In a year of trials and tribulation, the trip and opponent seemed apropos.
The Eastern Washington University football team will play a preliminary game in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs on the road for the first time in more than 10 years – and to add to the intrigue will be playing a team in which EWU head coach
Aaron Best calls the "barometer of FCS Football."
In a rematch of the 2018 NCAA Division I Football Championship game, Eastern will play at North Dakota State in the first round of the 2020-21 NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs. The game versus NDSU will be played Saturday, April 24 at 12:34 p.m. Pacific time at the Fargodome in Fargo. N.D.
It will be Eastern's first road trip in the preliminary rounds of the playoffs since 2009. It snaps a string of 17-straight home playoff games at "The Inferno" in Cheney, Wash., not including a pair of title games in Frisco, Texas, to conclude the 2010 and 2018 seasons.
"You have to play your best when the best is necessary," said Best
. "They have the upper hand right out of the gate because they are at the Fargodome in their home venue. We will be ready, excited and energetic to travel as a group this week, and put our best foot forward in the Fargodome."
Eastern finished 5-1 and with a five-game winning streak to earn an at-large berth out of the Big Sky Conference. The Bison are 6-2 and also received an at-large entry after losing to Missouri Valley Football Conference champion South Dakota State 27-17 on April 17 at the Fargodome. That loss snapped a 32-game home winning streak for NDSU.
Eastern is ranked ninth in this week's STATS Perform NCAA Football Championship Subdivision top 25 poll, while the Bison hold down the No. 6 spot after ranking second behind James Madison prior to the SDSU loss. In the coaches poll, NDSU is eighth and EWU is ninth.
Since EWU won the title in 2010, North Dakota State has won eight of the last nine titles, with JMU winning the other championship in 2016.
After a roller-coaster season for his team during an abbreviated six-game schedule during the Covid-19 pandemic, Best could only take it in stride when he learned his team's fate on April 18. The winner of the Eagle-Bison game will move on to play the winner of the game between a pair of unbeaten teams – Monmouth (3-0) and second-seeded Sam Houston State (6-0).
"It's absolutely appropriate we are going on the road and playing in Fargo in the first round of the playoffs," said Best. "We are just thankful and blessed to have this opportunity based on the brand of ball we played against six opponents this spring.
"Why wouldn't we have it any other way," continued the long-time Eagle, who will be making his 11th playoff appearance as an EWU player or coach. "It makes it more interesting – that's what we are used to and it's going to allow us to continue to build on preparations when we hit adversity for years to come."
Eastern is 1-3 all-time versus the Bison, losing 34-24 the last time they met on Jan. 5, 2019, in Frisco, Texas, for the title for the 2018 season. North Dakota State won its third-straight title in 2019 in a year the Eagles did not qualify for the playoffs. Eastern is making its 14th appearance in the FCS Playoffs, and NDSU will be making its 11th. They are two of just five schools nationally to have made at least 11 appearances since 2004.
The first appearance for NDSU came in 2010, and EWU beat the Bison 38-31 in overtime in the quarterfinals at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash. The two teams met in regular season games in 2016 and 2017, with EWU falling 50-44 in overtime in the Fargodome in the first meeting, then losing the following season 40-13 in Cheney.
Consistency has been a cornerstone of EWU Football, and the Eagles have extended to 17 seasons a current run of winning the league title and/or advancing to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs at least every other year. Eastern has achieved that feat ever since its last back-to-back-empty seasons in 2002 and 2003.
On the opposite side of the bracket is fellow Big Sky Conference member Weber State, a recent FCS powerhouse the Eagles have not faced since falling 14-6 in Ogden, Utah, on Oct. 13, 2018. The Wildcats received the league's automatic berth with a 5-0 record in league play and host Southern Illinois in their opener.
Not including championship games in 2010 and 2018, Eastern's last 17 games in the playoffs have come at home at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash. The Eagles have won 13 of them, and their 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 NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs – just 16 teams this year with only six at-large berths (changed from five on 4/7/21) -- all take place on April 24 with first-round games, followed by the quarterfinals on May 1-2 and the semifinals on May 8. All rounds of the FCS playoffs will be broadcast on ESPN's family of networks, with the national championship game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, taking place on Sunday, May 16, at 11 a.m. Pacific time on ABC.
This week's game will be televised via ESPN3. 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.
Due to NCAA restrictions limiting seating capacity to 25 percent for this year's FCS playoffs, EWU will not have tickets to sell and NDSU is unable to guarantee tickets. Fans interested in purchasing playoff tickets should contact the North Dakota State athletic ticket office or visit
gobison.com.
Dates/Sites/Pairings of First-Round Games (all times Pacific)
April 24 at Brookings, South Dakota - Noon (ESPN3) - Holy Cross (3-0) at #1 South Dakota St. (5-1)
April 24 at Ogden, Utah - 1 p.m. (ESPN3) - Southern Ill. (5-3) at Weber St. (5-0)
April 24 at Newark, Delaware - 4 p.m. (ESPN3) - Sacred Heart (3-1) at Delaware (5-0)
April 24 at Jacksonville, Alabama – 11 a.m. (ESPN3) - Davidson (4-2) at #4 Jacksonville St. (9-2)
April 24 at Harrisonburg, Virginia – 11 a.m. (ESPN3) - VMI (6-1) at #3 James Madison (5-0)
April 24 at Grand Forks, North Dakota - 1 p.m. (ESPN3) - Missouri St. (5-4) at North Dakota (4-1)
April 24 at Fargo, North Dakota, 12:30 p.m. (ESPN3) - Eastern Wash. (5-1) at North Dakota St. (6-2)
April 24 at Huntsville, Texas – 9 a.m. (ESPN3) Monmouth (3-0) at #2 Sam Houston (6-0)
More on the Eagles
Eastern has won its last five games since a season-opening loss to Idaho, and Weber State won all five of its games to capture the regular season Big Sky Conference title and the league's automatic berth.
In the final two weeks of its regular season, Eastern beat No. 11 UC Davis 32-22 on the road, then won its 17th-straight at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash., with a come-from-behind 38-31 victory over Idaho.
The Eagles are led by Walter Payton Award finalist and the preseason league MVP
Eric Barriere, who has 2,324 yards of total offense and 18 passing touchdowns in six games. Twice this year he has directed game-tying and game-winning scoring drives in the fourth quarter for EWU, and he is just 157 yards from hitting the coveted 10,000-yard mark for offense (current total of 9,843).
Eastern finished 7-5 in 2019, including a 6-2 record in the Big Sky to finish in a third-place tie. However, the Eagles were passed over for a berth in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs despite finishing as the national runner-up in 2018. Eastern was also passed over for a berth in 2017 despite a 7-4 finish overall and 6-2 mark in the Big Sky.
In finishing 5-1 in the Big Sky Conference 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 88-22 for a .800 winning percentage.
Head coach
Aaron Best will be making his 11th appearance in the FCS Playoffs as either an EWU player or coach. As head coach, he has led EWU to finishes of 6-2, 7-1, 6-2 and now 5-1 in the league in his four seasons at the helm, a 24-6 record and .800 winning percentage that currently ranks sixth in the 58-year history of the league (third among coaches with at least four seasons). Overall, Best is currently 31-13 for a .705 winning percentage to rank 12th all-time in the league (ninth among coaches with at last four seasons at the helm).
EWU Playoff Notes
* Eastern is making its 14th appearance in the playoffs in 2020-21, becoming just the 12th team in FCS to have 14 or more appearances (still ranked 12th following 2020-21 selections). The other appearances for the Eagles came in 1985, 1992, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018. 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 is
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 26 playoff games (17-9), with 23 as a coach (15-8) and three as a player (2-1). He has been involved in 21 of those games at home (15-6), just three on the road (1-2) 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.
• Eastern has 11 playoff berths in a 17-year span (2004-present), 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 three tournaments. James Madison (2004-06-07-08-11-14-15-16-17-18-19-20/21) has 12 appearances since 2004, while Eastern, North Dakota State (2010-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20/21) and Montana (2004-05-06-07-08-09-11-13-14-15-19) have 11 in that stretch.
• The Eagles have a 19-12 record in their previous 13 playoff appearances, ranking 10th all-time for wins, seventh for percentage (.613, 19-12) and 12th for appearances. Eastern has a 15-6 record at home, 3-5 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 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.
* 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).
A Look at EWU's Season Thus Far . . .
On Feb. 27 in the 2020-21 season opener for both teams, Eastern was finally able to begin its 112th season in school history after a delay of five months because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Eagles opened a 14-0 lead at Idaho, but the Vandals would take their only lead of the game with 54 seconds left and won 28-21. Eastern had 426 yards of total offense – including 339 by
Eric Barriere – while holding the Vandals to 366 yards.
Two days prior to that game, Eastern confirmed that Best had tested positive for Covid-19 and would miss the season-opening game at Idaho. He followed proper isolation protocols via CDC guidelines and the Spokane Regional Health District, and came out of isolation on Saturday, March 6 to coach versus Northern Arizona.
The Eagles beat Northern Arizona 45-13 on March 6 in the first game on the new red Astroturf surface installed at "The Inferno" last summer. The Eagles then won on the road at Idaho State 46-42, needing two fourth quarter touchdowns to pull out that victory. Eastern followed with a 62-10 romp past Cal Poly at home on March 27, then EWU won at 11th-ranked UC Davis 32-22, extending EWU's streak of seasons with at least two road wins to 27. At ISU, EWU extended its streak of at least one road win to 52 seasons.
Eastern closed the regular season with a come-from-behind 38-31 victory over Idaho, giving EWU its 17th-straight victory at Roos Field. The win also improved Barriere to 13-0 at "The Inferno."
Weber State finished as the Big Sky Conference champion at 5-0, followed by Eastern Washington at 5-1 and UC Davis and Northern Arizona at 3-2. Idaho and Idaho State were 2-4, while the bottom two teams in the standings were Southern Utah (1-5) and Cal Poly (0-3).
Game Notes
Barriere Among 16 Finalists for Payton Award to be Announced May 15
After a productive 2020-21 six-game campaign, Eastern Washington University quarterback
Eric Barriere is among the 16 finalists for the Stats Perform FCS Walter Payton Award, which is presented to the national offensive player of the year in college football's NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.
A 40-member national media panel will select the winner from the unprecedented 2020-21 season, which has spanned the fall and spring semesters. The recipient will be announced on May 15.
The Payton Award, named for the legendary running back and in its 34th season, has served as a stepping-stone for such NFL players as Steve McNair, Tony Romo, Brian Westbrook, Jimmy Garoppolo and former Eagle Cooper Kupp. Kupp was EWU's latest recipient in 2015, with other former Eagles honored including Erik Meyer (2005) and Bo Levi Mitchell (2011).
Also, the most recent recipient in 2019, former North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance, is projected to be one of the early selections in the NFL Draft on April 29.
Barriere, who will lead Eastern against NDSU this Saturday in the first round of the FCS Playoffs, finished fifth in the voting as a junior in the 2019 season. He has made his case for the award this season by passing for at least 300 yards in five of six games this season and having at least 400 yards of total offense in three of them. In the other game, he had 284 passing/324 total offense in barely over two quarters of action in a 62-10 romp.
Through six games this season, Barriere is ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in total offense (fourth, 387.3 per game), passing offense (fourth, 364.8), passing touchdowns (third, 18) and points responsible for (11th, 18.3 per game). So far in the 2020-21 season, he's completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 2,189 yards, 18 touchdowns and 2,324 total yards of offense.
"He's been phenomenal," said Eastern head coach
Aaron Best. "His play-making ability, ability to escape rush and ability to extend plays has been second-to-none. And we've had a first-hand glimpse of some great ones here. But Eric's development has been thorough and consistent."
In his illustrious 37-game career, Barriere is 20-8 as a starter, including 13-0 at home. He is just 157 yards from hitting the coveted 10,000-yard mark for total offense with a current total of 9,843 – including 8,489 through the air. He ranks fifth in school history in both categories, as well as his career total of 74 TD passes.
He has completed 60.3 percent of his passes in his career (629-of-1043), good for 8,489 yards, 74 touchdowns and 20 interceptions, and has rushed 274 times for 1,354 net yards and 17 more TDs. He had a passing efficiency rating of 146.9 as a sophomore, 151.6 in 2019 and a 148.3 mark in his career to currently rank fifth in school history. Barriere has surpassed the school record for rushing yards by a quarterback -- he now has 1,354 with Vernon Adams Jr. closing his career with 1,232. Eastern is 19-1 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.
"He was thrust into the role in the middle of 2018 and put the team on his shoulders, and really carried that team through a better part of that year," added Best. "He's only grown since then and is a very hungry individual. He studies his tail off and doesn't just rely on his talents. He's made reads and checked the ball down when necessary, he's tucked the ball and ran when necessary and he's gotten out of bounds when necessary. He's given our team the best chance to win play-in and play-out. I commend him 100 percent for his growth, including off the field. He's part of something special, not just on Saturdays."
Also in the next month, Stats Perform will present the Buck Buchanan Award (FCS defensive player of the year), Jerry Rice Award (FCS freshman player of the year), Eddie Robinson Award (FCS coach of the year) and Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Eagles Take Over Lead in Total Offense in FCS
Through six games this season, Eastern is averaging 558.7 yards of offense to move from second to rank first in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision after games played on April 17. Entering that day, UIW (Incarnate Word) led at 599.2 yards per game, but had only 318 in a 42-14 loss at Sam Houston State.
Eastern is also third nationally in passing (386.8) and seventh in scoring offense (40.7). In addition, the Eagles are 26th in rushing (171.8) and 11th in passing efficiency (152.0). Leading the nation in passing is Houston Baptist (459.5).
Quarterback
Eric Barriere is ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in total offense (fourth, 387.3 per game), passing offense (fourth, 364.8), passing touchdowns (third, 18) and points responsible for (11th, 18.3 per game). Wide receiver
Talolo Limu-Jones is leading FCS in receiving yards per game (120.2) and is fifth in receptions per game (7.3, total of 44).
