Game Notes

In the biggest match-up between the two teams in the series history, sixth-ranked Eastern Washington University hosts fourth-ranked Montana on Saturday (Oct. 2) at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash., in the first match-up ever with both schools ranking in the top nine nationally in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.
 
Kickoff is 7:35 p.m. Pacific time in a game televised by ESPN2. It will not be broadcast on ESPN+, but it will be available on http://watchespn.com (satellite and cable subscribers only). It's the fifth time in school history EWU has appeared on "The Deuce."
 
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.
 
After both schools opened Big Sky Conference play last week with impressive victories – Eastern 50-21 at Southern Utah and UM 39-7 at home over Cal Poly – this week's game is a match-up of the 4-0 Eagles against the 3-0 Grizzlies. Both retained their rankings by Stats Perform, with the combined rankings of 10 bettering the previous biggest match-up of 13. That came in 2013 when the third-ranked Eagles knocked off the 10th-ranked Grizzlies 42-37 in Missoula.
 
This is the 17th time both teams will enter the match-up nationally-ranked, and the 28th time at least one team is. Never before has both teams entered the game ranked in the top nine, let alone the top six as they are this year.
 
Montana leads the overall series 28-17-1, but the Eagles have had the upper hand as of late with six wins in the last eight victories. And since adding red turf at Woodward Field in 2010 and having the stadium name changed to Roos Field, the Eagles are 5-0 at "The Inferno" versus the Grizzlies.
 
Besides beating Cal Poly, Montana has knocked off Western Illinois (42-7 on Sept. 11) and Washington (13-7 on Sept. 4). The Grizzlies have given up just two defensive touchdowns this season, and only one since the Huskies scored on their first possession in Seattle.
 
Eastern's 4-0 start is the best under head coach Aaron Best, the program's first since 1997 under head coach Mike Kramer and just the third time as a member of FCS. The best start is 5-0 in 1985 under head coach Dick Zornes. Eastern is currently just one of 14 teams in the FCS that remain undefeated.
 
While the Grizzlies have surrendered just 21 points this season in three games, the Eagles have scored 210 in four games – an average 52.5 per game to rank second in FCS. The Eagles lead the nation in several offensive categories, including passing offense (449.5 yards per game) and total offense (635.8), and Montana is No. 3 in scoring defense (7.0), sixth in rushing defense (50.7 yards per game) and 13th in total defense (268.3).
 
Eric Barriere became the first FCS quarterback since 2011 to throw for at least 500 yards in back-to-back games, with 518 versus the Thunderbirds to help EWU finish with a school-record 554 as a team. That broke the previous record of 549 set against Montana in 2017. Barriere finished with 546 yards of total offense to rank as the fifth-most in school history.
 
Eastern picked up its third win of the season – and second on the road – after surviving for a 62-56 win on Sept. 18 at Western Illinois of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Eagles led 55-21 at halftime as Barriere set FCS records with 487 passing yards and 497 total yards of offense in the first half alone. He finished with a school-record 562 yards of offense (542 through the air), breaking the record with a win-clinching 10-yard first down run in the final minute.
 
Prior to that, the Eagles opened their home schedule with a 63-14 win versus NCAA Division II Central Washington. 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.
 
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).
 
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" which is tied for 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 will go on the road to play at Northern Colorado on Oct. 9 in Greely, Colo. After that, the Eagles will play home games versus rival Idaho (Oct. 16) and four-time defending Big Sky champion Weber State (Oct. 23).
 
 
 
Game Notes
 
Eagle Football Tidbits
 
* Eastern finished 5-2 overall in the unique 2020-21 spring season and advanced to the first round of the NCAA Division I playoffs where it lost to North Dakota State. The Eagles ended the season ranked No. 10 in the Stats Perform Top 25 poll, marking the 16th time Eastern has finished the season nationally ranked, including 12 times since 2004. The other seasons were in 1985, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Seven times the Eagles have finished in the top four – fourth in 1997, 2012, 2014 and 2016; third in 2013; second in 2018; and first in 2010 after winning the NCAA Division I title.
 
* Eastern closed the 2020 regular season with the best offense in FCS, and finished the season third at 524.9 yards per game. The Eagles were also fourth nationally in passing (367.3) and eighth in scoring offense (37.7). Eastern's passing average was the third-best in school history and the average of 524.9 yards per game of total offense was fourth, just ahead of the 2019 average of 524.8 which led FCS.
 
* In EWU's last 17 seasons (2004-2020/21), EWU has ranked in the top 10 in FCS in passing 14 times, total offense on 13 occasions and scoring eight times. In school history, EWU has won a trio of FCS titles for total offense (2019, 2001, 1997), as well as three passing offense titles (2016, 2015, 2011) and two for scoring offense (2014, 2001).
 
