With an impressive 80 percent winning rate in the Big Sky Conference in the last 14 seasons, the Eastern Washington University football team faces a difficult task in Cedar City, Utah., when the Eagles open league play at Southern Utah on Saturday (Sept. 25). In preseason polls, EWU was picked to finish third by both the coaches and media, and SUU was picked 11th in both.
 
Kickoff is 5 p.m. Pacific time in a game not televised but available via subscription on ESPN+. The contest will also be broadcast on 700-AM ESPN and 105.3-FM in the Spokane/Cheney area. Larry Weir returns for his 31st season calling the play-by-play, with analysis handled by Paul Sorensen for the 19th season. Broadcasts begin one hour prior to kickoff and include an expanded post-game show.
 
The Eagles have been dominant in the Big Sky Conference in the last 14 years (2007-2020/21), winning 80 percent of their games (88-22) and six titles. In that span, Eastern has had no league finish below 5-3 and five of them have included 7-1 or 8-0 records.
 
Eastern is 7-3 all-time versus the Thunderbirds and won the last meeting by a 55-17 score in 2018 at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash. However, EWU is just 3-3 at Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City, having suffered setbacks by scores of 43-21 (1998), 30-27 (2012) and 46-28 (2017). The 2012 loss came when EWU was No. 1 ranked in Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), and its last victory at SUU came in 2014 by a 42-30 score.
 
The Thunderbirds are coming off a 40-35 win at Tarleton State, a FCS school in the revamped Western Athletic Conference. Southern Utah will depart the Big Sky Conference for that league beginning in 2022. Prior to the win at Tarleton State, SUU lost Sept. 2 at Arizona State (41-14) and Aug. 28 at San Jose State (45-14). This Saturday's game will be its first at home this season.
 
Eastern, meanwhile, picked up its third win of the season – and second on the road – after surviving for a 62-56 win at Western Illinois of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Eagles led 55-21 at halftime as quarterback Eric Barriere set FCS records with 487 passing yards and 497 total yards of offense in the first half alone. He finished with a school-record 562 yards of offense, breaking the record with a win-clinching 10-yard first down run in the final minute.
 
Prior to that, the Eagles opened their home schedule with a 63-14 win versus NCAA Division II Central Washington. Before that, EWU picked up a 35-33 victory in two overtimes over UNLV in EWU's season opener on Sept. 2 in Las Vegas. The Rebels are a member of the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Mountain West Conference. Eastern has now won four of its last 11 games versus FBS members.
 
Eastern's 3-0 start is the best under head coach Aaron Best, the program's first since 2007 under former head coach Paul Wulff and the fifth overall with EWU at the FCS level (1984, 1985, 1986, 1997, 2007, 2021). With a win over Southern Utah, EWU would be 4-0 for the first time since 1997 and just the third time as a member of FCS. The best start is 5-0 in 1985 under head coach Dick Zornes. They are currently just one of 19 teams in the FCS that remain undefeated.
 
Senior quarterback Eric Barriere put on quite the show at Western Illinois, completing 30 of his 45 pass attempts and amassing a school record 562 total yards of offense to go with six touchdowns. He threw for 542 yards, 487 of which came in the first half which set a new FCS record. The performance earned Barriere his eighth-career ROOT Sports Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week award and he was also recognized nationally as he was named the Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week, the College Football Performance Association FCS National Performer of the Week and the College Sports Madness National Offensive and Big Sky Player of the Week.
 
The Eagles are ranked sixth in the AFCA Coaches Top 25 poll and the Stats Perform Top 25 poll after being ranked 14^th and 11^th, respectively, entering the season. Other preseason polls had EWU ranked eighth (College Football America), 10th (College Sports Madness), 16th (Hero Sports) and 19th (Athlon Sports).
 
Barriere ranks second nationally in passing touchdowns (12), third in passing yards per game (393.3), third in points responsible for (80), and fourth in efficiency (186.7). With his help, the Eagles are second in the FCS in passing offense (414.7) and scoring offense (53.3 points per game).
 
With all 22 starters returning and a whopping total of 67 returning letterwinners, Eastern is seeking its 11th Big Sky Conference title and 15th appearance in the FCS Playoffs. The Eagles won the 2010 NCAA Division I title and were runners-up in 2018, and advanced to the first round of the playoffs in the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign.
 
