CHENEY, Wash. — Following a stretch of five ranked matchups for Eastern Washington football, the Eagles get back on the road for their second-to-last road trip. Eastern faces Northern Colorado on Saturday (Nov. 9) with an early 11 a.m. Pacific Time kickoff.

The game is streamed live on ESPN+ and fans can listen to the action live back in Cheney on 700 ESPN and the Varsity App with the voices of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen. 

Last Time Out
Eastern Washington hosted its fifth straight game against a ranked opponent this past Saturday, with No. 2 Montana State winning the matchup. The Bobcats jumped out to a 14-0 lead before a touchdown pass from Jared Taylor to Efton Chism III got the Eagles on the board. MSU pushed the lead back to 14 with another score, but Michael Wortham quickly answered with a lightning 75-yard run. The Bobcats added another touchdown before half and were up two possessions at the break. EWU rallied in the third quarter, scoring 14 unanswered points. Tuna Altahir scored on a three-yard pass from Taylor and ran the ball in from 11 yards out. MSU quarterback Tommy Mellott answered with a 76 yard run on the team's next possession. The Bobcats struck again in the fourth quarter on a 61 yard pass from Mellott. MSU left Roos Field with the win. 

Taylor passed for 144 yards and added 80 rushing, while Altahir had 72 on the ground as well. Derek Ganter Jr. led the defense with 11 tackles and Matthew Brown added 10, matching a career-best.

Good History Against the Bears
Eastern has a 14-1 record against Northern Colorado in program history, winning the last 14 games and holding a 7-1 mark in Greeley. The teams last faced off in the 2022 season finale, as EWU dominated in a 45-21 victory on Roos Field. Kekoa Visperas made his first collegiate start, passing for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Tuna Altahir rushed for his career-best, 153 yards in the game. The Eagles last played in Greeley during the 2021 season, in another dominating performance, 63-17. Eric Barriere threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns and Dennis Merritt rushed 23 times for 78 yards and three scores. 

Staying on the Field
EWU is converting 3rd-down opportunities at a 53.5% rate, ranking second behind Montana St. in the conference. The figure also ranks 4th in the nation. Against the Bobcats, the Eagles converted 10-of-17(58.8%) of 3rd downs.

Power Rushing and Power Passing
Senior Jared Taylor has been called on to handle rushing and passing responsibilities this season. Taylor is second on the team with 430 yards on 91 attempts - 4.7 yards per attempt. He is second on the team with 5 rushing touchdowns and tied for 12th in the Big Sky. Taylor has rushed for a season-best 98 yards against Sacramento St. earlier this season. At the QB spot, Taylor is 31-of-42 (73.8%) for 227 yards, with 3 total passing TDs. Making his first start of the season against MSU, Taylor set a career-best with 144 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Backer Making the Most of his Starts
Ahmani Williams is making the most of his role this season, getting the start in each of the Eagles 9 games this season. Williams is tied for 4th on the team with 34.0 tackles, making 14 solo. Against the Bobcats, Williams delivered with his first career interception in the 4th quarter. The redshirt-junior has 3 pass breakups and 2 QB hurries this season. Prior to 2024, Williams had 22 tackles in 26 games played. 

Chism Updating the Record Books
As his career as an Eagle winds down, Efton Chism III keeps adding to his legacy in Cheney. He has improved his career average to 6.22 receptions per game after this week and is sitting at 3483 career receiving yards, putting him at fourth in program history. Chism moved into a tie for third in receiving touchdowns after catching his 33rd career pass on Saturday. He passed Shaq Hill for fifth and tied with Nicholas Edwards and Brandon Kaufman on the all-time list. Chism caught nine passes for 78 yards against Montana St. He currently leads the Big Sky with 942 receiving yards, 85 receptions and nine touchdowns. The season yard total is a new career-high for Chism in his 5th year. Chism leads the FCS with 9.5 receptions per game, ranking second in yards and fourth in touchdowns. He now has 311 receptions for his career, trailing only Cooper Kupp.

Versatile Altahir
For the second time this season, Tuna Altahir scored a rushing and receiving touchdown. It was the 5th time in his career that Altahir scored both a rushing and receiving touchdown. Altahir leads Eastern with 581 rushing  yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. He is 8th in the Big Sky in rushing yards. Additionally, Altahir has 9  catches for 45 yards and 2 touchdowns. 

Rushing Tough
The Eagles stayed dedicated to the run against the Bobcats, putting up  225 yards on 39 carries, 5.8 yards per carry. It was the 6th game this season the team has rushed for 200+ yards. Michael Wortham had a long run of the game, blazing through the defense for a 75-yard score. He finished with 95 yards on 2 carries. Tuna Altahir remained a steady force with 72 yards on 12 carries. Starting quarterback Jared Taylor carried the ball a career-high 25 times for 61 yards. In the Big Sky, the Eagles rank 4th with 200.1 yards per game, averaging 4.8 yards per carry to rank 5th. 
 

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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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