The 9-2 Eastern Washington University football team will play a rare first-round game on Thanksgiving weekend when they host Northern Iowa this Saturday (Nov. 27) at 1 p.m. Pacific time at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash., after failing to receive a coveted seed when the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoff pairings were announced Sunday (Nov. 21) morning.
 
In earning one of 13 at-large berths awarded, the winner of this week's game between the Eagles and 6-5 Panthers will play at Montana (9-2) in a second round game at 6 p.m. Pacific time on Friday, Dec. 3. All eight of the first-round games and all eight of the second-round match-ups will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
"The expectation is to crawl into the top-eight and I felt our resume was strong, but we can't determine what the committee decides," said Eastern head coach Aaron Best. "We are 9-2 with an FBS victory and a head-to-head win against Montana, but you have to win them all in the postseason no matter where you start. It's unfortunate, but it is what it is and we'll play a home game against Northern Iowa this Saturday and we're excited."
 
 "It was one of those moments that you knew could go either way based on yesterday's results in a few games, but the ball didn't bounce our way," Best continued. "We'll take care of business and start prepping here very shortly."  
 
Eastern fans have from Monday (Nov. 22 at 9 a.m. Pacific time) until Wednesday (Nov. 24) at noon to renew and receive the same seats and tailgate parking spots as the regular season. Tickets for the general public go on sale after that deadline.
 
The Eagles are making their 15th appearance in the playoffs, but this is their first on Thanksgiving weekend since 2009 when they played at Stephen F. Austin. This is the eighth meeting all-time versus UNI, with EWU winning just once previously I. The home team has won all seven meeting thus far, including the last meeting at Roos Field in the 2016 regular season.
 
The first six matchups – including playoff games in 1985, 1992 and 2005 -- took place at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, then EWU picked up its lone victory in 2016 by a 34-30 score at Roos Field. The eighth-ranked Eagles scored on a successful fake field goal with 43 seconds to play to rally past the No. 10 Panthers on Sept. 17, 2016.
   
Northern Iowa finished 4-4 in the MVFC in 2021, including a win over fellow playoff qualifier South Dakota State (26-17), and losses to No. 2 seed North Dakota State (34-20) and unseeded Missouri State (34-27). Earlier this season, the Panthers handed Sacramento State its lone loss to a FCS foe this season by a 34-16 score in Sacramento.
 
Five Big Sky Conference teams advanced to the playoffs, with first-round byes received by league champion Sacramento State (No. 4 seed), Montana (#6) and Montana State (#8). Eastern did not play the Hornets, but defeated the Grizzlies 34-28 on Oct. 2 and lost to the Bobcats 23-20 on Nov. 6. UC Davis, a team EWU defeated 38-20 on Nov. 13, also received an at-large bid and will play at South Dakota State on Nov. 27, with the winner playing at Sac State.
 
The Eagles could potentially play #3 seed James Madison in the quarterfinals and #2 seed North Dakota State in the semifinals, but could face no other league school until the championship game. The quarterfinals of the playoffs are Dec. 10 and 11, the semifinals are Dec. 17 and 18 and the championship game is in Frisco, Texas, on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 9 a.m. Pacific time and televised by ESPN2.
 
The Eagles will be making their 15th tournament appearance to rank 12th in FCS history, and have a 19-13 record all-time to rank 11th in wins. Eastern's percentage of .594 ranks 12th. Northern Iowa is No. 2 in appearances with 22 now, ranking only behind Montana with 25. The Panthers are also No. 5 in wins (26) and 16th in percentage (.553, 26-21).
 
This is the third time Best has taken the Eagles to the playoffs as head coach (2018-2020/21-2021), and he was with the team for eight seasons as an assistant (2004-05-2009-10-12-13-14-16) and one as a player (1997). He has been involved in a total of 27 postseason playoff games with a record of 15-9 as a coach and 2-1 mark as a player.
 
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 2020-21 campaign. Eastern fell at North Dakota State 42-24 on April 24, 2021, during the abbreviated 2020-21 season in which the playoff field consisted of just 16 teams.
 
