Eastern Climbs In I-Aa Polls; Prescott Lauded
Eastern Washington continued its rise in the Division I-AA college football polls and record-breaking running back Rex Prescott earned Big Sky Conference offensive player of the week honors Monday.
The Eagles, who clinched at least a tie for the conference title with a 31-14 victory at Northern Arizona last Saturday, moved up two places to sixth in the Sports Network poll of sports information directors. They’re seventh in the ESPN/USA Today media poll, fifth in the Football Gazette poll and fourth in the Sagarin computer ratings.
Eastern (9-1 overall, 6-1 Big Sky) can win the title outright - and the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs - Saturday in Cheney when the Eagles face Cal State Northridge. Kickoff is 1:05 p.m. Last year, the Matadors handed Eastern a 49-27 defeat, the Eagles’ worst loss of the season.
Prescott, a 5-7, 170-pound senior running back from Seattle’s Kennedy High School, had 25 carries for a school-record 272 yards and three touchdowns against NAU.
Prescott scored on an 80-yard run on his first carry of the game and on a 2-yard plunge on his last carry, helping him to break the 32-year-old Eastern Washington record of 271 yards set by Mel Stanton in 1965.
Prescott’s yardage total was the 10th-best single-game performance in Big Sky history. Prescott also established the school record for single-season rushing yardage with 1,284 yards.
Marc Goodson of Northridge, who had 16 tackles in a 31-22 win over Idaho State, was named defensive player of the week. Kicker Kris Heppner of Montana, who scored 13 points against Portland State, won the special teams award.
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MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Division I-AA Poll HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pa. The top 25 teams in the Sports Network Division I-AA football poll, with firstplace votes in parentheses, records through Nov. 9 and previous ranking: Record Pts Prv 1. Villanova (83) 9-0 2411 1 2. Western Illinois (6) 9-1 2258 2 3. Delaware (1) 9-1 2182 3 4. Youngstown State 8-1 2069 4 5. Western Kentucky 9-1 2033 5 6. Eastern Wash (4) 9-1 1897 8 7. McNeese State (1) 8-1 1847 10 8. Georgia Southern 8-2 1715 11 9. Hampton (2) 8-1 1561 12 10. Florida A&M 7-2 1404 15 11. Montana 6-3 1275 13 12. Southern University 8-1 1261 6 13. Jackson State 7-2 1159 14 14. Stephen F. Austin 7-2 1140 7 15. Appalachian State 6-3 1083 17 16. Eastern Illinois 8-2 941 9 17. South Carolina State 8-1 871 19 18. Dayton 9-0 728 18 19. East Tennessee St 6-3 704 20 20. Liberty 8-1 572 22 21. Hofstra 7-2 554 21 22. Cal Poly-SLO 8-1 411 23 23. Eastern Kentucky 6-3 375 24 24. Northeastern 7-2 241 25 25. NW St. Louisiana 6-3 180