CHENEY, Wash. — The rivalry returns to Roos Field this week as Eastern Washington hosts Montana on Saturday, Oct. 31. The Halloween matchup will also mark Eastern Washington's 100th game on the Red Turf at Roos Field.
Scripps Sports and SWX will broadcast the game live, with streaming on ESPN+. Fans can listen to every play live on 700 ESPN and The Varsity App with the voices of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen.
In addition, EWU will celebrate Native American Heritage Month and wear their Salish "uł pql̓qeyn" (pronounced oo-th p-kill-cane) helmet decals. Before the game, there will be a land acknowledgment, and the national anthem will be sung in both English and Salish.
Last Time Out
Eastern Washington hosted No. 5 Montana State on Saturday, with the Bobcats dominating, 56-20.
EWU scored first off a Soren McKee field goal and was up 3-0 after the first quarter. The Bobcats responded with 14 straight points. Another field goal from McKee would pull the score back to 14-6 in the second quarter. MSU made the most of the last two minutes of the half, scoring 14 more points, including a 61-yard interception return for a touchdown to lead 28-6. The Bobcats opened the second half with another touchdown, to lead by 28. Momentum then swung to the Eagles as they scored 14 straight points, getting a 5-yard touchdown run from Kevin Allen III and a 9-yard touchdown catch from Oliver Luebkert. In the fourth quarter, MSU blew the game open, scoring three touchdowns to put the Eagles away.
Eastern did manage to outgain the Bobcats in the game, 439 yards to 313. Nate Bell passed for 282 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. MSU running back Adam Jones scored 3 rushing touchdowns.
100th Game on the Red
Saturday's game will be Eastern Washington's 100th game played on the Red Turf at Roos Field. The first game was on Sep. 18, 2010, also against Montana. EWU won the game 36-27. In the history of the Red Turf, Eastern has a 75-24 record, a 75.8 percent win percentage.
The Battle Against the Griz
Eastern Washington and Montana will renew their rivalry this weekend on Roos Field. The series history favors the Grizzlies, who hold the 32-18-2 advantage. The Eagles are 11-12 at home against the Griz, dropping the last matchup in 2024. UM won a shootout with Eastern in a 52-49 decision. The game was back-and-forth in the first half, but the Griz took a 31-14 lead to halftime. EWU rallied in the fourth quarter and pulled within 3 at 45-42, but the Griz scored a touchdown with under 3 minutes to play that sealed the road win. Kekoa Visperas threw 4 touchdowns and had 265 yards through the air. Efton Chism III caught 3 of the 4 TD passes and had 107 yards on 8 receptions. Last season, UM edged the Eagles, 29-24, in Missoula. Jake Schakel threw for 451 yards in his first career start, tying for the 19th most in a single game in program history.
Montana is ranked No. 14 in both the AFCA Coaches' and Stats Perform Top 25 polls. The Griz are 5-3 overall and 3-2 in conference. UM is on a 2-game losing streak after falling to Idaho 42-35 two weeks ago and NAU, 49-44, three weeks ago. The team was also on bye this past week. Griz running back Eli Gillman is the reigning Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year and leads the conference with 13 rushing touchdowns and 2nd with 1016 rushing yards.
Receiver Returns
Drew Carlson was the Eagles' top receiver against Montana State, catching a career-best 10 passes for 86 yards. Rylin Lang also set a career-best against the Bobcats with 8 receptions and finishing with 54 yards. Oliver Luebkert caught his first career touchdown and had 29 yards total for the game. Carlson is second on the team with 36 catches for 384 yards, while Lang is 3rd with 28 catches for 250 yards. Luebkert has 6 catches for 72 yards. Wesley Garrett leads the Eagles with 40 receptions for 525 yards and 3 touchdowns. He has recorded 50+yards in 6 of 8 games this season and has 5 receptions in 5 of 8 games.
Running Steady
EWU went over 100 rushing against Montana with 157 yards on 52 attempts. The yards were the 2nd most this season, and the attempts were the most. It was the 6th game this season with 100+ rushing yards. Behind Nate Bell's rushing, Kevin Allen III has 225 yards with 2 touchdowns, and Jaxon Bell has 196 yards.
Redzone Strike
Eastern is tied for 3rd in the Big Sky with 29 scores inside the redzone this season, going 29-for-31 on opportunities. The 93.5 conversion rate leads the conference. EWU has 20 TDs inside the 20 and 9 field goals, as Soren McKee is a perfect 9-for-9 on field goals in the redzone. The Eagles missed twice in the redzone with turnover on downs.
Top of the 1st Downs
EWU leads the Big Sky in first downs per game, averaging 23.9, with 191 total this season. Eastern has 16 first downs earned by penalties to sit 2nd in the conference. They lead the Big Sky with 111 passing 1st downs. The Eagles recorded 31 1st downs against Montana St., while the Bobcats had 14 in their road win. EWU posted 17 through the air and 13 on the ground, with 1 by penalties.
2026 EWU football tickets are on sale! Join Spokane County's team for its two remaining home games on Oct. 31 vs. Montana and Nov. 21 vs. Portland State. 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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