CHENEY, Wash. — A home opener helps a team refocus and spark their season. Eastern Washington football took advantage of that opportunity. On Roos Field for the first time, EWU delivered for its fans with its first win of the season, defeating Western Illinois, 52-31. The Eagles are now 1-3 on the season and Western Illinois falls to 1-3.
"We put our defense in a precarious spot multiple times, but they got out of it, especially in the first half. The guys buckled down," head coach Aaron Best said. "[Nate] is a playmaker. He goes at a different pace and it's not a fanatic pace. He sees things that are in his blind spots and has a feel for the game. I think the reverse with Wes [Garrett] got us going more than anything. In the return game, I'm trying to communicate with [Noah Cronquist] to be more aggressive. His returns tonight gave us a jolt, even with one being called back."
The Eagles scored a season-high in points, with seven touchdowns and one field goal.
Eastern scored first, but the game was back-and-forth for the majority of the night, as the Leathernecks' offense kept pace with the Eagles.
For the game, EWU posted 597 yards of total offense. The Eagles had 325 rushing yards, averaging 7.7 yards per carry.
Nate Bell amassed 416 yards of offense and scored five total touchdowns. He rushed 18 times for 144 games and three touchdowns, while completing 11-of-29(37.9%) passes for 272 yards, throwing two touchdowns.
Eastern outscored WIU, 25-14 in the second half to pull away and earn the home win.
Scoring Summary
On Eastern's second drive, the offense started at the 48 yard line and Nate Bell went to work leading. Following four rush plays, Bell found Jaxon Branch for a 35-yard touchdown the first score. The team then elected to go for the two-point conversion, as Bell found Landon Cooper to get the points and go up 8-0 in the game.
Western Illinois responded with a 8-play, 26-yard drive that ended in a 39-yard field goal. The Leathernecks were on the board, down 8-3 and 3:05 left in the quarter.
Eastern responded immediately on the next drive, as Bell found Cooper streaking down the right side of the field and breaking loose for a 64-yard touchdown. The Eagles jumped out to a 15-3 lead with 1:31 on the clock.
WIU found a spark on offense, driving 76 yards in 5 plays to score its first touchdown of the day earlier in the second quarter. The EWU lead was reduced to 15-10.
Back on offense, the Eagle run game went to work, as Kevin Allen III carried the ball twice for 16 yards. Wesley Garrett then took the toss from Bell on a reverse and bolted for a 67-yard touchdown. Eastern rebuilt its double-digit lead to 21-10 at the 9:39 point of the second quarter.
With under five minutes to play in the quarter, WIU took advantage of an Eagle interception, scoring on a 5-play, 35-yard drive. EWU led 21-17 with 3:17 remaining in the quarter.
Noah Cronquist set the Eagles up in Leatherneck territory with a 40-yard punt return. On the next play, Bell rushed 46 yards to put the team in the redzone once again. Bell then carried the ball in from 2 yards out for the touchdown. With 52 seconds remaining in the half, EWU went up 27-17.
On the opening drive of the second half, Dre Greeley grabbed his first career interception and returned it 46 yards to the WIU 4-yard line. Marceese Yetts walked into the endzone on the next play and Eastern had a 34-17 right out of the half.
The Leathernecks had a counter to the quick Eastern score, driving 64 yards in 8 plays to score their 3rd touchdown. The Eagles still led 34-24.
Eastern put together a long drive in response, marching 70 yards in 9 plays and giving Soren McKee a field goal opportunity. From 23 yards out, McKee converted the kick and EWU extended its lead to 37-24 with 3:35 remaining in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Leathernecks moved the ball down the field methodically, using a 10-play, 7-yard drive to score on a 4-yard touchdown run. Eastern's lead was cut to 37-31 with 12:29 left in the game.
EWU put together its own long drive to create a scoring opportunity. Bell connected with Cronquist for a 52-yard reception. A pair of penalties by WIU put Eastern at the ball at the 6-yard line. Bell rushed left and scored his second touchdown of the game. The Eagles had now built a 45-31 lead at the 11:11 mark.
Eastern's offense continued to roll, as Bell scored his third touchdown on a 9-yard rush, completing a 5-play, 32 yard drive. The lead grew to 52-31 for Eastern and 7:05 remaining on the clock.
Eag Notes
- Nate Bell posted his first career 100-yard rushing game. Bell also now has 6 rushing touchdowns this season to lead the team.
- Noah Cronquist finished with 230 all-purpose yards, with 98 punt return yards, 80 kick return yards and 52 receiving yards. Cronquist set career-best with a 60-yard kick return and a 38-yard punt return.
- Landon Cooper scored his first career touchdown, with a career-long 64-yard pass.
- Wesley Garrett posted his first career rushing touchdown on his first career rush attempt.
- Dre Greeley made his first career interception and made a career-best 4 tackles.
- Jaxon Branch scored his first career touchdown, a 35-yard reception.
- Nolan Ulm hauled in his 100th career catch as an Eagle, a 7-yard reception.
- Myles Mayovsky recorded his 1st career sack, finishing with 4 tackles.
- The Eagle defense tallied 9 pass breakups, the most by the team since Nov. 27 against Northern Iowa in the first round of the FCS Playoffs. The team finished with 12 in that game. Ambrose Marsh led the team with 3 pass breakups.
- Isaac Redford posted a career-game for the second-straight, recording 7 tackles.
- Isaiah Perez posted his 3rd career sack, while Read Sunn notched his 2nd career sack. Perez finished with career-best, 7 tackles and Sunn had 6, one shy of his career-best.
- The teams combined for 19 penalties for 202 yards.
Up Next
Eastern Washington opens Big Sky competition next week, facing No. 4 Montana State in Bozeman. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. Pacific Time, 2 p.m. Mountain Time.
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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