CHENEY, Wash. — The matchup today for Eastern Washington football was expected to be difficult against the defending FCS Champions. Eastern faced No. 5 Montana State on Roos Field, falling to the Bobcats, 56-20. EWU's record drops to 1-4 in the Big Sky and 2-6 overall. MSU improves to 3-1 in the league and 6-1 overall.
"Our guys battled, and I thought we got some momentum on the surprise onside kick recovery, but it was a three-and-out right after. It seems to be a common theme to create momentum with a big play, but do not capitalize on it," head coach Aaron Best said. "On the defensive side, there were too many explosive plays and those explosives were touchdowns. A few of them were on third and fourth downs. It was not only explosives, but a conversion that ended in a touchdown."
The Bobcats rushed for 242 yards on 27 carries, averaging 9.0 yards per carry, with six touchdowns.
MSU grabbed three interceptions and scored 14 points on those opportunities.
After Eastern scored first, Montana St. scored 14 straight points to take the lead. They doubled their lead at halftime to 28-6. In the second half, Eastern found rhythm on offense, but the Bobcats' rushing offense remained effective.
EWU outgained MSU in total yards, finishing with 439 yards to the Bobcats' 413.
Nate Bell passed for 282 yards and completed 35-of-53(66.0%) of his passes, with one touchdown.
Kevin Allen rushed for 78 yards on 17 carries - 4.6 per carry - scoring one touchdown.
"[Montana State] was a great offense and they came back and fought; they were hungry after a tough loss in Moscow," Best added. "We played well in pockets and unwell in other pockets. We did some good things up front and protected better. We got the run game on track a little bit. The two turnovers when we were down 28-6 out of half put us behind in what could have been a 21-point swing."
Eag Notes
- Soren McKee made his 42nd and 43rd career field goals, adding two made PATs. He now has 277 career points.
- Kevin Allen III recorded his 6th career rushing touchdown and 94 all-purpose yards overall. He was 1 yard shy of his career-best for rushing yards (79).
- Oliver Luebkert caught his first career touchdown pass. He ended with 2 catches for 29 yards total.
- EWU tallied a season-best 11 third-down conversions.
- JoJo Maxey-Johnson matched his career-best with 6 tackles, making 3 solo.
- Drew Carlson set a career-best with receptions and finished with 86 yards.
- The Eagles were 4-for-4 in redzone chances against the Bobcats.
- Jaxon Bell finished with 106 kick return yards and 37 rushing yards against MSU.
- The teams combined for only 5 penalties for 50 yards.
Scoring Summary
Eastern started its third drive with a 17-yard pass from Nate Bell to Jamai East. The Eagles then mixed passing and rushing plays to keep moving the ball down the field. EWU went into the redzone, but a fumble backed them out. Soren McKee helped the Eagles get points out of the drive with a 42-yard field goal. Eastern scored the first points of the game with 59 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
MSU responded on its next drive, as Bobcat running back Adam Jones ripped off a 32-yard run to score. The touchdown was part of a 6-play, 75-yard drive to put MSU up 7-3 with 13:52 remaining in the quarter.
The Bobcats struck again with a 33-yard touchdown run, this time from Jared White. MSU was now up 14-3 and 7:41 on the clock.
Bell looked to end the Bobcat momentum, starting his next drive with a 20-yard completion to Oliver Luebkert. He then connected with Wesley Garrett for 15 yards. A 16-yard completion from Bell to Drew Carlons put Eastern at the MSU 29-yard line. The drive stalled, but Soren McKee was automatic from 24 yards, and the score was 14-6 with 3:20 remaining in the quarter.
To close the half, the Bobcats scored two touchdowns under two minutes. They started with a 5-yard touchdown run from Jones and followed up with a 61-yard interception return for a touchdown. MSU went to the break leading 28-6.
Out of the half, the Bobcats continued to work the run game, scoring a 41-yard touchdown. The drive was set up by a 59-yard kickoff return. MSU was up 35-6.
Kevin Allen III gave Eastern a big play on their next drive, rushing for a 30-yard gain. Allen and Bell continued to run well and moved the Eagles into the redzone. At the 5-yard line, Allen carried the ball in for the team's first touchdown of the day. Eastern trailed 35-13 with 8:20 on the clock.
Eastern had great field position to start its next drive, opening at the MSU 48, and Bell quickly found Garret for an 11-yard completion. Nate and Jaxon Bell each broke off runs to put the Eagles at the Bobcat 11. One play later, Bell found Luebkert in the left corner of the endzone for a 9-yard touchdown. Eastern trimmed the lead down to 35-20 at the 2:40 mark of the third quarter.
Jones made it 3 touchdowns on the day, scoring from 5 yards out, and the Bobcats were now up 42-20 with 12:10 on the clock.
The Bobcats continued to extend their lead, adding a 55-yard touchdown pass to go up 49-20. MSU tacked on another score to make it 56-20, by way of a 9-yard touchdown run.
Up Next
Next week is Eastern Washington's bye week, but it will host Montana on Oct. 31 at Roos Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Pacific Time.
2026 EWU football season tickets are now on sale! Join Spokane County's team for six home games at Roos Field in Cheney starting as low as $99. 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 tickets 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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