The Eagles wrapped up a 6-2 Big Sky Conference campaign with a 42-38 victory over Portland State Saturday (Nov. 20) at Hillsboro Stadium in Hillsboro, Ore. Besides falling to MSU, the Eagles lost to four-time defending Big Sky champion Weber State on Oct. 23 by a 35-34 score. Thus, EWU's two losses this season were by a combined four points.
 
"I'd say thank you to the committee for a home game," added Best. "They control the destiny as far as the selections are concerned, and after that the destiny is controlled by each team. There's no time to reflect on what just took place. It's laid out and we know the journey we must travel and we will go attack it day in and day out."  
 
Of EWU's 19-13 record overall in the FCS Playoffs, the Eagles are 15-6 at home, 3-6 on the road and 1-1 at a neutral site in the championship game. Eastern was the 2010 NCAA Division I Champions after winning three home games in the playoffs and then defeating Delaware 20-19 for the title in Frisco, Texas. Eastern also hosted and won three games in 2018 when the Eagles fell to North Dakota State 38-24 in the title game. Eastern hosted three games in 2012, 2013 and 2016, but lost in the semifinals all three seasons, plus in 1997 when the games were played at Albi Stadium in Spokane. Eastern hosted two more playoff games in 2014, falling in the quarterfinal round.
 
Since 2010, Eastern has hosted 17 playoff games at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash., winning 13 of them. Until losing at NDSU in the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign, Eastern didn't had to play on the road since 2009 when if fell at Stephen F. Austin in the first round.
 
EWU Playoff Ticket Information . . .
 
Football season ticket holders will have the opportunity to renew their season ticket locations for the First Round of the FCS Playoffs beginning on Monday, Nov. 22, at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Season ticket holders and current Eagle Athletic Fund donors will have the first opportunity to buy additional tickets at this time.  
 
The renewal deadline for season ticket holders to reserve their seat location is Wednesday, Nov. 24 at noon Pacific time. At this time, season tickets will be released, and single game tickets will be available to the public.  
 
Fans are encouraged to renew tickets and make purchases online due to the Thanksgiving holiday. All tickets will be released via mobile delivery and hard copy tickets can be printed on a case-by-case basis.  
 
Tickets will be available online at GoEags.com/tickets.
 
EWU Playoff History & Notes . . .
 
• Eastern will make its 15th appearance in the playoffs in 2021, and is one of just 12 teams in FCS to have 15 or more appearances to rank 12th all-time. The other appearances for the Eagles came in 1985, 1992, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020/21. With a 6-5 record during an injury-ravaged season in 2011, Eastern fell a victory shy of making its first back-to-back-to-back appearances, but accomplished that feat in 2012-13-14. The Eagles were also 6-5 in 2015 and missed the postseason, and 7-4 in 2017 when they were also passed over. Eastern was 7-5 in 2019 and also did not receive a bid.
• The 2020-21 season was Aaron Best's second playoff appearance as head coach and 11th overall. He was a player in 1997, then coached in 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018 and now 2020-21). He has now been a part of 27 playoff games (17-10), with 24 as a coach (15-9) and three as a player (2-1). He has been involved in 21 of those games at home (15-6), just four on the road (1-3) and was offensive coordinator and offensive line coach in 2010 when the Eagles won the NCAA Division I title with a 20-19 victory over Delaware on a neutral field in Frisco, Texas. He returned to Frisco as head coach in 2018, with the Eagles falling 38-24 to North Dakota State. As a head coach, he is 3-2 in the playoffs.
• Eastern has 12 playoff berths in an 18-year span (2004-2021), ranking the Eagles as one of only five schools in FCS to accomplish that feat. New Hampshire (2004-05-06-07-08-09-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17) made the playoffs for the 14th-straight time in 2017, but has not qualified for the last four tournaments. James Madison (2004-06-07-08-11-14-15-16-17-18-19-20/21-21) has 13 appearances since 2004, while Eastern, North Dakota State (2010-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20/21-21) and Montana (2004-05-06-07-08-09-11-13-14-15-19-21) have 12 in that stretch.
• The Eagles have a 19-13 record in their 14 playoff appearances, ranking 11th all-time for wins, 12th for percentage (.594, 19-13) and 12th for appearances. Eastern has a 15-6 record at home, 3-6 on the road and 1-1 in the championship game on a neutral field. Eastern has advanced to the semifinals in the FCS Playoffs six times (1997, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018) and is 2-4 in those games. The Eagles have won their opener 10 times (1985, 1997, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018) and are 6-4 in the quarterfinals. The Eagles won the title in 2010 in its first appearance in the championship game. The Eagles have received first-round byes in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018 (the playoffs were expanded to 20 teams in 2010 and to 24 teams in 2013, and reduced to 16 in 2020-21 because of the Covid-19 pandemic).
• Not including championship games in 2010 and 2018, Eastern played 17-straight preliminary games in the playoffs at home at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash., from 2010-2018. Eastern won 13 of them, falling in the semifinals at "The Inferno" in 2016, 2013 and 2012, and the quarterfinals in 2014. The streak ended in 2020-21 when EWU was picked to play at North Dakota State in the opening round and fell 42-20.
• Prior to the NDSU game in the 2020-21 season, Eastern's last road game in the playoffs was Nov. 28, 2009, in Nacogdoches, Texas, in a 44-33 loss to Stephen F. Austin. Eastern's last playoff road win was on Nov. 24, 2007, when Eastern upset second-seeded and No. 3 ranked McNeese State 44-15. The other two road victories for the Eagles came in 2004 over top-seeded and No. 1 ranked Southern Illinois (35-31), and in 1985 in EWU's first-ever playoff game at fifth-ranked/seeded Idaho (42-38).
 