Eastern had just 426 yards of total offense at Idaho on Feb. 27 and 476 in the rematch on April 10, but has averaged 612.3 in its other four games – 622 versus Northern Arizona, 581 at Idaho State, 683 against Cal Poly (eighth-most in school history) and 563 at UC Davis.
The Eagles are ranked 57th in total defense in the 2020-21 season, allowing an average of 367.2 yards per game and allowing 24,3 points per game to rank 49th. In third down conversion percentage, Eastern is 16th offensively (.468) and 38th defensively (.364), and on fourth down are 10th on offense (.706) and 16th on defense (.267).
Eastern is 31-18 Since 2010 Versus Ranked Opponents
After EWU's game versus UC Davis on April 3, Eastern has now won 63 percent of its games (31-18) versus ranked teams since 2010. Eastern is 60-72 (.455) in 132 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 game on Oct. 26, 2019, at Montana was the 63rd time and the most recent occasion Eastern has faced a team ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (STATS), as well as the 131st against a ranked foe. Eastern lost that game 34-17 in Missoula to extend its losing streak versus ranked foes to three games.
The Eagles are 9-35 all-time versus top 5 opponents (4-7 since 2010), including 2-8 versus No. 1 (0-2 since 2010). Eastern is also 10-9 versus top 10 foes since 2010, including a 5-4 mark in the regular season and 5-5 in the playoffs Eastern is 19-44 in 63 games all-time versus top 10 opponents.
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.
The Jacksonville State game on Sept. 14, 2019, was the only other time in the 2019 season the Eagles played a ranked team in FCS in the STATS weekly poll. Eastern, ranked fourth at the time by STATS, lost 49-45 to the 17th-ranked Gamecocks. However, Washington (ranked in FBS) and North Dakota (ranked 25th in the FCS coaches poll but not by STATS), means EWU actually faced three ranked foes in EWU's first five games that season.
Eastern was 5-2 versus ranked opponents in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in 2018. Eastern also beat the No. 9 team in NCAA Division II at the time when EWU blasted Central Washington 58-13 to open the season. The Eagles then defeated a ranked opponent for the first time since 2016 when the Eagles beat Northern Arizona 31-26 on Sept. 8. Northern Arizona had entered the game ranked 18th in the STATS Top 25 poll, and the win snapped a three-game losing streak in games versus ranked foes. The last win over a ranked opponent before that was versus No. 12 Richmond 38-0 on Dec. 10, 2016, in the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs.
Eastern, however, fell 14-6 to No. 13 Weber State on Oct. 13, 2018, in Ogden, Utah, in another game versus a ranked foe, then registered victories over No. 4 UC Davis (59-20), No. 15 Nicholls (42-21), No. 7 UC Davis (34-29) and No. 12 Maine (50-19), with the latter three wins coming in the FCS Playoffs. The Eagles then fell to top-ranked North Dakota State 38-24 in the NCAA Division I Championship Game in Frisco, Texas.
Eagles Will Play Their 63rd Game in a Dome
The game March 13, 2021, versus Idaho State was Eastern's 62nd game inside a dome, where the temperatures are always at about 72 degrees and wind or humidity are not factors. After the 46-42 victory, Eastern is 32-30 all-time in domes, including a 16-4 at Idaho State's Holt Arena, 4-10 record at the Kibbie Dome, 10-7 at NAU's Walkup Skydome, 2-0 at North Dakota, 0-1 at North Dakota State, 0-1 at South Dakota, 0-6 at Northern Iowa and 0-1 at the Houston Astrodome.
Playing in a dome is a far cry from what Eastern faced Sept. 14, 2019, in Jacksonville, Ala., where the game was delayed by 30 minutes to 3:35 p.m. because of lightning in the area. At kickoff it was 90 degrees with 67 percent humidity. That was the eighth-hottest game in recorded EWU history (since 1980), ranking behind the 106 at Arizona State (8/31/02 at 6 p.m.), 97 at Sacramento State (9/26/09 at 6 p.m.), 94 at Southwest Texas State (9/7/95 at 6 p.m. in San Marcos, Texas), 93 at Spokane's Albi Stadium versus Portland State (9/3/88 at 7 p.m.), 93 at Sacramento State (9/26/15 at 6 p.m.), 92 at Eastern Illinois (9/14/91 at 6:30 p.m.) and 91 at Nicholls State (9/2/04 at 6:30 p.m. at Thibodeaux, La.). On two other occasions the temperature has hit 90 degrees at kickoff.
The temperature for the Nicholls State game in 2004 also came with considerable humidity, and a pre-game rain shower soaked Eastern's footballs prior to the 37-14 loss. Eastern also faced severe weather at Sam Houston State on Sept. 28, 2013, when a thunder, lightning and rain storm stopped the game for 78 minutes. With a temperature of 84 degrees and 81 percent humidity, Eastern fell 49-34. There was also a similar one-hour weather delay when Eastern played at Southwest Texas State in San Marcos, Texas, on a 94-degree day on Sept. 7, 1995. Eastern won that game 34-16.
Eagles Have Won 80 Percent of Their Last 110 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 88-22 for a .800 winning percentage.
Head coach
Aaron Best has led EWU to league finishes of 6-2, 7-1, 6-2 and now 5-1 in the league in his four seasons at the helm, a 24-6 record and .800 winning percentage that currently ranks sixth in the 58-year history of the league (third among coaches with at least four seasons). Overall, Best is currently 31-13 for a .705 winning percentage to rank 12th all-time in the league (ninth among coaches with at last four seasons at the helm).
Through the 2020-21 season, the Eagles have won 64 of their last 76 Big Sky Conference games (84.2 percent) since a 0-2 start in 2011. Included are stretches of 54 victories in the last 64 games (including two at the end of the 2012 season) and 32 of the last 38 (since 2016). Those are percentages of .844 and .842, respectively.
Including three wins at the end of the 2009 season, Eastern has had a 74-15 record (.831) in league games since then. 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 70-13 (.843) since the 0-2 start in 2011 and 60-10 (.857) since winning the last two games at the end of the 2012 campaign.
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 56-year history of the league was Montana, which won 50 of 55 games from 1995-2002 and 46 of 51 from 2003-2009.
What is perhaps most impressive is Eastern's ability to consistently win on the road versus conference foes, with records of 27-8 (77 percent) on the road, 32-3 at home (91 percent) and 59-11 overall (84 percent) in the last eight seasons since 2012. 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 Now 60-10 on the Red Turf with Record 17-Game Winning Streak
Having won all five of its regular season home games in 2019 and all eight in 2018, Eastern has started the 2020-21 season 3-0 at home to give the Eagles a school-record 17-straight wins at Roos Field. Eastern is now 60-10 (85.7 percent) overall at "The Inferno" since 2010. The stadium has been known as Roos Field since 2010 when a new red synthetic Sprinturf surface made its debut. Eastern's last home loss came on Nov. 4, 2017, versus Weber State.
At its current site, the previous school record was 11 consecutive home wins set between 9/16/78 and 9/27/80 (between losses was from 11/19/77 to 11/1/80). Overall, the school record is 21 set from 1935-40. Eastern had a nine-game winning streak snapped in a 36-21 loss to Montana State on Sept. 24, 2011. The Eagles also had a nine-game winning streak at that venue snapped against Sacramento State on Oct. 21, 2000, when the Hornets made a 23-yard field goal with no time remaining.
Eastern has lost just six regular season games at "The Inferno" – 47-6 (88.7 percent), plus are 13-4 (76.5 percent) in playoff games. The only regular season losses at home for EWU since 2010 are to conference foes Montana State (2011), Portland State (2011 and 2015), Northern Arizona (2015) and Weber State (2017), as well as North Dakota State (2017).
Eastern finished a perfect 8-0 in its debut season at "The Inferno," including three playoff victories. Eastern has won 85.1 percent of its games since the red turf was installed in 2010 – including a 4-0 record versus rival Montana. The original red turf at Roos Field was replaced in summer of 2020 by a new AstroTurf surface.
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 173-65 record (72.7 percent) in 238 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.
Eagles Dominant During 17-Game Winning Streak at Home
During Eastern's 16-game winning streak at Roos Field, the Eagles have had just three games decided by less than double figures and all but four decided by at least 21 points. In fact, Eastern has won by an average score of 52-23, more than doubling its opponents 877-393. The margin of victory in 13 of the 17 games has been at least 21 points, eight of them have been by at least 30, three by 40 or more and a pair have been won by at least 50 points (52 and 53, both versus Cal Poly).
In EWU's last nine home games, EWU has won by an average score of 51-25 (462-229). Those games came after EWU's 34-29 victory over UC Davis in the 2018 FCS Playoffs. The only other games decided by less than 10 points was a 53-46 victory over Portland State to end the 2019 campaign and 38-31 over Idaho on April 10, 2021, to end the 2020-21 regular season.
Eagles Play Same Regular Season Foe for First Time Since 1969
The rematch with Idaho on April 10 was the first time in 52 seasons EWU has played the same opponent twice in the regular season in the same year. The last time was in 1969 when Eastern was a member of the NAIA and the Evergreen Conference. Eastern played Central Washington, Western Washington and Whitworth twice that season, with the last rematch coming on 11/15/69 versus Central. Eastern has played three other opponents times twice in the same season, but all three times the second meeting came in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs. The first came in 1985 versus Idaho, then EWU played Montana twice in 2014 and UC Davis twice in 2018. Eastern won five of the games, losing only to Idaho in the regular season in 1985. In the 2020-21 season, EWU and UI split the series – Idaho won 28-21 on Feb. 27 in EWU's opener in Moscow, Idaho, then ended the regular season with a 38-31 victory over the Vandals in Cheney.
Eagles Set Records With Monstrous Drive at UC Davis
Eastern's 22-play, 94-yard touchdown drive that took 9:29 off the clock in the second quarter at UC Davis on April 3 set a pair of school records. The number of plays was the longest recorded drive in school history, ranking behind the previous mark of 19 set on 9/30/17 versus Sacramento State (92 yards, 7:29, ended with a made field goal). It was also the longest drive all-time at Eastern, breaking the previous mark of 9:06 on 9/26/98 at Cal State Northridge (17 plays, 78 yards, ended with a missed field goal). The drive at UC Davis was the 21st of seven minutes or longer, and there have now been a total of 35 drives of at least 94 yards. Eastern bumped that total to 36 one week later when it had a 95-yard TD drive in the second quarter versus Idaho (15 plays, 5:38). The record for longest drive is 99 set on seven occasions.
Streak of At Least One Road Win Extended to 52 Seasons; Two Road Wins Now at 27 Seasons
Against UC Davis, Eastern extended its streak of seasons with at least two road wins to 27 and is now 9-0 all-time versus the Aggies. 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 27-straight seasons with at least a pair. Eastern extended that from 25 to 26 against Cal Poly on Nov. 16, 2019.
A 46-42 win at ISU earlier this season extended EWU's current streak seasons with at least one road win to 52 and EWU won for the 12th-straight time over Idaho State. The year prior, EWU had also extended it with a win at ISU on Nov. 9, 2019. That streak now includes all 37 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.
Eastern Now 58-0 Since 2010 When Winning the TO Battle
In the last 13 seasons (2008-20), the Eagles are now 67-1 when they've won the turnover battle, 24-9 when they've been tied and 25-34 when they've lost (total of 116-44). 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 58-0 since 2010 when they've won the turnover battle, 21-9 when they've been tied and 23-27 when they've lost. That's a collective record of 102-36 (73.9 percent), with 27 of those 36 losses (75 percent) coming in games EWU has lost the turnover battle and 57 percent of EWU's wins coming when they've won the turnover battle (77 percent when including ties).
In 2020-21 thus far, 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.
Total of 20 Players Have Made First Career Starts
No Eagles made their starting debuts versus Idaho in EWU's final regular season game of the season on April 10. Thus far in the 2020-21 season, 20 players have made the initial starts of their careers – 12 on defense and eight on offense.
Sophomore
Ely Doyle, a transfer from Arizona State, started his first game as an Eagle at UC Davis on April 3 and finished with a team-high eight tackles. At the time, Doyle bumped himself to second on the team with 30 tackles, with all of those coming during EWU's four-game winning streak. He also has two passes broken up this season, but missed the game versus Idaho on April 10.
In addition, linebacker
Jack Sendelbach and safety
Calin Criner both made their season debuts against UC Davis after missing EWU's first four games of the spring season. Sendelbach and Criner are both senior co-captains for the Eagles, and started their 16th and 17th career games, respectively, at EWU. Sendelbach finished with six tackles and Criner had three versus the Aggies.
Junior quarterback
Gunner Talkington made the first start of his career versus Cal Poly on March 27 and finished with career highs for completions (6), yards (132), touchdowns (2), rushing yards (14), long rush (14) and total offense (146). On Eastern's second play of the game, he found
Talolo Limu-Jones for a 71-yard gain and then followed with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Talkington to
Freddie Roberson to open the floodgates. The Eagles finished with 416 yards passing. Junior linebacker
Cale Lindsay also made his first career start versus the Mustangs and had a career-high eight tackles.
Sophomore
Justin Patterson made the first start of his career at Idaho State on March 13, and had a pair of tackles in his debut. Four players made their first career starts in the Northern Arizona game, including three on the defensive side. Junior
Debore'ae McClain and redshirt freshman
Brock Harrison made their first starts, as did redshirt freshman nickel back
Marlon Jones Jr. The lone starting debut on offense was by sophomore
Brad Godwin at guard.
In addition, true freshman kicker
Jackson Cleaver made his Eagle debut versus Northern Arizona and scored EWU's first points with a 28-yard field goal, then made all six of his extra point attempts after that.
Six Eagles on both sides of the ball made their first starts of their careers at Idaho on Feb. 27, including true freshman offensive guard
Wyatt Hansen and true freshman wide receiver
Efton Chism III, who were playing their first games in college. The others on offense were guard
Wyatt Musser, tackle
Matt Shook, running back
Tamarick Pierce and wide receiver
Anthony Stell Jr. On defense, the first-time starters were end
Jusstis Warren, tackle
Joshua Jerome, tackle
Jacob Newsom, linebacker
Ty Graham, safety
Keshaun King and safety
Anthany Smith.
