GAME NOTES

The Eastern Washington University football team hosts Sacramento State on Saturday, Oct. 15 for Homecoming. Kickoff is set for 4:02 p.m. at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash., and the game will be broadcast regionally on SWX along with 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 32nd season calling the play-by-play, with analysis handled by Paul Sorensen for the 20th season. Broadcasts begin one hour prior to kickoff and include an expanded post-game show.
 
For the third time in Big Sky Conference play, the Eagles will be facing a ranked opponent, as Sacramento State sits undefeated at 5-0 and 2-0 in conference action and is ranked No. 5 in both the Stats Perform and the AFCA top-25. The Hornets are also the two-time defending Big Sky champions, and are led by former Eagle coach, Troy Taylor. The Eagles, who have lost four-straight for the first time since 2011, find themselves unranked after being ranked in 30 consecutive polls.
 
Eastern is 1-4 and 0-2, with losses at Oregon, to No. 4 Montana State, at Florida, and to No. 7 Weber State. The Hornets boast wins over Utah Tech and Northern Iowa, plus a Football Bowl Subdivision win over Colorado State. The Big Sky victories have come over Cal Poly and Northern Colorado. The Sacramento State defense has posted nine scoreless halves and 34 scoreless quarters over the last two seasons, while the offense ranks third in total offense with an average of 519 yards per game.
 
Eastern fell 48-27 at Hornet Stadium in the last meeting in 2019, but prior to that the Eagles were perfect in 12 tries versus the Hornets in Sacramento. The Eagles lead the all-time series 19-5 (7-4 in Cheney, 12-1 in Sacramento), and the home team has won only five times in the past 16 meetings (EWU 45-10 in 2004, 28-24 in 2010, 31-28 in 2012 and 52-31 in 2017; and Sac State 48-27 in 2019). Eastern is 7-1 in Sacramento and 4-4 in Cheney in those past 16 meetings. Prior to a 2000 home loss, EWU had won the first eight meetings from 1980-1999.
 
In Homecoming games, Eastern is 56-36-3 all-time.
 
This is Eastern's second game against a ranked opponent this season. Since 2010, EWU is 33-23 against ranked Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponents, including 12-14 versus teams in the top-ten. All-time, EWU is 62-77 against ranked FCS opponents and 21-49 against top-ten teams.
 
After Saturday, the Eagles head to San Luis Obispo, Calif., for a matchup with Cal Poly. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. on ESPN+.
 
Game Notes
 
Eastern is coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history and its 15th Football Subdivision Championship playoff berth. Gone is 2021 Walter Payton Award winner and All-America quarterback, Eric Barriere, along with fellow All-Americans Tristen Taylor and Talolo Limu-Jones, but what's back is a group of players who learned under their tutelage and are ready to emerge.
 
Eastern Washington lost 10 starters from the 2021 squad that finished the year 10-3 (6-2 in league play). The Eagles did not lose a regular season game on the road, a feat that hadn't been done since 1967, and won their first seven games for the program's best start the FCS level. Starters lost include six on offense and four on defense along with 18 total letterwinners. Back are 12 starters (five offense, seven defense, plus three kickers, a punter and snapper) and 47 letterwinners.
 
Headlining the cast of returners are eight players who have previously earned All-Big Sky Conference honors, with five being honored following the 2021 season. Among the five are wide receivers Freddie Roberson and Efton Chism III, guard Wyatt Musser, and defensive line members Joshua Jerome and Mitchell Johnson. Safeties Anthany Smith and Tre Weed, along with kicker Seth Harrison, earned honors in 2020-21.
 
Eastern entered the Fall season with a total of 31 players returning with 285 games of starting experience, including 16 players on defense with 181 starts and 15 on offense with 104 starts.
 
And the Eagles entered it as one of the top 25 teams in FCS as well. In the preseason rankings released in June by Athlon Sports, the Eagles ranked No. 15. In the HERO Sports preseason poll released in May, Eastern came in at No. 18. Eastern closed the 2021 season seventh in the Stats Perform NCAA Football Championship Subdivision top 25 poll, and EWU was ninth by the coaches. Eastern was ranked in 30-straight Stats Perform polls until falling out on Oct. 10, 2022.
 
Eastern was picked to finish sixth by both the coaches and the media in the Big Sky preseason poll. It was also ranked No. 13 in the preseason Stats Perform poll and No. 12 by the AFCA.
 
Consistency has been a cornerstone of EWU football, and the Eagles have cemented an 18-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. Eastern has led the nation in total yards of offense per game twice in the last three years (2021, 554.5 and 2019, 524.8).
 