2020-21            (ranked #9)
    #6 North Dakota State - L, 20-42 (First Round/Fargo, N.D.)
2018     (No. 3 seed, ranked #4)
    #1/No. 1 seed North Dakota State - L, 24-38 (Championship/Frisco, Texas)
    #14/No. 7 seed Maine - W, 50-19 (Semifinals/Cheney)
    #7/No. 6 seed UC Davis - W, 34-29 (Quarterfinals/Cheney)
    #14 Nicholls - W, 42-21 (Second Round/Cheney)
2016     (No. 2 seed, ranked #3)
    #13 Youngstown State - L, 38-40 (Semifinals/Cheney)
    #12 Richmond - W, 38-0 (Quarterfinals/Cheney)
    #14 Central Arkansas -  W, 31-14 (Second Round/Cheney)
2014     (No. 4 seed, ranked #4)
    #7/No. 5 seed Illinois State - L, 46-59 (Quarterfinals/Cheney)
    #12 Montana - W, 37-20 (Second Round/Cheney)
2013     (No. 3 seed, ranked #3)
    #5 Towson - L, 31-35 (Semifinals/Cheney)
    #20 Jacksonville State - W, 35-24 (Quarterfinals/Cheney)
    #13 South Dakota State - W, 41-17 (Second Round/Cheney)
2012     (No. 2 seed, ranked #4)
    #5 Sam Houston State - L, 42-45 (Semifinals/Cheney)
    #16 Illinois State - W, 51-35 (Quarterfinals/Cheney)
    Wagner - W, 29-19 (Second Round/Cheney)
2010     (No. 5 seed, ranked #1)
    #5 Delaware - W, 20-19 (Championship/Frisco, Texas)
    #10 Villanova - W, 41-31 (Semifinals/Cheney)
    #25 North Dakota State - W, 38-31 in OT (Quarterfinals/Cheney)
    #9 Southeast Missouri State - W, 37-17 (Second Round/Cheney)
2009     (ranked #13)
    at #12 Stephen F. Austin - L, 33-44 (First Round)
2007     (ranked #14)
    at #15 Appalachian State - L, 35-38 (Quarterfinals)
    at #3/No. 2 seed McNeese State - W, 44-15 (First Round)
2005     (ranked #15)
    at #7 Northern Iowa - L, 38-41 (First Round)
2004     (ranked #14)
    #9 Sam Houston State - L, 34-35 (Quarterfinals/Cheney)
    at #1/No. 1 seed Southern Illinois - W, 35-31 (First Round)
1997     (No. 3 seed, ranked #4)
    #9/No. 8 seed Youngstown State - L, 14-25 (Semifinals/Spokane)
    #5/No. 5 seed Western Kentucky - W, 38-21 (Quarterfinals/Spokane)
    #17/No. 14 seed Northwestern State - W, 40-10 (First Round/Spokane)
1992     (ranked/seeded #14)
    at #3 Northern Iowa - L, 14-17 (First Round)
1985     (ranked/seeded #11)
    at #4 Northern Iowa - L, 14-17 (Quarterfinals)
    at #5 Idaho - W, 42-38 (First Round)
 