Eastern returns a total of 14 players who have previously earned All-Big Sky Conference honors, with 13 of them being honored during the 2020-21 campaign when eight of the league's 13 schools took part in the league schedule. Quarterback Eric Barriere was the runner-up for the 2020-21 Walter Payton Award, and joins offensive tackle Tristen Taylor, wide receiver Talolo Limu-Jones and kicker Seth Harrison as preseason All-Americans.
 
The Central game began the best home schedule in school history for the Eagles, including four formidable Big Sky Conference foes at Roos Field – Montana, Idaho, Weber State and Montana State. Eastern has won 18-straight games at "The Inferno" with the second-longest active home winning streak in the FCS. Returning All-America quarterback Eric Barriere is a perfect 14-0 as a starter at "The Inferno."
 
Following this week's game, Eastern's next home game is Oct. 2 when Montana visits for a game at 7:30 p.m. Pacific time and televised by ESPNU.
 
Eric Barriere Earns Eighth Career ROOT Sports Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week Award
 
After a record-setting performance over the weekend, Eastern Washington University football senior quarterback Eric Barriere has been named the Big Sky Conference ROOT Sports Offensive Player of the Week for the eighth time in his career, and second time this season, the conference announced this morning (Sept. 20). Barriere is also the Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week, the College Football Performance Association FCS National Performer of the Week and the College Sports Madness National Offensive and Big Sky Player of the Week.
 
Barriere helped the Eagles defeat Missouri Valley Football Conference member Western Illinois on the road in the first-ever meeting by a score of 62-56. Eastern Washington is now 3-0 for the first time since 2007 and the fifth time since becoming members of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
 
In the win, Barriere completed 31 of his 45 pass attempts and threw for 542 yards and six touchdowns, while also adding 20 yards on the ground. His 562 yards of total offense set a new Eastern Washington program record, passing Gage Gubrud's mark of 560 at Montana back in 2016. Barriere broke the record on his final rush of the game, a 10-yard scamper for a first down facing 3rd & 7 that helped the Eagles secure the win.
 
Barriere also made his mark in the FCS record book as well, as 487 of 542 passing yards came in the first half, which is the most-ever by an FCS quarterback in one half of play. His 542 passing yards were just seven yards short of a school record as well.
 
The senior also moved into second all-time in EWU history in pass attempts (1,186), third in career touchdowns (87) and completions (726). Additionally, he passed the 11,000 career yard mark for total offense and now has 11,206 which ranks him third as well.
 
His six touchdown passes were one shy of his own school record of seven, and connected with five different receivers to achieve the feat and Eastern's first six possessions ended in a touchdown. The La Habra, Calif., native had three plays of a 51-yards or more, all touchdowns, to now have 37 plays of 40-yards or more in his career.
 
Now 23-9 as a starter, it was his second career game with over 500 yards, 12^th with over 400 and 21^st with over 300.  
 
Heading into this week, Barriere will look to help the Eagles go 4-0 for the first time since 1997 when EWU takes on Southern Utah in Cedar City on Sept. 25 to start Big Sky play. Additionally, Barriere will be eyeing another personal milestone, as he is 81 yards away from 10,000 career passing yards.
 
Game Notes
 
Eagle Football Tidbits
 
* Eastern finished 5-2 overall in the unique 2020-21 spring season and advanced to the first round of the NCAA Division I playoffs where it lost to North Dakota State. The Eagles ended the season ranked No. 10 in the Stats Perform Top 25 poll, marking the 16th time Eastern has finished the season nationally ranked, including 12 times since 2004. The other seasons were in 1985, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Seven times the Eagles have finished in the top four – fourth in 1997, 2012, 2014 and 2016; third in 2013; second in 2018; and first in 2010 after winning the NCAA Division I title.
 
* Eastern closed the 2020 regular season with the best offense in FCS, and finished the season third at 524.9 yards per game. The Eagles were also fourth nationally in passing (367.3) and eighth in scoring offense (37.7). Eastern's passing average was the third-best in school history and the average of 524.9 yards per game of total offense was fourth, just ahead of the 2019 average of 524.8 which led FCS.
 
* In EWU's last 17 seasons (2004-2020/21), EWU has ranked in the top 10 in FCS in passing 14 times, total offense on 13 occasions and scoring eight times. In school history, EWU has won a trio of FCS titles for total offense (2019, 2001, 1997), as well as three passing offense titles (2016, 2015, 2011) and two for scoring offense (2014, 2001).
 