* Eastern entered the fall season with a total of 36 players returning with 318 games of starting experience, including 18 players on defense with 136 starts and 18 on offense with 182 starts.
 
* Headlining Eastern's cast of returning players are a trio of All-Americans – Barriere, offensive tackle Tristen Taylor and wide receiver Talolo Limu-Jones. They helped Eastern lead FCS in total offense during the regular season, and Barriere went on to finish as the runner-up for the Walter Payton Award given to the top offensive player in FCS. He won first team recognition on six FCS All-America teams, including the FCS Athletic Director's Association which picked him as its top offensive player nationally.
 
* Of the total of 67 returning letterwinners, fifth-year head coach Aaron Best has them evenly split with 31 back on both offense and defense, plus five specialists. The adjusted, abbreviated schedule in 2020-21 did not count against the eligibility for all student-athletes.
 
* Three of the returning players are back for their seventh seasons as Eagles. Following the conclusion of the 2019 season, offensive tackle Tristen Taylor, linebacker Jack Sendelbach and running back Dennis Merritt were granted a sixth year by the NCAA to complete four years of eligibility because of seasons lost because of injuries. Also receiving a sixth year was University of Washington transfer Jusstis Warren, who played in just one game for EWU in 2019 and only one in 2020-21.
 
 
Eagles Take Over National Lead in Offense
 
The Eagles will enter this Saturday's game first nationally in total offense (635.8 yards per game), passing offense (449.5), third down conversion percentage (.576) and first downs (107), and are second in scoring offense (52.5 per game).
 
Eric Barriere is first in passing yards per game (424.5) and total offense (449.8), and second in passing touchdowns (16). His career-best 190.78 passing efficiency rating currently ranks fourth (first among players with at least 64 attempts on the season)
 
Dennis Merritt is first in the FCS in total touchdowns (9), rushing touchdowns (7) and scoring (13.5), and he is eighth in rushing yards (381) and 15th in rushing yards per game (95.2). Efton Chism III is seventh in receiving TDs (4) and 31st in receiving yards (300), while Talolo Limu-Jones is 18th in receiving yards (345).
 
 
Two-Time FCS Offensive Player of the Week Eric Barriere Surging Up EWU All-Time Leaders Lists
 
Senior quarterback Eric Barriere continues to garner yards and awards by the bushel, and for the second week in a row he received FCS National Offensive Player of the Week accolades from College Sports Madness. He also received honorable mention as FCS Offensive Player of the Week from Stats Perform and honorable mention as the FCS Performer of the week from College Football Performance Awards. In addition, his second-straight 500-yard passing performance on the road helped him win him his ninth-career ROOT Sports Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week award, and he earned the same honor from CSN.
 
He had the most yards in back-to-back games in school history in both passing and total offense with 542 passing at Western Illinois on Sept. 18, 2021 (a school-record 562 yards of total offense) and 518 pass a week later at Southern Utah (546 total). He is the first FCS player with consecutive 500-yard passing performances since Cornell's Jeff Mathews in 2011 (521 versus Cornell and 548 at Penn).
 
He had a 30-of-43 passing performance in a 50-21 Big Sky Conference win at Southern Utah, throwing for 518 of EWU's school-record 554 passing yards (the other 36 came on a fake punt). He had four touchdown passes against the Thunderbirds, and both his passing and offense totals rank No. 5 on EWU's all-time list, and he now owns three of the top five performances on each list. Barriere had no interceptions for the third-straight game, and enters the Montana game with 125 attempts without a pick after throwing two in EWU's season-opening 35-33 win at UNLV. He has helped the Eagles sit at 4-0 overall for the first time since 1997 and led the squad to its first road win in Cedar City, Utah, since 2014.
 
Barriere also continues to climb EWU's all-time leaders lists, and is now over 10,000 passing yards in his career and is nearing the 12,000 mark in total offense. In his career he has completed 61.5 percent of his passes (756-of-1229), good for 10,437 yards, 91 touchdowns and 23 interceptions, and has rushed 314 times for 1,464 yards and 19 more TDs (total of 110 touchdowns accounted for). He had a passing efficiency rating of 146.9 as a sophomore, 151.6 in 2019 and 190.78 thus far in 2021 for a 153.54 mark in his career to currently rank fifth in school history. His touchdown passes rank third all-time at EWU, his passing yardage is third, his total of 11,901 yards of offense rank second and his total of TDs responsible for is second (11 from the school record of 121). He remains second in EWU history in both passing attempts and completions. He has had 40 plays in his career of at least 40 yards.
 