 
All-Time FCS Playoffs Leaders
 
Appearances (including 2021) . . . 1. Montana 25; 2. Northern Iowa 22; 3. Eastern Kentucky 21; 4. Appalachian State 20; 5. Georgia Southern 19; 6. James Madision and Furman 18; 8. Delaware, 17; 9. Eastern Illinois, McNeese, New Hampshire 16; 12. Eastern Washington 15.
Playoff Wins . . . 1. Georgia Southern 45; 2. North Dakota State 37; 3. Montana 33; 4. Youngstown State 28; 5. Northern Iowa 26; 6. Delaware, Appalachian State 24; 8. Sam Houston State, Marshall 23; 10. James Madison 22; 11. Eastern Washington, Furman 19.
Percentage . . . 1. North Dakota State .925 (37-3); 2. Marshall .793 (23-6); 3. Youngstown State .777 (28-8); 4 Georgia Southern .776 (45-13); 5. Sam Houston State .676 (23-11); 6. Boise State .667 (8-4); 7. Montana .600 (33-22), Delaware .600 (24-16), Richmond .600 (15-10) & Arkansas State .600 (6-4); 11. James Madison .595 (22-15); 12. Eastern Washington .594 (19-13); 13. Massachusetts .588 (10-7); 14. Appalachian State .585 (24-17); 15. Nevada .563 (9-7); 16. Northern Iowa .553 (26-21).
 
 
EWU-UNI Series History
 
* Eastern is 1-6 in seven games in the series, with the home team winning all seven games. The first six matchups took place at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, then EWU picked up its lone victory in 2016 by a 34-30 score at Roos Field. The eighth-ranked Eagles scored on a successful fake field goal with 43 seconds to play to rally past the No. 10 Panthers on Sept. 17, 2016.
 
* The first meeting came in the 1985 FCS Playoffs when the Eagles lost 17-14, a score matched seven years later in the playoffs in 1992. The Panthers also triumphed 41-38 in the FCS Playoffs in 2005. Eastern also fell in the UNI Dome in regular season games in 1989 (47-21), 1994 (27-17) and 2015 (38-35).
 
* Including a 62-56 win earlier this season at Western Illinois, Eastern is 11-15 all-time versus current members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, having also not played Indiana State and Missouri State. Five of those victories (and no losses) came versus North Dakota when it was a member of the Big Sky Conference. Eastern is 1-4 versus North Dakota State, which has won eight of the last 10 titles in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.
 
* Prior to the WIU win – a team Northern Iowa defeated 41-3 to end the 2021 regular season -- Eastern's last games versus a MVFC foe were both versus North Dakota State – a 42-20 loss in Fargo on April 24, 2021, in the first round of the FCS Playoffs, and a 38-24 loss on Jan. 5, 2019, in the 2018 NCAA Division I Championship Game. Eastern did beat North Dakota 35-20 on Sept. 28, 2019, in the final Big Sky match-up between the two schools.
   
Looking Back to 2016  . . . #8 EWU 34, #10 Northern Iowa 30
 
The eighth-ranked Eagles scored on a successful fake field goal with 43 seconds to play to rally past No. 10 Northern Iowa 34-30 in another NCAA Football Championship thriller Sept. 17 at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash.
 
Eastern fell behind by 17 points at halftime, but then used a 93-yard kickoff return to open the second half by true freshman Antoine Custer Jr. as the spark to ignite EWU. Sophomore quarterback Reilly Hennessey – limited to holding for placekicks this season until the UNI game -- relieved starter Gage Gubrud in the third quarter and had three touchdown passes, including a game-winning 23-yard strike to sophomore tight end Beau Byus when EWU elected against a 40-yard field goal attempt into the wind.
 
Eastern's defense clinched the win when Samson Ebukam appeared to sack UNI's quarterback, only to have him pitch the ball to a lineman. Eastern's Jim Townsend then forced a fumble that was recovered by Ebukam.
 
