CHENEY, Wash. — The final game of the 2024 season is on the way this Saturday for Eastern Washington football. Eastern travels to play No. 21 Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, Ariz., with kickoff at 12 p.m. Pacific Time.

The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Listen to the season finale live on 700 ESPN and the Varsity App with the voices of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen.

Eastern is 3-4 in the Big Sky with a 4-7 overall record this season. NAU is 5-2 in conference and 7-4 overall. The 'Jacks are seeking a playoff berth and are ranked No. 21 in the Stats Perform Top 25 poll.

Last Time Out
Eastern had a game for the record books against Idaho State in the team's home finale. The Eagles defeated the Bengals, 77-42 on senior day, setting a new program record for points in a single game against a Division I opponent. They amassed 478 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns that also set program records. The tone was set early, as Eastern scored 3 touchdowns in the first quarter, but the Bengals remained close with 2 scores. In the second quarter, Samarai Anderson made his first career interception, halting the ISU scoring response. EWU scored 4 more touchdowns in the quarter and led 49-28 at halftime. The Eagle defense earned a three-and-out on the Bengals opening drive and the offense took advantage, scoring on their first drive. EWU added 3 touchdowns in the fourth quarter to break the record and defeat ISU. 

Kekoa Visperas set a program record with a 100% completion percentage on passes (14-of-14), going for 206 yards and one touchdown. Visperas earned his first career Big Sky Co-Offensive Player of the Week award following the performance.

77 for the Record
Eastern Washington's 77 points against Idaho State is the most against a division I team in program history, surpassing the 74 points scored against Portland State (11/16/18). It is the third most points scored ever in program history. The Eagles scored 114 against Spokane U (11/24/14) and 84 against North Stars (10/30/08). They scored 49 points in the 1st half, tying for the second most points in a half all time. EWU's 28 points in the 2nd quarter are tied for the third-most points in any 2nd quarter in program history. Eastern crossed the 50-point threshold for the first time since 2021 against Idaho (71).

Chasing Coop
With one game left in his prolific career, Efton Chism III continues to chase records and move up on the all-time EWU receiver lists. Chism caught 12 passes for 157 yards and one touchdown against Idaho State, giving him 3733 for his career and moving him into 3rd all-time in program history for receiving yards, passing Brandon Kaufman. The game was Chism's 11th career 100+ receiving game and 5th this season, along with his 6th career game with 10+ receptions - 5th this season. 

The Monroe, Wash. native now leads the FCS in yards (1192) and receptions (107), along ranking 3rd in receiving touchdowns (12). He has improved his career receptions per game average from 6.11 preseason to 6.40 through 11 games. Chism has 36 career receiving touchdowns, 10 behind Eric Kimbel for 2nd. Chism became only the second Eagle receiver to have 300 receptions with 333 this and only trails Cooper Kupp (428) in program history. His career receptions also ranks 3rd in FCS history. With 107 receptions this season, Chism joins Kupp as the only Eagle receiver with 100+ receptions in a season. Chism is 10 receptions behind Kupp for the single-season program record of 117 in the 2016 season and 14th in FCS history. 

Record-Setting Rushing
EWU's 478 rushing yards topped the 454 against Cal State Northridge (9/25/99). The 10 rushing touchdowns passed the program's record of 7 scored in the same game against Northridge. The Eagles were led by 160 yards from Jared Taylor - a career-best - and 109 from Michael Wortham - also a career-best. EWU had 2 players with 100+ yards rushing for the first time since 2021 against Central Washington (Dennis Merritt-122, Justice Jackson-102). Malik Dotson added 62 yards in the game, with Kekoa Visperas rushing for 48 and Tuna Altahir adding 45. The single-game record was broken in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard rush by graduating senior Brandon Montoya. Eastern is now 2nd in the Big Sky with 238 yards per game on the ground, also ranking 5th in the FCS. 

All Touchdowns, All the Time
Eastern scored touchdowns on all 11 of its drives against ISU, and was 10-of-10 in the redzone. The only previous occurrence of EWU scoring on 100% of its drives was in November of 2013 against Montana State. The Eagles scored touchdowns on 8-of-8 drives, and defeated the Bobcats 54-29 in Cheney. In the redzone this season, Eastern is scoring on 95.2(49-53) of its opportunities, ranking 2nd in the Big Sky and 9th in the FCS. Of the team's 49 successful opportunities, 43 ended with touchdowns. 

Scorching Offense Ignited
Eastern's offense was heating up prior to Saturday, but the team delivered an offensive explosion against Idaho State, with a record-setting 77 points. The Eagles accumulated 704 yards of total offense, the first time the team has recorded 700-plus yards since the team had 754 yards against Western Illinois (9/18/21). It was also the most yards since EWU broke the program record with 837 yards against Idaho (10/16/21). Eastern ranks 2nd in the conference and 5th in the FCS with 37.5 points per game and 457.3 yards per game. The team ranks 6th on the Big Sky leaderboard with 219.3 passing yards, also 49th in the FCS. The Eagles have 56 touchdowns, 7 field goals and 49 extra points, adding 3 successful 2-point conversions. 

Avoiding the Sack
This season, EWU is allowing only 1.3 sacks per game, ranking 25th in the FCS, with 14 total allowed this season. Through a record setting day on offense, Eastern's offensive line did not allow a sack. The team had 15 passing plays and 67 total plays in the game.

Cleaning up the Act
After committing 17 penalties for 210 yards in the first two games of the season, EWU has committed 24 for 254 yards in the past 9 games. They are 4th in the conference and 23rd in the FCS for penalty yardage after being called for 464 total yards. They average 3.73 penalty yards per game that rank 26th in the nation.

Staying on the Field
EWU is converting 3rd-down opportunities at a 57.3% rate, which leads the Big Sky. The stat also ranks 2nd in the FCS, behind only No. 1 North Dakota State. The Eagles converted 5-of-6(83.3%) 3rd downs against Idaho St.

Money Mike Breaks a Record
Michael Wortham is truly a do-everything player for Eastern, as he lines up at almost every position. Wortham is 2nd in the Big Sky in kickoff returns, averaging 28.9 per return and has 983 total yards. His total yardage broke the EWU record, after getting 46 yards against Idaho St. He surpassed Vernon Williams' 973 yards for first all-time. Against Idaho earlier this season, Wortham finally broke free and scored a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Wortham's return was the first for Eastern since 2019, when Dre'Sonte Dorton returned a kickoff 90 yards against Jacksonville State. It was the 7th 100 kickoff return in EWU history. The most recent occurrence was Lamont Brightful in 2000 against Montana. Wortham is 2nd in the Big Sky in kickoff returns, averaging 28.9 per return and has 937 total yards. The senior has 325 rushing yards and 209 receiving yards His 25 receptions is second on the team. He also has 88 passing yards on 7-of-7 passing attempts. He has 7 touchdowns this season, with 5 rushing, 1 receiving and 1 return. He scored 2 rushing touchdowns against Idaho St.
 

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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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