CHENEY, Wash. — The weather was good, the stands were full, but it was not enough for Eastern Washington football to pull off the upset. Eastern fell to No. 14 Montana, 42-33, in a game that remained competitive through 60 minutes. EWU falls to 1-5 in the Big Sky and 2-7 on the season. The Grizzlies improve to 4-2 in conference and 6-2 overall.
"With all things considered, there was some really good stuff, but certainly it was one of those big games," head coach Aaron Best said. "It was probably fun to watch, back and forth, but again some really good stuff and some not good stuff. The gap is still further away than we'd like it at this point in terms of how we operate in some of those moments."
Both offenses scored consistently, combining for 868 total yards. The Grizzlies led with 489 yards and the Eagles had 379.
Montana scored first and built an 11-point lead in the second quarter, but the Eagles scored a touchdown to pull within one near the end of the half. A hail mary pass from the Griz as time expired in the second quarter gave them an eight-point advantage at half.
UM was unable to separate in the second half as Eastern answered each score. The Griz were able to finally pull away with a late touchdown. They held off an Eagles rally to earn their second-straight win in Cheney.
Nate Bell drove the offense, scoring four total touchdowns, with three passing and one rushing. The redshirt-junior was 19-of-33(57.6%) for 269 yards. Bell's favorite target was Jaxon Branch, who had a career-best 131 yards, then matching his career mark with seven receptions and one touchdown.
The two teams also combined for five interceptions, with UM making three and EWU grabbing two.
"Losing is hard to get over, and we've had too many one-score losses, which are the hardest ones to get over because you're so close, but you're not there," Best added. "As long as these kids keep swinging as we anticipate them to, and we will stay together, there's no other option. Some guys won't swing as hard, but we'll play the guys that swing the hardest."
Eag Notes
- Nate Bell scored his 15th career rushing touchdown and his 8th this season. He had his 7th game this season, passing for 2 or more touchdowns and 9th of his career. It was his 5th game with a passing and rushing touchdown and his 7th for his career. Bell had 3 or more passing touchdowns for the third game this season, and it was also his 4th game accounting for at least 4 touchdowns.
- Jaxon Branch returned to the lineup this week and caught his 4th career touchdown.
- EWU rushed for 110 yards on 42 attempts, its 7th game over 100 yards this season. Kevin Allen III led the team with 12 carries for 68 yards.
- Drew Carlson caught his 3rd career touchdown and finished with 4 receptions for 46 yards.
- Myles Mayovsky led the team and had a game-high 13 tackles, with 7 solo. It is Mayovsky's 5th career 10-plus tackle game.
- Soren McKee made his 44th and 45th career field goals, going 3-for-3 on PATs. With 9 points in the game, McKee tied Mike Jarrett for 5th on the all-time scoring list at 286 total.
- Bryce Smith made his 2nd career interception and added 8 tackles, with 5 solo.
- Ben Voigtlaender recorded his first career interception and had 2 total tackles.
- Eastern committed only 3 penalties for 22 yards total.
- Wesley Garrett caught his 6th career touchdown, grabbing 2 passes for 40 yards in the game.
- The Eagles went 2-of-2 on redzone opportunities, scoring one touchdown and making 1 field goal.
- Clayton McCarrell registered his first career sack.
Scoring Summary
Montana struck quickly in the game, scoring a 75-yard touchdown on the first play to go up 7-0.
EWU kept their first drive going after Nate Bell ran for 58 yards from the Eagles' 5-yard line. N. Bell found Jamai East for a 19-yard completion. The Eastern drive stalled, but Soren McKee converted a 50-yard field goal.
After an EWU interception, the Griz drove 41 yards in 6 plays and scored on a 4-yard touchdown pass. UM now led 14-3 at 14:33 in the second quarter.
The Eagles looked to answer the score, and N. Bell completed his first 3 passes of the drive. Moving the ball down the field, N. Bell linked up with Jaxon Branch for a 31-yard completion. One play later, N. Bell found Drew Carlson in the left corner of the endzone for the touchdown from 24 yards out. EWU cut into the deficit, 14-10, with 10:13 left in the half.
At the end of the half, the Griz pulled off a last-second hail mary touchdown pass from 51 yards out. UM went to halftime leading 21-13.
The Eagles got the ball back in the third quarter after Ben Voightlaender intercepted the Griz pass. On the second play of the drive, N. Bell placed a pass perfectly to Wesley Garrett in the right corner of the endzone. Eastern was within one at 21-20 and 11:22 on the clock.
Following an EWU turnover, UM set up at the Eagle 11-yard line. Eli Gillman rushed the ball in from the 1-yard line, and the Griz now led 28-21 at the 5:34 point of the third quarter.
Eastern's offense organized a response, driving down the field with a mix of running and passing plays. Jaxon Bell delivered the big play, a 16-yard rush to put the ball on the Griz 24-yard line. A UM roughing-the-passer play moved the ball to the 4-yard line and N. Bell carried the ball in. The deficit was back to one at 28-27 as the third quarter expired.
The Griz quick-strike offense continued as Gillman ripped off a 68-yard run to rebuild the UM lead to 35-27 and 13:44 left in the game.
Eastern was not done in the game and organized a 9-play, 80-yard drive. The Eagles scored on a 28-yard pass from N. Bell to Branch. EWU attempted the 2-point conversion but missed the mark. The score was 35-33 Griz, with 3 minutes left in the game.
UM sealed the win on its next possession, as Brooks Davis took the pass from Keali'i Ah Yat 61 yards to go up 42-33 with 1:54 remaining.
Up Next
Eastern Washington takes the short road trip south next week to play Idaho on Saturday, Nov. 7. Kickoff is at 2 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.
FOLLOW THE EAGLES
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
