The Eastern Washington University football team hopes to continue its mastery on the road and versus Northern Colorado when the No. 4 Eagles play the Bears this Saturday (Oct. 9) at Nottingham Field.
 
In EWU's fourth road game in six games this season, kickoff is noon Pacific time in a game not aired on TV but available on ESPN+. The contest will also be broadcast on 700-AM ESPN and 105.3-FM in the Spokane/Cheney area. Larry Weir returns for his 31st season calling the play-by-play, with analysis handled by Paul Sorensen for the 19th season. Broadcasts begin one hour prior to kickoff and include an expanded post-game show.
 
Eastern is 3-0 thus far on the road after winning the last two regular season road games in the 2020-21 winter/spring season. The five-game streak dates back to a 28-21 loss at Idaho on Feb. 27, and the lone blemish away from home since then was a 42-20 setback at North Dakota State in the first round of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs.
 
Eastern will also put a 12-game winning streak versus the Bears on the line this week. The Eagles lead the overall series 13-1 and haven't lost a game to the Bears since the second meeting in 1981. Since Northern Colorado became a member of the Big Sky Conference in 2006, EWU has won all 11 meetings by a collective 401-202 score (an average score of 36-18). The Eagles are 6-1 all-time in Greeley, having lost there by a 13-9 score back in 1981.
 
Eastern enters the game a perfect 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Big Sky Conference after last week's 34-28 victory against Montana in a battle of what was then the No. 6 and No. 4 ranked teams in FCS, respectively. UNC lost 40-7 at No. 11 Montana State to fall to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the league.
 
Under head coach Ed McCaffrey, the Bears registered a huge home win on Sept. 25 when they won 17-10 in overtime over Northern Arizona, which one week earlier had knocked off Arizona of the Pac-12 Conference by a 21-19 score. The Bears have also lost at Colorado (35-7), won at Houston Baptist (45-13) and lost at home to Lamar (17-10).
 
Eastern opened its league schedule with a 50-21 victory at Southern Utah on Sept. 25. After scoring 24 points – including 21 consecutively in a span of just 5:09-- in the win over Montana, Eastern jumped past the Grizzlies in the FCS rankings. The Eagles are ranked fourth in the AFCA Coaches Top 25 poll and the Stats Perform Top 25 poll after being ranked 14^th and 11^th, respectively, entering the season. Other preseason polls had EWU ranked eighth (College Football America), 10th (College Sports Madness), 16th (Hero Sports) and 19th (Athlon Sports).
 
Eastern's 5-0 start is the best under head coach Aaron Best, and equals the 1985 team under head coach Dick Zornes as EWU's best start as a member of FCS. The last time EWU was 6-0 in any season came 54 years ago in 1967 when Eastern won its first 11 games before losing in the NAIA Championship Game. Eastern is currently just one of 11 teams in the FCS that remain undefeated. The last time Eastern was 3-0 in the league came in 2018, and EWU started the Big Sky schedule 4-0 in 2017.
 
Eastern picked up its third win of the season – and second on the road – after surviving for a 62-56 win on Sept. 18 at Western Illinois of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Eagles led 55-21 at halftime as Eric Barriere set FCS records with 487 passing yards and 497 total yards of offense in the first half alone. He finished with a school-record 562 yards of offense (542 through the air), breaking the record with a win-clinching 10-yard first down run in the final minute.
 
Prior to that, the Eagles opened their home schedule with a 63-14 win versus NCAA Division II Central Washington and a 35-33 victory in two overtimes over UNLV in EWU's season opener on Sept. 2 in Las Vegas. The Rebels are a member of the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Mountain West Conference. Eastern has now won four of its last 11 games versus FBS members.
 
With all 22 starters returning and a whopping total of 67 returning letterwinners, Eastern is seeking its 11th Big Sky Conference title and 15th appearance in the FCS Playoffs. The Eagles won the 2010 NCAA Division I title and were runners-up in 2018, and advanced to the first round of the playoffs in the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign.
 
Eastern returns a total of 14 players who have previously earned All-Big Sky Conference honors, with 13 of them being honored during the 2020-21 campaign when eight of the league's 13 schools took part in the league schedule. Quarterback Eric Barriere was the runner-up for the 2020-21 Walter Payton Award, and joins offensive tackle Tristen Taylor, wide receiver Talolo Limu-Jones and kicker Seth Harrison as preseason All-Americans.
 
Eastern will resume its best-ever home schedule in school history on Oct. 16 when the Eagles play rival Idaho at Roos Field. The following week on Oct. 23, Eastern hosts four-time defending Big Sky champion Weber State, and EWU's other home game is Nov. 6 versus Montana State. Eastern has road games remaining at UC Davis (Nov. 13) and Portland State (Nov. 20).
 
After the thrilling victory over Montana – the 28th time since 2010 the Eagles have rallied for a win when trailing or tied in the fourth quarter -- Eastern has won 19-straight games at "The Inferno" which is tied for the longest active home winning streak in the FCS. Returning All-America quarterback Eric Barriere is a perfect 15-0 as a starter at "The Inferno," and has quarterbacked EWU in five of the 28 rallies.
 
 
 
Game Notes
 
Eagle Football Tidbits
 
* Eastern finished 5-2 overall in the unique 2020-21 spring season and advanced to the first round of the NCAA Division I playoffs where it lost to North Dakota State. The Eagles ended the season ranked No. 10 in the Stats Perform Top 25 poll, marking the 16th time Eastern has finished the season nationally ranked, including 12 times since 2004. The other seasons were in 1985, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Seven times the Eagles have finished in the top four – fourth in 1997, 2012, 2014 and 2016; third in 2013; second in 2018; and first in 2010 after winning the NCAA Division I title.
 
