CHENEY, Wash. — Following the first win of the season, Eastern Washington football enters the week looking to build on the success of week 1. Eastern travels to play No. 11/12 South Dakota on Saturday (Sep. 12) in Vermillion, S.D. The game kicks off at 11 a.m. Pacific Time and 1 p.m. Central.
The game will be streamed live on MidCo Sports and ESPN+. Listen to every play of the game live on 700 ESPN and The Varsity App with the voices of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen.
Last Time Out
Eastern Washington won its first game of the season in its home opener, defeating Northern Iowa, 34-24.
Nate Bell started the scoring with a 34-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. The score was quickly answered by the Panthers, who went 72 yards in four plays and ended the drive with a four-yard touchdown run. Bell again went to work directing the offense, driving 65 yards in six plays and finding Jaxon Branch for the 16-yard score. The Eagles were up 13-10 in the second quarter. UNI responded once again, putting together an 11-play, 59-yard drive in six minutes to score another rushing TD. The Eagles answered with a 15-play, 75-yard drive, ending with Bell scoring from two yards out. The Panthers scored again near halftime to lead 24-20. In the second half, Eastern scored 14-straight points to retake the lead in the third quarter. Bell scored his third rushing touchdown of the game and then found Jamai East for the clinching touchdown. The Eagle defense shut out UNI in the second half to power the victory.
QB Report-Big Sky POW Edition
Nate Bell started the 2026 season with a career game against Northern Arizona and carried it over this past week against Northern Iowa. Bell completed 24-of-33(72.7%) passes for 257 yards, tossing 2 more touchdown passes and no interceptions versus UNI. The redshirt-junior also rushed for 3 touchdowns, while carrying the ball 18 times for 94 yards. It was the second game of Bell's career in which he accounted for 5 total touchdowns, with the first coming last season against Western Illinois. Both touchdown totals matched Bell's career-best for a single game. The numbers that Bell put up earned him Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week honors, the first of his career.
Season Opener Success at Home
With the 34-24 win over Northern Iowa in the home opener at Roos Field this past Saturday, Eastern has now won 9 consecutive home openers, with the last loss coming in 2017 to North Dakota State (13-40). The win also improves head coach Aaron Best's record in home openers to 9-1 since taking over.
Meeting the Yotes
Eastern Washington and South Dakota will face each other for only the second time in history. The teams played in 2011, with the Yotes beating the Eagles, 30-17. USD is currently ranked 11th in Stats Perform Top 25 and 12th in the AFCA Coaches' poll. The Yotes are 2-0 this season, already with a win over a Big Sky School after defeating Northern Colorado 38-23 on the road last week. The team started the season with a 59-20 victory over Central Connecticut State.
On Saturday, both EWU and USD will make history as both teams will be wearing helmet decals in Indigenous languages, a first in Division I college football history.
Defense Rising
The growth on defense last season was apparent and continues to show early in the 2026 season. The Eagles held Northern Iowa under 400 yards of total offense (350), the second consecutive game the defense has limited an opponent. It is the first time since the 2021 season that Eastern has started the season allowing under 400 yards in consecutive games. The run defense was stout, holding the Panthers to 63 yards on 35 attempts (1.5 per carry). It was the lowest rushing total since the Eagles held Northern Colorado to 48 yards in 2024. EWU also grabbed another interception, this one coming from Ambrose Marsh. Eastern now has an interception in 11 of its last 14 games. Additionally, Eastern tallied 5 sacks in the game and has 5 sacks in 2 of its last 3 matchups. Gauge Larsen broke out with his first 2 career sacks, while finishing with 5 total tackles. Jaden Radke had a career game with 1.5 sacks and 6 total tackles. Isaiah Perez, Matt Eskridge II and Justis La'ulu all had 0.5 sacks, with La'ulu and Eskridge II earning their first career sack credit.
Stay Plus in Turnovers
Since 2010, EWU is 78-10 when winning the turnover margin, improving the record after this past week. The Eagles were +1 in turnovers against Northern Iowa, with Marsh's interception the lone turnover of the game. Eastern lost the turnover battle, 1-2, in the Week 0 matchup against Northern Arizona. Last season, EWU was 3-2 in games in which it won the turnover margin.
First Eagle Tackles
Two Eagle transfers recorded their first tackles since joining the team in the offseason. LJ Roberts and Matt Eskridge II each registered 4 tackles against UNI, with Eskridge II adding his first career sack line (0.5).
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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