* Eastern entered the fall season with a total of 36 players returning with 318 games of starting experience, including 18 players on defense with 136 starts and 18 on offense with 182 starts.
 
* Headlining Eastern's cast of returning players are a trio of All-Americans – Barriere, offensive tackle Tristen Taylor and wide receiver Talolo Limu-Jones. They helped Eastern lead FCS in total offense during the regular season, and Barriere went on to finish as the runner-up for the Walter Payton Award given to the top offensive player in FCS. He won first team recognition on six FCS All-America teams, including the FCS Athletic Director's Association which picked him as its top offensive player nationally.
 
* Of the total of 67 returning letterwinners, fifth-year head coach Aaron Best has them evenly split with 31 back on both offense and defense, plus five specialists. The adjusted, abbreviated schedule in 2020-21 did not count against the eligibility for all student-athletes.
 
* Three of the returning players will be back for their seventh seasons as Eagles. Following the conclusion of the 2019 season, offensive tackle Tristen Taylor, linebacker Jack Sendelbach and running back Dennis Merritt were granted a sixth year by the NCAA to complete four years of eligibility because of seasons lost because of injuries. Also receiving a sixth year was University of Washington transfer Jusstis Warren, who played in just one game for EWU in 2019 and only one in 2020-21.
 
* Consistency has been a cornerstone of EWU Football, and the Eagles have cemented a 17-year 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-back-empty seasons in 2002 and 2003.
 
* In 2018, Eastern secured its 10th Big Sky title. Two years later, the Eagles secured their 14th appearance in the FCS Playoffs in what is now 37 years as a member of the FCS (formerly I-AA). 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 plus in 2020-21. While the Eagles were making their 14th appearance overall in the FCS Playoffs in the 2020-21 season, head coach Aaron Best made his 11th as an EWU player or coach.
 
* 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.
 
 A Few Superlatives from the 62-56 Win at Western Illinois
 
* EWU's 754 yards of total offense is the most in program history over a NCAA Division I opponent, with 743 being the previous most versus Idaho State on Nov. 2, 2013. The total was just 15 yards shy of the overall school record (769 vs. Lindenwood on 9/7/19).
 
* Eastern's 548 passing yards were the second-most all-time in program history, just one yard short of the school record of 549 set against Montana on Sept. 23, 2017. Eric Barriere passed for 542 yards, coming just seven from the individual record of 549 set by Gage Gubrud in that game versus the Grizzlies. Barriere had 562 yards of total offense to break Gubrud's record of 560 set in that 2017 game.
 
* Eastern's 55 points at halftime is the most EWU has scored in a half at the FCS level in program history. That record was broken for the second-straight week after Eastern scored 46 in the first half versus Central Washington on Sept. 11, 2021. Eastern's 28 points in the first quarter is tied for the second-most for points in first quarter (sixth overall for any quarter).
* The 62 points EWU scored is the 16th-most in program history, and ranks ninth with EWU as a member of FCS. It was EWU's 68th game with over 50 points, and 13 of those games have come under with Aaron Best as head coach. Of EWU's games of 62 points or more (17 in school history / 10 in FCS), Best has had six of those as head coach – and has been a part of all 10.
 
* Tristen Taylor became the 39th Eagle to play in 50 career games, and he made his 50th career start as well. He needs to play five more games to tie Shaq Hill for the school record, and is just two starts from the school record of 52 held by Chris Schlichting and Cooper Kupp.
 
* Jack Sendelbach now has 203 career tackles as he passed the 200 mark at WIU to rank 42nd in school history. Calin Criner surpassed 200 tackles versus Central Washington and how has 205 in his career to rank 39th all-time.
 
* Seth Harrison kicked 8 extra points at Western Illinois to give him 159 career kick scoring points and move him up to seventh on EWU's all-time list.

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 31-14 for a .689 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 Continue Big Sky Success With Impressive Consistency
 
Consistency has been a cornerstone of EWU Football, and the Eagles have cemented a 16-year run of winning the league title and/or advancing to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs at least every other year. Since 2004, Eastern has advanced to the playoffs and/or won the league title at least every other year, and hasn't had back-back-empty seasons since 2002 and 2003.
 
In 2018, Eastern secured its 10th Big Sky title and 13th appearance in the FCS Playoffs in what is now 36 years as a member of the FCS (formerly I-AA). 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.