* Eastern closed the 2020 regular season with the best offense in FCS, and finished the season third at 524.9 yards per game. The Eagles were also fourth nationally in passing (367.3) and eighth in scoring offense (37.7). Eastern's passing average was the third-best in school history and the average of 524.9 yards per game of total offense was fourth, just ahead of the 2019 average of 524.8 which led FCS.
 
* In EWU's last 17 seasons (2004-2020/21), EWU has ranked in the top 10 in FCS in passing 14 times, total offense on 13 occasions and scoring eight times. In school history, EWU has won a trio of FCS titles for total offense (2019, 2001, 1997), as well as three passing offense titles (2016, 2015, 2011) and two for scoring offense (2014, 2001).
 
* Eastern entered the fall season with a total of 36 players returning with 318 games of starting experience, including 18 players on defense with 136 starts and 18 on offense with 182 starts.
 
* Headlining Eastern's cast of returning players are a trio of All-Americans – Barriere, offensive tackle Tristen Taylor and wide receiver Talolo Limu-Jones. They helped Eastern lead FCS in total offense during the regular season, and Barriere went on to finish as the runner-up for the Walter Payton Award given to the top offensive player in FCS. He won first team recognition on six FCS All-America teams, including the FCS Athletic Director's Association which picked him as its top offensive player nationally.
 
* Of the total of 67 returning letterwinners, fifth-year head coach Aaron Best has them evenly split with 31 back on both offense and defense, plus five specialists. The adjusted, abbreviated schedule in 2020-21 did not count against the eligibility for all student-athletes.
 
* Three of the returning players are back for their seventh seasons as Eagles. Following the conclusion of the 2019 season, offensive tackle Tristen Taylor, linebacker Jack Sendelbach and running back Dennis Merritt were granted a sixth year by the NCAA to complete four years of eligibility because of seasons lost because of injuries. Also receiving a sixth year was University of Washington transfer Jusstis Warren, who played in just one game for EWU in 2019 and only one in 2020-21.
 
 
Eagles Continues to Lead FCS in Offense
 
The Eagles will enter this Saturday's game first nationally in scoring (48.8 per game), total offense (616.2 yards per game), passing offense (444.0) and first downs (132).
 
Eric Barriere is first in passing yards per game (424.0), total offense (440.8) and passing touchdowns (18). His career-best 179.16 passing efficiency rating currently ranks fourth (second among players with at least 82 attempts on the season)
 
Dennis Merritt is first in the FCS in total touchdowns (10) and rushing touchdowns (9), and is second in scoring (12.0 per game), fifth in rushing yards (484) and 13th in rushing yards per game (96.8). Talolo Limu-Jones is third in receiving yards (561), fifth in receiving yards per game (112.2) and 16th in receptions per game (6.6).
 
 
Two-Time FCS Offensive Player of the Week Eric Barriere Continues to Climb EWU All-Time Leaders Lists
 
Senior quarterback Eric Barriere continues to garner yards and awards by the bushel, and now ranks No. 2 in school history and in the top 10 in Big Sky Conference history in two categories.
 
Barriere is nearing 11,000 passing yards in his career and is over the 12,000 mark in total offense. In his career he has completed 61.3 percent of his passes (782-of-1275), good for 10,859 yards, 93 touchdowns and 25 interceptions, and has rushed 325 times for 1,447 yards and 19 more TDs (total of 112 touchdowns accounted for). He had a passing efficiency rating of 146.9 as a sophomore, 151.6 in 2019 and 179.16 thus far in 2021 for a 153.02 mark in his career to currently rank fifth in school history. His touchdown passes rank third all-time at EWU, his passing yardage is second (ninth in Big Sky Conference history), his total of 11,901 yards of offense rank second (fourth in the Big Sky) and his total of TDs responsible for is second (nine from the school record of 121).  He has had 43 plays in his career of at least 40 yards.
 
With 43 total games of experience, he is 25-9 in 34 career games as a starter (15-0 at home). Barriere has had 24 performances of at least 300 yards of total offense and 17 with at least 300 yards passing in his 43 games as an Eagle. He has had 14 with at least 400 yards of total offense and eight with at least 400 passing.
 
Barriere now owns the career rushing record for a quarterback with 1,447 yards, breaking the previous record of 1,232 yards by Vernon Adams Jr. (2012-14). Eastern is 21-1 when Barriere has rushed for at least 21 yards, with the lone loss coming at Sacramento State (10/5/19) when he finished with 103.
 
Following the Southern Utah game on Sept. 25, he received his second-straight FCS National Offensive Player of the Week accolades from College Sports Madness. He also received honorable mention as FCS Offensive Player of the Week from Stats Perform and honorable mention as the FCS Performer of the week from College Football Performance Awards. In addition, his second-straight 500-yard passing performance on the road helped him win him his ninth-career ROOT Sports Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week award, and he earned the same honor from CSN.
 
He had the most yards in back-to-back games in school history in both passing and total offense with 542 passing at Western Illinois on Sept. 18, 2021 (a school-record 562 yards of total offense) and 518 pass a week later at Southern Utah (546 total). He is the first FCS player with consecutive 500-yard passing performances since Cornell's Jeff Mathews in 2011 (521 versus Cornell and 548 at Penn).
 
