Wary of Western

Beau Baldwin has mentored quarterbacks throughout his college coaching career and appreciates an experienced hand under center as much as anyone.

“Veteran quarterbacks are huge,” Eastern Washington University’s first-year head coach said earlier this week. “When you have one of your own, you’re very fortunate. And when you’re playing against one, it’s a real challenge.”

That’s why Baldwin remains wary – and respectful, as well – of Western Washington University, the NCAA Division II school from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference that will provide the opposition this evening when the Eagles (0-2) open their 2008 home schedule at 6:05 at Woodward Field.

The Vikings (1-1) boast a savvy senior signal caller in Adam Perry, a 6-foot, 190-pounder from Longview, Wash., who has thrown for 466 yards and five touchdowns in a season-opening 36-27 loss to Western Oregon and last Saturday’s 30-14 win over Humboldt State.

Perry has completed 61.5 percent of his passes while throwing one interception, and comes in sporting an impressive efficiency rating of 144.07.

“Any time you have a quarterback like him, who’s played a lot of football, you’re going to have a chance against just about anyone,” Baldwin said of Perry, a two-year letterwinner who amassed 1,584 yards of total offense as junior. “He’s an accurate passer who knows where to go with the football and knows how to handle different situations during a game.

“He’s a kid who’s been through everything from being down to being ahead to facing every imaginable blitz, and he knows how to respond.”

Baldwin has a veteran quarterback of his own in junior Matt Nichols, the Big Sky Conference’s reigning offensive MVP. Nichols passed for more than 300 yards in both of Eastern’s losses to Football Bowl Subdivision foes Texas Tech and Colorado and ranks third nationally among Football Championship Subdivision quarterbacks with an average of 318 total yards per game.

The Eagles also have the benefit of coming into tonight’s home opener off a bye week that gave them some extra time to heal.

“Sometimes, coming off a bye week, it can be challenging trying to get back into a practice rhythm again, but our guys have responded well,” Baldwin said. “We’re a team still fighting to get our first win and we haven’t played in two weeks, so we should be good and hungry.”

Notes

Eastern leads the series, which started in 1923, by a 37-25 margin. … Western’s win over Humboldt State last Saturday snapped a six-game Vikings losing streak dating back to last year. … Eastern graduate and former WWU basketball coach Chuck Randall, who invented the collapsible basketball rim, will be honored at halftime of tonight’s game as recipient of the EWU Athletics Hall of Fame Service and Contribution Award.