Graham was playing his first game as an Eagle after playing previously at Idaho and redshirting in 2019, Warren is a sixth-year senior and played one game in 2019 after transferring from Washington. In all, a total of six true freshmen saw action and made their collegiate debuts at Idaho – several on special teams. The six true freshmen who played were Hansen, Chism, wide receiver
Nolan Ulm, linebacker
Conner O'Farrell, running back
Justice Jackson and defensive lineman
Ben Roe. In the NAU game, defensive backs
Kameron Lane and
DaJean Wells and defensive lineman
Matthew Brown all played as true freshmen.
Eastern entered the 2020-21 season 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 (135 starts by 20 players):
Calin Criner 18,
Tre Weed 17,
Jack Sendelbach 17,
Mitchell Johnson 16,
Darrien Sampson 9,
Kedrick Johnson 8,
Darreon Moore 7,
Ty Graham 6,
Joshua Jerome 6,
Jacob Newsom 6,
Brock Harrison 5,
Anthany Smith 5,
Keshaun King 4,
Marlon Jones Jr. 4,
Caleb Davis 2,
Ely Doyle 1,
Cale Lindsay 1,
Jusstis Warren 1,
Debore'ae McClain 1,
Justin Patterson 1.
Current Starts on Offense (171 starts by 18 players):
Tristen Taylor 46,
Eric Barriere 28,
Andrew Boston 23,
Johnny Edwards IV 12,
Conner Crist 8,
Talolo Limu-Jones 8,
Freddie Roberson 8,
Dylan Ingram 6,
Wyatt Musser 6,
Matt Shook 6,
Tamarick Pierce 5,
Wyatt Hansen 4,
Dennis Merritt 2,
Brad Godwin 2,
Anthony Stell Jr. 3,
Efton Chism III 2,
Blake Gobel 1,
Gunner Talkington 1.
Defense Continues Impressive Performances
Offense pays the bills at Eastern, but the defense has definitely cashed in with three impressive performances thus far. Although the Eagles fell to Idaho 28-21 on Feb. 27, the defense surrendered just 366 yards, including only 70 on the ground. In a 45-13 win the next week versus Northern Arizona, the defense surrendered just 338 – 128 rushing and 210 passing. In those two games, Eastern had a 344-yard advantage in total offense (1,048 to 704), and forced opponents to punt 13 times and settle for field goal attempts on four occasions.
Eastern followed that by giving up 42 points and 512 total yards at Idaho State on March 13. The defense did allow just 93 yards rushing. Two weeks later in a 62-10 victory over Cal Poly, Eastern surrendered just 238 yards – 70 passing and 168 on the ground.
The defense had a stellar first half against 11th-ranked UC Davis on April 3, and ended up allowing 397 total yards – 218 on the ground and just 179 passing. The Eagle defense was superb in the first half, allowing just 115 total yards and registering its first shutout in a half this season – and first in its last 18 games. The last shutout in a half came in the FCS Playoffs in 2018 versus Maine (12/15/18) when EWU held the Black Bears scoreless in the first half in the 50-19 victory. Likewise, it was also the initial time the Aggies had been shut out in a half this season. They had scored in 14 of 16 quarters entering the game versus EWU, and ended up punting on six of their first eight possessions, with another ending on an Eagle goal-line stand at the 1-yard line.
Most recently, Eastern surrendered 352 yards to Idaho on April 10, giving up 278 on 59 rushing attempts and 74 passing on 11 attempts. The Vandals, who didn't have the services of any of the three quarterbacks expected to come to Cheney, had two interceptions in the final quarter as EWU rallied for a 38-31 victory.
Through six games, the defense is allowing 24.3 points and 367.2 yards per game – 159.1 on the ground and 208.0 through the air.
Linebacker
Ty Graham was EWU's leading tackler through the regular season with 42 tackles, although he played just the first series versus Idaho on April 10 and was lost for the season with an injury. Safety
Anthany Smith had 17 tackles in that game – equaling the 19th-most in school history – and now has 40 tackles in five games played. Defensive tackle
Joshua Jerome has 36 tackles to rank third on the team, and has a team-leading three sacks. Safety
Keshaun King has 31 tackles in six games, plus his first career interception against Idaho on April 10 that led to EWU's game-winning score. Safety
Ely Doyle, a transfer from Arizona State, has had all 30 of his tackles in the last four games he's played – all wins – but missed the Idaho game on April 10. End
Mitchell Johnson has 25 tackles, two sacks and a pair of interception, including a leaping/twisting interception on fourth down against Idaho with 1:29 remaining to help seal the 38-31 victory on April 10.
Additional Pre-Season Rankings Pegs Eastern No. 12 in Nation
Eastern was ranked 12th nationally in the winter/spring preseason rankings released Feb. 9 by Athlon Sports, as well as the weekly poll of sportswriters and broadcasters released by Stats Perform on Feb. 22. Eastern fell to 22nd nationally in the Stats Perform poll released March 1, with Idaho jumping into the rankings at No. 19 and Weber State moving up to No. 2.
In the poll released on March 8, Eastern moved up to No. 18 while Weber State remained second and UC Davis entered the rankings at No. 23 after beating Idaho 27-17. The Eagles beat Idaho State on March 13 and moved up one spot to 15th, while Weber State dropped one spot to third and UC Davis moved up to 21st after a close 18-13 victory for WSU over the Aggies. On March 22nd, Eastern was ranked 12th, Weber State was third and UC Davis was 15th, and on March 29th, Eastern was ninth, Weber State third and UC Davis 11th. In the April 5 poll, Eastern was ranked ninth for the third week in a row, Weber State was third and UC Davis fell to 13th.
Eastern jumped up to No. 8 in the poll released April 12, but then fell back to No. 9 on April 19 after a bye week. North Dakota State fell from No. 2 to No. 6 in the final poll to end the regular season, while Weber State remained at No. 3 and UC Davis ranked 13th.
Weber State was ranked No. 2 in the nation in the preseason Athlon poll behind North Dakota State, and Idaho was the other Big Sky Conference school in the rankings at No. 24. Weber State was picked No. 4 by Stats Perform in its initial poll of the season. UC Davis was listed "On the Cusp" in the Athlon rankings.
The Athlon rankings came a day after Eastern was picked 14th in winter/spring rankings by Hero Sports, which also honored
Eric Barriere as the sole quarterback on its preseason All-America squad. Eastern earned five other top 25 preseason rankings last fall. The Eagles were picked 18th by Stats Perform, and Hero Sports and Street and Smith's also gave the Eagles that ranking. Eastern was No. 20 in the Athlon Sports Preseason Top 25 rankings and were ranked 23rd by College Football America.
EWU 2020-21 EWU Preseason Rankings
(as of Feb. 8, 2021)
FCS Top 25 Preseason Rankings
12th (winter/spring) - Athlon Sports (#1 NDSU, #2 Weber State, #24 Idaho)
14th (winter/spring) - Hero Sports (#1 NDSU, #3 Weber State)
18th (fall) – Stats Perform (#1 NDSU, #4 Weber State, #6 Montana State, #7 Montana, #12 Sacramento State)
18th (fall) - Hero Sports (#1 NDSU, #3 Weber State, #5 Montana State, #7 Montana, #12 Sacramento State)
18th (fall) - Street & Smith's (#1 NDSU, #5 Weber State, #8 Montana State, #9 Montana, #16 Sacramento State)
20th (fall) - Athlon Sports (#1 NDSU, #4 Sacramento State, #6 Weber State, #7 Montana State, #9 Montana)
23rd (fall) - College FB America (#1 NDSU, #6 Montana, #7 Montana State, #8 Weber State, #11 Sac State)
Quarterback Eric Barriere Picked by Hero Sports as Lone QB on Its Preseason All-America squad
Hero Sports honored quarterback
Eric Barriere as one of 29 players selected to its FCS All-America squad on Feb. 8 as selected by Sam Herder and Brian McLaughlin. The honor comes after a fall season in which he earned four other honors, including those picked by STATS Perform (third team), Hero Sports (second team), Phil Steele Publications (fourth team) and College Sports Journal (one of three quarterbacks on its 60-player preseason All-America squad). In addition, last July 24 the Big Sky Conference office announced Barriere as its choice as the preseason Offensive MVP of the league.
Barriere hails from Inglewood, Calif., and is a 2016 graduate of La Habra HS. He is a communication studies major at EWU and has previously earned third team All-Big Sky honors as both a sophomore (2018) and junior (2019). In 2019, Barriere finished fifth in the voting for the prestigious Walter Payton Award presented by STATS, and earned third team FCS All-America honors from Hero Sports.
EWU 2020-21 EWU Preseason Honors
(as of Feb. 8, 2021)
Senior Co-Captains
QB
Eric Barriere (2nd Year)
, S
Calin Criner (1st Year)
, LB
Ty Graham (1st Year), RB
Tamarick Pierce (1st Year)
, LB
Jack Sendelbach (2nd Year), OT
Tristen Taylor (1st Year)
All-America
QB
Eric Barriere - 1st Team Hero Sports (winter/spring)
QB
Eric Barriere - 2nd Team Hero Sports (fall)
QB
Eric Barriere - 3rd Team STATS (fall)
QB
Eric Barriere - 4th Team Phil Steele Publications (fall)
QB
Eric Barriere - College Sports Journal (fall; one of three quarterbacks on 60-player team)
All-Big Sky Conference
QB
Eric Barriere – Official Team Selected by League Office (also MVP on offense) & 1st Team Phil Steele Publications
OL
Tristen Taylor – Official Team Selected by League Office & 2nd Team Phil Steele Publications
WR
Andrew Boston – 3rd Team Phil Steele Publications
DL
Mitchell Johnson – 3rd Team Phil Steele Publications
K
Seth Harrison – 3rd Team Phil Steele Publications
68 Percent of EWU's Roster Are From Washington in 2020-21
The Eagles currently have 94 players on its 2020-21 roster, and 64 of them – 68 percent – are from the state of Washington. Eastern's coaching staff is Washington-based as well, with eight of the team's 10 full-time coaches (80 percent) hailing from the Evergreen State. Head coach
Aaron Best is a 1996 graduate of Curtis High School in Tacoma, Wash.
More About the Eagles in 2020-21
A third team All-American as a junior,
Eric Barriere is one of four returning starters on an offensive squad which led the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in total offense in 2019. The Eagles also have six returning starters on defense, plus all three of their specialists.
The Eagles opened the 2020-21 season with 43 returning letterwinners, as the fourth season under
Aaron Best got underway. The breakdown is 20 letterwinners back from the offense, 20 on defense, a kicker, a punter and a long snapper. Eastern lost eight returning players since the summer when the pandemic took its toll on the 2020 schedule, which was going to be Eastern's best home schedule in school history. The adjusted, abbreviated schedule will not count against the eligibility for all student-athletes.
Eastern has 14 seniors on its squad, that coming after losing in excess of 20 in each of the past two seasons. Eastern had only 14 seniors in 2017 and 12 in 2016.
Three of the returning players include All-Big Sky offensive tackle
Tristen Taylor, linebacker
Jack Sendelbach and running back
Dennis Merritt, who 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 in 2019. Conceivably, all four of those players could return in the fall of 2021 as well.
Taylor had started 28-of-28 games as an Eagle until a season-ending knee injury kept him out of the lineup on Sept. 22, 2018, versus Cal Poly. He has now started all 46 games he has played in his career, and was a second team All-Big Sky selection in 2019 after earning honorable mention in both 2016 and 2017.
Cheney native and Idaho transfer
Ty Graham redshirted in 2019 and is now playing in 2020-21, as well as previous letter winner
Tamarick Pierce (running back). Pierce retained his redshirt status in 2019 by playing in four games in 2019.
More About the 2020-21 Winter/Spring Schedule
The original winter/spring schedule was released on Nov. 4, and Sacramento State was the only team to announce then that the Hornets would skip the spring season and prepare for the fall 2021 campaign. But since Jan. 15, Montana, Montana State, Portland State and Northern Colorado announced they were playing a reduced schedule, leaving the league with eight teams to play the full six games.
Essentially, league administrators came up with a schedule that replaced EWU's home game with the Grizzlies with the NAU contest, and EWU road games versus PSU and MSU with games at Idaho State and Idaho.
Open dates in the schedule were set for March 20 and April 17 in case games need to be re-scheduled because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The 16-team NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs are scheduled to begin April 24 and culminate with the championship game on May 16. Teams are required to play four games to qualify.
The game with Cal Poly marked the return to EWU of new Mustang head coach Beau Baldwin, who spent 13 previous seasons as a coach at EWU. He was an assistant from 2003-06, and head coach from 2008-16.
Eastern was 3-1 in the 2019 season versus opponents on this spring's schedule, including a league-opening 35-27 loss at Idaho on Sept. 21, 2019. Later, on consecutive weeks, Eastern defeated NAU (66-38), ISU (48-5) and Cal Poly (42-41). The Eagles haven't played UC Davis since a 34-29 victory in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs in 2018, giving EWU a perfect 8-0 mark all-time against the Aggies entering the 2020-21 season.
On Aug. 7 in response to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Big Sky Conference announced that all league schools – including Eastern – would move their 2020 schedule to winter/spring 2021. The NCAA had previously announced that the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs would not have its playoffs in the fall, and eventually announced their move to 2021.
The 2020 schedule was going to be Eastern's best in school history, featuring home games versus Montana, Montana State, Idaho and two-time defending Big Sky Conference champion Weber State. The Eagles were scheduled to open Big Sky Conference play at Southern Utah on Sept. 26, followed by its conference home opener versus Montana on Oct. 3. The schedule also included non-conference home games versus Western Illinois and Northern Arizona, and a trip to play at Florida.