He had a 30-of-43 passing performance in a 50-21 Big Sky Conference win at Southern Utah, throwing for 518 of EWU's school-record 554 passing yards (the other 36 came on a fake punt). He had four touchdown passes against the Thunderbirds, and both his passing and offense totals rank No. 5 on EWU's all-time list, and he now owns three of the top five performances on each list. Barriere had no interceptions for the third-straight game, and entered the Montana game with 125 attempts without a pick after throwing two in EWU's season-opening 35-33 win at UNLV. His streak was snapped at 154 attempts versus the Grizzlies.
 
Barriere broke FCS records for most passing yards (487) and total offense (497) in a single half versus Western Illinois on Sept. 18, 2021, as EWU took a 55-21 halftime lead in the 62-56 shootout victory. The old records of 480 and 491 were set in 2012 by Taylor Heinicke of Old Dominion versus New Hampshire. Barriere finished with a school-record 562 yards of total offense (542 passing yards were just seven from the school record).
 
The performance at Western Illinois earned Barriere his eighth-career ROOT Sports Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week award and he was also recognized nationally as he was named the Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week, the College Football Performance Association FCS National Performer of the Week and the College Sports Madness National Offensive and Big Sky Player of the Week.
 
Barriere is a preseason All-America selection and on watch lists for two end-of-season player of the year awards in FCS. Nine times in his career he has won Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors (three in 2021, three in 2020-21, twice in 2019, once in 2018).
 
He was selected as Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year and was the runner-up for the Walter Payton Award in the 2020-21 season. He was selected to six different FCS All-America squads during the season impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
A unanimous first team All-Big Sky choice in the 2020-21 season, he earned third team All-Big Sky Conference honors as both a sophomore (2018) and junior (2019).
 
 
Eagles Have Won 80 Percent of Their Last 112 Big Sky Conference Games
 
Eastern has had 23 winning seasons in the last 25 years (1996-2020), including a current school record string of 14-straight (2007-20) and another stretch of seven straight (1999-2005). The last time Eastern had that many winning seasons in a row came 75 years earlier in the Red Reese era when Eastern had a string of 11-straight winning seasons from 1931-1941.
 
A major reason for Eastern's stretch of winning seasons is success in the Big Sky Conference. In finishing 5-1 in the league in the 2020-21 season, Eastern has now won at least five conference games in the last 14 seasons, with a 6-2 or better finish (75 percent) in 11 of those 14. Since EWU's last losing league season in 2006 (3-5), the Eagles are 90-22 for a .804 winning percentage. Including three wins at the end of the 2009 season, Eastern has had a 76-15 record (.835) in league games since then.
 
After two games of the 2021 season, the Eagles have won 66 of their last 78 Big Sky Conference games (84.6 percent) since a 0-2 start in 2011. Included are stretches of 56 victories in the last 66 games (including two at the end of the 2012 season) and 34 of the last 40 (since 2016). Those are percentages of .848 and .850, respectively.
 
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 58-year history of the league was Montana, which won 50 of 55 games from 1995-2002 and 46 of 51 from 2003-2009.
 
Including four non-conference victories (two versus MSU, and one each against Cal Poly and Northern Arizona), two playoff wins (Montana and UC Davis) and one loss (Idaho), the Eagles are 72-13 (.847) against conference foes since the 0-2 start in 2011 and 62-11 (.849) since winning the last three games at the end of the 2012 campaign (one a non-conference win over Cal Poly).
 
What is perhaps most impressive is Eastern's ability to consistently win on the road versus conference foes, with records of 29-8 (78 percent) on the road, 33-3 at home (92 percent) and 62-11 overall (85 percent) in the last eight-plus seasons since ending 2012 with three wins versus fellow BSC foes. From 2012-2019, Eastern defeated every Big Sky team on the road at least once, including former Big Sky member North Dakota and a 2012 non-league road victory at Idaho, which re-joined the league in 2018. Until losing at Southern Utah in October of 2017, the Eagles had won their previous road game versus all 13 other league members.
 
Eastern secured its 10th Big Sky title in 2018 and in the 2020-21 season EWU earned its 14th berth in the FCS Playoffs in what is now 37 years as a member of the FCS (formerly I-AA) and 34 seasons in the Big Sky. Since 2010 when EWU won the NCAA Division I title, the Eagles have won league titles six times (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018) and advanced to the playoffs all six of those seasons.
 
From 2004 to 2009 Eastern advanced to the playoffs four times (2004, 2005, 2007, 2009), and won the league title twice (2004, 2005). Eastern has three other playoff berths in school history (1985, 1992, 1997) and two other titles (1992, 1997), and has only had two multi-year stretches in which they accomplished neither. Those were both six-year stretches from between 1986-1991 and 1998-2003.
 
 
Eagles Continue Big Sky Success With Impressive Consistency
 
Consistency has been a cornerstone of EWU Football, and the Eagles have cemented a 16-year run of winning the league title and/or advancing to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs at least every other year. Since 2004, Eastern has advanced to the playoffs and/or won the league title at least every other year, and hasn't had back-back-empty seasons since 2002 and 2003.
 
Since 2010 when EWU won the NCAA Division I title, the Eagles have won league titles six times (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018) and advanced to the playoffs all six of those seasons. From 2004 to 2009 Eastern advanced to the playoffs four times (2004, 2005, 2007, 2009), and won the league title twice (2004, 2005). Eastern has three other playoff berths in school history (1985, 1992, 1997) and two other titles (1992, 1997), and has only had two multi-year stretches in which they accomplished neither. Those were both six-year stretches from between 1986-1991 and 1998-2003.
 