Streak of At Least One Road Win Extended to 53 Seasons; Two Road Wins Now at 28 Seasons
 
Against UNLV, extended EWU's current streak seasons with at least one road win to 53. That streak now includes all 38 seasons Eastern has been a member of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA). The last time Eastern was winless on the road was 1969 when the then-Savages were 0-4 away from home and finished 4-5 on the season.
 
Two weeks later at Western Illinois, Eastern extended its streak of seasons with at least two road wins to 28. Eastern has had at least two road wins in all but six seasons (1974, 1975, 1976, 1988, 1989, 1994) since 1969, including a current streak of 28-straight seasons with at least a pair.

Hewa-Baddege, Brown and Williams Make Starting Debuts Versus Central Washington
 
A pair of tackles – one on each side of the ball – and a linebacker made the first starts of their careers against Central Washington on Sept. 11. Redshirt freshman Matthew Hewa Baddege started at offensive tackle, while another freshman, Matthew Brown, started at defensive tackle. In addition, Ahmani Williams made his first career start at linebacker.
 
Hewa Baddege is from Port Coquitlam, B.C., and Brown is out of Hoquiam (Wash.) High School. Williams is a 2020 graduate from Skyline High School in Vancouver, Wash., and is the son of former Eagle All-America safety Julian Williams.
 
The Eagles entered the season with 18 players on each side of the ball with starting experience, including 182 total starts by offensive players and 136 by the defense for a total of 318. There were no new starters when EWU played at UNLV to start the season, and at Western Illinois on Sept. 18.
 
In the abbreviated 2020-21 season, 20 players made the initial starts of their careers – 12 on defense and eight on offense. Eastern entered that year with a total of 20 players returning with 191 games of starting experience, including 10 players on defense with 86 starts and 10 on offense with 105 starts.
 
Here are the current starts by EWU players:
 
Current Starts on Defense (169 starts by 19 players): Calin Criner 22, Tre Weed 21, Jack Sendelbach 20, Mitchell Johnson 20, Darrien Sampson 13, Joshua Jerome 10, Ty Graham 9, Jacob Newsom 7, Darreon Moore 7, Brock Harrison 6, Anthany Smith 6, Marlon Jones Jr. 5, Ely Doyle 4, Cale Lindsay 4, Keshaun King 4, Debore'ae McClain 4, Caleb Davis 3, Matthew Brown 2, Jusstis Warren 1, Ahmani Williams 1.
 
Current Starts on Offense (215 starts by 19 players): Tristen Taylor 50, Eric Barriere 32, Andrew Boston 27, Conner Crist 12, Talolo Limu-Jones 12, Johnny Edwards IV 12, Freddie Roberson 11, Dylan Ingram 10, Wyatt Musser 10, Wyatt Hansen 8, Matt Shook 8, Tamarick Pierce 6, Anthony Stell Jr. 4, Dennis Merritt 5, Matthew Hewa Baddege 2, Brad Godwin 2, Efton Chism III 2, Blake Gobel 1, Gunner Talkington 1.

Eric Barriere is on Watch Lists for the Walter Payton Award as well as the CFPA Performer of the Year
 
Eric Barriere has the opportunity to finish what he started as he was named to the prestigious Walter Payton Award Watch List by Stats Perform on Aug. 4. Later in August, Barriere was named to the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) FCS National Performer of the Year Trophy Watch List.
 
The Walter Payton Award is given to the national offensive player of the year in college football's Division I subdivision. Barriere is no stranger to the list, as he's been a finalist the past two seasons. Last year, Barriere finished runner up to Southeastern Louisiana's Cole Kelley, coming just six votes shy (137-131) of the award. In 2019 as a junior, he finished fifth. He is one of 35 players on the list, along with Sacred Heart's Julius Chestnut who finished behind him in voting. More players can join the list during the regular season and a national media panel will select the winner at the end of the year.
 
Barriere is among 44 returning players across the FCS on the watch list for the CFPA award, including two others from the Big Sky Conference in quarterback Hunter Rodrigues from UC Davis and running back Josh Davis from Weber State. The award will be announced on January 22, 2022.
 
Barriere, a native of Inglewood, Calif., has a long list of preseason honors that include the Big Sky Conference Preseason Offensive MVP, and first team preseason All-America honors by Stats Perform, HERO Sports. Most recently, Barriere was named a first team FCS Preseason All-America quarterback by Phil Steele Publications.
 
