VERMILLION, S.D. — There was no quit in Eastern Washington football on Saturday, but the team came up short in its ranked, non-conference game. Eastern fell to No. 11/12 South Dakota, 41-23 in a road matchup. EWU record drops to 1-2 this season, while USD remains undefeated at 3-0.
The Yotes offense proved a difficult test as they amassed 517 total yards against the Eagles. USD produced 272 rushing yards on 42 carries - 6.5 per carry - and had an 11-minute advantage in time of possession (35:55 to 24:05).
"I think the overarching thought coming out of this is we did not capitalize on the success we had," head coach Aaron Best said. "We got them in third-down momentum again in the second quarter. A return went against us and then they earned the opportunity to score from deep. We clawed back into the game and then we capitalized on a surprise onside kick; but the next play we threw a tip-pick."
USD scored 21 unanswered points between the second and third quarters, giving them enough of a cushion to hold the lead for the remainder of the game.
Nate Bell competed for the entire 60-minute contest, passing for 217 yards on 20-for-36(55.5%) passing, with two touchdowns and one interception.
Bell's favorite target was Wesley Garrett and the two connected for seven catches and 109 yards, with one touchdown.
The Eagles went over 100 yards in the game, finishing with 125 net, along with 342 total yards of offense.
"It seemed like when we were in position, we did not make tackles. We didn't do ourselves any favors," Best added. "They are a great football team and are well coached. They just flat-out tackled better than we did. The tackling was abundantly different on both sides of the ball."
Scoring Summary
South Dakota scored on its opening possession, going 83 yards in 11 plays and finishing with an 8-yard touchdown pass. The Yotes led the Eagles, 7-0 at the 6:11 point of the first quarter.
USD put together another long drive on their next possession, consuming 7:44 minutes of clock by way of an 13-play, 69-yard drive. The drive ended with a 31-yard field goal and the Yotes led 10-0 with 11:24 on the clock in the second quarter.
Eastern found some rhythm on offense as Nate Bell completed a pass to David Cabrera for 16 yards and moved the team into USD territory. The drive stalled, but Soren McKee converted a 40-yard field goal to put EWU on the board. They trailed 10-3 with 48 seconds remaining in the half.
The response from the Yotes was swift, as quarterback Austyn Modrzewski found Charles Pierre Jr. for a 66-yard touchdown pass on the second play of their next drive. USD was up 17-3 with 26 seconds on the clock.
Starting the second half, the Yotes moved the ball quickly down the field on their first drive and ripped off a 72-yard touchdown run, with the drive going 85 yards in five plays, with only 1:39 off the clock. The lead for USD grew to 24-3.
USD's next drive was quicker, a 2-play, 60-yard drive in 50 seconds, highlighted by a 48-yard touchdown pass. The Yotes were pulling away, up 31-3 and 10:32 seconds on the clock.
Not done in the game, Bell organized a drive to respond to the Yotes' score. Bell connected with Wesley Garrett for 2 receptions for 54 yards. In the redzone, Bell then found Kayden Stuit from 11 yards out for his first career touchdown reception. The lead was cut to 31-10 and 1:16 left in the third.
An Eastern turnover set the Yotes up inside the 10-yard line and they would take 5 plays to score, but found the endzone on a 1-yard run. USD now led EWU, 38-10 and at the 13:24 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Eagles continued to fight in the fourth as Jaxon Bell set the team up with good field position after a 30-yard kickoff return. In the fourth quarter, Malik Dotson helped drive the Eagles down the field, carrying the ball 5 times for 29 yards. Dotson's effort put EWU into USD territory and Bell took advantage of the opportunity, finding Garrett for a 28-yard touchdown strike. Eastern trialed 38-17 and 10:27 remaining in the game.
The Yotes tacked on a field goal to their lead, converting from 36 yards out, part of a 9-play, 57-yard drive, leading 41-17.
Eastern's effort continued as Nate put together another drive in the fourth, mixing passing and rushing to move the ball. Nate connected with Rylin Lang on 2 passes for 35 yards and put the Eagles into the redzone. Dotson then powered up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown and reducing the USD lead to 41-23 with1:54 remaining in the game.
Eag Notes
- Bryce Smith grabbed his first career interception, while recording his second 10+ tackle game and leading the team with 13 total - 10 solo.
- Nate Bell passed for 2 touchdowns for the 3rd consecutive game and has a passing touchdown in the last 7 games he has appeared in for Eastern.
- Kayden Stuit caught his first career touchdown and finished with 2 catches for 17 yards.
- Wesley Garrett posted his first career 100-yard receiving yard and caught his 4th career touchdown pass.
- Malik Dotson rushed for a touchdown for the first time since Nov. 16, 2024, at Idaho State. It is his 5th career rushing touchdown. In the game, Dotson rushed for 52 yards on 12 carries, a 4.3-yards-per-carry average.
- Soren McKee accounted for five points in the game and moved into 7th on the EWU all-time scoring list, passing Tony Griggs (231 points).
- Matt Eskridge II was second on the Eagles with 7 tackles, setting a new career mark for the second consecutive week.
- Eastern lost the turnover battle, 2-1, throwing one interception and fumbling once.
- The Eagles fall to 0-2 against South Dakota in program history.
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.
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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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