 
Eastern Washington Football Picked to Finish Third by both the Coaches and Media
 
The Eagles have been picked to finish third in the Big Sky Conference by both the coaches and media in polls released July 26 at the Big Sky Conference Football Kickoff in Spokane.
 
Only four-time defending Big Sky Champions Weber State plus Montana were selected ahead of the Eagles in both polls, with EWU finishing ahead of Montana State and Sacramento State.
 
After that, spots six through 11 were identical in both the coaches and media polls with UC Davis picked sixth followed by Northern Arizona, Idaho, Idaho State, Portland State, and Southern Utah. In the coaches poll, Cal Poly was selected 12th followed by Northern Colorado. The media selected Northern Colorado 13th and Cal Poly 12th.
 
Eastern received three first-place votes in the media poll and two in the coaches. Weber State had 14 votes in the media and seven in the coaches, while Montana had four first-place votes in the media poll to go with two in the coaches. Montana State (three in media, one in coaches) and Sacramento State (one in coaches) rounded out the first place votes.
 
Prior to the 2020 season, Eastern was picked No. 4 in both polls. In 2018 and 2019, they were selected No. 1 by both the coaches and media, which marked the third time since 2014 the Eagles have been picked No. 1 in both polls. In 2015 EWU was selected first by the media. In 2016 the Eagles were fourth by the coaches and third by the media, and in 2017 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, 2016 and 2018, giving the Eagles a total of 10 league titles.
 
Eastern Washington plays three of the top-five teams in the Big Sky preseason polls at home this season in No. 1 Weber State, No. 2 Montana and No. 4 Montana State. They are also slated to play No. 8 Idaho at Roos Field, and will go on the road to play No. 11 Southern Utah, No. 12/13 Northern Colorado, No. 6 UC Davis and No. 10 Portland State.

 
Streak of At Least One Road Win Extended to 53 Seasons; Two Road Wins Now at 28 Seasons
 
Against UNLV, extended EWU's current streak seasons with at least one road win to 53. That streak now includes all 38 seasons Eastern has been a member of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA). The last time Eastern was winless on the road was 1969 when the then-Savages were 0-4 away from home and finished 4-5 on the season.
 
Two weeks later at Western Illinois, Eastern extended its streak of seasons with at least two road wins to 28. Eastern has had at least two road wins in all but six seasons (1974, 1975, 1976, 1988, 1989, 1994) since 1969, including a current streak of 28-straight seasons with at least a pair.
 
 
Dahlgren, James, Schenck, Hewa-Baddege, Brown and Williams Make Starting Debuts
 
Two redshirt freshmen made their starting debuts in Eastern's showdown with Montana on Oct. 2, both on offense. Luke Dahlgren started at left offensive guard, as usual starting guard Wyatt Hansen moved to right tackle to fill that position held previously by Matthew Hewa Baddege. In addition, EWU started four wide receivers and no running back versus the Griz, and Jakobie James received his first career start. Dahlgren is a 2019 graduate of Forks (Wash.) High School, and James graduated the same year from Redlands (Calif.) HS.
 
Freshman Cage Schenck, a 2020 graduate of Woodinville (Wash.) High School, is the latest EWU defensive player to make his starting debut. He had his first career start at Southern Utah as a nickel back, and finished with a career-high three tackles with a pass broken up for the second-straight game.
 
A pair of tackles – one on each side of the ball – and a linebacker also made their first career starts this season. Redshirt freshman Matthew Hewa Baddege started at offensive tackle at UNLV on Sept. 2. Versus Central Washington on Sept. 11, freshman Matthew Brown started at defensive tackle for his first start as an Eagle and freshman Ahmani Williams made his first career start at linebacker
 
Hewa Baddege is from Port Coquitlam, B.C., and Brown is out of Hoquiam (Wash.) High School. Williams is a 2020 graduate from Skyline High School in Vancouver, Wash., and is the son of former Eagle All-America safety Julian Williams.
 
The Eagles entered the season with 18 players on each side of the ball with starting experience, including 182 total starts by offensive players and 136 by the defense for a total of 318. There were no new starters when EWU played at Western Illinois on Sept. 18.
 
In the abbreviated 2020-21 season, 20 players made the initial starts of their careers – 12 on defense and eight on offense. Eastern entered that year with a total of 20 players returning with 191 games of starting experience, including 10 players on defense with 86 starts and 10 on offense with 105 starts.
 
Here are the current starts by EWU players:
 
Current Starts on Defense (191 starts by 21 players): Calin Criner 24, Tre Weed 23, Jack Sendelbach 22, Mitchell Johnson 22, Darrien Sampson 15, Joshua Jerome 12, Ty Graham 11, Jacob Newsom 7, Darreon Moore 7, Brock Harrison 6, Anthany Smith 6, Debore'ae McClain 6, Marlon Jones Jr. 6, Ely Doyle 6, Cale Lindsay 4, Keshaun King 4, Matthew Brown 4, Caleb Davis 3, Jusstis Warren 1, Cage Schenck 1, Ahmani Williams 1.
 
Current Starts on Offense (237 starts by 21 players): Tristen Taylor 52, Eric Barriere 34, Andrew Boston 29, Conner Crist 14, Talolo Limu-Jones 14, Johnny Edwards IV 12, Freddie Roberson 12, Dylan Ingram 12, Wyatt Musser 12, Wyatt Hansen 10, Matt Shook 7, Dennis Merritt 6, Tamarick Pierce 6, Anthony Stell Jr. 4, Matthew Hewa Baddege 4, Brad Godwin 2, Efton Chism III 3, Luke Dahlgren 1, Jakobie James 1, Blake Gobel 1, Gunner Talkington 1.

