CHENEY, Wash. — After offense stole the spotlight on Monday, it was the defense that stepped up on a clear and sunny afternoon at Roos Field in Cheney on Saturday. The red jerseys held the white to 288 yards on 12 drives, keeping them out of the endzone entirely.
"The defense got a couple balls out, a couple turnovers," said head coach Aaron Best. "(They) won the day, undoubtedly. That's what good football teams are. It goes back and forth. You expect that… the defense rose to the occasion."
The allowed many underclassmen or reserves, especially on the offensive side of the ball, to showcase their ability and fight for a spot on the limited traveling roster. Several expected key contributors on offense rested, including quarterback Kekoa Visperas, receivers Efton Chism III, Robert Mason III and Nolan Ulm, and each of the returning starting offensive linemen.
The defense rested some, but fewer expected starters, and it showed. Unofficial stats tallied 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 pass deflections and one forced fumble. Quarterbacks wore no-contact jerseys, so sack numbers were loosely tracked.
Redshirt freshman Justis La'ulu, who converted from the offensive to defensive lines this year, led with 6 tackles, including both recorded sacks. Linebacker Bishop Blakely narrowly missed an interception that looked destined for six the other way. True freshman Brandon Thomas made perhaps the play of the day, forcing a fumble with a big hit on the right edge, sending his veteran teammates into an eruption on the sidelines.
"It was definitely nice to go out there as a defense and have a good day today," said junior linebacker Derek Tommasini. "We definitely had a bad taste in our mouth after last season… that anger, we turned into a lot of energy and a lot of effort. I think we've come together a lot around that hard work. We all rally off of each other. One guy has a great play, we all just build and feed off each other."
"A pat on the back either speeds you up or slows you down, and it depends on who the person is," Best added, when asked about how he evaluates plays made by younger players. "You say 'nice job' and it could get someone complacent, while another person with the same 'nice job' will think 'okay, I want to do more'... That's why sometimes looking at the film after it's done (is most important)."
All eyes are now on the Eagles' Week 1 matchup against powerhouse North Dakota State, who is ranked #2 in the STATS Perform FCS Top 25. Eastern has met NDSU five times, all since 2010, winning in a playoff game in 2010. The two programs have been flag bearers for the FCS over the last decade-plus, meeting in the postseason three times including the 2019 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game, a 38-24 win for the Bison.
The game will kick at 12:30 p.m. PT / 2:30 p.m. CT and be available on ESPN+ and on the radio via 700 ESPN and The Varsity Network app.
More (unnofficial) stats from the scrimmage:
- QB Aidan Carter, 4/11, 40 yards
- QB Jared Taylor, 1/1, 5 yards
- QB Michael Wortham, 2/4 20 yards
- QB Nate Bell, 9/15, 89 yards
- RB Isaiah Lews, 6 carries, 56 yards, 32-yard long
- RB Talon Betts, 8 carries, 13 yards
- RB Micah Smith, 8 carries, 20 yards
- RB Nick Adimora, 5 carries, 21 yards
- TE Messiah Jones, 4 catches, 37 yards
- WR Marcellus Honeycutt Jr., 3 catches, 26 yards
- WR JT Weir, 2 catches, 14 yards
- DT Justis La'ulu, 6 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 sacks
- DE Brandon Thomas, 4 tackles, 1 FF
- CB Derek Ganter Jr., 3 tackles
- DT Isaiah Perez, 2 tackles, 1 TFL
- DE Yemoni Howell, 1 TFL
Gallery: (8-26-2023) Football Scrimmage — Aug. 26, 2023
Tickets for the 2023 EWU Football season are now available! Visit goeags.com/tickets or call the EWU Athletics Ticket Office at 509-359-6059 to secure yours today.
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
FOLLOW THE EAGLES
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