Player Notes
Eagles Name Six Co-Captains for 2020-21 Season
Six Eastern football players were selected by their teammates as co-captains for the 2020-21 season, including quarterback
Eric Barriere and linebacker
Jack Sendelbach who will return for their second seasons as captains. They are joined by fellow seniors
Tamarick Pierce (running back),
Calin Criner (safety),
Tristen Taylor (offensive tackle) and
Ty Graham (linebacker).
Including Taylor and Graham, the six co-captains represent 211 total games worth of collegiate experience entering the 2020-21 season, including exactly 100 total starts. Sendelbach and Taylor are both sixth-year seniors who graduated from high school in 2015, while the other four were 2016 graduates and have all redshirted previously.
The six players represent three different states, including Washington, Idaho and California. Sendelbach is a 2015 graduate of Bishop Blanchet High School in Seattle, Wash., and Graham is a 2016 graduate of Cheney (Wash.) HS. Criner graduated in 2016 from Rocky Mountain HS and is from Boise, Idaho, and the other three are from California. Pierce is from Oakland and graduated from Saint Mary's HS in 2016; Barriere hails from Inglewood and is a 2016 graduate of La Habra HS; and Taylor is from Stockton and graduated in 2015 from Stagg HS.
Five Current Eagles Have Completed Coursework Toward Degrees
Five Eastern players have already completed requirements toward their bachelor's degree. Linebacker
Jack Sendelbach graduated following spring quarter of 2019 in marketing, and is now in a graduate program for sport and recreation administration. Linebacker
Ty Graham is now working toward his master's degree in business administration after having already received his marketing degree from EWU with a minor in sports management. Defensive lineman
Jusstis Warren, who like Sendelbach is a sixth-year senior, has also received his bachelor's degree and is now a graduate student in communications studies. Cornerback
Darreon Moore has received his management degree and is now working on his MBA like Graham. And offensive tackle
Tristen Taylor has completed his criminal justice degree and is now working toward a second degree in psychology.
Since 2001, Eastern has annually averaged more than 20 selections to the Big Sky All-Academic team. Eastern has had a league-most 423 selections from 2001-2019 (the school with the next-best total has 300), and Eastern has won a total of 622 Big Sky All-Academic honors since joining the league in 1987. A total of 26 were honored in 2019, and a program-best 34 were recognized in the 2016 season.
Eric Barriere Just 157 Yards From 10,000 Yards of Total Offense
Senior quarterback and Walter Payton Award finalist
Eric Barriere is just 157 yards from hitting the coveted 10,000-yard mark for offense. He enters the FCS Playoffs ranked fifth all-time in school history with 74 TD passes, 8,489 passing yards and 9,843 yards of total offense.
Barriere now has 10 career performances with at least 400 yards of total offense, and 19 with 300+. He also has had 13 performances with at least 300 passing yards (five with at least 400). In his illustrious 37-game career, Barriere is 20-8 as a starter, including 13-0 at home.
He has completed 60.3 percent of his passes in his career (629-of-1043), good for 8,489 yards, 74 touchdowns and 20 interceptions, and has rushed 274 times for 1,354 net yards and 17 more TDs. He had a passing efficiency rating of 146.9 as a sophomore, 151.6 in 2019 and a 148.3 mark in his career to currently rank fifth in school history. Barriere has surpassed the school record for rushing yards by a quarterback -- he now has 1,354 with Vernon Adams Jr. closing his career with 1,232. Eastern is 19-1 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.
Through six games this season, Barriere is ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in total offense (fourth, 387.3 per game), passing offense (fourth, 364.8), passing touchdowns (third, 18) and points responsible for (11th, 18.3 per game). So far in the 2020-21 season, he's completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 2,189 yards, 18 touchdowns and 2,324 total yards of offense. He's passed for at least 300 yards in five of six games this season and having at least 400 yards of total offense in three of them. In the other game, he had 284 passing/324 total offense in barely over two quarters of action in a 62-10 romp.
"
Eric Barriere is the best player in America -- he is the most dynamic player at this level and we've known that for some time," said Eastern head coach
Aaron Best. "He played really, really well for a four or five game stretch. The final game against Idaho wasn't his best, but there were 40 mile-an-hour winds, and that plays no matter who is on the field. You can't just lean on one player to win games. We are all lucky that
Eric Barriere is part of our Eastern Washington football team for many reasons – not just because of his play on the field but also who he is as a person."
Barriere closed the 2020-21 regular season by rallying the ninth-ranked Eagles to a 38-31 victory over Idaho on April 10 at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash., to keep alive EWU's postseason playoff hopes. Barriere passed for 309 yards and two touchdowns, and had another 40 on the ground to give him 349 yards of total offense in swirling, 25 mile-per-hour sustained winds. He directed Eastern to scoring drives of 63, 60, 95, 75, 87 and 78, with the latter two coming in the fourth quarter on game-tying and game-winning marches. Barriere was 5-of-10 for 50 yards and also rushed for another 33 yards on the final two drives, and finished 18-of-38 on the day with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Prior to that, three times the All-America quarterback was selected by the league office as the ROOT Sports Offensive Player of the Week in the 2020-21 season, giving his six such honors in his career. His latest award came after helping lead EWU to a 32-22 victory over 11th-ranked UC Davis on April 3 in Davis, Calif. Eastern out-gained the Aggies 563-397 in the game as Barriere passed for 392 yards and three touchdowns on his way to finishing with 435 yards of total offense. Barriere completed 30-of-41 passes, and also rushed six times for 43 yards. Barriere directed EWU to scoring drives of 68 and 84 yards on EWU's first two possessions, then another of 94 yards in the second quarter as EWU took a 16-0 lead. In the second half, he had a 77-yard TD pass to
Talolo Limu-Jones -- one of his two TD receptions of the game -- and then led EWU on a 91-yard drive in fourth quarter that gave EWU a 29-15 lead. The last scoring drive of 11 plays and 69 yards ended with a field goal late in the game as EWU took 5:37 off the clock.
It's not often that a player wins a national player of the week honor, then comes off the bench in his next game, but that's what happened earlier this season. A week after earning STATS Perform National Offensive Player of the Week honors, Barriere came off the bench on March 27 versus Cal Poly, which in turn gave backup
Gunner Talkington the starting nod and some meaningful – and productive -- snaps. After Talkington led EWU on a game-opening touchdown drive, Barriere took over after that and had 246 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone. Eastern scored a school-record 45 points (as a member of FCS) in the first half of the 62-10 victory, and for the game Barriere was 23-of-33 for 284 yards and three touchdowns.
A week earlier, Barriere helped rally the Eagles to a 46-42 Big Sky Conference victory over Idaho State on March 13 in Pocatello, Idaho. He has previously received national recognition as an All-American and received weekly honorable mention accolades, but it was his first national player of the week award from STATS. Barriere also earned the ROOT SPORTS Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week Award on March 14.
Barriere passed for 455 yards and five touchdowns versus ISU, rallying Eastern from a 42-31 deficit with 8:41 left. He completed 34-of-50 passes and had 19 yards rushing, giving him 474 yards of total offense. His passing yardage total was the second-best of his career and his total offense tally was third. Besides accounting for 30 points with his five TD passes, he had a key two-point conversion pass to bring Eastern to within a field goal of the Bengals. He passed for TDs on three of EWU's first four scoring drives of 80, 75, 70 and 62 yards. He then led EWU on a 10-play, 86-yard TD drive with 5:49 left to pull Eastern to within three after he passed for the two-point conversion. After an ISU punt, he directed EWU on a game-winning, nine-play, 60-yard drive that included a game-winning 6-yard touchdown pass to
Andrew Boston with 25 seconds to play.
Barriere was honored by the Big Sky after he passed for 413 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-13 victory over Northern Arizona on March 6 at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash. Eastern piled up 622 yards of total offense in the 32-point victory.
Barriere opened his senior season at Idaho on Feb. 27 by completing 32-of-57 passes for 330 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Barriere extended his streak of passes without an interception to 250 when his pass went through an EWU receiver's hands and was picked off by the Vandals. His last interception came on his 14th attempt at Sacramento State on Oct. 5, 2019.
He finished his junior season ranked second in total offense with an average of 355.8 yards per game (E.J. Perry of Brown was at 367.8). Barriere was third in passing (309.3, with Northern Arizona's Case Cookus at 342.8) and was sixth with 31 touchdown passes and fifth in points responsible for (20.2 per game with 31 TDs passing, eight rushing and a two-point conversion).
He closed his junior season with 239 passes without an interception, setting the school's single season record for interceptions-to-attempts ratio. He had only four picks in 438 attempts, a miniscule average of .009 per attempt compared to the previous record of .010 set by Erik Meyer in 2005 (five interceptions in 410 attempts). His last interception came on his 14th attempt at Sacramento State on Oct. 5, 2019.
Barriere finished with the seventh-most passing yards in school history with 3,712, and his 31 touchdown passes is eighth. Including 558 rushing yards, his 4,270 yards of total offense was third-most all-time at EWU.
He ended the 2019 season with 260 yards and three touchdowns passing, and another 23 yards and a score on the ground in EWU's 53-46 win over Portland State on Nov. 23. He had pass completions of 46 and 50 yards, giving him 28 plays in his career of at least 40 yards. One game earlier, he had a career-best 164-yard rushing performance at Cal Poly, finishing with one TD rushing and one passing. He also had 176 yards through the air to give him his 340 yards of total offense.
In Eastern's first two games in November, Barriere had a total of 935 yards of total offense to earn him two-straight ROOT Sports Offensive Player of the Week honors as announced by the Big Sky Conference office. He was honored twice in 2019 and once in 2018.
His second honor in 2019 came after his 467-yard performance in a 48-5 win at Idaho State on Nov. 9, and he also received honorable mention as the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Offensive Player of the Week (STATS). Barriere passed for 406 and rushed for 61 versus the Bengals to finish with 467 yards total. He had three passes of at least 58 yards versus Idaho State (58, 59, 80), and the 80-yarder against ISU was the longest of his career.
One week before the ISU game, he was rewarded for totaling 488 yards in EWU's 66-38 win over Northern Arizona on Nov. 2 by earning his player of the week honors from the Big Sky and also received honorable mention as the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Offensive Player of the Week (STATS) and Performer of the Week (College Football Performance Awards). He had 367 yards through the air and 101 on the ground for 468 yards of total offense versus the Lumberjacks. He had a trio of touchdown passes, and finished 30-of-46 with no interceptions for an impressive 183.5 passing efficiency rating. He had a 75-yard touchdown pass to
Talolo Limu-Jones on EWU's first offensive play of the game, and also caught a 20-yard pass from wide receiver
Johnny Edwards IV.
In his previous home game on Oct. 12, he completed 28-of-43 passes for 445 yards and five touchdown passes for EWU in a 54-21 victory over Northern Colorado in which EWU led 40-0 at halftime. Coupled with his 41 yards rushing, his 486 yards were the second-most of his career.
Barriere had 309 yards passing with two touchdowns and 103 rushing and a TD versus Sacramento State on Oct. 5. He accounted for 412 of EWU's 497 yards of total offense, including a 92-yard touchdown run after he was flushed out of the pocket by Sacramento State. That equaled the fourth-longest run in school history, ranking only behind runs of 96 by Taiwan Jones (2009 versus Idaho State), 95 by John Ditz (1954 versus Lewis & Clark) and 94 by Sam McPherson (2018 versus Northern Arizona). It was the longest run by a quarterback, with the previous long set by Barriere versus Southern Utah in 2018 when he had an 85-yard TD run (he also had a 66-yard scoring run at Portland State in 2018). The Eagles had four runs of at least 81 yards in 2018.
He accounted for all four of EWU's touchdowns with two rushing and two passing against Idaho on Sept. 21. He had just 74 passing yards at halftime, but finished 28-of-46 for 365 yards, with another 20 on the ground. His rushing TDs (2), pass attempts (46), and total plays of offense (57, including 11 rushing) were all career highs at the time, and his 424 yards of total offense was the second-most.
He had perhaps his fastest start as an Eagle on Sept. 14 at Jacksonville State, completing 11-of-12 passes for 156 yards in the opening quarter to help EWU to a 28-7 lead. However, EWU failed to score in the fourth quarter and JSU won 49-45, as Barriere finished 24-of-43 for 294 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions.
One game earlier versus Lindenwood when EWU had a school-record 769 yards of offense, Barriere accounted for 556 by himself to rank as the 14th-most in Big Sky Conference history and just four away from the school record. That helped him earn Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors from College Sports Madness, as well as honorable mention from STATS for the National FCS Offensive Player of the Week award that wide receiver
Dre' Sonte Dorton won. Barriere completed 32-of-46 passes for 522 yards, five touchdowns and an impressive 200.76 passing efficiency rating. He recorded the second-most passing yards in school history and just missed the top 14 in the 56-year history of the league (528 yards is No. 14 on the list). He rushed for 34 more yards, giving him 556 to come four yards from the EWU total offense record of 560 set by Gage Gubrud in 2017 versus Montana in which he also set the passing yards record of 549. Barriere's previous career highs were 352 passing yards and 405 yards of total offense.
Barriere was extremely productive throwing the ball in 2018 as an injury replacement for All-American Gage Gubrud, finishing 13th in FCS in passing efficiency (146.9), 29th for passing yards overall (2,450) and 13th in touchdown passes with 24 after setting school and FCS Playoff records with seven versus Maine on Dec. 15. He was ninth with 198 total points responsible for and was 26th in average per game (14.14). He also finished 45th in total offense per game (218.8). Barriere averaged 6.2 per carry and finished with 613 yards on the ground to break the school record of 606 set by Gubrud in 2016.
In 2018, Eastern finished as the only school to rank in the top 20 in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in total offense, rushing and passing. The Eagles averaged 528.2 yards on offense to rank third in FCS, including 255.9 rushing (10th) and 272.3 passing (20th). Eastern was also ranked fourth in scoring (43.1). The Eagles as a team finished the 2018 season with a school-record 6.62 average per rush on the season to break the previous record of 6.41 set in 2001. The Eagles set team records for rushing yards (3,839) and rushing touchdowns (41).