More on EWU Returning Offensive Players
 
Besides Eric Barriere, Gunner Talkington was the only player of the three to throw a pass in 2020-21, all when he made the first start of his career versus Cal Poly and finished with career highs for completions (6), yards (132), touchdowns (2), rushing yards (14), long rush (14) and total offense (146). He has completed 28-of-59 passes for 331 yards and four touchdowns in his career. He's seen action this season against Central Washington, completing 5-of-9 passes for 58 yards.
 
Andrew Boston returns for his junior season after catching 26 passes 391 yards and three scores in 2020-21. A freshman All-America selection in 2018, Boston has 142 receptions (20th in EWU history) for 2,007 yards and 17 touchdowns (16 receiving, 1 rushing) in 37 career games (29 as a starter) as an Eagle.
 
Also returning to the receiver position are Roberson and Anthony Stell Jr., a pair of former high school teammates who were impressive as redshirt freshmen in 2019 and then developed into standouts in 2020-21. Roberson started six games, finishing with 33 grabs for 470 yards and three touchdowns, and also had a 42-yard touchdown rush. He now has 22 games of experience (12 starts) in his career with totals of 63 receptions for 940 yards and five touchdowns, with a trio of 100-yard receiving performances. Stell had four starts in 2020-21, and finished the season with 17 catches for 282 yards and three scores. He now has 22 catches for 323 yards and three scores in his 20-game career.
 
Senior Johnny Edwards IV did not play in the 2020-21 winter/spring season. He now has 40 games of experience (12 as a starter), and has career totals of 57 receptions for 976 yards and nine touchdowns. He had his best day as an Eagle on Sept. 18, 2021, at Western Illinois when he had three catches for 126 yards, including touchdown catches of 76 and 51 yards. As a junior in 2019, he was third on the team with 32 catches for 553 yards (17.3 per reception) and three scores.
 
Eastern also has a trio of experienced tight ends, led by returning starter Dylan Ingram. Mostly used as a blocking tight end, the junior has 37 games of experience (12 starts), and has caught 10 passes for 116 yards and three scores in his career.
 
Sophomore Aiden Nellor is also back with 23 games of experience as an Eagle and five career catches for 39 yards, as well as redshirt freshman Blake Gobel. Gobel now has 16 games of experience, and has 12 career catches for 132 yards and five touchdowns after leading the tight end corp with four receptions for 26 yards and two scores in the 2020-21 season.
 
The running back position returns a pair of seniors in Pierce, the returning starter, and Merritt. Both returned from injuries to earn All-Big Sky honors in the 2020-21 season and help keep the Eagle offense productive.
 
Pierce, forced to redshirt in 2019 while recovering from a knee injury at the end of the 2018 season, started six of the seven games he played in the 2020-21 season to earn first team All-Big Sky accolades. He finished the season with a team-high 462 yards rushing with five touchdowns and an average of 5.4 yards per rush. He also caught eight passes for another 31 yards, and had his first career 100-yard rushing game with 105 and two scores versus Northern Arizona.
 
Pierce now has a 5.98 career average per rush which currently ranks sixth in school history (Merritt is fourth at 6.18). Pierce has rushed for 1,476 yards and 23 touchdowns in 46 games as an Eagle (six as a starter) with 21 catches for 138 yards and another score.
 
Merritt also returned to be highly productive in 2020-21 after suffering a serious lower leg injury versus Lindenwood on Sept. 7, 2019, and missing the remainder of the season. He earned All-Big Sky Conference honorable mention after playing in all seven Eastern games (one as a starter) as a running back. He had 287 yards and four touchdowns rushing for EWU, and caught another 10 passes for 123 yards and three more scores. He scored a team-high seven touchdowns, including three in EWU's final regular season game versus Idaho. He passed the 1,000 career rushing yards mark against Central Washington on Sept. 11, 2021, when he had what was then a career-high 120 yards (he followed that with a career-high 148 at Western Illinois on Sept. 18). He now has 1,345 career yards (6.00 average per rush to rank fifth in school history) and 16 touchdowns rushing, and another 32 catches for 440 yards and six scores in 42 games (six as a starter). Merritt has also averaged 20.7 yards on 30 career kickoff returns.
 
Sophomores Silas Perreiah and Micah Smith also return after seeing action in both 2019 and 2020-21. Perreiah played in EWU's first three games in 2020-21 and then missed the rest of the season. He has now played in 13 career games, and has 268 yards rushing with a touchdown, and three catches for seven yards and another score. Smith has played in 18 Eagle games in his career and has 232 yards rushing and two scores, plus four catches for 34 yards.
 
Sophomore Isaiah Lewis now has a total of 12 games of experience as an Eagle, he played in two games early in the 2019 season and had 64 yards and a touchdown rushing versus Lindenwood, but shortly after that left the team. As a redshirt freshman in 2018, he played in three games and had 52 yards. He has 220 career rushing yards (6.4 per carry) with one TD, and has caught three passes for 40 yards.
 
The biggest priority for EWU in 2020-21 was replacing four starters on the offensive line, a group which had combined for 193 games played and 141 starts in their careers through the 2019 season. One of the new starters was senior center Conner Crist, who now has 34 career games of experience and 14 starts under his belt. He recovered a fumble in the endzone against Central Washington for his first career touchdown, just the fourth offensive lineman in EWU history to score a touchdown.
 