With 42 total games of experience, he is 24-9 in 33 career games as a starter (14-0 at home). Barriere has had 23 performances of at least 300 yards of total offense and 16 with at least 300 yards passing in his 42 games as an Eagle. He has had 13 with at least 400 yards of total offense and seven with at least 400 passing.
 
Barriere broke FCS records for most passing yards (487) and total offense (497) in a single half versus Western Illinois on Sept. 18, 2021, as EWU took a 55-21 halftime lead in the 62-56 shootout victory. The old records of 480 and 491 were set in 2012 by Taylor Heinicke of Old Dominion versus New Hampshire. Barriere finished with a school-record 562 yards of total offense (542 passing yards were just seven from the school record).
 
The performance at Western Illinois earned Barriere his eighth-career ROOT Sports Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week award and he was also recognized nationally as he was named the Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week, the College Football Performance Association FCS National Performer of the Week and the College Sports Madness National Offensive and Big Sky Player of the Week.
 
Barriere now owns the career rushing record for a quarterback with 1,464 yards, breaking the previous record of 1,232 yards by Vernon Adams Jr. (2012-14). Eastern is 21-1 when Barriere has rushed for at least 21 yards, with the lone loss coming at Sacramento State (10/5/19) when he finished with 103.
 
Barriere is a preseason All-America selection and on watch lists for two end-of-season player of the year awards in FCS. Nine times in his career he has won Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors (two in 2021, three in 2020-21, twice in 2019, once in 2018).
 
He was selected as Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year and was the runner-up for the Walter Payton Award in the 2020-21 season. He was selected to six different FCS All-America squads during the season impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
A unanimous first team All-Big Sky choice in the 2020-21 season, he earned third team All-Big Sky Conference honors as both a sophomore (2018) and junior (2019).
 
 
Eagles Record Best Back-to-Back Offensive Games in School History
 
Eastern's combined 1,427 yards of offense against Western Illinois (754) and Southern Utah (673) is the most in back-to-back games in school history. The previous most was 1,395 set in 2019 when the Eagles had 706 versus Northern Arizona on Nov. 2 and 689 a week later versus Idaho State.
 
The 754 yards EWU had versus the Leathernecks came just 15 from the school record, but was a program best versus a FCS or FBS foe. Additionally, Eric Barriere set the individual school record with 562 yards of total offense against WIU (542 passing), then EWU set a team record for passing yards with 554 at SUU (Barriere had 518 and the other 36 came on a fake punt).
 
Including the 645 yards EWU had versus Central Washington on Sept. 11, and the Eagles had 2,072 in a three-game stretch – an average of 690.7 per game. That is also a high for EWU in back-to-back-to-back games, and those three performances all rank in the top 21 in school history.
 
Eastern's 175 points (58.3 average) in those games is actually not EWU's best three-game stretch. That distinction goes to the 2018 squad, which had 181 points (and 1,871 total yards of offense) in victories over Northern Colorado (48 points, 578 yards), UC Davis (59 points, 669 yards) and Portland State (74 points, 624 yards). The point total in the latter two games – 133 points – is eight better than the combined 125 EWU scored this season versus Central Washington and Western Illinois.
 
 
Eastern is 31-19 Since 2010 Versus Ranked­ Opponents
 
Heading into this week's game versus Montana, Eastern has now won 63 percent of its games (31-19) versus ranked teams since 2010. Eastern is 60-73 (.451) in 133 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 versus sixth-ranked North Dakota State in the 2020-21 FCS Playoffs was the 64th time and the most recent occasion Eastern has faced a team ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (STATS). Eastern is 10-10 versus top 10 foes since 2010, including a 5-4 mark in the regular season and 5-6 in the playoffs Eastern is 19-45 in the 64 games all-time versus top 10 opponents. 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).
 
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.
 
 
A Few More Superlatives From the Southern Utah Game
 
* Eastern's 673 yards of total offense against SUU are the 11th most in program history, and the team's 554 passing yards surpassed the previous school record of 549 set at Montana on Sept. 23, 2017.
 
* Tristen Taylor became the 22nd Eagle to play in 51 career games, and he made his 51st career start as well. He needs to play four more games to tie Shaq Hill for the school record of 55, and is just one start from the school record of 52 held by Chris Schlichting and Cooper Kupp.
 
* Jack Sendelbach had 13 tackles against the Thunderbirds, just one from his career high and his 11th double-figure performance of his career. Sendelbach had the tackle on an EWU safety in the first quarter, EWU's first since 2009. He now has 216 career tackles to move into 30th in school history. Calin Criner now has 212 in his career to rank 35th all-time.
 