Limu-Jones Becomes Top Receiver Target for Eagles
The most dynamic receiver at the end of the 2019 season turned out to be
Talolo Limu-Jones, and he's continued that in the 2020-21 season.
He now has 41 games of experience (eight as a starter), and has 86 career catches for 1,562 yards and 15 touchdowns – an average of 18.2 per reception (currently fourth in school history). He has averaged a touchdown every 5.7 career catches, and is currently EWU's leading receiver in 2020-21 with 44 catches for 721 yards and four scores. His average of 120.2 yards receiving per game currently leads FCS.
He has had three-straight performances with at least 140 receiving yards, and has had a least a 66-yard catch in all three games. Most recently, he caught four passes for 140 yards and a 66-yard touchdown reception versus Idaho on April 10 in EWU's come-from-behind 38-31 victory.
On April 3 in a 32-22 win over 11th-ranked UC Davis on April 3, Limu-Jones had career highs with 154 yards receiving on 10 catches, including a key 77-yard TD in the third quarter which was his career long. He also scored on a 21-yard TD reception and was credited with a career-high two tackles.
One game earlier, he had seven receptions – all in the first half -- for 147 yards receiving in a 62-10 win over Cal Poly on March 27, 2021. He had a non-scoring 71-yard reception on the game's second play to help open the floodgates for EWU, which scored 45 points in the first half to set a school-record as a member of FCS. In the second quarter, he caught five passes for 76 yards with a long of 34, then played sparingly in the second half.
Limu-Jones opened the season with what was a then a career-high nine catches for 93 yards versus Idaho on Feb. 27, 2021. He finished with 24 grabs for 577 yards in 2019, with his per-catch average ranking second in school history behind the record of 25.8). He was 63rd in FCS with seven touchdown catches and his average of 24.04 yards per catch closed the year second behind the 24.49 average of Isaiah Weston of Northern Iowa.
After 833 Days Without Playing a Game, Ty Graham Finally Makes Eagle Debut
He grew up around the Eastern football program, and a circuitous route – with some irony mixed in – had Eagle co-captain
Ty Graham playing his first game in an Eagle uniform against Idaho on Feb. 27, 2021. He responded with nine tackles in his EWU debut, and leads the Eagles with 42 tackles through six games – including his EWU career high of nine against Cal Poly on March 27. He also had a quarterback hurry in that game that led to a 34-yard interception return for a touchdown by
Mitchell Johnson. He played just the first series in EWU's win over Idaho on April 10 in the rematch of a Feb. 27 loss against his former team, but was lost for the season with an injury.
With his father, John Graham, on the EWU coaching staff as defensive coordinator for eight years, Graham eventually graduated from Cheney, Wash., High School in 2016. He subsequently joined the University of Idaho program and played three seasons for the Vandals, but elected to transfer to EWU for the 2019 season.
He had to redshirt that year, then, the 2020 season was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, when he took the field to make his EWU debut – ironically against his former team – it was 833 full days since his last collegiate game. Ironically, that came on Nov. 17, 2018, in a 63-10 loss at Florida when he had six tackles and a forced fumble. Eastern was scheduled to open the 2020 season at Florida before that game was wiped out because of the pandemic.
While playing from 2016-18 for the Vandals, Graham had 133 tackles at Idaho, including 13 for losses. He had 2 1/2 sacks, an interception, two passes broken up and a forced fumble in 27 career games. As a junior in 2018 he had 65 tackles, including 12 in 38-14 loss at EWU at Roos Field on Oct. 27, 2018. He had 28 tackles as a sophomore and 40 as a true freshman in 2016.
Now working toward his master's degree in business administration, Graham has already received his marketing degree from EWU with a minor in sports management. He had a 3.53 grade point average through spring quarter 2020 and previously won Big Sky All-Academic honors while a Vandal.
John Graham spent a short time as Idaho's linebackers coach when Ty was on the roster there. Ty's older brother, Andrew, played football at Montana Tech and Central Washington. His grandfather, Dan Graham, spent 11 years as head coach at nearby Reardan (Wash.) High School.
Harrison's Hits Third-Longest Field Goal in School History After Odd Twist to 2020-21 Campaign
Sophomore
Seth Harrison put an exclamation point on his young career thus far by establishing some history in EWU's 62-10 win over Cal Poly on March 27. His 55-yard field goal late in the first half matched the third-best in school history and ranks only behind makes of 57 and 56 yards. It was the longest by an Eagle in more than 14 years, and helped EWU set a school record as a member of FCS for points in the first half with 45 (the previous record was 41).
Later in the game he also kicked a 47-yarder which now equals the 33rd longest, and he also had a 50-yarder at Idaho State on March 20. He became just the seventh Eagle in school history to have at least three career field goals of 47 yards or more, and just the fourth with two of at least 50 yards. There have been just 44 total field goals of 47 yards or more and 22 of at least 50 all-time at EWU.
He also made all eight of his extra point attempts and averaged 60.0 yards per kickoff versus Cal Poly with one touchback. For the season, after making field goals of 27 and 22 yards in a 32-22 win at UC Davis on April 3 and a 23-yarder against Idaho on April 10, he is 6-of-8 kicking field goals, 23-of-24 on extra points and is averaging 59.9 per kickoff (two touchbacks). In his career he is 18-of-20 on field goals, 73-of-77 kicking extra points and has a 54.5 kickoff average (eight touchbacks). He made his only field goal attempts and all five of his extra points against Idaho on April 10 in swirling 25 mile-per-hour winds at Roos Field in Cheney.
As a redshirt freshman in the 2019 season, he was the only player in FCS with an average of at least one field goal attempt per game to be perfect, going 12-of-12 in the 2019 season. However, his 2020-21 debut at Idaho on Feb. 27 had an odd twist. After his first career miss on a 50-yarder in the second quarter, he attempted a 24-yarder in the fourth quarter with the game tied at 21-all with 11:01 left. His kick was ruled as a miss, but was so high it appeared to hit the scoreboard as opposed to the upright. It was reviewed, however, there was no video proof at the time to overturn the play. The next day (Feb. 28), the Big Sky issued an apology for the error, saying in a social media post "After watching additional video footage, it is evident that the official incorrectly ruled it as a missed field goal. The Big Sky acknowledges and regrets this error in officiating."
In 2019, Harrison was 31st in field goals with an average of 1.09 per game, including four field goals – the second time in four games he did that -- in a 48-5 victory over Idaho State on Nov. 9. He had makes of 40, 36, 21 and 36 in the first half, and his 40-yarder was a career long at the time. He also had 10 kickoffs for a 57.5 average with one touchback.
Harrison was also 50-of-53 on extra points in 2019, having a string of 22-straight makes from Oct. 5 until missing his first attempt at Cal Poly on Nov. 16. He also averaged 52.9 yards on 78 kickoffs (six touchbacks). He received honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference honors and also earned Freshman All-America accolades.
Harrison garnered Big Sky Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors from the league after converting all nine of his extra point attempts and booting a 27-yard field goal in a 66-38 win over Northern Arizona on Nov. 2. He also had 10 kickoffs for a 50.8 average versus the Lumberjacks with one touchback.
In EWU's previous home game, he kicked four field goals (32, 21, 21 and 23) and made all six of his extra points to finish with 18 points in Eastern's 54-21 romp over Northern Colorado on Oct. 12. All four of his field goals came in the first half as he came one kick away from the school record of five. He also had 10 kickoffs for a 52.9 average.
Harrison had a field goal of 35 yards versus Montana on Oct. 26. In his first action as the No. 1 kicker on Sept. 14 versus Jacksonville State, Harrison made a 22-yard field goal, converted all six of his extra points, had eight kickoffs for a 58.1 average with two touchbacks and even recovered a fumble that led to an EWU touchdown.
Harrison, a redshirt freshman from Coeur d'Alene (Idaho) High School, didn't even start out the year as EWU's kicker. That role fell to junior
Andre Slyter, who was 1-of-3 kicking field goals and later left the program. Harrison and Slyter were replacing EWU career and single season kick scoring leader Roldan Alcobendas, who was a perfect 16-of-16 kicking field goals in 2018 to win the Fred Mitchell Award as the top placekicker in the nation (all levels but FBS).
Thus, entering the 2020-21 spring season, Eastern kickers had made 29-of-31 field goal attempts since 2018.
Senior Calin Criner Wears No. 4 Legacy Jersey for Eagles
Eastern senior safety
Calin Criner is continuing the legacy of wearing the No. 4 jersey for the Eagle Football team, a tribute that has existed for more than 10 years. Since the 2008 season when senior Jason Belford had the number, the coaching staff has selected a leader on defense to wear the jersey. It symbolizes the defensive player who most embodies the characteristics of defense at Eastern -- grit, toughness, effort, leadership and academic success.
Since arriving at Eastern in the fall of 2016 from Rocky Mountain High School in Boise, Idaho, Criner has seven interceptions, 187 tackles, 10 passes broken up, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in his 40-game career (18 as a starter). He had four performances in his career with at least 10 tackles, and made his 2020-21 debut as a starter on April 3 and had three tackles, including a career-high 1 1/2 for losses.
In 2019, Criner started all 12 Eastern games and was third on the team with 85 tackles on the season. He also had three passes broken up and four interceptions. His average of 7.1 tackles per game ranked 14th in the Big Sky and his average of 0.33 interceptions tied for second.
Twice he received national accolades for his performances in individual games in 2019. He had his second two-interception game of his career and had eight tackles in EWU's 48-5 victory over Idaho State (11/9/19) to earn College Sports Madness Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors. Playing in front of a crowd of 14 family and friends which included his well-known father and grandfather, he also broke-up a pass and one of his tackles was for a loss of two yards.
Earlier in the season, Criner helped Eastern to a dominating 6-0 advantage in turnovers forced with another pair of interceptions and seven tackles in EWU's 35-20 victory over North Dakota (9/28/19). He was rewarded by earning honorable mention for STATS National Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Criner is the son of long-time collegiate and professional coach Mark Criner. Calin's grandfather, Jim Criner, was head coach at Boise State from 1976-82 and guided the Broncos to the 1980 NCAA Championship Subdivision (then I-AA) title.
In 2019, senior
Dylan Ledbetter wore the No. 4 jersey and went on to win honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference honors.
Although the honor isn't necessarily given to the most talented defensive player on the team, Eastern has had 11-straight players in that number earn All-Big Sky honors, and 13 of a possible 14 since Eastern joined the league in 1987. Below is the list of players who have worn that number since EWU became a member of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in 1984 (Big Sky in 1987).
Name – Year - Pos. - Hometown / Previous School
Hunter, Darryl - 1983-84-85-86 - DB - Tacoma, Wash. / Foss HS
%Corr, Dominic - 1986-87-88-89 - RB - Seattle, Wash. / Garfield HS
%Wright, Harold - 1990-91-92-93 - RB - Tacoma, Wash. / Lakes HS '89
Givens, Roderick - 1995 - DB - Auburn, Wash. / Auburn HS '94
#%Brightful, Lamont - 1998-99-00-01 - WR - Everett, Wash. /Mariner HS '97
%Williams, A.J. - 2002-03 - DB - Lacey, Wash. - North Thurston HS '01
%Dotson, Anthony - 2005-06-07 - DB - Federal Way, Wash. / Federal Way HS '03
%Belford, Jason - 2005-06-07-08 - DL - Tacoma, Wash. / Lincoln HS '04
#%Sherritt, J.C. - 2007-08-09-10 - LB - Pullman, Wash. / Pullman HS '06
%Brown, Allen - 2010-11-12-13 - DB - Tacoma, Wash. / Foss HS '09
%Raynes, Todd - 2012-13-14-15 - DB - Kenmore, Wash. / Inglemoor HS '11
%Zamora, Miquiyah - 2013-14-15-16 - LB - Pasco, Wash. / Chiawana HS '12
%Havili, Albert - 2013-14-16-17 - DL - Federal Way, Wash. / Federal Way HS '13
%Fettig, Mitch - 2015-16-17-18 - DB - Olympia Wash. / Olympia HS '14
%Ledbetter, Dylan - 2016-17-18-19 - DL - West Seattle, Wash. / O'Dea HS '15
Criner, Calin – 2017-18-19-20 – DB – Boise, Idaho / Rocky Mountain HS '16
#All-America selection (Brightful was first team in 2001, second team in 2000 & second team in 1999 as return specialist, and honorable mention in 2001 as a wide receiver; Sherritt was the Buck Buchanan Award winner in 2010, and first team in 2009 and 2010 as a linebacker).
%All-Big Sky Conference selection (Corr was first team in 1989 & second team in 1989 as return specialist; Wright was Big Sky Newcomer of the Year in 1989, and first team in 1991 & second team in 1992 as a running back; Brightful was first team in 2001 as a wide receiver and return specialist, first team in 2000 as a return specialist, second team in 2000 as a wide receiver and first team in 1999 as a return specialist; Williams was honorable mention in 2003 and 2002 as a safety; Dotson was second team in 2007 as an outside linebacker; Belford was second team in 2008 and honorable mention in 2007 as a defensive end; Sherritt was the Big Sky Defensive MVP in 2010, first team in 2009 and 2010 as a linebacker & honorable mention in 2008 as a linebacker; Brown was second team in 2012 & honorable mention in 2013 as a safety; Raynes was third team in 2015 as a safety; Zamora was first team in 2016 & honorable mention in 2014 as a linebacker; Havili was second team in 2017 as a defensive end; Fettig was third team in 2018 & 2017 & honorable mention in 2016 as a safety; Ledbetter was honorable mention in 2018 and 2019 as a defensive tackle).
Boston Goes Over 100 Career Catches
A freshman All-America selection in 2018,
Andrew Boston returns for his junior season after earning third team All-Big Sky honors in 2019. Including performances of eight receptions for 120 yards versus Northern Arizona on March 6 and another 10 for 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns versus ISU, he has 114 receptions for 1,564 yards and 12 touchdowns in 31 career games (23 as a starter) as an Eagle. He did not play in EWU's 2020-21 opener at Idaho on Feb. 27.