Entering his seventh season with the Eagles, Tristen Taylor, a Stockton, Calif., native and a 2015 Stagg HS graduate, has started all 52 games he's played in. Wyatt Musser now has 38 games worth of experience in his career with 12 starts. Junior tackle Matt Shook was injured in 2019 and did not play, but returned to start all seven games in 2020-21 and now has 17 games worth of experience with seven starts.
 
The fifth starter back from 2020-21 is Wyatt Hansen, a freshman who has started all 10 career games he played as an offensive guard. Sophomore Brad Godwin started the other two games in 2020-21, and now has 18 total games of experience with two career starts.
 
 
More on EWU Returning Defensive Players
 
Anthany Smith is a returning starting safety and had a stellar season in 2020-21 to earn first team All-Big Sky honors. The junior finished with a team-leading 44 tackles in six games played (all as a starter). In EWU's last regular season game versus Idaho, Smith had 17 tackles -- equaling the 19th-most in school history. He made his starting debut earlier in the season versus the Vandals (2/27/21) and had 10 tackles, a pass broken up and a 71-yard interception return for a touchdown which was the 18th-longest in school history. Smith has 71 career tackles, three interceptions and three passes broken up in 24 games (six as a starter). Smith played in just three games in 2019 before being lost for the season with an injury and has not yet played in 2021.
 
Junior Keshaun King started EWU's first four games in 2020-21 before starting safety Calin Criner returned, and King finished with 33 tackles on the season. In the second game versus Idaho, he had nine tackles and his first career interception that led to EWU's game-winning score. King now has 54 tackles and an interception in his 26-game career (four as a starter).
 
Tre Weed and sophomore Darrien Sampson were both seven-game starters at cornerback for EWU in the 2020-21 season. Weed, honored on the All-Big Sky Conference second team, has now played 28 games as an Eagle (23 as a starter). He has career totals of 80 tackles, three interceptions and 11 passes broken up.
 
Sampson finished with 13 tackles and a pair of passes broken up in 2020-21, and has now played in 26 career games (15 starts). A former high school teammate of wide receivers Anthony Stell Jr. and Freddie Roberson, he now has 43 tackles, two interceptions and five passes broken up as an Eagle.
 
The fifth starter back in the secondary is nickel back Marlon Jones Jr., who saw action in all seven games as a redshirt freshman and started four times. He finished the year with 17 of his 24 tackles in EWU's last three games, including a pass broken up in the final game of the year versus North Dakota State. He also played in three games in 2019, and he now has a total of 13 games of experience (five starts) and has a career total of 41 tackles with three passes broken up and an interception versus Montana on Oct. 2, 2021, in EWU's 34-28 victory over the fourth-ranked Grizzlies.
 
Also back for the Eagles in the secondary is 2019 starting cornerback Darreon Moore, now a junior. Moore has played in 29 career games (seven as a starter), and has 41 tackles with three passes broken up and a sack.
 
Arizona State transfer Ely Doyle provided a big boost in 2020-21 for Eastern after playing in five games in 2019 for the Sun Devils. He had 36 tackles in six games played to rank fourth on the team, including no tackles while playing sparingly in EWU's opener versus Idaho. But he quickly bumped himself up the leaders list, with 30 tackles during EWU's four-game winning streak. He also had two passes broken up in the 2020-21 season, and missed the rematch against Idaho which extended EWU's winning streak to five. He now has a total of 62 career tackles and five passes broken up in 11 games with the Eagles (six starts). He had a career-high 10 tackles with a PBU in EWU's 34-28 victory over fourth-ranked Montana on Oct. 2, 2021.
 
Jack Sendelbach, a three-time team captain, and Graham headline a linebacker corp that includes five returning letterwinners. Graham was also a co-captain during the 2020-21 season when the University of Idaho transfer was playing his first collegiate games after a stretch of 833 days without.
 
Sendelbach finished with 33 tackles to rank sixth on the team despite playing in just three games. An Eagle since the fall of 2015 when he redshirted, Sendelbach now has 228 tackles (25th in school history) in his 43-game career (22 as a starter), and has had 12 performances in double figures. He also has five career sacks, 22 total tackles for loss, four fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles.
 
Graham had 42 tackles after starting all six of the games he played as a linebacker to earn honorable mention All-Big Sky honors. Graham had a then career-high nine tackles in his Eagle debut versus his former team, then in the rematch played just the first series versus Vandals before being lost for the season with an injury. The local product of Cheney (Wash.) High School played in 27 games at Idaho and had 133 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks, an interception, two passes broken up and a forced fumble in those three seasons for the Vandals. His father, John, is EWU's former defensive coordinator. In Eastern's season-opener at UNLV, he had a career-high 14 tackles for his first performance in double figures and has two in his career. In 11 career games with the Eagles (11 starts), he has 95 total tackles, three sacks, 11 total tackles for loss and one interception that he returned 43 yards for his first career touchdown.
 
Also back at linebacker is junior Cale Lindsay, who had 16 total tackles in seven games in the 2020-21 season. He made the first two starts of his career that season, and now has 59 tackles in 29 career games (four starts) along with four tackles for loss and one fumble recovery.
 
Now at linebacker is Warren, who transferred to EWU in 2019 from the University of Washington. He played in EWU's opener against his alma mater in 2019, but missed the rest of the season. In the 2020-21 season, he also played just one game as a starter at end before being lost for the remainder of the season. He has now played in five games as an Eagle (one start) and has eight tackles. In his 31-game career as a Husky, he had nine tackles, 1 1/2 sacks, a forced fumble and caught a 2-yard touchdown pass.
 
