GREELEY, Colo. — Through the cold weather, Eastern Washington put together a complete game from the opening kickoff. Eastern defeated Northern Colorado, 43-15, on Saturday afternoon to grab its second conference win. EWU is now 2-4 in the Big Sky and 3-7 overall.
"It felt a little bit like game one against Monmouth. We got in front and were dictating the tempo. We played at the speed we anticipated," head coach Aaron Best explained. "It's not easy playing at 35 degrees and winning on the road. Both us and [UNC] were chasing our second conference win. I would say outside the last five minutes of the second quarter and the first four-and-a-half minutes of the third quarter; I think we played a pretty good brand of football in all three phases. We didn't beat ourselves, but I would have liked to be on the plus side of the turnover margin. They took a little bit of momentum to halftime. We made changes after that hitch play that went for 70-plus yards. We are an experienced team and it was nice to see our guys fight and be resilient. They put drives together back-to-back."
The Eagles jumped out to a 22-point in the first quarter. They added another score in the second quarter to expand the lead to 29-0. UNC scored near halftime and opened the third quarter with a quick score to cut the lead down to two possessions.
EWU then grinded with two long drives, a 9 play, 80 yard and a 14 play, 80 yard drive, scoring touchdowns on each. The scores gave Eastern the separation to put the Bears away.
The road to victory went through the running game, racking up a season-best 339 total yards on 68 carries - 5.0 yards per carry. Malik Dotson notched his first career 100 yard rushing game, carrying the ball 17 times for 125 yards. Jared Taylor had 17 carries as well, finishing with 90 yards and two touchdowns.
It is the third straight game the team has posted 200-plus rushing yards.
Kekoa Visperas passed for 179 yards and three touchdowns, completing 13-of-20(65%).
"The offensive staff got creative in the right way. They put people in a position to be successful. We don't just do it to do it, there's a reason if the situation calls for it. We aren't going to run out the same game plan every week," Best described." That plus-one quarterback run game, and adding the dimension of Kekoa [Visperas] in that, and throwing the ball with Jared [Taylor]. That makes you harder to defend, no matter who you're facing. When we are being as efficient as we were in third-and-short for most of the day, good things tend to happen when putting together those 10, 12 play drives."
Soren McKee converted 5-of-5 extra points, giving him 86 consecutive makes for his career, breaking Roldan Alcobendas record of 85 consecutive makes.
Scoring Summary
Eastern moved the ball early on their first possession, with Tuna Altahir rushing twice for 17 yards. Kekova Visperas then found Wesley Garrett, in stride, streaking down the right sideline for a 44-yard touchdown. EWU went 75 yards in 2 minutes for a 7-0 lead.
On their next drive, Malik Dotson carried the ball this time for 20 yards to push the ball into UNC territory. Visperas looked left this time and found Michael Wortham for a 34 yard touchdown. Efton Chism III then carried the ball to convert the 2-point conversion. The Eagles went 65 yards in 8 plays to build a 15-0 lead.
Dotson traded off carries on the next drive to move the ball down the field. In the redzone, Visperas floated the pass over Chism's shoulder for the 9-yard touchdown. Eastern opened up a 22-0 for the second quarter.
Chism set up the Eagles into Bear territory with a 32 yard punt return. The team continued to rush well with Taylor, Visperas and Dotson. At the 2-yard line, Taylor was up and powered into the endzone. EWU was now up 29-0 after a 31 yard drive in 8 plays.
UNC got on scoreboard late in the second quarter, organizing a 5 play, 81 yard drive, ending with a touchdown. The Bears converted the two-point attempt and EWU went into half with a 29-8 lead.
Opening the second half, UNC shifted the momentum on the first play, ripping off a 75 yard touchdown pass. The lead was trimmed to 29-15.
The Eagles returned to the run to answer the 15-straight Bears points. Altahir started with 27 yards on 4 carries, followed by a 26-yard run from Dotson. A 14-yard catch-and-run from Chism put Eastern at the UNC 3-yard line. Taylor took the ball again and scored his second touchdown of the day. The Eagles went up 36-15 and 9:54 on the clock.
On their next drive, EWU was moving the ball through the air as Vispers found Wortham for 17 yards and Chism for 22. Taylor came in at QB and delivered a pass to Chism, who laid out for the 14-yard touchdown catch. Eastern was pulling away and now leading 43-15 at the 14:15 point of the fourth quarter.
Eag Notes
- Eastern recorded its first 300-plus yard game since 2021 against Central Washington (323). EWU's 339 rushing yards is the most since they recorded 378 against Portland State on Nov. 16, 2018.
- Malik Dotson's 17 rushing attempts was a career-best for the senior.
- Efton Chism III posted his 10th career multi touchdown game. The Monroe, Wash. native now has 35 career touchdowns, taking over third place on the all-time list, breaking the three-way tie with Nicholas Edwards and Brandon Kaufman. Chism also surpassed 3500 career receiving yards and has 3576 total after the game. He has 321 career receptions currently.
- Wesley Garrett's 44 yard touchdown catch was the longest reception of his career.
- Michael Wortham's 34 yard touchdown catch was his longest career reception as well.
- Isaiah Perez posted his first career solo sack, finishing the game with 2 tackles. He has 2.0 sacks total this season.
- Derek Ganter Jr. and McKel Broussard led the team with 6 tackles each.
Up Next
Eastern Washington plays its final home game of the season next Saturday (Nov. 16), hosting Idaho State for Senior Day. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m.
Season and single game 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