In 2018, Eastern secured its 10th Big Sky title. Three years later, the Eagles secured their 15th appearance in the FCS Playoffs in what is now 38 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 and 2021.
 
While the Eagles were making their 15th appearance overall in the FCS Playoffs in the 2021 season, sixth-year head coach Aaron Best made his 12th as an EWU player or coach. In six years at the helm, Best owns an overall record of 42-21, including 30-10 in Big Sky play.
 
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.
 
The Eagles have been impressive – if not dominant – in the league in the last 16 years (2007-2022), winning 77 percent of their games (100-30) 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.
 
The remaining conference action includes additional road games at Cal Poly, Idaho and Montana with home matchups against Sacramento State for Homecoming, Portland State, and Northern Colorado for the regular season finale.
 
The COVID-19 pandemic may have caused headaches and the need for adaptation, but it did allow 11 seniors to participate in a sixth Fall. Among them is quarterback Gunner Talkington who was tabbed the front runner at quarterback following Fall camp.
 
Eastern is 33-23 Since 2010 Versus Ranked Opponents
 
Eastern's Sept. 24 matchup against Montana State was the first game against a ranked opponent this season, and EWU (ranked No. 15), lost 38-35. No. 21/24 Eastern Washington then lost at No. 7 Weber State, 45-21. Oregon was ranked No. 11 to start the season, but fell out of the AP top-25 after a 49-3 loss to Georgia to open the season. The Ducks rose back into the polls after their victory over EWU.
 
Last season, including games on Oct. 2 versus fourth-ranked Montana, Nov. 6 against fourth-ranked Montana State and Nov. 13 against No. 6 UC Davis, Eastern has now won 59 percent of its games (33-23) versus ranked teams since 2010. Eastern is 62-77 (.446) in 139 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 2022 games versus No. 4 Montana State and No. 7 Weber States gives EWU 70 occasions Eastern has faced a team ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (STATS). Eastern is 12-14 versus top 10 foes since 2010, including a 7-6 mark in the regular season and 5-7 in the playoffs. Eastern is 21-49 in the 70 games all-time versus top 10 opponents. The Eagles are 10-38 all-time versus top 5 opponents (5-10 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.
 
Ten Eagles Have Made Their Starting Debuts This Season

Through four games this season, 10 Eagles have made the first starts of their careers.   
Five Eagles, including a trio of transfers, made their first career starts for the Eagles against Tennessee State. On the defensive side, linebackers Derek Tommasini and Jaren Banks made their first starts in an Eagle uniform. Tommasini transferred in from Idaho and had seven tackles. Banks, a Rice transfer, ended with seven as well.
 
On the offensive side, Seth Carnahan who also transferred from Idaho, started at right tackle. Brenden River, a sophomore, earned the start at right guard. Justice Jackson started at running back and was second on the team with 23 rushing yards.
Against Oregon, redshirt freshman Tuna Altahir made the start at running back.
Micah Smith made his first career start at running back against Montana State. Smith totaled career-highs with 114 rushing yards on 13 carries, plus two touchdowns and a career-long rush of 56 yards. It was the first 100+ rushing yard game of his career.
 
A trio of defensive players made their starting debuts at Florida, in Conner O'Farrell and Trevor Thurman at linebacker, plus Soli Paleso'o at tackle. O'Farrell racked up four tackles and Thurman had one.
 
Current Starts on Defense (236 starts by 21 players): Mitchell Johnson 35, Tre Weed 30, Darrien Sampson 27, Joshua Jerome 23, Debore'ae McClain 14, Anthany Smith 16, Matthew Brown 12, Ely Doyle 14, Marlon Jones Jr. 12, Brock Harrison 11, Jacob Newsom 7, Caleb Davis 8, Keshaun King 6, Demetrius Crosby Jr. 6, Derek Tommasini 5, Jaren Banks 4, Cage Schenck 1, Ahmani Williams 1, Conner O'Farrell 2, Soli Paleso'o 2, Trevor Thurman 1,
 
Current Starts on Offense (148 starts by 19 players): Wyatt Musser 24, Freddie Roberson 24, Wyatt Hansen 23,  Dylan Ingram 19, Efton Chism III 14, Matthew Hewa Baddege 7, Luke Dahlgren 7, Jakobie James 7, Gunner Talkington 6, Anthony Stell Jr. 4, Brenden Rivera 5, Blake Gobel 3, Seth Carnahan 3, Andrei Leonardi 2, Tuna Altahir 2, Brad Godwin 2, Nolan Ulm 2, Micah Smith 2, Robert Mason III 1, Justice Jackson 1,