He finished the 2019 season 79th in FCS in receptions per game (4.5 with a total of 50) and 75th in receiving yards per game (66.4 with a total of 730). He caught a career-high 10 passes for 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Idaho State on Nov. 9. Earlier in the season, he had six catches for 112 yards and a TD versus Washington in EWU's opener on Aug. 31.
Boston finished his freshman season second on the team with 43 receptions for 531 yards (12.3 per catch) and four touchdowns. He had a career-high nine catches versus Idaho on Oct. 27, and had five grabs for a season-high 89 yards and a TD against Nicholls in the first round of the FCS Playoffs on Dec. 1. He scored a touchdown versus Maine in the semifinals, and had scores against Washington State and Cal Poly in back-to-back games early in the season.
He is from Puyallup, Wash., and is a 2017 graduate of Emerald Ridge High School. He was the 2017 co-Scout Team Offensive Player of the Year. He earned honorable mention freshman All-America honors from Hero Sports in 2018, and received third team accolades by from Phil Steele Publications. He earned third team All-Big Sky honors as a sophomore in 2019.
Mitchell Johnson Adds First Career Interception for a TD to Go Along With 7 1/2 Career Sacks
Junior "buck" defensive end
Mitchell Johnson has been an opportunistic player on the Eastern Washington defense in his career, and that certainly was the case in EWU's 62-10 victory over Cal Poly on March 27. He had had his first career touchdown on a 34-yard return just six minutes into the game to give EWU a 21-0 lead over the Mustangs. His return versus Cal Poly came thanks in part to a quarterback hurry by linebacker
Ty Graham. Johnson also broke-up a pass, had a quarterback hurry and had one tackle despite playing sparingly in the second half.
Two weeks later against Idaho on April 10, he had his fifth career interception with a leaping/twisting pick on fourth down against with 1:29 remaining to help seal the 38-31 victory. He also equaled his career high with nine tackles in that game and was credited with a half-sack. He had 25 tackles, two sacks and a pair of interceptions in the 2020-21 season.
He now has 97 tackles, eight sacks, five interceptions, four passes broken up, three fumble recoveries and a pair of forced fumbles in his 33-game career (16 as a starter). He had 1 1/2 sacks and eight total tackles versus Northern Arizona on March 6, 2021. In his sophomore season in 2019, he had 41 tackles with 1 1/2 sacks and an interception.
In a big year for the defense at Eastern, redshirt freshman
Mitchell Johnson was awarded first team Freshman All-America honors in 2018 from Hero Sports and Phil Steele Publications, on his way to earning second team All-Big Sky honors.
Mitchell burst on the scene in 2018 and responded with 31 tackles, a team-leading 4 1/2 sacks, a pair of interceptions, two passes broken up, a pair of quarterback hurries, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. Johnson earned second-team All-Big Sky honors in his first season as an Eagle. He played in all 15 games as a backup in 2018, and had season highs of four tackles in three different games. He had four of his sacks in consecutive games versus Northern Arizona, Washington State and Cal Poly. Two of them came against the Cougars, and he also had a half-sack versus Maine on Dec. 15 to advance EWU to the NCAA Division I Championship Game on Jan. 5 in Frisco, Texas. Mitchell also had interceptions against Southern Utah in the regular season and UC Davis in the playoffs. His fumble recovery came against Weber State on Oct. 13 – Eastern's last setback until losing to North Dakota State in Frisco. He also had a sack and forced fumble against Cal Poly on Sept. 22 which was returned 62 yards for a touchdown by teammate
Jim Townsend.
A 2017 graduate of West Linn (Ore.) High School, Johnson was EWU's Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year when he redshirted in 2017.
More on Eagle Offensive Players
The four returning starters on offense in the 2020-21 season include quarterback
Eric Barriere, offensive tackle
Tristen Taylor and wide receivers
Johnny Edwards IV and
Andrew Boston. A total of 10 players return on offense who have started games as Eagles.
Eastern closed the 2019 season with the best offense in FCS, finishing at 524.8 yards per game. Eastern also ended the regular season second in scoring (40.6), fifth in passing (317.1) and eighth in turnover margin (+0.92 per game). The Eagles ranked 19th in rushing at 207.8 yards per game, and were the only team in FCS to rank in the top 24 in total offense, rushing and passing.
In EWU's last 16 seasons (2004-2019), EWU has ranked in the top 10 in passing 13 times, total offense on 12 occasions and scoring seven 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).
Backing up Barriere in 2020-21 will be junior
Gunner Talkington, sophomore
Simon Burkett and redshirt freshman
Trey Turner. Talkington was the only player of the three to throw a pass in 2019, completing 9-of-26 for 73 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He's completed 21-of-47 passes for 267 yards and four touchdowns in his career.
Edwards returns for his senior season with 36 games of experience (12 as a starter), and has career totals of 52 receptions for 823 yards and seven touchdowns. As a junior, he was third on the team with 32 catches for 553 yards (17.3 per reception) and three scores, but he has not played in the 2020-21 season.
Also returning to the receiver position are sophomores
Freddie Roberson and
Anthony Stell Jr., a pair of former high school teammates who have both been productive in the 2020-21 season. Roberson has 33 grabs for 470 yards and three touchdowns, and Stell has 16 for 264 and three scores. Roberson also has a 42-yard touchdown rush in the 2020-21 season.
Both were impressive as redshirt freshmen in 2019. Roberson closed the year with 14 catches for 220 yards and a score, and Stell had five grabs for 41 yards. In the 2020-21 opener at Idaho on Feb. 27, Roberson had a career-high seven catches for 48 yards, and Stell caught a career-high four for 70 with a touchdown. Stell topped that with five catches for 84 yards and a TD versus Northern Arizona on March 6, and Roberson finished with 65 yards and a score on four catches.
All-Big Sky tight end
Jayce Gilder graduated, but three other tight ends from 2019 return. Junior
Dylan Ingram now has 31 games of experience, and has caught six passes for 56 yards two scores in his career. Sophomore
Aiden Nellor is also back and has 17 games of experience (one career catch) as an Eagle, as well as redshirt freshman
Blake Gobel, who now has 10 games of experience (four career catches).
Gobel played in four games in 2019, making his debut on Oct. 26 versus Montana. He had his first career catch on a 15-yard touchdown on a fake field goal attempt, then started in EWU's 42-41 win over Cal Poly on Nov. 16. The Eagles started in a three tight end formation and turned it into a 25-yard rushing gain on EWU's first offensive play
The running back position is void of one of the most productive backs in school history, but still returns senior
Tamarick Pierce, who received a redshirt in 2019
. Senior running back
Antoine Custer Jr. handled the majority of the carries in 2019 and finished 15th in FCS in rushing (102.3), 12th in total rushing yards (1,228) and 11th in rushing touchdowns (16). Custer finished the year with six 100-yard performances – including his last four games – and earned second team All-Big Sky honors.
Pierce made the first start of his Eastern career at Idaho on Feb. 27, 2021, and rushed for a team-high 63 yards on a career-high 13 carries. He followed that with his first 100-yard rushing game with 105 and two scores versus Northern Arizona on March 6. He had a productive day in EWU's 32-22 win at 11th-ranked UC Davis on April 3, rushing for 84 yards on a career-most 23 attempts as the Eagles finished with 171 on the ground. He also had a career-high four receptions for 24 yards with a long of 17.
He now has a 6.07 career average per rush which currently ranks fifth in school history (teammate
Dennis Merritt is fourth at 6.10). Pierce has rushed for 1,451 yards and 22 touchdowns in 45 games as an Eagle (five as a starter) with 21 catches for 138 yards and another score. He redshirted the 2019 season as he continued to rehabilitate a 2018 injury. A psychology major, Pierce has earned Big Sky All-Academic honors three times in his career thus far.
After coming off an injury from the year before, Pierce made his 2019 debut versus Montana and had a team-leading 57 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries (long of 30). He finished with 177 yards in four games played, and retained his redshirt status.
Sixth-year senior
Dennis Merritt returns after suffering a serious lower leg injury versus Lindenwood on Sept. 7, 2019, and missing the remainder of the season. He opened the 2020-21 season by catching a 27-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter and finished with three catches for 46 yards (career high) and another 41 yards rushing. He now has 818 yards (6.10 average per rush to rank fourth in school history ahead of teammate
Tamarick Pierce at 6.07) and eight touchdowns rushing in his career, and another 17 catches for 259 yards and four scores in 36 games (two as a starter). Merritt had 87 yards (7.2 per rush) in 2019 before he was injured.
True freshman
Silas Perreiah and redshirt freshman
Micah Smith rounded out the running back corp in 2019, with both making their debuts as Eagles versus Lindenwood on Sept. 7. Perreiah has now played in 13 career games, and has 268 yards rushing with a touchdown and three catches for seven yards and another score. He had 126 yards rushing and a score versus North Dakota in 2019.
Eastern received a boost at running back with the return of sophomore
Isaiah Lewis in 2020-21. 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, including 47 versus Southern Utah.
The biggest priority for EWU in 2020-21 is replacing four starters on the offensive line, a situation which was helped considerably with the return of Taylor. He entered the 2020-21 season having started all 40 games he's played as an Eagle, but the four starters lost totaled 193 games played and 141 starts in their careers.
Taylor has now started all 46 games he's played as an Eagle. He has earned All-Big Sky Conference honors three times previously at EWU. He was a second team choice in 2019 and received honorable mention in 2016 and 2017. He redshirted in 2015 and was lost to a knee injury after three games in 2018. He is now working on a second degree in psychology after having already earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.
Senior starting center
Conner Crist now has 28 career games of experience and eight starts under his belt, including seven games and two starts in 2019. Junior starting guard
Wyatt Musser now has 32 games worth of experience in his career and made the first start of his career on Feb. 27, 2021, at Idaho. Junior tackle
Matt Shook also made the first start of his career against Idaho, and now has 16 games of experience after not playing in 2019 because of an injury.
The team's fifth starter in the 2020-21 season is true freshman
Wyatt Hansen, and he started in his first collegiate game of his career on Feb. 27, 2021, at Idaho. Sophomore
Brad Godwin made his first career start at guard in the next game on March 6 against Northern Arizona and now has 15 games of experience.
Eastern had 2,450 yards of offense in the last four games of the 2019 season (612.5 per game) to take over the national lead in total offense and maintain it. Eastern closed the year with 559 yards against Portland State on Nov. 23 and had 496 one game earlier at Cal Poly on Nov. 16. Prior to that, the Eagles had 706 versus Northern Arizona on Nov. 2 to rank fifth in school history, and 689 at Idaho State on Nov. 9 to rank seventh all-time. Eastern also had a school-record 769 in 2019 versus Lindenwood, and 637 against Northern Colorado on Oct. 12 to rank as the 19th most in EWU history.
The four linemen honored on the All-Big Sky team in 2019 combined to start 171 games, with 194 total games of experience. Offensive tackle
Chris Schlichting (first team) started all 52 he played, and Taylor (second team) has started all 40 games he has played in his career. Center
Spencer Blackburn (first team) started the last 49 of his 51-game career, and
Kaleb Levao (third team) started 30 of the 51 he played. The fourth starter lost from 2019 was
Will Gram, who finished his career with 39 games worth of experience and 10 starts (all in 2019).
Eastern had some impressive rushing performances in 2019, rushing for at least 174 yards eight times and at least 247 in six games (including the last four). The school's 5.29 average per rush ranked 13th in FCS. The Eagles had a season-high 320 versus Cal Poly on Nov. 16 as Barriere rushed for a career-high 164 and a score and Custer finished with 107 and four touchdowns on just nine carries.
More on Eagle Defensive Players
The six starters returning on defense feature a quartet in the secondary, plus the group is led by
Jack Sendelbach, who served as one of EWU's co-captains in the 2019 season and will serve again in 2020-21. The other starters back include safety
Calin Criner, rover
Kedrick Johnson, end
Mitchell Johnson and cornerbacks
Tre Weed and
Darreon Moore. A total of 10 players who had started previously return, led by current totals of 18 starts of Criner and 17 by Sendelbach. Those 10 players entered the 2020-21 season with a combined 86 starts.
Kedrick Johnson is back for his senior season, and has now played in 31 total games in his career (eight as a starter). He has 103 tackles, a pair of sacks and four passes broken up in his career after a 2019 campaign which saw him come on strong to finish with 50 tackles and a pair of PBUs.
Eastern's other two returning starters in the secondary are at cornerback where junior Moore and sophomore Weed return. Weed has now played 22 games (17 as a starter) and has career total of 64 tackles, two interceptions and nine passes broken up. He earned Freshman All-America accolades after a season in which he had 44 tackles, two interceptions and seven passes broken up as an 11-game starter. Moore has played in 25 career games (seven as a starter), and has 40 tackles with three passes broken up and a sack. He made his 2020-21 season debut on April 3 versus UC Davis. Moore started seven games in 2019, and finished the season with 29 tackles and three passes broken up,
Sophomore
Darrien Sampson started three games in 2019, with Sampson closing the year with 17 tackles and a pair of PBUs. Sampson has played in 20 career games now (nine starts) and has 27 tackles, two interceptions and four passes broken up.
Other returning letterwinners in the secondary include senior
Tamir Hill, junior
Keshaun King, junior
Anthany Smith, and sophomore
Demetrius Crosby Jr. King and Smith both made their starting debuts as safeties in EWU's 2020-21 opener at Idaho on Feb. 27, 2021. Smith had a career-high 10 tackles and a 71-yard interception return for a touchdown which was the 18th-longest in school history. He had the first interception return for a touchdown for EWU since Nzuzi Webster had a 48-yard return versus UC Davis on Nov. 10, 2018.
King now has 38 tackles and an interception in his 20-game career (four as a starter), and Smith has 67 career tackles, three interceptions and three passes broken up in 23 games (five as a starter). Smith played in just three games in 2019 before being lost for the season with an injury.