On the defensive line, freshman end Brock Harrison returns as a 2020-21 starter, as does Joshua Jerome and freshman tackle Jacob Newsom. Jerome earned honorable mention All-Big Sky honors.
 
Jerome started all seven of Eastern's games and had 41 tackles to rank third on the team, and also had a team-leading three sacks and a pair of quarterback hurries. He has played just 26 career games (12 as a starter), but already has 99 career tackles with 7 1/2 sacks, 20 total tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries, a pass broken up, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
 
Harrison took over as the starter at an end position in EWU's second game of the 2020-21 season and finished with a team-high five quarterback hurries to go along with 15 tackles. He's played in a total of 16 career games as an Eagle (six starts) and has 28 tackles, four total tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries, an interception, a fumble recovery and one pass broken up. Newsom also started all seven games as a tackle, and finished with 22 tackles in his debut season. He has two sacks, a pass broken up, a quarterback hurry and 28 total tackles in 13 career games (seven starts).
 
Four other returning lettermen are back with starting experience, including junior Caleb Davis who missed the entire 2020-21 season. He now has 50 tackles and a pair of sacks in 27 games (three as a starter), including 21 stops and one sack as a sophomore in 2019.
 
Junior Debore'ae McClain started once as a defensive end in the 2020-21 season and finished with 12 tackles in seven games. He now has 48 stops in 39 career games (six starts), with 2 1/2 sacks, five total tackles for loss, a forced fumble and six quarterback hurries.
 
Sophomore Emmanuel Osuoha is the only other non-freshman returning, and was a linebacker in the winter/spring. Osuoha had a pair of tackles in six games played and now has 10 career stops in 11 games played.

More on EWU Returning Special Teams Players
 
Besides kicker Seth Harrison, sophomore punter Nick Kokich and sophomore long snapper Cody Clements return with two years of experience under their belts.
 
As a true freshman in 2019, Kokich made his season debut four games into the season and has held the punting position ever since. In 2020-21 he averaged 39.2 yards in 20 punts, with five downed inside the opponent 20-yard line and two of at least 50 yards with a long of 55. He averaged 39.0 yards in 2019, and now has a 39.1 career average with 19 downed inside the opponent 20-yard line and a long of 59 to equal the 38th longest in EWU history. His longest in the 2021 season is 56 with an average of 39.4.

Eastern Now 61-0 Since 2010 When Winning the TO Battle
 
In the last 13+ seasons (2008-2021), the Eagles are now 70-1 when they've won the turnover battle, 25-9 when they've been tied and 25-35 when they've lost (total of 120-45). The last time EWU lost a game 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 61-0 since 2010 when they've won the turnover battle, 22-9 when they've been tied and 23-28 when they've lost. That's a collective record of 106-37 (74.1 percent), with 28 of those 37 losses (76 percent) coming in games EWU has lost the turnover battle and 58 percent of EWU's wins coming when they've won the turnover battle (78 percent when including ties).
 
In 2021, EWU won the turnover battle versus Central Washington (2-0), Western Illinois (1-0) and Southern Utah (1-0), and lost to UNLV (3-2). The Eagles were tied versus Montana (2-2).
 
In 2020-21, EWU opened the year by falling to Idaho 28-21 after losing the turnover battle 2-1. Eastern beat Northern Arizona 45-13 on March 6, but also lost the turnover battle in that one, 3-0. Eastern beat Idaho State by both score (46-42) and the turnover battle (3-2). Eastern won the turnover battle 2-1 against Cal Poly on March 27, but lost 1-0 at UC Davis in a 32-22 victory on April 3. The Eagles closed the regular season by registered two four-quarter interceptions – the only turnovers of the game – in a 38-31 win over Idaho on April 10. In the FCS Playoffs, the lone turnover was an Eagle interception on offense as North Dakota State won the turnover battle 1-0.
 
Eastern is 32-19 Since 2010 Versus Ranked­ Opponents
 
Following EWU's game on Oct. 2 versus fourth-ranked Montana, Eastern has now won 63 percent of its games (32-19) versus ranked teams since 2010. Eastern is 61-73 (.455) in 134 games overall against ranked teams since becoming a member of that classification in 1983 (then known as I-AA). Since 1983, Eastern is 1-7 versus ranked FBS foes, and a loss to Washington (ranked 13th by the media and 12th by the coaches) in 2019 was the eighth such foe EWU has faced.
 
Eastern's 2021 game versus Montana was the 65th time and the most recent occasion Eastern has faced a team ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (STATS). Eastern is 11-10 versus top 10 foes since 2010, including a 6-4 mark in the regular season and 5-6 in the playoffs Eastern is 20-45 in the 65 games all-time versus top 10 opponents. The Eagles are 10-35 all-time versus top 5 opponents (5-7 since 2010), including 2-8 versus No. 1 (0-2 since 2010).
 
Overall, EWU has faced the No. 1 team in FCS 10 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. One of the losses was in 2016 in Fargo, N.D., when North Dakota State beat No. 8 Eastern 50-44 in overtime. The following season, EWU was ranked seventh and lost 40-13 to second-ranked NDSU in Cheney. Eastern lost a third time to the top-ranked Bison by a 38-24 score on Jan. 5, 2019, in the NCAA Division I Championship Game.