He is coming off of a season that saw him lead Eastern Washington to the NCAA FCS Playoffs and was named a first team All-American by six different organizations, including being named the FCS Offensive Player of the Year by the FCS ADA.
 
The senior made a case for the Payton Award last year by passing for at least 300 yards in five of six regular games and having at least 400 yards of total offense in three of them. Barriere ranked in the top 10 in the FCS in total offense (fifth, 369.0 per game), passing offense (fifth, 348.4), passing touchdowns (third, 19) and points responsible for (ninth, 17.4 per game). He completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 2,439 yards, 19 touchdowns and 2,583 total yards of offense.
 
More on Eric Barriere . . . In his illustrious 41-game career, Barriere is now 23-9 as a starter, including 14-0 at home. He went over the 10,000-yard mark for total offense in his career with a current total of 11,355 – including 9,919 through the air. He ranks third in school history in total offense and fifth in passing, and his career total of 87 TD passes is third. He's now second with 106 total touchdowns responsible for. Eastern career records in those categories are 13,308, 12,616, 110 and 121. Barriere has completed 61.2 percent of his passes in his career (726-of-1186), good for 9,919 yards, 87 touchdowns and 23 interceptions, and has rushed 308 times for 1,436 net yards and 19 more TDs. He had a passing efficiency rating of 146.9 as a sophomore, 151.6 in 2019, 186.7 currently in 2021 and a 151.8 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 1,436 with Vernon Adams Jr. closing his career with 1,232. Eastern is 21-1 when Barriere has rushed for at least 21 yards, with the lone loss coming at Sacramento State (10/5/19) when he finished with 103. Besides the Sac State game, he's rushed for at least 98 yards on four other occasions (98/Southern Utah/2018, 99/Portland State/2018, 101/Northern Arizona/2019, 164/Cal Poly/2019). Barriere now has 12 career performances with at least 400 yards of total offense, and 22 with 300+. He also has had 15 performances with at least 300 passing yards (six with at least 400). He has now been honored seven times in his career as Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week, including once in 2021, three times in 2020-21 and twice in the 2019 season.

More on Talolo Limu-Jones . . . He now has 45 games of experience (12 as a starter), and has 106 career catches for 1,770 yards and 16 touchdowns – an average of 16.2 per reception. He has averaged a touchdown every 6.6 career catches. Jones has had 10 receptions of at least 40 yards in his career, including six as a junior in 2019 and three more in the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign. Limu-Jones earned second team All-America honors in 2020-21 from three organizations. He ended the regular season with three-straight performances with at least 140 receiving yards, and had a least a 66-yard catch in all three games.


More on EWU Returning Offensive Players
 
Besides Eric Barriere, Gunner Talkington was the only player of the three to throw a pass in 2020-21, all when he made the first start of his career versus Cal Poly and finished with career highs for completions (6), yards (132), touchdowns (2), rushing yards (14), long rush (14) and total offense (146). He has completed 28-of-59 passes for 331 yards and four touchdowns in his career. He's seen action this season against Central Washington, completing 5-of-9 passes for 58 yards.
 
Andrew Boston returns for his junior season after catching 26 passes 391 yards and three scores in 2020-21. A freshman All-America selection in 2018, Boston has 131 receptions for 1,868 yards and 14 touchdowns (13 receiving, 1 rushing) in 35 career games (27 as a starter) as an Eagle.
 
Also returning to the receiver position are Roberson and Anthony Stell Jr., a pair of former high school teammates who were impressive as redshirt freshmen in 2019 and then developed into standouts in 2020-21. Roberson started six games, finishing with 33 grabs for 470 yards and three touchdowns, and also had a 42-yard touchdown rush. He now has 21 games of experience (11 starts) in his career with totals of 62 receptions for 876 yards and five touchdowns, with a trio of 100-yard receiving performances. Stell had four starts in 2020-21, and finished the season with 17 catches for 282 yards and three scores. He now has 22 catches for 323 yards and three scores in his 20-game career.
 
Senior Johnny Edwards IV did not play in the 2020-21 winter/spring season. He now has 39 games of experience (12 as a starter), and has career totals of 57 receptions for 976 yards and nine touchdowns. He had his best day as an Eagle on Sept. 18, 2021, at Western Illinois when he had three catches for 126 yards, including touchdown catches of 76 and 51 yards. As a junior in 2019, he was third on the team with 32 catches for 553 yards (17.3 per reception) and three scores.
 