* Seth Harrison scored five points at SUU to give him 164 career kick scoring points and remain seventh on EWU's all-time list.
 
* Talolo Limu-Jones had a career-high 175 yards on seven catches, the fifth performance of his career with at least 100 yards. He is now just 55 yards away from 2,000 receiving yards and teammate Andrew Boston is 73 yards away. They should join 21 other Eagles with at least 2,000 yards receiving in their careers, with Lamont Brightful currently ranking 21st with 2,061.
 
* The 50 points EWU scored is the 69th game with over 50 points at the FCS level. A total of 14 of those have come under Best as head coach.
 
* Efton Chism III had his first career game of over 100 receiving yards, finishing with 147. He had a career-high eight catches with a career-long catch of 36 yards, and he tied his career high with two touchdown receptions. Robert Mason III had a career-high four receptions for 50 yards, including a career-long catch of 14 yards.
 
* Linebacker Ty Graham had his third game this season with double digit tackles, and defensive end Brock Harrison had his first career fumble recovery.
 
* Running back Dennis Merritt tied career highs with three rushing touchdowns and four receptions.

Two of Top Coaches in League History Square Off
 
Head coach Aaron Best has led EWU to league finishes of 6-2, 7-1, 6-2, 5-1, and 1-0 in the league in his four-plus seasons at the helm, a 25-6 record and .806 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 35-14 for a .714 winning percentage to rank ninth all-time in the league (sixth among coaches with at least four seasons at the helm).
 
Montana's Bobby Hauck, in two stints at Montana, is now 101-26 overall (.795) and 58-12 (.829) in league games. Those percentages are No. 2 and No. 3 all-time in the Big Sky, respectively, and his overall percentage ranks only behind Montana's Joe Glenn (39-6, .867; 20-2, .909) who coached only three seasons. Montana's Mick Dennehy was 27-5 in league games (.844) in four seasons at the helm.
 
 
Eagles Have Won 80 Percent of Their Last 111 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 89-22 for a .802 winning percentage. Including three wins at the end of the 2009 season, Eastern has had a 75-15 record (.833) in league games since then.
 
After one game of the 2021 season, the Eagles have won 65 of their last 77 Big Sky Conference games (84.4 percent) since a 0-2 start in 2011. Included are stretches of 55 victories in the last 65 games (including two at the end of the 2012 season) and 33 of the last 39 (since 2016). Those are percentages of .846 and .846, respectively.
 
At one point the Eagles had won 44 of 50 league games, and the only Big Sky school which has come close to that in the 56-year history of the league was Montana, which won 50 of 55 games from 1995-2002 and 46 of 51 from 2003-2009.
 
Including four non-conference victories (two versus MSU, and one each against Cal Poly and Northern Arizona), two playoff wins (Montana and UC Davis) and one loss (Idaho), the Eagles are 71-13 (.845) against conference foes since the 0-2 start in 2011 and 61-11 (.847) since winning the last three games at the end of the 2012 campaign (one a non-conference win over Cal Poly).
 
What is perhaps most impressive is Eastern's ability to consistently win on the road versus conference foes, with records of 29-8 (78 percent) on the road, 32-3 at home (91 percent) and 61-11 overall (85 percent) in the last eight-plus seasons since ending 2012 with three wins versus fellow BSC foes. From 2012-2019, Eastern defeated every Big Sky team on the road at least once, including former Big Sky member North Dakota and a 2012 non-league road victory at Idaho, which re-joined the league in 2018. Until losing at Southern Utah in October of 2017, the Eagles had won their previous road game versus all 13 other league members.
 
Eastern secured its 10th Big Sky title in 2018 and in the 2020-21 season EWU earned its 14th berth in the FCS Playoffs in what is now 37 years as a member of the FCS (formerly I-AA) and 34 seasons in the Big Sky. Since 2010 when EWU won the NCAA Division I title, the Eagles have won league titles six times (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018) and advanced to the playoffs all six of those seasons.
 
From 2004 to 2009 Eastern advanced to the playoffs four times (2004, 2005, 2007, 2009), and won the league title twice (2004, 2005). Eastern has three other playoff berths in school history (1985, 1992, 1997) and two other titles (1992, 1997), and has only had two multi-year stretches in which they accomplished neither. Those were both six-year stretches from between 1986-1991 and 1998-2003.
 
Eagles Continue Big Sky Success With Impressive Consistency
 
Consistency has been a cornerstone of EWU Football, and the Eagles have cemented a 16-year run of winning the league title and/or advancing to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs at least every other year. Since 2004, Eastern has advanced to the playoffs and/or won the league title at least every other year, and hasn't had back-back-empty seasons since 2002 and 2003.
 