Series Notes
 
* With a 12-game winning streak, the Eagles lead the overall series 13-1 and haven't lost a game to the Bears since the second meeting in 1981. Northern Colorado became a member of the Big Sky Conference in 2006 and Eastern has won all 11 meetings by a collective 401-202 score (an average score of 36-18). However, Eastern barely won 43-41 in 2015 in Greeley and 26-18 at home in 2014, and had to rally for a 35-28 victory in 2010 in Greeley during EWU's run to the NCAA Division I title. The teams did not play in the 2012, 2013 and 2017 seasons because of league expansion, but EWU won at home 48-27 in 2011, 26-18 in 2014, 49-31 in 2016 and 54-21 in 2019 to improve to 7-0 versus the Bears in Cheney (6-1 in Greeley).
 
 
Last Meeting – EWU 54, Northern Colorado 21 (10/12/19)
 
Taking a 40-0 lead after the first 30 minutes, Eastern romped past Northern Colorado 54-21 for a record-setting victory in EWU's 93rd Homecoming Game at Roos Field on Oct. 12, 2019. Eastern scored 17 points within a 4 1/2 minute stretch in the second quarter, six scored on a 34-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Joe Lang after a force by Tre Weed. That helped EWU score 30 points in the quarter and take a 40-0 lead at halftime as EWU finished the game with its 17th-most yards in school history and had its 63rd game with at least 50 points (record of 60-3). Eastern's 30 points in the second quarter and 41 in the first half were both the second-most since EWU became a member of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in 1983. On its way to a dominating 637-352 advantage in offense – 409-112 in the first half alone -- Eastern established a new school record for consecutive home victories at the current site of Roos Field (formerly Woodward Field), plus extended a long winning streak over UNC. Both streaks are at 12, as EWU hasn't lost a home on the red turf since Nov. 4, 2017. The Eagles fell at Northern Colorado in 1981, but haven't lost since in the 13-game history of the series. Eastern's 12-game winning streak includes the last 11 with the Bears as a member of the Big Sky Conference. Junior Eric Barriere completed 28-of-43 passes for 445 yards and five touchdown passes for EWU. Junior Talolo Limu-Jones had a hat-trick with three touchdown receptions, to go along with career highs of four catches for 96 yards. Senior Antoine Custer Jr. added 68 yards rushing, and senior Jayson Williams had a career-high eight receptions for 115 yards while sophomore Andrew Boston added seven for 96. The Eagles had a 215-yard first quarter, and scored 10 early points on a 58-yard touchdown pass from Barriere to Limu-Jones and a 32-yard field goal by redshirt freshman Seth Harrison – one of four he would kick on the day. Eastern scored early in the second quarter on a 19-yard pass from Barriere to senior tight end Jayce Gilder, then EWU got the ball back on a forced fumble by Lang on the ensuing kickoff which was recovered by Keshaun King. Harrison kicked a field goal to give EWU a 20-0 lead with 10:48 left in the quarter. A blocked punt by redshirt freshman Justin Patterson led to another field goal, then Lang had his fumble recovery for a TD on the next UNC possession at the 8:08 mark. After a failed try on fourth down by the Bears, the Eagles scored again on a 32-yard scoring pass from Barriere to Johnny Edwards IV with 3:59 to play. Harrison kicked another field goal on the final play of a 40-point half. Special teams had a hand in the second quarter onslaught, blocking a punt and creating a turnover off a kickoff return. Eastern was playing its first game as an unranked team since 2011.
 
 
Last Time in Greeley - #5 EWU 48, Northern Colorado 13 (Nov. 3, 2018)
 
No. 5/4 Eastern opened up a 20-0 halftime lead and went on to beat Northern Colorado 48-13 on Nov. 3, 2018, at Nottingham Field in Greeley, Colo. With the offense piling up 578 yards, the defense had three interceptions and six sacks to hold UNC to 259 yards on the day. Senior D'londo Tucker had two of the interceptions for the Eagles. Eastern got off to a quick start, taking advantage of the wind, field position and great defense to go on drives of 89 and 60 yards, ending with field goals of 22 and 23 yards by Roldan Alcobendas. Those were sandwiched around a 24-yard touchdown run by Sam McPherson, which came on the first play after a 27-yard punt by UNC and a 21-yard return by Calin Criner. In the first three possessions for each team, Eastern had 171 yards and an average of 8.6 per play, compared to just 23 yards and 1.9 average for Northern Colorado. The Bears scored the first time they had the ball in the second half, but the Eagles countered with two touchdowns within 1:32 of each other. An eight-play, 66-yard drive was capped by a 15-yard touchdown run by Eric Barriere. Dehonta Hayes then intercepted a UNC pass, setting up a 4-yard TD pass from Barriere to tight end Dylan Ingram – his first score as an Eagle. In the fifth start of his career, Barriere completed 24-of-36 passes for 245 yards, and rushed for another 64 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 5.8 yards per rush and was sacked just twice. Senior Nsimba Webster led the Eagles with seven catches for 80 yards, and Jayson Williams added a career-high five grabs for 51 yards. Running back Antoine Custer Jr. rushed for 122 yards on 16 carries (7.6 per carry) and McPherson added 61 on 11 carries, including 24 on a first-quarter touchdown run. Tucker also had two passes broken up and a tackle, and linebacker Chris Ojoh made the second start of his career and finished with a team-high seven tackles, including a sack. Hayes had five tackles, an interception and a pass broken up. Jay-Tee Tiuli, Josh Lewis, Andrew Katzenberger, Ojoh, Brandon Montgomery and Keith Moore all recorded sacks for EWU. Alcobendas had field goals of 22 and 23 yards in the first half to remain perfect on the season at 12-for-12. He also converted all six of his extra points and punted twice for a 43.0 average.