Eastern also has a trio of experienced tight ends, led by returning starter Dylan Ingram. Mostly used as a blocking tight end, the junior has 35 games of experience (10 starts), and has caught nine passes for 106 yards and three scores in his career.
 
Sophomore Aiden Nellor is also back with 21 games of experience as an Eagle and five career catches for 39 yards, as well as redshirt freshman Blake Gobel. Gobel now has 14 games of experience, and has 10 career catches for 106 yards and five touchdowns after leading the tight end corp with four receptions for 26 yards and two scores in the 2020-21 season.
 
The running back position returns a pair of seniors in Pierce, the returning starter, and Merritt. Both returned from injuries to earn All-Big Sky honors in the 2020-21 season and help keep the Eagle offense productive.
 
Pierce, forced to redshirt in 2019 while recovering from a knee injury at the end of the 2018 season, started six of the seven games he played in the 2020-21 season to earn first team All-Big Sky accolades. He finished the season with a team-high 462 yards rushing with five touchdowns and an average of 5.4 yards per rush. He also caught eight passes for another 31 yards, and had his first career 100-yard rushing game with 105 and two scores versus Northern Arizona.
 
Pierce now has a 5.98 career average per rush which currently ranks sixth in school history (Merritt is third at 6.49). Pierce has rushed for 1,476 yards and 23 touchdowns in 46 games as an Eagle (six as a starter) with 21 catches for 138 yards and another score.
 
Merritt also returned to be highly productive in 2020-21 after suffering a serious lower leg injury versus Lindenwood on Sept. 7, 2019, and missing the remainder of the season. He earned All-Big Sky Conference honorable mention after playing in all seven Eastern games (one as a starter) as a running back. He had 287 yards and four touchdowns rushing for EWU, and caught another 10 passes for 123 yards and three more scores. He scored a team-high seven touchdowns, including three in EWU's final regular season game versus Idaho. He passed the 1,000 career rushing yards mark against Central Washington on Sept. 11, 2021, when he had what was then a career-high 120 yards (he followed that with a career-high 148 at Western Illinois on Sept. 18). He now has 1,187 career yards (6.49 average per rush to rank third in school history) and 12 touchdowns rushing, and another 27 catches for 392 yards and six scores in 40 games (five as a starter). Merritt has also averaged 20.7 yards on 30 career kickoff returns.
 
Sophomores Silas Perreiah and Micah Smith also return after seeing action in both 2019 and 2020-21. Perreiah played in EWU's first three games in 2020-21 and then missed the rest of the season. He has now played in 13 career games, and has 268 yards rushing with a touchdown, and three catches for seven yards and another score. Smith has played in 15 Eagle games in his career and has 204 yards rushing and a score, plus four catches for 34 yards.
 
Sophomore Isaiah Lewis now has a total of 11 games of experience as an Eagle, he played in two games early in the 2019 season and had 64 yards and a touchdown rushing versus Lindenwood, but shortly after that left the team. As a redshirt freshman in 2018, he played in three games and had 52 yards. He has 203 career rushing yards (6.3 per carry) with one TD, and has caught two passes for 28 yards.
 
The biggest priority for EWU in 2020-21 was replacing four starters on the offensive line, a group which had combined for 193 games played and 141 starts in their careers through the 2019 season. One of the new starters was senior center Conner Crist, who now has 32 career games of experience and 12 starts under his belt. He recovered a fumble in the endzone against Central Washington for his first career touchdown, just the fourth offensive lineman in EWU history to score a touchdown.
 
Entering his seventh season with the Eagles, Tristen Taylor, a Stockton, Calif., native and a 2015 Stagg HS graduate, has started all 50 games he's played in. Wyatt Musser now has 36 games worth of experience in his career with 11 starts. Junior tackle Matt Shook was injured in 2019 and did not play, but returned to start all seven games in 2020-21 and now has 17 games worth of experience with seven starts.
 
The fifth starter back from 2020-21 is Wyatt Hansen, a freshman who has started all eight career games he played as an offensive guard. Sophomore Brad Godwin started the other two games in 2020-21, and now has 17 total games of experience with two career starts.
 
