CHENEY, Wash.  — As the temperature drops, Eastern Washington football is getting into a rhythm. Following a home win two weeks ago and a bye week this past week, Eastern is rested and ready for a rivalry matchup. EWU hosts Idaho on Saturday (Oct. 18) for a 4 p.m. kickoff. 

Saturday's matchup will be the team's black-out game so all Eagle fans are encouraged to wear black.

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

Last Time Out
Eastern Washington celebrated homecoming two weeks ago with its first Big Sky win of the season, defeating Portland State. Eastern scored first, but had to fight off the Vikings throughout the game. After going up 21-7 in the second quarter, PSU scored 13-straight points to pull within one midway through the third quarter. Nate Bell connected with Landon Cooper for a 9-yard touchdown to break the streak and go up 28-20. On the Eagles' next drive, Kevin Allen III broke free for a 50-yard touchdown run and put the team ahead 35-20 in the third. PSU scored in the fourth quarter to pull within 8 at 35-27. The Vikings were driving late in the game, but Jaylon Jenkins sealed the Eastern win with an interception. 

Bell led the team with 175 yards, while Allen and Marceese Yetts each had 79 yards. Drew Carter led the Eagles with a career-best 12 tackles. 

Rivalry Returns to Roos

The rivalry is renewed this Saturday on Roos Field as Eastern Washington and Idaho face off for the 30th time in history. Idaho holds a 20-9 advantage in series, winning the last 3 matchups. EWU is 5-8 against the Vandals at home, and 4-12 in Moscow. The two teams battled in the Kibbie Dome last season, with Idaho holding off the Eagles, 38-28. EWU trailed by 4 at the half, but the Vandals separated with 14-straight points. Eastern scored twice in the fourth quarter, but the deficit was too much to overcome. Michael Wortham had a 100-yard kick off return, while Efton Chism III caught 7 passes for 114 yards. The last time the teams faced off at Roos Field was during the 2023 season, as Idaho escaped with a 44-36 win. Jared Taylor made his first career start in the game, finishing with 121 rushing yards and 92 passing yards, accounting for 3 total touchdowns, 2 rushing and 1 passing.

Rush Ahead

Eastern piled up 333 yards in the win over Portland State, averaging 8.1 yards per carry - 41 carries total. Nate Bell set a career-best in rushing yards and scored 1 touchdown. Marceese Yetts and Kevin Allen III each had career marks for rushing yards as well. Allen scored his first 2 career touchdowns and Yetts scored his 4th rushing touchdown of the season. Bell leads the team with 485 rushing yards, which also ranks 3rd in the Big Sky and 30th in the FCS. Yetts has 178 total yards, ranking 24th in the conference and Allen has 149 to rank 26th. As a team, EWU averages 180.5 rushing yards per game, ranking 5th in the conference and 33rd in the nation.

The Bell Score

Nate Bell leads the charge in scoring for Eastern, scoring for 7 total touchdowns - all rushing. He has thrown 3 touchdown passes and converted 2, two-point conversions, both passing. Bell has scored 42 points this season, tying for 6th in the Big Sky. He is tied for 2nd in the conference in touchdowns scored. This season, Bell has accounted for multiple touchdowns in 4 of 6 games. 

Tightening Up in the Redzone

The Eagle defense has been bending, but not breaking this season in the redzone, allowing opponents to score on 75% of attempts, tied for the second-lowest average in the Big Sky and ranking 22nd in the FCS. EWU has made one interception in the redzone, and forced 3 turnovers on downs. They have allowed opponents to score on 21-of-28 redzone attempts. Eastern has allowed 16 redzone touchdowns and 5 field goals. This past game, Portland St. was 3-of-4(75%) on redzone attempts. Montana leads the conference with a 66.7% redzone percentage allowed. 

Take a Pick

The Eagles have recorded an interception in 4 consecutive games, the longest streak since 2023 when they had interceptions in 5 consecutive games (9/9/23-10/14/23). Jaylon Jenkins extended the streak against Portland State, notching his 2nd interception of the season to seal the 35-27 win in the fourth quarter. Jenkins started the streak against Northern Iowa, making the pick in the redzone, his first career interception. Dre Greeley notched first career interception against Western Illinois, returning it 46 yards to the WIU 4-yard line and setting up an EWU touchdown. Ambrose Marsh made his first career interception against Montana State. In the Big Sky, Eastern is tied for 5th with 4 interceptions this season.

Sunn Strong Side

Read Sunn has emerged as a key staple of the defense, as he leads the Eagles with 42.0 tackles, making 26 solo. He is tied for 13th in the Big Sky for total tackles. Against the Vikings, Sunn set a career-best with 11 tackles, his first double-digit tackle game of his career. Sunn has 5.0 tackles for loss, to lead the team and accounting for 24 total lost yards. The change of scenery has benefited Sunn with more playing time, as he has surpassed his career tackle total from Wyoming(14). Sunn transferred from Laramie this past winter. 
 

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2025 EWU football tickets are now on sale! Join Spokane County's team for all five home games at Roos Field in Cheney starting as low as $99. Group tickets, fundraising options and single game tickets are also available. For more info, visit goeags.com/fbtickets or contact the EWU Ticket Office at 509-359-6059 or tickets@ewu.edu. 

Join the Eagle Athletic Fund for as low as $50 per year! Support Eagle student-athletes on and off the field while enjoying exclusive EAF perks such as season ticket and tailgating priority, invitations to special events, exclusive access, and more. Visit goeags.com/eaf for more information.

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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