sit out both the 2013 and 2015 seasons because of knee injuries. 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.
 
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.
 
 
Custer Has Most Rushing Yards for an Eagle in 29 Games, Then Tops It
 
Junior running back Antoine Custer Jr. finished his sophomore season with 776 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, to go along with 21 receptions for 276 yards and two more scores. In his 24-game career (16 as a starter), he has 1,192 yards on the ground, 463 receiving and 499 on kickoff returns for a total of 2,154 all-purpose yards (89.8 per game). His career 23.8 average returning kickoffs is currently 11th in school history.
 
Custer had what was then a career-best 147 rushing yards and two touchdowns in EWU's 31-19 victory over Montana State on Oct. 14, 2017. It eclipsed the 141 he had as a true freshman in 2016 against Idaho State, and were the most for an Eagle in 29 games since Jabari Wilson had 188 versus Montana State early in the 2015 season. Custer then ended the year with a career-high 177-yard effort with three touchdowns on 24 carries against Portland State on Nov. 18, scoring on runs of 6, 28 and 27 yards.
 
As a true freshman in 2016, he finished his debut season with 977 all-purpose yards and a pair of Big Sky Conference Player of the Week accolades for his kickoff returning prowess. He averaged 26.7 yards on 14 kickoff returns with a touchdown. Custer started at running back in six games, including Eastern's opener against Washington State, and scored the first touchdown of the season for the Eagles on a pass from Gage Gubrud.
 
 
Hometown Product Has 119 Tackles and Seven Sacks in Career
 
Senior defensive end Keenan Williams finished the 2017 season with 55 tackles to rank fourth on the team and first among EWU defensive linemen. He also had four sacks and a pair of quarterback hurries to go along a fumble recovery. In his 34-game career (20 as a starter), he has 119 tackles with seven sacks.
 
Williams had an October stretch in 2017 in which he had 31 tackles in three games, including the first two double-figure performances of his career. He finished with nine tackles, a key fumble recovery in the fourth quarter and a quarterback hurry in EWU's 31-19 win over Montana State on Oct. 14. His recovery came with 8:52 to play in the game, and the Eagles turned that into a game-clinching 13-play, 78-yard TD drive that took 5:43 off the clock. The hurry for Williams came on a second down play on MSU's last possession of the game, a possession which ended with an interception by EWU's Victor Gamboa with 2:01 remaining.
 
Eastern held the Bobcats to 353 yards of total offense, including 218 rushing and 135 passing. Bobcat quarterback Chris Murray had a 54-yard touchdown run, but finished with only 88 rushing yards and 135 through the air. Thus, outside his long run, he averaged only 4.7 yards per play. Murray, the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year in 2016, entered the game with a team-leading 543 yards (108.6 per game to lead the league) and three touchdowns, and had passed for another 646 and eight scores. The Bobcats entered 10th in FCS in rushing, averaging 250.6 yards per game.
 
The performance by Williams – a 2015 graduate of Cheney, Wash., High School -- came after back-to-back weeks in which he had a career highs for tackles with 12 (UC Davis) and 10 (Sacramento State).
 
 
Filling Middle Linebacker Role, Sendelbach Receives Pair of Honors
 
Junior Jack Sendelbach was Eastern's super-sub in 2017, filling in for a starter four times in 2017 and finishing with 49 tackles for the season with two sacks. That gave him a total of 65 tackles in his 24-game career.
 
He earned a pair of Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors after helping lead EWU's sterling defensive effort in a 21-14 victory over North Dakota on Nov. 11, 2017. He was the official Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week, and earned the same honor from College Sports Madness after his double-figure tackle performance against UND. The 2015 graduate of Blanchet High School in Seattle finished with 11 tackles and recovered a key fumble in the win. He was credited with a half-sack, and his fumble recovery came with 13:21 left in the game at the EWU 1-yard line and the Eagles clinging to a 21-7 lead. Five of his tackles came in the second quarter when EWU outscored UND 14-0 and had a dominating 191-29 advantage in total offense.
 
Sendelbach was replacing suspended starting middle linebacker Kurt Calhoun in the lineup, and earlier in the 2017 season had started three games as an injury replacement for Ketner Kupp at strong-side linebacker. With three fumble recoveries in 2017, Sendelbach ranked ninth in FCS.
 
 
Barriere Wins First Start of Career Versus UND
 
Sophomore Eric Barriere was 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 was as a replacement for starter Gage Gubrud, who was serving a one-game team suspension for violation of team rules.
 
Barriere 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.
 
 
 

More Aaron Best Comments

 
On Northern Arizona: "They have a veteran quarterback in Cookus who is really good, and Butler is back from a redshirt and he's really good. Their offensive line works together and their running game mixes will with their run-pass-option and play-action elements to their offense. And they have a very experienced defense – they have active players up front, a solid linebacker crew and an above average secondary who will test us. They'll play man and they'll be in our face, and they will present problems for our receivers in press coverages. Their offense got untracked early against UTEP because of a turnover caused by an interception by their defense. That put them in UTEP's territory and they scored on the ensuing drive, and they rolled from there."
 
On Central Victory: "We'll learn along the way – we haven't arrived yet. This was a good game, but it wasn't a complete game. We had too many penalties and gave up the ball three times. There are still some things to work on. We kind of stubbed our toes and we kind of overcame them. But down the road when everybody is fine-tuning their offense, defense and special teams, you aren't going to be able to crawl out of a lot of those holes. Those are things we'll talk about in the coming weeks, but right now I'm proud of our team and they played their tails off against a very good football team."
 
On Nsimba Webster: "Nsimba had a great game – he had a ton of catches and yards, and made a lot of big plays. He fought his tail off along the sideline – we moved him inside for a reason and we saw the productivity."
 
On Scoring on First Offensive Play in 2018: "We got a lot of juice off the first offensive play in this setting – your first game, your first game at home and the Reilly versus his former team setting. It obviously helps when you have that type of play to begin the game. But the plays that follow are what really matters because they aren't always going to happen the way our first play did. We still have to play defense and function well – the first play isn't going to dictate the outcome of a game."
 
On Being Happy With Team at This Point: "Happy is sort of a complacent word. I'm never happy, I am always yearning for more, and trying to push the envelope. I challenge not only the coaches and myself, but the student-athletes. Once you feel that you have arrived and that you are where you need to be, then I feel that people may not go through the walls as tall as they should when they may be presented. We are never happy, because I feel if you're happy you get full and you get to complacent. There are winks, but there aren't a ton of smiles -- so there is a big difference. I understand where we are and I think we're in a great spot as far as our progression thus far. But no growth happens when complacency takes place."
 
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.'"