CHENEY, Wash. — The home finale at Roos Field is here as Eastern Washington football prepares to celebrate senior day. Eastern hosts Northern Colorado on Saturday (Nov. 15) at 1 p.m. EWU will honor 19 seniors this weekend in a pregame ceremony.
The game will be broadcast live on SWX and streamed on ESPN+. Follow the action live on 700 ESPN and the Varsity App with the voices of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen.
Eastern's final home game will be Hometown Heroes for all veterans and first responders. Global Credit Union will be giving away 1000 rally towels at the entrances. There will also be a 30' x 80' American Flag display on the field during the national anthem. Numerica will be giving away $1000 scholarships to EWU students at the end of the first, second and third quarters. In the fourth quarter there will be another $1000 scholarship for students.
Last Time Out
Eastern Washington nearly pulled off the upset of the year on Saturday, just missing against Montana, 29-24. The Eagles were a 35.5 point underdog in the game. The game looked like a blowout early on, as the Grizzlies jumped out to a 22-0 lead at the 10:27 minute mark of the second quarter. EWU got the game under control with 14-straight points. Jake Schakel, in his first career start at quarterback, found Kevin Allen III for a 10-yard touchdown. Allen then capped off a late Eastern drive for his second score of the day. Montana scored early in the third quarter to build a 29-17 lead. Schakel moved the ball downfield, resulting in a Soren McKee 24-yard field goal to reduce the deficit. Near the end of the game, Schakel once again rose to the occasion, driving 63 yards in 11 plays to find Cole Pruett for an eight-yard score. Down a possession, EWU recovered the onside kick and had a chance to win. Despite driving into the redzone, Eastern suffered a late fumble as time expired and Montana won the game.
Face off Against the Bears
Eastern Washington has dominated the series against Northern Colorado, carrying a 15-1 record into the game against the Bears. Eastern is 7-0 at home and 8-1 in Greeley. EWU has won 15 straight games in the series, with the lone loss coming in the 1981 season. Eastern and UNC meet last season in Greeley, with the Eagles winning convincingly, 43-15. Eastern scored 29 unanswered points into the second quarter, as Kekoa Visperas tossed 3 touchdown passes and Jared Taylor scored one rushing. The Bears closed the gap with 15-straight points between the second and third quarter, but Taylor answered in the third with another score. Taylor connected with Efton Chism III for 1 more touchdown and put the game out of reach.
First Start for the Books
Jake Schakel made his first career start in one of the most difficult venues in the FCS at Montana. Schakel responded by throwing for 451 yards, completing 43-of-63(68.3%) passes and throwing 2 touchdowns - the first of his career - with 2 interceptions. The yards total is tied for the 19th most in a single game in EWU history with Eric Barriere(2021) and Matt Nichols (2007). It is the most passing yards by an Eagle QB since Barriere threw for 530 yards against Montana in the second round of the 2021 FCS playoffs. It was also the most passing yards for Eastern since 2023 against Idaho State when the Eagles had 403 passing yards. Schakel's 43 completions is tied for 4th all-time in a single with Matt Nichols(2009). His 63 attempts is tied for 7th all-time. This season, Schakel is completing 66.7% of his passes and has 698 yards.
Double Hundred
The Eagle receiving core benefited from Jake Schakel's performance on Saturday, with Miles Williams and Cole Pruett recording 100-yard games. Williams had 136 yards on 11 receptions, while Pruett had 133 yards on 10 catches and 1 touchdown. Both receivers set career-bests in receptions and yards, while Pruett grabbed his 2nd career touchdown. It was the first time two Eastern receivers had 100 games since 2021 against Montana when Talolo Limu-Jones had 215 yards and Andrew Boston had 141 yards. It was also the first game that an Eagle receiver had 100+ yards since Efton Chism III had 119 against Northern Arizona last season. Williams leads the Eagles with 385 yards and 33 receptions, while scoring 2 touchdowns. Pruett is 4th on the team with 225 yards and 20 receptions.
Spreading the Ball Around
In each of EWU's 10 games this season, the Eagle quarterbacks have completed passes to at least 6 different receivers. This past game, 8 different receivers caught passes for Eastern, led by 11 from Miles Williams and 10 from Cole Pruett. Landon Cooper had a career-game with 7 receptions for 75 yards. Cooper is 5th on the team in yards (195) and 6th in receptions (17). Wesley Garrett caught 4 passes for 42 yards in the game and Kevin Allen had 5 receptions for 26 yards and 1 touchdown. Zander Turner had 2 catches for a career-best 14 yards.
Third-Down Shut-Down
Against Montana, EWU's defense stood tall on 3rd-down situations, holding the Grizzlies to 1-of-10(10%) on conversions. This season, Eastern is allowing opponents to convert on 41.8% on 3rd downs, ranking 8th in the Big Sky and 74th in the FCS.
Stingy on Yards
Eastern allowed the Grizzlies 351 yards of total offense on Saturday, with 101 rushing yards and 250 passing yards. During the game, Montana had 174 yards in the first quarter, but was held to 177 for the remainder of the game. The total yards marked a season-low for the Griz. EWU is allowing 442.7 yards per game, with 243 passing yards and 199.7 rushing yards. The team allows 31.2 points per game. The game against Montana was only the 2nd time this season Eastern has out-gained its opponents in total yards.
Linebacker Core Leads the Way
The defense for Eastern effectiveness is heavily influenced by its linebacker core, with Read Sunn and Myles Mayovsky at the center of action. Sunn leads the team and is 5th in the Big Sky with 77 total tackles, making 43 solo. He has 10 tackles for loss, tying for 4th in the conference. Sun has 3 games this season with 11 tackles, and has recorded 2 sacks. Mayovsky is behind Sunn with 66 total tackles, good for a 10th-play tie in the Big Sky. He has made 34 solo, while recording 5 tackles for loss including 1 sack. Mayovsky is tied for 2nd on the Eagles with 4 pass breakups. Sunn and Mayovsky have started all 10 games for the Eagles. Along with the 2 starters, Samarai Anderson has been effective, recording 29 tackles that ranks 9th on the team. Anderson has made 11 solo tackles, with 5 tackles for loss, and 1 sack. Along with run defense, Anderson has disrupted the passing game with 4 pass breakups, tied for 2nd on the team.
Impact off the Field
Nolan Ulm makes just as crucial of an impact off the field as he is involved with numerous charities including Mamas for Mamas that supports single mothers, Helping Captives that supports victims of human trafficking and Touchdowns for Dollars that benefits the local YMCA. Ulm also runs his own youth football camp, named Make it Happen, in his hometown of Kelowna, British Columbia. Ulm was named to the AFCA Good Works team, one of 10 FCS players to earn the honor that recognizes student-athletes' success and dedication on-and-off the field. He was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell award earlier this season. Ulm has one more season on the Red and looks to go out with a statement.
Ulm has 1263 career receiving yards, with 109 receptions and 10 touchdowns. During the 2023 season, Ulm had career-bests with 45 receptions and 564 yards, while matching his career-best with 4 touchdowns. Going into his final year, Ulm was listed as the No. 9 Canadian-born prospect by CFL Scouting Bureau. Ulm had 3 receptions for 20 yards last week against Montana. He has 19 catches for 161 yards this season. Ulm has appeared in 55 games for his career, making 29 starts.
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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