CHENEY, Wash. — The first game sets the tone for the season and Eastern Washington football put up the stats to make a statement. Eastern defeated Monmouth, 42-27 on Thursday night at Roos Field to start 2024 1-0. The Eagles' set a standard for offensive balance with 278 rushing yards and 282 passing yards.

"I thought offensively we did a really good job of wearing them down. It was easy when you get the ball rolling and a couple of runs early to get momentum. We did a great job of mixing it up," head coach Aaron Best explained. "Even when we were subbing, [Monmouth] was keeping their base-personal on the field. We thought that was an advantage that they were giving us by playing with the same 11. We're going to put the pedal down when we can, but be smart and intelligent in certain situations when we don't need to be up-tempo."

Efton Chism III was nearly unstoppable with 12 catches for a career-high 173 yards, scoring three touchdowns, also tying his career-best. 

Kekoa Visperas was nearly perfect, going 25-of-28 (89.3%) for 275 yards and a career-best five touchdown passes. Visperas' completion percentage was the second-best in program history. 

"It's a team effort. Going into this game, we knew they were a base-three team and what we saw on film, ended up being what we got on the field. Then it was just executing what we have been working on all week," Visperas described.

The offense held the ball for 37 minutes of the game, a 15-minute advantage over the Hawks.

"I thought we played efficiently," Best added. "I think in the first half, defensively, we only played about 27 snaps. That, on top of playing fast on offense, we kept their offense off the field, which kept our guys fresh defensively in the third quarter. It was nice to see in game one and see the guys come out with a sense of urgency."

Scoring Summary
Eastern asserted itself on the opening drive as Chism made an opening statement in his senior season. Chism took a quick pass from Visperas, turned up field, and bolted for a 30-yard touchdown catch. The Eagles jumped out to a 7-0 lead with 11:46 on the clock.

Following a Monmouth punt, the EWU was on the move again. Starting at their own 20, they marched down the field highlighted by another 35 yard catch-and-run from Chism. Inside the 10, Jared Taylor called his own number and slipped into the endzone for a 9-yard touchdown. Eastern was quickly up by two scores and five minutes remaining in the first quarter.

The Hawks responded this time, driving eight plays for 75 yards and scored their first touchdown of the game. 

Monmouth had flipped the momentum, stopping the Eagles next drive to open the second quarter. Monmouth started its next drive at its own five yard line, but moved quickly down the field for an eight-play, 95 yard drive to tie the game at 14 at 9:06. 

There was no panic from Eastern, as they grinded out a 10 play-drive down the field. Down in the redzone, Visperas found Nolan Ulm on the right side for a four-yard touchdown. EWU was back up by seven over the Hawks. 

Eastern's defense forced a three-and-out from Monmouth and had the ball with 2:41 left in the half. Ulm came up with another big play, catching the pass from Visperas for a 25 yard gain. After moving into the redzone, Visperas found Miles Williams who dived for the ball to secure the touchdown. The Eagles had rebuilt their 14-point lead and led going into the half.

Eastern's defense played well into the third, halting the Hawks on fourth down on their first drive of the half. 

EWU now looked to create separation and the team continued to move the chains. Chism hauled in another big catch for 19 yards and the Eagles were running the ball well behind Tuna Altahir. Back in the redzone, Visperas found Chism in the middle of the field and the senior ran it in from 12 yards out. Eastern had opened a 35-14 lead over Monmouth at 5:51. 

Chism was seeking the hat trick for the game on the Eagles' next drive. He took the pass from Visperas at the 15 yard line and carried a pile of Hawks into the endzone. Eastern took control with a 42-14 lead. 

Monmouth, however, struck back quickly with a 21 yard touchdown throw at 11:15 to cut the Eagle lead down to 21. With 3:41 left in the game, the Hawks struck again with a 19-yard touchdown, but failed to convert the two-point conversion.

The Eagles drove into Monmouth territory on their next drive, but were stopped on downs. The Hawks had the ball back with 2:08 in the game. 

Near midfield, Monmouth quarterback Derek Robertson was intercepted by Kentrell Williams Jr. to seal the game for Eastern by a final of 42-27.

Eag Notes

• Kekoa Visperas' 89.3 completion percentage was second in program history behind Erik Meyer's 90.5 percent (19-of-21) in October of 2004 against Northern Arizona.
• Tuna Altahir recorded his third career 100-yard game, finishing with 108 yards on 16 carries. 
• Efton Chism III now moves into eighth all-time in receiving yards with 2,714 yards. He is now tied with Kendrick Bourne for seventh on the all-time receiving touchdown list. Chism was one reception short of matching his career-high. 
• The Eagle offensive line did not allow a sack or a quarterback hurry in the game. It was the first time since Nov. 19, 2022 against Northern Colorado the team has not allowed a sack.
• Dishawn Misa recorded his first career sack with the Eagles. It was the only sack recorded by either team in the game. 
• Eastern Washington is now 72-6 since 2010 when winning the turnover margin. 
• The Eagles were 8-for-13 (61.5%) on third down conversions and 2-of-2 on fourth down conversions. 
• EWU was a perfect 5-for-5 on redzone opportunities, all ending in touchdowns. 

Up Next
Eastern Washington gets to stay at Roos Field for another week, hosting Drake on Saturday, Sept. 7 for a 4 p.m. kickoff. The game airs on SWX and streamed on ESPN+.
 

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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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