The secondary also includes Arizona State transfer
Ely Doyle, as well as redshirt freshman
Marlon Jones Jr. Doyle played in one game while at ASU, and had his first tackles of his EWU career against Northern Arizona on March 6 when he finished with seven.
Doyle made the first start of his EWU career in EWU's 32-22 win at 11th-ranked UC Davis on April 3 and had a team-high eight tackles. Doyle is second on the team with 30 tackles and also has two passes broken up this season. Jones had a career-high six tackles versus the Aggies, including a fourth-down stop on EWU's goal line stand in the first quarter and later his first career tackle for loss. He has 13 tackles on the season.
Sendelbach headlines a linebacker corp that includes four returning letterwinners (the fifth was
Chris Ojoh, who was taken off the roster in the middle of 2020-21 season). Sendelbach played his first game in 2020-21 as a starter in EWU's 32-22 win at 11th-ranked UC Davis on April 3, and now has 179 tackles in his 38-game career (17 as a starter), and has had nine performances in double figures. He has earned Big Sky Conference All-Academic honors three times as an Eagle, and has already received his bachelor's degree in marketing. He is now in a graduate program for sports and recreation administration. Sendelbach was second on the team with 94 tackles with three sacks as an 11-game starter in 2019.
Four other returning lettermen are back for a defensive line which routinely rotates 9-12 players a game. Junior
Caleb Davis has been productive in his first two years in the program with 47 tackles and a pair of sacks in 23 games, including 21 stops and one sack as a sophomore. But he has not played in the 2020-21 season.
Sophomore
Joshua Jerome made the first start of his career against Idaho on Feb. 27, 2021, and responded with eight tackles (three of them for loss), a sack and two quarterback hurries. He has played just 20 career games (six as a starter), but already has 77 career tackles with 4 1/2 sacks, a pass broken up and a fumble recovery.
Junior
Debore'ae McClain had 11 tackles in 2019, and now has 31 in 33 career games with 1 1/2 sacks. He made the first start of his career against Northern Arizona on March 6 and had three tackles.
Also back on the defensive line is
Jusstis Warren, who transferred to EWU in 2019 from the University of Washington. He made his first start as an Eagle on Feb. 27, 2021, versus Idaho, and finished with four tackles, but has not played since then. He played in EWU's opener against his alma mater in 2019, but missed the rest of the season. 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.
Five redshirt freshmen are also on the roster –
Warren Hardin, Brock Harrison, Jacob Newsom, Soli Paleso'o and
Jacobe Lee. All but Lee played as true freshmen in 2019, with that quartet combining for eight games played. Paleso'o had two tackles in two games played, and Harrison also had a pair in four games worth of action. Newsom made the first start of his career on Feb. 21, 2021, at Idaho.
More on Eagle Special Teams Players
A year after having new players at each position, this season Eastern has some semblance of experience with sophomore kicker
Seth Harrison, sophomore punter
Nick Kokich and sophomore long snapper
Cody Clements.
As a true freshman, Kokich made his season debut four games into the season and held the punting position the rest of the year. He averaged 39.0 yards in 41 punts in 2019, with 10 downed inside the opponent 20-yard line and a long of 59 to equal the 38th longest in EWU history. In 59 career punts, he has averaged 38.8 per kick with a long of 59.
Eastern's kickoff return team suffered a jolt in 2019 when senior Dre'Sonte Dorton was injured and lost for the year at mid-season. However, that provided opportunities for other players who could potentially step into future full-time return roles.
Stell ended up returning four kickoffs for a 20.0 average, and
Marlon Jones Jr. had a pair for 62 yards and a long of 40 during limited action as a true freshman. Weed returned three for 50 yards, and
Talolo Limu-Jones ended the year with two for 44 yards in EWU's season finale. Earlier in the season,
Johnny Edwards IV returned three for 41 yards and Smith had a pair for 29.
Eastern used several players as punt returners in 2019, including Criner, Weed and Sampson. Weed has the best return of the year with a 13-yarder to end the season versus Portland State.
Series Notes
* Eastern is 1-3 all-time versus North Dakota State, losing the last three after winning the first meeting. The most recent meeting came on Jan. 5, 2019, when the Eagles lost 38-24 in the NCAA Division I Championship in Frisco, Texas, to conclude the 2018 season. Eastern also fell 40-13 at home in 2017 in the second game of the head coaching career of
Aaron Best. One year earlier, Eastern lost 50-44 in overtime in Fargo in 2016. The Eagles won by a 38-31 score in overtime on Dec. 11, 2010, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash.
* Eastern is 10-14 versus current members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, which includes a 5-0 record versus North Dakota when it was a member of the Big Sky EWU versus the Missouri Valley Conference. In the FCS Playoffs, Eastern has played North Dakota State (1-1), Illinois State (1-1), Northern Iowa (0-3), South Dakota State (1-0), Southern Illinois (1-0) and Youngstown State (0-2).
Looking Back to 2018 Season . . . #1 North Dakota State 38, #4/3 Eastern Washington 24
This title tilt had a bit of everything – big plays, trick plays, turnovers, a 10-minute possession, a late Eagle rally and a lot in-between. In a battle of programs which had never lost in the title game, North Dakota State jumped out to a 17-3 lead and held off Eastern Washington 38-24 on Jan. 5, 2019, for the NCAA Division I Football Championship at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. Eastern fell behind 31-17 in the second half, then NDSU came up empty when it missed a field goal at the end of a 19-play, 88-yard drive that took 10:10 off the clock. Eastern responded with four-play, 80-yard drive to cut the lead to seven with 2:19 to play, but NDSU scored another touchdown on the ensuing possession to secure the win. The two winningest teams in the 2010's among schools who compete in the playoffs combined for 845 yards of offense and five turnovers. But on a sun-kissed day, an announced crowd of 17,802 witnessed the seventh title in the last eight years for the Bison. The early lead was too much for Eastern to overcome as it closed its season 12-3 and had its seven-game winning streak snapped. The Bison finished 15-0 and were the top-ranked team all season and the No. 1 seeded team. Eastern entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed and was ranked as high as third to end the regular season. Senior Sam McPherson rushed for 158 yards for the Eagles and had a 75-yard touchdown run in the game, and sophomore
Eric Barriere accounted for 208 yards of offense with 198 passing and 10 rushing. Senior linebacker Ketner Kupp and sophomore linebacker
Chris Ojoh each had 11 tackles to lead the Eagles defensively. It was the second-most most points EWU allowed in the 2018 season (Washington State scored 59) and the second-fewest the Eagles scored (EWU had just six in a 14-6 loss at Weber State. Eastern seized some momentum just before halftime when the Eagles scored on a fake field goal on a 2-yard pass from
Gunner Talkington to
Jayce Gilder to cut the lead to 17-10 at halftime. But EWU had turnovers on its first two possessions of the second half, and two NDSU touchdowns in the quarter gave them a 31-17 advantage. Down by 14 in the final quarter, Eastern received a boost when NDSU missed a field goal at the end of a massive 19-play, 88-yard drive that took 10:10 off the clock. Eastern responded with a four-play, 80-yard drive to cut the lead to seven with 2:19 to play, but NDSU recovered an onside kick – twice after a penalty on the first one – to help put the game away. Eastern had a chance to get the ball back with 1 1/2 minutes remaining, but the Bison converted a third-and-seven play into a 46-yard touchdown by quarterback Easton Stick. The Bison had a dominating advantage in time of possession, 40:05 to 19:55, and ran 73 offensive plays (54 rushing) to EWU's 59. Eastern finished with three turnovers compared to two for the Bison, but the biggest difference came on third down. North Dakota State was 11-of-17 compared to just 3-of-12 for the Eagles. The Bison finished with 290 yards rushing and 198 passing to out-gain EWU 488-357. The Bison came into the game ranking in the top 10 nationally on both sides of the ball in third down conversions.
Looking Back to 2017 . . . #2 North Dakota State 40, #7/6 Eastern Washington 13
After a close first half, Eastern suffered its second-straight defeat on the young season as second-ranked North Dakota State used a 31-3 scoring run and 375 rushing yards to roll past the No. 7/6 Eagles 40-13 at sold-out Roos Field in Cheney, Wash, on Sept. 9, 2017, in the 50th game on the famed red turf of Roos Field. Eastern led in the second quarter 10-9, but the Bison scored the final 10 points of the half to lead 19-10 at intermission. An Eastern field goal early in the second half cut the advantage to 19-13, but NDSU scored on three-straight touchdown drives of 75, 72 and 40 yards to break the game open and take a 40-13 lead early in the fourth quarter. Eastern was out-gained in total offense 532-204, including a 436-73 advantage after the first quarter when EWU led 131-96. North Dakota State had a 175-15 advantage in the second quarter and 261-58 in the second half. The Bison rushed for 375 and had 157 passing, while EWU finished with 134 through the air and had 70 on the ground. Eastern's defense, after allowing NDSU to convert just one of its first seven third downs, allowed the Bison to convert six of their last seven. The Bison finished 7-of-14 on third down, while EWU was 4-of-13. Eastern scored on an eight-play, 75-yard drive in the first quarter, highlighted by a 50-yard passing connection from Gage Gubrud to Terence Grady. Gubrud also scored on a 2-yard rush. Roldan Alcobendas added field goals of 38 and 22 yards. Gubrud completed 10-of-30 passes for 134 yards and was intercepted twice. Senior wide receiver Nic Sblendorio caught four passes for 30 yards, and Grady had two for 66 yards. Running back
Antoine Custer Jr. rushed 11 times for 48 yards. Defensively, linebacker
Jack Sendelbach, making his second start as an injury replacement for Ketner Kupp, had what was then a career-high 13 tackles for the Eagles. He also had two fumble recoveries and contributed on a sack. Safety Mitch Fettig had 11 tackles, and broke up a pass, and linebacker Kurt Calhoun had nine tackles and a forced fumble. In what was the and was a repeat match-up between top 10 ranked teams, a crowd of 10,231 were on hand for EWU's home opener. It was the 15th-most in school history as EWU now has had 21-straight regular season sellouts (crowd of 8,600 or more) and 33 overall.
Looking Back to 2016 . . . No. 1 North Dakota State 50, No. 8 Eastern Washington 44 (OT)
Top-ranked and five-time defending national champion North Dakota State rallied in the final minutes and beat No. 8 Eastern Washington University 50-44 on Sept. 10, 2016, in overtime in a thrilling showdown at the Fargodome in Fargo, N.D. After trailing most of the game, Eastern had back-to-back scores to take a 44-41 lead with 4:32 to play after a 53-yard drive. Eastern's defense held NDSU to single scores in the third and fourth quarters to that point, but the Bison put together a 15-play, 71-yard drive to knot the score at 44 with a 28-yard field with 42 seconds remaining. Following a 35-yard pass play on EWU's next possession, Jordan Dascalo missed a 49-yarder that could have won it. After an EWU interception in overtime, a 25-yard run by Lance Dunn on the first play of the ensuing possession by the Bison ended the game. Eastern had 556 yards of offense, and had scoring drives of 82, 75, 85, 75, 62 and 53 yards. Eastern had 450 passing yards, while the Bison finished with 280 on the ground and 257 through the air for a total of 537. Gage Gubrud passed for 450 yards and four touchdowns, and rushed for 49 and a touchdown in a losing effort. He led the Eagles on four second-half scoring drives after Eastern lost senior wide receiver Cooper Kupp for the game with a shoulder injury. In Kupp's place, Stu Stiles caught eight passes for 169 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne finished with eight receptions for 133 yards, while Kupp had a pair of touchdown catches in the first half and finished with five catches for 62 yards. Senior safety
Zach Bruce had a career-high 14 tackle. Linebackers Ketner Kupp and Kurt Calhoun were forced to start their first games of their careers because of a pair of injuries to EWU's starters. Kupp, brother of former Eastern senior receiver Cooper Kupp, finished with eight tackles. Calhoun, whose brother Tim was a tight end for the Eagles (2002-06), had 13.
Looking Back to 2010 . . . Eastern Washington 38, North Dakota State 31 (OT)
With their backs against the wall in a snowstorm, Eastern found a way to rally in the final minutes and upend North Dakota State 38-31 in overtime Dec. 11, 2010, at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash., in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs. Junior running All-America Taiwan Jones led the Eagles with a career-high 230 rushing yards, but 138 of those came on his first four carries of the game as EWU jumped out to a 14-0 lead. He had 203 yards in the first half alone, then suffered a season-ending foot injury early in the second half. After North Dakota State took a 31-24 lead with 5:51 left, Eastern put together a 13-play, 90-yard drive to knot the game with 23 seconds to play on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Bo Levi Mitchell to Nicholas Edwards. Mitchell, who was 13-of-32 for 141 yards, two interceptions and three touchdowns in the game, had entered that drive with just 38 yards passing. Tyler Hart gathered in a 25-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell on the first play of overtime, then linebacker J.C. Sherritt forced a fumble that was recovered by teammate Zach Johnson to end the game with NDSU at the Eastern 1-yard line. Sherritt, an All-America senior linebacker who would go on to win the Buchanan Award, finished with a team-high 15 tackles to give him 406 in his career and break the school record. With a steady snowfall in the second half and Jones out for the game, the Eagles had just 35 yards in the third quarter compared to just nine for the Bison. Eastern had 85 yards in the fourth and NDSU had 117 as EWU finished with 382 yards of offense to 316 for North Dakota State. North Dakota started the second half with a kickoff return for a touchdown, the first one against the Eagles in 600 returns dating back more than 10 years to Sept. 25, 1999. But Eastern's Jesse Hoffman countered with one of his own on the ensuing kickoff, giving EWU a 24-17 advantage. All-Big Sky Conference defensive tackle Renard Williams had two sacks and four total tackles for the Eagles, and Johnson finished with 12 tackles, a pair of passes broken up and a half-sack. His twin brother Matt Johnson chipped in 10 tackles, as did Tyler Washburn.
