CHENEY, Wash. — The wins at home are sweet, but winning over a rival is even sweeter. Eastern Washington football defeated No. 24 Idaho 21-14 on Saturday night at Roos Field. Backed by a strong defensive effort, EWU scored enough to defeat the Vandals. Eastern improves to 2-1 in the Big Sky and 3-4 overall. Idaho falls to 0-3 in conference and 2-5 overall.
"It was a dream for a coach to watch the defense play as well as we did. I am so proud of those guys. We were in control the entire game on defense," head coach Aaron Best said. "There were a lot of emotions and this had a little personal touch to it. I am proud of our guys and they found a way. Our guys were focused and had a purpose. They had conviction and they practiced two weeks for this game. We'll enjoy this one a little bit more; for 25 hours. But our guys were dialed in and there was a ton of confidence that was oozing from that defense. We won the last two games in a row on defense and that's pretty impressive."
The game was a defensive battle throughout, with neither team separating. EWU scored first but Idaho had a quick response to get in front. The Eagles then scored 17-straight points between the second and fourth quarters. With a two possession lead, Eastern held on for the win, despite a late score from the Vandals.
EWU's defense made everything difficult for Idaho, notching one interception, two sacks, seven pass breakups and four quarterback hurries.
Nate Bell accounted for three total touchdowns in the game, two passing and one rushing. Bell led the Eagles with 145 rushing yards on 23 carries - 5.8 per carry average. He completed 18-of-31(58.1%) passes for 177 yards, and one interception.
Both of Bell's touchdown passes went to Miles Williams, who finished with four catches for 40 yards.
Scoring Summary
Eastern started its second drive of the game at its own 49 yard line and quickly drove into Idaho territory by way of a 23-yard pass from Nate Bell to Noah Cronquist. After the drive stalled, Soren McKee converted a 31-yard field goal for the first points of the game. EWU went up 3-0.
Idaho responded on its next drive, marching 75 yards on 6 plays to score a touchdown. The Eagles now trailed 7-3 with 1:06 left in the first quarter.
Near the end of the half, Eastern was driving and Bell completed passes to Wesley Garrett and Marceese Yetts for 16 and 14 yards respectively. McKee was called on again and converted a 39-yard field goal, cutting the deficit to 7-6 at the 6:26 point of the second quarter.
Following a bad punt by the Vandals, EWU had the ball at the Idaho 39-yard line. Bell rushed 11 yards to move the ball closer to the redzone. One play later, Bell found Miles Williams in the back of the endzone for a 9-yard touchdown. Eastern jumped in front 13-7 with 44 seconds left on the clock.
As the third quarter ticked down, the Eagles began moving the ball again, starting with a 14 yard catch by Cole Pruett. After two more completions, Bell saw an opening and raced 54 yards to the Idaho 17 yard line and EWU was threatening again. Bell dropped a perfect, 8-yard pass on a corner route to Williams for his second touchdown of the game. Eastern added to the lead with a two-point attempt, as Bell found Jaxon Branch for the successful conversion. The Eagle lead grew to 21-7 with 14:12 on the clock, now in the fourth quarter.
Idaho made a last-ditch effort near the end of the game, scoring on a 40-yard touchdown pass. They closed the lead to 21-14 with 2:30 remaining.
Eag Notes
- Eastern Washington defeated Idaho for the first time since 2021, when they won 71-21 in Cheney. EWU is now 6-9 against the Vandals at home.
- Miles Williams had his first multi-touchdown game of his career, and his first score since last season against Montana. He now has 4 career touchdowns.
- Eastern has now intercepted a pass in five consecutive games, matching the longest streak since 2023. Jaylon Jenkins made his third career interception in the second quarter.
- Nate Bell recorded his third, 100 yard rushing game this season.
- Trevor Thurman matched his career-best with 7 tackles to tie for the team lead. Myles Mayovsky and Drew Carter also each recorded 7 tackles. Justis La'ulu set a career-best with 6 tackles.
- The two teams combined for only 9 penalties for 76 yards.
- Noah Cronquist matched his career-best with 5 receptions. He had 37 receiving yards.
- Landon Ogles punted 7 times for 235 yards, dropping 3 inside the 20.
Up Next
Eastern Washington travels to play Weber State next Saturday (Oct. 25), with kickoff at 12 p.m. Pacific Time, 1 p.m. Mountain.
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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