Since 2010 when EWU won the NCAA Division I title, the Eagles have won league titles six times (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018) and advanced to the playoffs all six of those seasons. From 2004 to 2009 Eastern advanced to the playoffs four times (2004, 2005, 2007, 2009), and won the league title twice (2004, 2005). Eastern has three other playoff berths in school history (1985, 1992, 1997) and two other titles (1992, 1997), and has only had two multi-year stretches in which they accomplished neither. Those were both six-year stretches from between 1986-1991 and 1998-2003.

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.
 
 
Eagles Now 61-10 on the Red Turf with Record 18-Game Winning Streak
 
Having won all five of its regular season home games in 2019 and all eight in 2018, Eastern was 3-0 at home in the 2020-21 season and is currently 1-0 in 2021 to give the Eagles a school-record 18-straight wins at Roos Field.
 
The Eagles entered the 2021 season as one of three teams with the longest active home winning streaks in FBS with 17 consecutive victories, and EWU improved that to 18 with a resounding 63-14 win over Central Washington on Sept. 11. The other schools who entered the season with 17-game home winning streaks included James Madison, which extended its streak to 19 with a 55-7 win over Maine on Sept. 11. North Dakota also has a 18-game streak after winning its home opener Sept. 18 versus Drake. James Madison plays at home again on Oct. 9 versus Villanova and UND is at home on Oct. 2 against North Dakota State.
 
Eastern is now 61-10 (85.9 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" – 48-6 (88.9 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 5-0 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 18-Game Winning Streak at Home
 
During Eastern's 18-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 more than doubled its opponents 940-407. The margin of victory in 14 of the 18 games has been at least 21 points, nine of them have been by at least 30, four 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 10 home games, it has won by an average score of 53-24 (525-243). 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.

Schenck, Hewa-Baddege, Brown and Williams Make Starting Debuts
 
Freshman Cage Schenck, a 2020 graduate of Woodinville (Wash.) High School, is the latest EWU player to make his starting debut. He had his first career start at Southern Utah as a nickel back, and finished with a career-high three tackles with a pass broken up for the second-straight game.
 
A pair of tackles – one on each side of the ball – and a linebacker have made the first starts of their careers thus far. Redshirt freshman Matthew Hewa Baddege started at offensive tackle at UNLV on Sept. 2. Versus Central Washington on Sept. 11, freshman Matthew Brown started at defensive tackle for his first start as an Eagle and freshman Ahmani Williams made his first career start at linebacker
 
Hewa Baddege is from Port Coquitlam, B.C., and Brown is out of Hoquiam (Wash.) High School. Williams is a 2020 graduate from Skyline High School in Vancouver, Wash., and is the son of former Eagle All-America safety Julian Williams.
 
The Eagles entered the season with 18 players on each side of the ball with starting experience, including 182 total starts by offensive players and 136 by the defense for a total of 318. There were no new starters when EWU played at Western Illinois on Sept. 18.
 
In the abbreviated 2020-21 season, 20 players made the initial starts of their careers – 12 on defense and eight on offense. Eastern entered that year with a total of 20 players returning with 191 games of starting experience, including 10 players on defense with 86 starts and 10 on offense with 105 starts.
 
Here are the current starts by EWU players:
 
Current Starts on Defense (180 starts by 21 players): Calin Criner 23, Tre Weed 22, Jack Sendelbach 21, Mitchell Johnson 21, Darrien Sampson 14, Joshua Jerome 11, Ty Graham 10, Jacob Newsom 7, Darreon Moore 7, Brock Harrison 6, Anthany Smith 6, Debore'ae McClain 5, Marlon Jones Jr. 5, Ely Doyle 5, Cale Lindsay 4, Keshaun King 4, Matthew Brown 3, Caleb Davis 3, Jusstis Warren 1, Cage Schenck 1, Ahmani Williams 1.
 
Current Starts on Offense (226 starts by 19 players): Tristen Taylor 51, Eric Barriere 33, Andrew Boston 28, Conner Crist 13, Talolo Limu-Jones 13, Johnny Edwards IV 12, Freddie Roberson 12, Dylan Ingram 11, Wyatt Musser 11, Wyatt Hansen 9, Matt Shook 7, Dennis Merritt 6, Tamarick Pierce 6, Anthony Stell Jr. 4, Matthew Hewa Baddege 4, Brad Godwin 2, Efton Chism III 2, Blake Gobel 1, Gunner Talkington 1.