 
More on EWU Returning Defensive Players
 
Anthany Smith is a returning starting safety and had a stellar season in 2020-21 to earn first team All-Big Sky honors. The junior finished with a team-leading 44 tackles in six games played (all as a starter). In EWU's last regular season game versus Idaho, Smith had 17 tackles -- equaling the 19th-most in school history. He made his starting debut earlier in the season versus the Vandals (2/27/21) and had 10 tackles, a pass broken up and a 71-yard interception return for a touchdown which was the 18th-longest in school history. Smith has 71 career tackles, three interceptions and three passes broken up in 24 games (six as a starter). Smith played in just three games in 2019 before being lost for the season with an injury and has not yet played in 2021.
 
Junior Keshaun King started EWU's first four games in 2020-21 before starting safety Calin Criner returned, and King finished with 33 tackles on the season. In the second game versus Idaho, he had nine tackles and his first career interception that led to EWU's game-winning score. King now has 49 tackles and an interception in his 24-game career (four as a starter).
 
Tre Weed and sophomore Darrien Sampson were both seven-game starters at cornerback for EWU in the 2020-21 season. Weed, honored on the All-Big Sky Conference second team, has now played 26 games as an Eagle (21 as a starter). He has career totals of 74 tackles, three interceptions and 10 passes broken up.
 
Sampson finished with 13 tackles and a pair of passes broken up in 2020-21, and has now played in 24 career games (13 starts). A former high school teammate of wide receivers Anthony Stell Jr. and Freddie Roberson, he now has 41 tackles, two interceptions and five passes broken up as an Eagle.
 
The fifth starter back in the secondary is nickel back Marlon Jones Jr., who saw action in all seven games as a redshirt freshman and started four times. He finished the year with 17 of his 24 tackles in EWU's last three games, including a pass broken up in the final game of the year versus North Dakota State. He also played in three games in 2019, and he now has a total of 12 games of experience (five starts) and has a career total of 37 tackles.
 
Also back for the Eagles in the secondary is 2019 starting cornerback Darreon Moore, now a junior. Moore has played in 27 career games (seven as a starter), and has 41 tackles with three passes broken up and a sack.
 
Arizona State transfer Ely Doyle provided a big boost in 2020-21 for Eastern after playing in five games in 2019 for the Sun Devils. He had 36 tackles in six games played to rank fourth on the team, including no tackles while playing sparingly in EWU's opener versus Idaho. But he quickly bumped himself up the leaders list, with 30 tackles during EWU's four-game winning streak. He also had two passes broken up in the 2020-21 season, and missed the rematch against Idaho which extended EWU's winning streak to five. He now has a total of 49 career tackles and four passes broken up in nine games with the Eagles.

Calin Criner now has seven interceptions, 205 tackles, 12 passes broken up, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in his 44-game career (22 as a starter). He has four performances in his career with at least 10 tackles. The 2016 graduate of Rocky Mountain High School in Boise, Idaho, missed EWU's first four games of the 2020-21 spring season, then started in the final three to close the year with seven tackles and a pass broken up.

Mitchell Johnson has been an opportunistic player as EWU's "Buck" defensive end, and he now has 104 tackles in his 37-game career (20 as a starter). He has nine sacks, five interceptions, 12 quarterback hurries, four passes broken up, three fumble recoveries and a pair of forced fumbles. In the 2020-21 season when he was awarded first team All-Big Sky accolades, Johnson had 26 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, four quarterback hurries and a pass broken up. Included was his first career touchdown on a 34-yard interception return, and his fifth career interception with a leaping/twisting pick on fourth down with 1:29 remaining in a playoff-clinching victory over Idaho. He burst on the scene as a redshirt freshman in 2018 and earned second team All-Big Sky honors and freshman All-America accolades.
 
Jack Sendelbach, a three-time team captain, and Graham headline a linebacker corp that includes five returning letterwinners. Graham was also a co-captain during the 2020-21 season when the University of Idaho transfer was playing his first collegiate games after a stretch of 833 days without.
 
Sendelbach finished with 33 tackles to rank sixth on the team despite playing in just three games. An Eagle since the fall of 2015 when he redshirted, Sendelbach now has 203 tackles in his 41-game career (20 as a starter), and has had 10 performances in double figures. He also has five career sacks, 17 total tackles for loss, four fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles.
 
