CHENEY, Wash. — School has started at Eastern Washington and football is back at Roos Field this weekend. Eastern hosts Cal Poly on Saturday (Sep. 23) as Big Sky games resume. Kickoff for the game will be at 4 p.m. Pacific Time. 

The Big Sky matchup will be the second home game for EWU and the first with students back on campus. The annual Rush Roos will be held pregame, allowing new students to Rush the Inferno. 

Saturday's game is a Red-Out, and fans are encouraged to wear red. Tickets can be purchased through the link HERE. 

The game is broadcast live on SWX and then streamed on ESPN+. Listen to every play live on 700 ESPN and the Varsity App with the voice of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen. 

Last Time Out
Eastern Washington traveled to the westside for an FBS matchup against Washington. The Huskies scored first and led for the entire game, winning 48-16.

UW scored on its opening possession, but Soren McKee answered with a field goal. The Huskies scored again on their next possession to go up 14-3 in the 1st  quarter. Nate Bell scored on a 14-yard run to start the 2nd quarter and cut the lead down to 14-10. UW then scored 17 straight points in the 2nd and took a 31-10 lead into halftime. EWU broke the scoring streak to begin the 3rd quarter, with McKee connecting from 37 yards. A 1-yard TD run from the Huskies stopped any momentum. McKee added his 3rd field goal of the game to start the fourth, but the deficit was too much. The Huskies padded their advantage with another 2 touchdowns to win by 32.

In the game, UW outgained EWU, 546 to 315 in total yards. They had 398 passing yards. The Eagles rushed for 142 yards on 46 carries. 

Welcoming the Mustangs
Eastern Washington has controlled the series against Cal Poly historically, holding a 12-3 advantage over the Mustangs. EWU is a perfect 8-0 at home against Poly and is 4-3 on the road. The teams last met in the 2025 season finale, with the Mustangs pulling off a 43-34 senior day win. The Eagles had the lead after three quarters, but Poly stuck for 14 points in the fourth to complete the comeback. True freshman Kaden Rolfsness rushed for 3 touchdowns in his first career start. Isaiah Perez broke the EWU record for blocked kicks in a season with a blocked extra point, while also setting a career-best with 2.5 sacks. The last home meeting between the two was in 2023, with Eastern dominating 48-13. Kekoa Visperas passed for 2 touchdowns and Tuna Altahir rushed for 2, along with 104 yards on the ground. 

Poly started its season 2-0 with wins over Idaho (38-34) and Central Washington (24-17). The team then fell in an FBS matchup against San Jose State (20-30) and San Diego (35-38) this past weekend. Prior to losing last season to the Mustangs, EWU had won 10-straight in the series dating back to 2011. Head coach Aaron Best is 5-1 against Poly, with a 3-0 mark at Roos Field. 

On Point McKee
Soren McKee is putting on the Eagle red for the final season in 2026, and he is continuing to move up the all-time EWU lists. McKee is now 137-for-139 on extra points, with his made attempts now in sole possession of 3rd on the all-time list. The redshirt-senior was the offensive engine against Washington, accounting for 10 of the team's 16 points. McKee hit field goals from 20, 37, and 43 yards, while going 1-of-1 on PATs. 

For his career, McKee has scored 245 points and currently ranks 7th on the all-time scoring list. McKee is 36-for-47(76.6%) on field goals at EWU, tying for 3rd in made attempts and tied for 5th in attempts, while tying for 4th all-time in percentage. McKee is 3 field goals away from tying Jason Cromer (1988-90) for the most field goals all time. He is 6 PATs away from tying Mike Jarrett (2009-11) for 2nd on the all-time list. This season, McKee is a perfect 6-of-6 on field goals, tied with Montana State's Myles Sansted for the top percentage in the conference.

Emerging in the Slot
Rylin Lang has found his spot in the slot receiver role the last two games, making 9 catches for 113 yards. After setting a career mark with 6 catches for 57 yards against South Dakota, Lang caught 3 passes for 56 yards against UW, including an impressive 33-yard reception. Lang also posted his first career carry, taking the ball 3 yards. 

Top of the 1st Downs
EWU leads the Big Sky with 94 1st downs, averaging 23.0 per game. Eastern has 11 first downs earned by penalties that is also the top mark in the conference. The team is also 2nd in the Big Sky with 46 passing 1st downs. Against UW, the Eagles had 22 1st downs, making 9 by passing, 7 by rushing and 6 by penalty. 

Starting to Stay Away from the Flag
Eastern was penalized a season-low against UW, with only 3 flags, totaling 20 yards in the game. The Eagles have been penalized 26 times this season, tied for the 2nd most in the Big Sky, for 205 yards. They average 51.3 penalty yards per game. 

Smith Goes Flying
Bryce Smith is quickly putting together an impressive season, as he notched his second-straight 10+ tackle game against Washington, finishing with 12 total and 4 solo. Smith has 4 passes defended this season, with 3 pass breakups with his INT to tie for 5th in the Big Sky. With 42 total tackles this season, Smith ranks 2nd in the conference and leads the Eagles. His 19 solo tackles is good for the 6th-most in the Big Sky, while he averages 10.5 tackles per game to rank 3rd.  
 

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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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