CHENEY, Wash. — A bye week can help a team refocus and get healthy as Eastern Washington football took full advantage this past week. Now Eastern returns to the road for the team's second Big Sky game of the season, traveling to play No. 18/20 Sacramento State on Saturday (Oct. 12). The game will kickoff at 6 p.m. Pacific Time.

The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Follow the game from home on 700 ESPN and the Varsity App with the voices of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen. 

EWU is 0-1 in conference and 1-4 overall this season, going into week seven of the season. The Hornets are 0-1 as well, with a 2-3 overall record. Sac. St. is ranked 18th in the Stats Perform Top 25 and 20th in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Poll.

Last Time Out
Eastern Washington dropped its Big Sky opener to No. 8/9 Montana two weeks ago., 52-49, bringing the Eagles record to 1-4 this season. The game was a high-scoring, back-and-forth battle throughout, with four lead changes. After the Griz opened up a 17-point lead at halftime, Eastern rallied in the fourth quarter, starting with a touchdown throw from Kekoa Visperas to Efton Chism III. Following the score, EWU successfully executed an onside kick by Jackson Cleaver to get another possession. Visperas pulled the Eagles within three after a seven yard touchdown run. Montana responded with its own TD, but Eastern had the answer as Chism took a pass from Visperas and bolted down the field for a 50-yard score. Following another Griz score, Visperas tossed his 4th touchdown of the game, a 16-yard strike to Cole Pruett with under a minute left to play. Despite the effort, Eastern could not recover another onside kick and Montana held on for the win.

Visperas threw for 265 yards and was responsible for six total touchdowns - four through the air and two on the ground. Derek Ganter Jr. and Kentrell Williams Jr. both recorded eight tackles in the game, while DaJean Wells had a career-best six. 

History Against the Hornets
Eastern has 12 wins in 13 games at Sacramento State in program history, however losing the most recent matchup, 48-27 in 2019. The Eagles and Hornets last met in October of 2022 at Roos Field. Sac. St., ranked No. 5 at the time, exploded on offense for a 52-28 win, opening with a 21-point lead in the first quarter. EWU tied the game with 21-straight points, but the Hornets matched the scoring run to separate for good. Efton Chism III caught 9 passes for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Mr. 3000
Efton Chism III caught eight passes for 107 yards and three touchdowns against Montana to give him 273 for his career, good for second on the all-time list. The senior now has 3054 career receiving yards, moving him into 6th in program history. He currently leads the Big Sky with 513 receiving yards, 47 receptions and seven touchdowns. Chism leads the FCS with 9.4 receptions per game, while being ranked 10th in yards and 3rd in receiving touchdowns. Chism also holds 6th on the all-time touchdown reception list with 31 total after catching three against the Griz. 

Lighting it Up on Offense
EWU scored 49 points against Montana for the team's most point total since the Eagles hung 71 on Idaho in October of 2021. It was the most total offense yards (551)since last season at Idaho State(553). The score is uncommon against a Grizzly defense, with Montana surrendering the most points since 2022 when No. 3 North Dakota State also scored 49.

Dotson Dancing
Malik Dotson has improved his production each game this season, rushing for career-bests in each of the 5 matchups. Dotson carried the ball 14 times - a career best - for 77 yards, also a career mark. This season, Dotson is averaging 5.1 yards per carry with 274 total yards on 53 attempts. He leads the team with 3 rushing touchdowns. Adding to his versatility, Dotson has caught 8 passes for 96 yards. Dotson had 44 yards on 13 carries last season after transferring from Feather River College.

Staying Efficient
Redshirt-junior Kekoa Visperas is completing passes at a 73.2 percentage to lead the Big Sky and rank 3rd in the FCS. Visperas is 4th in the Big Sky with 215.2 passing yards per game. His 160.1 QB efficiency rating is 13th in the nation and 2nd in the conference. His six total touchdowns against Montana, the most by an Eagle QB since Eric Barriere had 7 against Idaho (Oct. 16, 2021).

Locked-In Secondary
DaJean Wells added three pass breakups against the Griz to give him 10 on the season, ranking 1st in the Big Sky and 2nd in the FCS. Derek Ganter Jr. leads the Eagles with 37 total tackles, ranking 11th in the conference, recording eight-or-more tackles in three-straight games. Kentrell Williams Jr. is tied for the Big Sky lead with two interceptions and is tied for 20th with 32 total tackles, also ranking 2nd on Eastern. 

Cleaning up the Act
After committing 17 penalties for 220 yards in the first two games of the season, EWU committed only 8 for 90 yards in the past three games. They had only 1 penalty for 5 yards against the Griz.
 

---

Season tickets for the 2024 football season are now available. Ticket packages can be purchased online via your Paciolan account, over the phone at 509-359-6059, or by emailing tickets@ewu.edu. 

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