Eastern finished with 403 yards of offense, but held Northern Iowa to 353. It was Eastern's best defensive performance since it limited Montana to 347 in a 37-20 win over the Grizzlies in the FCS Playoffs on Dec. 6, 2014. The Eagles allowed three touchdowns in the first half, but held the Panthers to just a pair of field goals in their final eight possessions of the game. Included was six-straight three-and-outs (one ending with a missed field goal) from the end of the second quarter through the end of the third quarter. After allowing UNI to convert four its first six third down conversions, the Panthers converted just one of their last 11.
 
Custer's TD return was the first by an Eagle since teammate Shaq Hill had a 90-yarder against Portland State on Nov. 21, 2014. The Eagles then proceeded to have a 231-96 advantage in total offense in the second half, including a 70-9 advantage in the third quarter. At one point in the game, the Eagles were outgained in total offense by UNI 152-12. Eastern had 147 yards at halftime, but 65 of them came during an 80-yard drive for the team's only touchdown of the half. The Eagles trailed 24-7 at intermission.
 
Hennessey completed 21-of-28 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns. A year ago, he and Jordan West combined for a school-record 526 yards passing versus UNI. Sophomore Gage Gubrud, making just his third collegiate start and first at home, completed 13-of-26 passes for 114 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed 10 times for a net gain of 15 yards.
 
Senior Kendrick Bourne had his second-straight 100-yard receiving game and eighth of his career, finishing with a career-high 10 receptions for 152 yards and a 37-yard touchdown catch from Hennessey. Sophomore Stu Stiles, making the first start of his career as an injury replacement for Cooper Kupp, caught seven passes for 54 yards and a score. Hill added seven catches for 79 yards, and also had a rush for 30 yards. He caught a 5-yard TD pass from Gubrud in the second quarter.
 
 
Looking Back to 2015  . . . #14 Northern Iowa 38, #7 EWU 35
 
Penalties, injuries and poor field position conspired against Eastern at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Sept. 12, 2015. The seventh-ranked Eagles rallied from a 21-14 deficit to take the lead, but 14th-ranked Northern Iowa scored 17-unanswered points in the fourth quarter thanks to its passing game and a late interception and went on to defeat Eastern 38-35 in a NCAA Football Championship Subdivision showdown.
 
With three EWU starters already missing the game because of injuries, two more were felled against the Panthers. Add that to 159 yards of penalties and a more than 10-yard average difference in punting, and the Eagles couldn't capitalize on a 526-yard passing performance that broke the school record.
 
Eastern quarterbacks Jordan West and Reilly Hennessey combined to complete 37-of-47 passes (79 percent) for four touchdowns, helping the Eagles overcome a running game that managed just 26 yards on 25 carries. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp had another splendid performance with nine catches for 179 yards and touchdown catches of 18 and 73 yards. However, he suffered a hip pointer and couldn't play in the second half. Sophomore Nic Sblendorio had career highs with 10 catches for 158 yards and junior Kendrick Bourne added eight grabs for 84 yards and two TDs. Defensively, Alek Kacmarcik made the first start of his career and finished with five tackles with a pair of sacks. Linebacker Miquiyah Zamora and Miles Weatheroy each had seven tackles, and Mitch Fettig had six stops with a pass broken up.
 
Eastern's defense held UNI to just 10 yards and scoreless in the first quarter and to only 83 yards and no points in the third quarter. The Eagles held UNI scoreless in their first four possessions of the second half – including a trio of three-and-outs – but the Panthers changed quarterbacks and had 153 yards in the final quarter. Sawyer Kollmorgen was 10-of-13 for 103 yards and a touchdown during the team's 17-point onslaught. Prior to that, UNI had just 91 passing yards, but did finish the game with 266 rushing. Northern Iowa's running game racked up 266 of the team's 460 yards, with quarterback Aaron Bailey rushing for 134 and passing for another 91.
 
Eastern had 102 more penalty yards than the Panthers (159-57) and had a 33.8 punting average compared to 44.0 for UNI. The lone turnover of the game was a 16-yard interception return for a touchdown by the Panthers with 5:19 to play after they had taken a 31-28 lead. Eastern responded with a five-play, 77-yard drive, but UNI picked up a pair of first downs on the ensuing possession to run out the clock.