Graham had 42 tackles after starting all six of the games he played as a linebacker to earn honorable mention All-Big Sky honors. Graham had a then career-high nine tackles in his Eagle debut versus his former team, then in the rematch played just the first series versus Vandals before being lost for the season with an injury. The local product of Cheney (Wash.) High School played in 27 games at Idaho and had 133 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks, an interception, two passes broken up and a forced fumble in those three seasons for the Vandals. His father, John, is EWU's former defensive coordinator. In Eastern's season-opener at UNLV, he had a career-high 14 tackles for his first performance in double figures and has two in his career. In nine career games with the Eagles, he has 72 total tackles, two sacks, nine total tackles for loss and one interception that he returned 43 yards for his first career touchdown.
 
Also back at linebacker is junior Cale Lindsay, who had 16 total tackles in seven games in the 2020-21 season. He made the first two starts of his career that season, and now has 57 tackles in 28 career games (four starts) along with four tackles for loss and one fumble recovery.
 
Now at linebacker is Warren, who transferred to EWU in 2019 from the University of Washington. He played in EWU's opener against his alma mater in 2019, but missed the rest of the season. In the 2020-21 season, he also played just one game as a starter at end before being lost for the remainder of the season. Thus, entering 2021 he had played in only two games as an Eagle (one start) and has four tackles. In his 31-game career as a Husky, he had nine tackles, 1 1/2 sacks, a forced fumble and caught a 2-yard touchdown pass.
 
On the defensive line, freshman end Brock Harrison returns as a 2020-21 starter, as does Joshua Jerome and freshman tackle Jacob Newsom. Jerome earned honorable mention All-Big Sky honors.
 
Jerome started all seven of Eastern's games and had 41 tackles to rank third on the team, and also had a team-leading three sacks and a pair of quarterback hurries. He has played just 24 career games (10 as a starter), but already has 91 career tackles with 6 1/2 sacks, 17 total tackles for loss, four quarterback hurries, a pass broken up, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
 
Harrison took over as the starter at an end position in EWU's second game of the 2020-21 season and finished with a team-high five quarterback hurries to go along with 15 tackles. He's played in a total of 14 career games as an Eagle and has 26 tackles, four total tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries, an interception and one pass broken up. Newsom also started all seven games as a tackle, and finished with 22 tackles in his debut season. He has two sacks, a pass broken up, a quarterback hurry and 27 total tackles in 11 career games (seven starts).
 
Four other returning lettermen are back with starting experience, including junior Caleb Davis who missed the entire 2020-21 season. He now has 47 tackles and a pair of sacks in 25 games (three as a starter), including 21 stops and one sack as a sophomore in 2019.
 
Junior Debore'ae McClain started once as a defensive end in the 2020-21 season and finished with 12 tackles in seven games. He now has 40 stops in 37 career games, with 2 1/2 sacks, five total tackles for loss, a forced fumble and five quarterback hurries.
 
Sophomore Emmanuel Osuoha is the only other non-freshman returning, and was a linebacker in the winter/spring. Osuoha had a pair of tackles in six games played and now has 10 career stops in 11 games played.
 
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Besides kicker Seth Harrison, sophomore punter Nick Kokich and sophomore long snapper Cody Clements return with two years of experience under their belts.
 
As a true freshman in 2019, Kokich made his season debut four games into the season and has held the punting position ever since. In 2020-21 he averaged 39.2 yards in 20 punts, with five downed inside the opponent 20-yard line and two of at least 50 yards with a long of 55. He averaged 39.0 yards in 2019, and now has a 39.1 career average with 16 downed inside the opponent 20-yard line and a long of 59 to equal the 38th longest in EWU history. His longest this season is 56 with an average of 39.2.

More on Seth Harrison . . . Harrison made the first 12 field goal attempts of his career, and is now 22-of-29 for .759 accuracy which currently ranks second in school history. The career leader is Tyler McNannay, who was 11-of-12 (.917) in his two-year career from 2014-15. He is also 93-of-99 kicking extra points in his career and has a 54.0 kickoff average (nine touchbacks). Harrison 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. This season, he is 4-of-8 kicking field goals and 18-of-19 on extra points. In the 2020-21 season, he was 6-of-9 kicking field goals, 25-of-27 on extra points and averaged 59.9 per kickoff (two touchbacks). Harrison ended his debut season in 2019 as the FCS leader in field goal percentage, and was the only kicker in FCS with at least one field goal attempt per game to make all of his field goals. He was 30th in field goals with an average of 1.09 per game) and earned Freshman All-America accolades. Twice Harrison kicked four field goals in a single game.