CHENEY, Wash. — Returning home after a win brings even more excitement this week for the final game at Roos Field in 2024. Eastern Washington football hosts Idaho State on Saturday, Nov. 16 for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The team will celebrate senior, honoring 22 players prior to kickoff.
The game is also Military Appreciation and Hometown Heroes Day. Join us and wear white as we recognize our outgoing EWU seniors and also welcome our area Hometown Heroes including military and first responders as we partner with the EWU Veterans Affairs Office.
Purchase tickets for the game online by clicking the link HERE.
The game will be broadcast live on SWX and streamed live on ESPN+. Listen to final home game of the season live with voices of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen.
Last Time Out
Eastern Washington continued its history of success against Northern Colorado, winning its 15th-straight game against the Bears, 43-15. EWU was in control from the start, scoring 21 points in the first quarter. Kekoa Visperas threw 3 touchdown passes, going to Wesley Garrett, Michael Wortham and Efton Chism III. In the second quarter, Chism set up the Eagles in Bear territory with a 32 yard punt return. EWU moved the ball into the redzone on the ground, with Jared Taylor taking the ball in for six from the 2-yard line. Eastern was up 29-0. UNC scored late in the second to get on the board. The Bears then opened the second half with a 75-yard touchdown pass on the first play. UNC had temporarily flipped the momentum and trailed 29-15. The Eagles stayed poised, responding with a 9 play, 80 yard drive as Taylor walked the ball in for his second touchdown of the day. Eastern put the game away early in the fourth, as Taylor found a diving Chism for the touchdown and secured the road win.
Kekoa Visperas threw three touchdown passes and completed 13-of-20(65%) passes for 179 yards. Malik Dotson racked up 125 rushing yards and Efton Chism III led the team with 93 receiving yards.
Derek Ganter Jr. and McKel Broussard each recorded six tackles to lead the team. Isaiah Perez recorded his first career solo sack in the first quarter.
Redemption vs. the Bengals
Eastern enters the matchup against Idaho State carrying a 30-10 record in the series history. EWU is 12-4 at home against the Bengals. The team's have not played in Cheney since 2016, where the Eagles won the game, 48-17. Last season, the two teams played in Pocatello, with the Bengals shocking Eastern in a 42-31 comeback victory. At halftime, EWU led 35-14, but only managed to score 6 points in the second half. They led 41-21 after the third quarter, but ISU delivered with 3 touchdown drives in the fourth to earn the victory. Efton Chism had 13 receptions for 161 yards and 2 touchdowns. The loss snapped a 12-game winning streak for Eastern over the Bengals.
2024 Senior Class
Eastern will honor 22 seniors on Saturday for Senior Day. The group includes Shane Aleaga, Jackson Cleaver, Matthew Brown, Efton Chism III, Adam Cohen, Luke Dahlgren, Aaron Estrada, Wyatt Hansen, Brock Harrison, Matthew Hewa Baddege, Brandon Montoya, JP Murphy, Jacob Newsom, Conner O'Farrell, Alphonse Oywak, Brenden Rivera, Cage Schenck, Jack Seelye, Trevion Shadrick-Harris, Ahmani Williams, Michael Wortham and Austin York.
Career Year as a Senior
Preparing for his final game at Roos Field, Efton Chism III has turned in his best season as an Eagle. Chism surpassed 1000 yards for the season after having 93 yards against Northern Colorado. It is the first time Chism has recorded a 1000 yard season and he has 1035 total yards currently. The 93 yards gave Chism 3576 for his career. The Monroe, Wash. native also leads the FCS with 9.5 receptions per game, while ranking 2nd in yards and touchdowns. Chism leads the Big Sky in yards, along with receptions (95) and touchdowns (11). He has improved his career receptions per game average from 6.11 preseason to 6.29 through 10 games. Chism now holds 3rd in receiving touchdowns after catching 2 touchdowns against UNC and has 35 for his career. He was previously in a three-way tie for 3rd with Nicholas Edwards and Brandon Kaufman on the all-time list. Against the Bears, Chism caught 10 passes, his 6th career game with 10+ receptions. Chism became only the second Eagle receiver to have 300 receptions with 321 this and only trails Cooper Kupp (428) in program history.
Dedicated to the Run
Eastern Washington emphasis on establishing the running game continues to pay dividends as the Eagles amassed 339 rushing yards against Northern Colorado this past weekend. It was the first 300-yard rushing game since 201 against Central Washington (323). The run total is also the most since 2018 against Portland State (378). EWU has rushed for over 200 yards in 3 straight games and 7 times total this season. Against UNC, Eastern rushed the ball 68 times for a 5.0 yards per carry average. Malik Dotson returned to the lineup and put up a career-best 125 yards on 17 carries. Jared Taylor continued his production on the ground, rushing 17 times for 92 yards. Tuna Altahir added a third threat out of the backfield, with 66 yards on 14 carries.
Record-Breaking PAT
Soren McKee broke the program record for consecutive points after attempts with his 86th make this past Saturday. McKee was 5-for-5 against Northern Colorado. The previous record was 85 consecutive makes by McKee has converted 38-of-38 of point after attempts this season and is a perfect 86-for-86 in his career.
Catching Fire on Offense
The Eagle offense was clicking against UNC, scoring over 40 points for the 3rd time this season. The team averages 33.5 points per game to rank 4th in the Big Sky. With 432.6 yards per game, Eastern ranks 4th in the conference as well, moving up to 2nd in the rushing offense with 214.0 yards per game. Their 218.6 passing yards per game ranks 6th in the Big Sky. EWU has a 158.6 offensive efficiency figure, second-best in the conference behind Montana State.
O-Line of Experience
Eastern Washington boasts a depth of experience on the offensive line, with four of five returning starters from last season. Five seniors are back in the trenches for the Eagles with Luke Dahlgren, Wyatt Hansen, Brenden Rivera and Jack Seelye. The group has played in 149 games combined with 132 starts. Hansen earned first team preseason All-Big Sky from Phil Steele, with Seelye earning fourth team recognition. Filling in the fifth spot has been a combination of Michigan transfer Noah Stewart, redshirt-sophomore Dylan Conner and Matthew Hewa-Baddege. Stewart has made 4 starts, with Conner making 3 and Baddege making 3. Baddege has started the past 3 games for Eastern.
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.
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