CHENEY, Wash. — Playing at home has its advantages and Eastern Washington football took full advantage today. Eastern defeated Northern Iowa, 34-24, today on Roos Field with a combined effort from the offense and defense. EWU improved its record to 1-1, while UNI lost in its season opener.
"I think it was somewhat of a complete game. It's never going to be perfect. I think, start-to-finish, we dictated tempo, but it wasn't always pretty," head coach Aaron Best said. "I challenged these guys at halftime. The organic energy has to come through. We were walking around like we were sleepwalking. It was a tale of two halves. We tightened the screws in the second half and did a lot of great things. It was 60 minutes of hard-fought ball. The first 30 minutes, if you're an offensive person, were pretty awesome; but if you're a defensive person, not as awesome. The last 30 minutes of the game we put it all together, and I'm really excited we turned the faucet on in the second half as a team. We played solid and consistent in all three phases."
The game went back-and-forth with six lead changes. EWU scored first but trailed at halftime, 24-20. The Eagles retook the lead in the third quarter.
Eastern's defense clamped down in the second half, shutting out UNI after giving up 24 points in the first half.
EWU scored an insurance touchdown in the fourth quarter to secure the home win.
Nate Bell matched his career-best, accounting for five touchdowns - two passing and three rushing. The redshirt-junior threw for 257 yards on 24-for-33(72.7%) passing. Bell added 94 rushing yards on 18 attempts - 5.2 yards per attempt.
Eastern outgained the Panthers, 395 to 350, in total yards.
Scoring Summary
On the opening drive, Bell had the offense working, connecting with Drew Carlson on two passes. Bell then attempted a QB sneak up the middle, but powered through and broke free for a 34-yard touchdown. EWU started with a 6-0 lead after the extra point was blocked.
Northern Iowa struck back quickly, marching 72 yards in four plays and scoring on a 4-yard rushing TD. The Panthers took the 7-6 lead with 10:07 on the clock.
Bell moved the ball on the Eagles' next drive, connecting with Jaxon Branch for 12 yards and then Wesley Garrett for 26. Moving into the redzone, Bell found Branch again in the right corner of the endzone for a 16-yard strike. Eastern went up 13-7 with 7:50 on the clock.
UNI burned clock on its next drive, going 67 yards in 11 plays and consuming 4:50 minutes. The drive resulted in a 25-yard field goal and cut the Eagles' lead to 13-10 with 3:00 remaining in the quarter.
The Panthers went in front 17-13 after a 1-yard touchdown run from Jaxon Dailey. The drive lasted 6:22 and went 59 yards in 11 plays.
Not to be outdone, Bell organized a long drive to counter the UNI score. An 18-yard completion to Garrett moved the Eagles to midfield. Jaxon Bell found room out of the backfield and rushed a 13-yard gain as well. Bell continued to be efficient on passing and moved the ball to the UNI two-yard line. He called his own number again and scored, putting EWU up 20-17 with 4:26 remaining in the half.
UNI organized an 8-play, 75-yard drive near the end of the half and scored the go-ahead touchdown, 24-20.
Bell was determined to take the lead back for Eastern, and he quickly moved the ball down the field in the team's second drive of the third quarter, rushing and passing for first downs. A penalty on UNI added to the drive and moved the Eagles to the Panthers 29-yard line. Bell found Malik Dotson for an 11-yard reception and the ball was down to the UNI 3-yard line. Once again, Bell carried the ball himself and scored his third touchdown of the game. Eastern had the lead back at 27-24 and 1:32 remaining in the quarter.
Leading in the game, EWU looked to pad its lead Bell continued to pass efficiently, finding Kevin Allen III for 17 yards on a short route. Bell added 2 rushes for 20 yards to move the ball. A 18-yard completion to Kayden Stuit set the Eagles up inside the redzone. Two plays later, Bell connected with Jamai East from 15 yards out for the touchdown. Eastern now led 34-24 and 3:16 remaining in the game.
Eag Notes
- Eastern Washington improves to 3-0 against Northern Iowa at home.
- Nate Bell matched his career-best with 3 rushing touchdowns and 2 passing. He nearly had his 3rd career 100-yard rushing game.
- Jaxon Branch caught a touchdown for the second consecutive game and has 4 in his career.
- Eastern won the turnover battle, 1-0, behind Ambrose Marsh's 3rd career interception. Eastern is now 78-10 since 2010 when winning the turnover battle. They are 1-0 this season.
- Gauge Larsen recorded their first career sacks, finishing with 2.0 for the game. He had 6 total tackles, the first of his career.
- Jaylon Jenkins matched his career-best with 7 tackles, making 6 solo. Jaden Radke posted a career-best 6 tackles, while JoJo Maxey-Johnson had a career-best 5. Ambrose Marsh also matched his career mark with 6 tackles.
- Ben Voigtlaender posted his second career sack, while Justis La'ulu had registered his first 0.5.
- LJ Roberts and Matt Eskridge II tallied their first tackles as Eagles, each finishing with 4.
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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