Recent Game Recap
Ninth-Ranked Eastern Rallies to Beat Vandals 38-31 in Rematch
With two late scoring drives followed by key interceptions by its defense, senior All-America quarterback
Eric Barriere rallied the ninth-ranked Eastern Washington University football team to a 38-31 victory April 10 in a Big Sky Conference game at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash., to keep alive EWU's postseason playoff hopes. Barriere passed for 309 yards and two touchdowns, and had another 40 on the ground to give him 349 yards of total offense. Senior running back
Dennis Merritt rushed for three scores – including the game-tying and game-winning TDs in the final quarter. An interception by junior
Keshaun King set-up the game-winning 78-yard drive, and EWU clinched the victory with an interception by junior
Mitchell Johnson with 1:29 to play. It was the fifth career interception for the opportunistic "Buck" defensive end. On EWU's final two drives of 87 and 78 yards, Barriere was 5-of-10 for 50 yards and also rushed for another 33. Senior
Tamarick Pierce had 26 yards on a pair of carries, and Merritt's two rushes were touchdowns of 21 and 14 yards. Eastern was also aided by major Idaho penalties on each drive. Junior
Anthany Smith had a career-high 17 tackles for EWU, eclipsing the 10 he had earlier this season at Idaho. Others with career highs for tackles were
Jack Sendelbach (14, his ninth career performance in double figures), Johnson (9), King (9) and
Joshua Jerome (9). Barriere had the 13th 300-yard passing performance of his career and his 19th with at least 300 yards of total offense. Seven Eagle receivers caught passes for EWU, led by five by sophomore
Freddie Roberson for 53 yards and four for 140 yards and a 66-yard touchdown by senior
Talolo Limu-Jones. Pierce finished with 71 rushing yards and Merritt had 64. In a rematch of a February game in which the Eagles played without head coach
Aaron Best on the sideline because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Eastern extended a pair of home winning streaks after out-gaining Idaho 476-352. The Eagles won for the 17th-straight time "The Inferno," and Barriere improved to a perfect 13-0 as a starter there. Eastern scored on a six-play, 63-yard drive to open the game, with
Freddie Roberson catching an 18-yard touchdown pass from Barriere. Idaho, however, scored the next two touchdowns behind the legs of starting quarterback Zach Borisch, normally a running back who was pushed into action because of the unavailability of a trio of Vandal QBs. He ended up with 205 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and another 74 passing as he accounted for 279 of Idaho's 352 total yards. Eastern scored the next 10 points, starting with a 23-yard field goal by
Seth Harrison and followed by a 95-yard drive that took 15 plays and 5:38 off the clock. The Eagles took a 17-14 lead at that point on a 3-yard TD rush by
Dennis Merritt, but Idaho tied the game and it was 17-all at halftime. Borisch, who was a high school quarterback at nearby Kamiakin High School in Kennewick, Wash., where he had a pair of Eagles as teammates (
Wyatt Musser and
Darreon Moore), had 102 rushing yards in the first half alone. Barriere had 177 passing yards in the first 30 minutes. Idaho took the lead early in the third quarter, but Eastern responded quickly with a 66-yard touchdown pass from Barriere to
Talolo Limu-Jones. It was the third-straight game in which Limu-Jones has had a reception of at least that many yards. Idaho took a 31-24 advantage with 6:55 left in the third quarter before EWU struck twice in the fourth, with both capped by touchdown runs by Merritt. The first capped a nine-play, 87-yard drive to knot the score, then the next with a seven-play, 78-yard march that put EWU up 38-31 with 6:50 to play.
On Being One of the Last Teams Announced During the Bracket Reveal: "There were 12 other teams who saw their logos before we did. We just happened to be hooked-up with the Bison in Fargo as the last two at-large teams on the bottom half of that quadrant of the bracket. It's exciting to get in. We were fortunate enough to do enough during the six-game schedule to get in."
On North Dakota State: "They are a storied program -- they have been nothing short of phenomenal. The stats and trophies don't lie, and they have a lot of them. We respect their program and have played them multiple times since 2010. It's two great teams locking up in a playoff situation, and we wouldn't want it any other way. It's exciting for the fans to watch two very high-caliber teams play. They are not used to losing. They are going to come out firing and be grumpy after (the SDSU) outcome. We're going to get their best shot as we always do from every team we face. We look forward to the opportunity."
On 2018 FCS Championship Game & NDSU Tradition: "I try not to compare teams because every team is different and every player is different. There are a lot of familiar faces who played in that championship game in January of 2019 when we came up short. We kind of stubbed our toe early in that game, but (NDSU) had a heckuva run with a heckuva crew. Programs don't change and the standards don't change – only the names and faces do. It's harder to maintain that national tradition than to rise from a losing record to a winning record. That is phenomenal what they've done over the better part of 10 years. Give them a lot of credit – it's not easy to stay at that level. They are really the barometer of FCS football."
On This Year's Tournament Being Special in a Special Season: "It's been different with a capital D, and we've all just navigated it daily. We've all gone through it – testing weekly and having two-deeps changing almost daily because of Covid and injuries. Given the opportunity to play, I believe we relished the opportunity to be able to compete this spring. We did not want to scrimmage teams; we wanted to compete against teams and that's what we've done. That's what makes this 16-team bracket that much more special. There were only six at-large berths, and a lot of teams have gone over a lot of hurdles that are way outside of football. This 16-team bracket will be remembered for years to come. We have kept our eyes forward, and our players have been very resilient throughout the process. Our team did a remarkable job to go 5-1 and give our school an opportunity to be a part of this playoff bracket."
On Uncharacteristic 6-2 Record for NDSU: "I wouldn't call them vulnerable just because they've lost more games in this spring setting than they are used to. I would say it probably makes them hungrier. We expect their best shot and we'll give them our best shot on Saturday."
On 2018 Title Game: "Some of our players have those memories from that year, and some of them played in the 2017 game here. There are certain teams we can learn from it, but there are lot of new personnel. Each game is its own. We don't look at past games determining future results."
On Memorable Season: "We talked about it in January, that this was going to be the most memorable season we'll ever play. We didn't know what those memories were going to be – a lot were induced by protocols and certain limitations we had. We have a pretty resilient and fun bunch, and they are very wise beyond their years. I wouldn't want to do it with any other group. Each team is different and has its nucleus. I think we are playing some pretty good football at a pretty good time. Everybody has gone through these protocols, and it's been really, really tough on administrations. From a head coach perspective it's been really, really tough too. But our guys have handled it well and haven't flinched in any shape or form. It's been all about playing ball. Dr. (David) May has given us the opportunity and it was substantiated by
Lynn Hickey to do this, as long as we follow protocols along the way. We've done that and with minimal Covid positives along the way. We want players who want to be here, and through thick and thin they've done a great job from the start to where we are now."
On Field Goal Ruled a Miss in First Idaho Game: "We could have been sitting here at 6-0, who knows? The beautiful thing is that we didn't hang our heads at that time. We got back into town and were a team hungry for a win. We pulled if off that next Saturday and played very well. We were 5-1 with an asterisk, because the Big Sky came out and said that was a made field goal. It could have changed the complexity of the game. I know it wouldn't have been 28-21."
On Idaho Win & Plays Down the Stretch by the Defense: "It was astounding. The average field position for Idaho was about the 35-40 yard line (officially the Idaho 41). No matter who is running an offense, it's going to be extremely difficult for your defense when it's out there every time at mid-field. We have to cover kicks better and the wind didn't heed us in the punt game. We did enough to win this game and that's what it's all about."
On Win Over UC Davis: "Our defense did a magnificent job all day long, and then the offense got going when it needed to. We were out of sync at times, but it's not easy when you expect to score seven points every drive. It was a fun game to watch and be a part of, and great for our team to enjoy a victory over a really, really good ballclub. We knew this was their last regular season game, so we knew they would throw the kitchen sink at us and they did. We withstood all they could give us and we ended up on top by 10 points."
On First Half at UC Davis: "We won the first half decisively on the scoreboard and in time of possession. The game was won up front. We held them to 21 plays in the first half alone, and that's not what UC Davis is all about. They are up-tempo and they usually get 40-45 plays a half. We got them out of their rhythm a little bit. A lot had to do with the offensive execution, but even better was our defense in getting them off the field and punting a few more times than normal. It was methodical at times in the first half, but methodical is okay when you are putting up zeros on defense for 30 minutes of football."
On Win over Cal Poly: "Our guys came out and flat-out played relentless from the first snap of the game. We went down and scored on our first two possessions on offense, and scored a defensive touchdown too. When you can get up in a game early, it creates momentum – especially when the defense gets stops and the offense scores points. It was a total team win by all three phases. There were a lot of players who had a hand in the winning effort today."
On Deepness at Some Positions: "We have depth and it's been built over time. We have a lot of guys capable of making plays. And when given the opportunity – whether it be the first quarter or fourth quarter – those reps are earned. They are not deserved and they aren't just handed out. We were fortunate to be in the situation to bring players in at certain times throughout the game. Looking at the stats, there wasn't a guy who had the bulk of the yards. They shared the mail, so to speak. We did a good job of keeping Cal Poly off-balance."
On Eric Barriere's Performance at ISU: "Eric is flat-out the best player in the country. In my estimation, the ISU game was his best game as an Eagle bar none. I know his stats were immense and he's played a lot of good football, but in that game he played calm, cool and collected. He ran the ball and extended plays when he needed to, and he kept his eyes downfield. Even though we are amazed by the feats he shows us in games, his response in so many situations in the ISU game was so very mature. It was so fun to watch. He was taking what they were giving him and made plays when he needed to make plays. He's the best player in America at our level, just watch the video."
On Long Road Trip to Idaho State: "It takes a little bit of wind out of your sails when you take two days to get to a destination to play an early-evening/late-afternoon game on Saturday. But our team fought and fought hard. It was a very, very gutsy performance and far from perfect in a lot of ways. We just ended up making a couple of plays at the end when we needed to. It was a very good team victory, and I thought our special teams group stepped their game up quite a bit from the NAU game. We played more consistently in the main four special teams units, and it was good to have
Seth Harrison back to kick that 50-yard field goal. That was a boost in the arm. We just made more plays in the end."
On Anthany Smith: "He's an emotional leader for us, and he absolutely knows where he needs to be. He's a physical and vocal leader for us – he plays on the backend so everybody hears him. He plays the game the way it's supposed be played – very fast, very fearless and very physical. That's what we want out of any defensive player, especially one who is playing center field like he does. There is no doubt he's been a force these last three games, and we lean on him to make plays."
On Offensive Explosion Versus NAU After 426 Yards and 14 Points from Offense at Idaho: "We are thankful for what we have. We sometimes get so accustomed to offensive fireworks at Eastern and sometimes there aren't as many fireworks. Fourth of July happens only once a year, and fans expect that every Saturday – I do as well. But this is the second time two weeks in that our defense has allowed us to rely on some different things. We can play more team ball together, and we've done that for two weeks. We came up short against Idaho, but against NAU we put 45 points up on the board. But that doesn't come without a ton of hard work."
On Needed Improvements From 2019: "We needed to learn how to play better team football more consistently, and we lacked that at times. There were games where we played the best football I've ever seen in all my years as a part of this football program. But at other times we played some of the worst ball I've ever seen. Luck and the injury bug sometimes gets involved, but you have to be more consistent in league or non-league. You can't get too high and you can't get too low."
On Keys to Success: "It starts with turnovers, then it's third down conversion percentage and red zone. You have to move the sticks to get to the red zone, and those are the three things we've hammered home these past few years. We have to be better in those three areas than our opponent."
On Replacing Four Starters on the Offensive Line: "We lost some offensive linemen who started a lot and played a lot of football in the past few years. It's always exciting, refreshing and difficult to put new players in those positions that have never really played college football. We are putting them in an impactful game setting and will be forced to play 75, 80 snaps – they haven't done that in their careers thus far."
On Cornerback Experience: "The cornerback position was very young and green in 2019. We lost four seniors after the 2018 campaign, so all the guys who saw action in 2019 really hadn't played before. It was hard to watch early and we weren't as good as we knew we would be. But we had guys step-up, including
Tre Weed who earned freshman All-America honors after being moved from safety to corner. We're excited to see that group as a whole go from year one to year two, and see how much progress they've made. We want to see what kind of production and competition they've gained."
On Eric Barriere: ""The quarterback is the linchpin of the team. No matter what you run, the quarterback is the player you really rely on. It is settling to have back such a dynamic quarterback like Eric. This will essentially be his third year as a starter, so we're expecting huge things out of him for sure. Eric is one of the most electrifying playmakers I have witnessed play in person. He made a huge jump in touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2019, which in turn made him that much harder to defend. I expect his senior season to be even better. He is certainly one of the best players in this league and at this level. I can't wait to see what is in store. He's highly-respected, and, on top of that, he's made a lot of progress. He's stayed consistent and really cut down on his turnovers in 2019. That was something he really wanted to do and he did it, and now he has to build on that."
On Andrew Boston: "Andrew is a film junky and he absolutely gives all he has on Saturday. He will strive for more in the future and the best version of 'Boss' is yet to come. He followed up a productive freshman year with a solid sophomore campaign."
On Tristen Taylor: "Tristan is a tough-minded and gritty player. He had a brilliant bounce-back season coming off an injury in 2018. He's a physical player who still has room to grow and lead as a player, and with time to accomplish those tasks. Tristen becomes our bell cow up front. He's played a lot of football and we're excited about his ability to play multiple positions. He's capable of playing all three positions, so we'll rely on him heavily."
On Other Offensive Linemen: "
Matt Shook is coming off an injury from the 2018 season and early in the fall of 2019, and we're excited to get him back. He's played enough ball for us in the past to get a great evaluation on him.
Wyatt Musser played a bit in 2019 and rotated in with
Will Gram, and this season we'll lean on him for more reps than he had that year. There is some experience, but we want to build on that experience and continue to build competitive depth up front."
On Seth Harrison: "Seth started the season as a backup and ended as the guy at our kicker position. He followed our perfect 2018 season kicking field goals with one of his own. We're excited to see him continue to grow and compete for more."
