Eagles zero in on Bears

The last time Eastern Washington University’s football team pitched a shutout at Woodward Field, the Eagles were still playing baseball.

But that long drought, dating to 1983, ended Saturday when EWU – which scrapped its baseball program following the 1990 season – opened Big Sky Conference football play with a 16-0 win over the University of Northern Colorado.

A crowd of 5,589 was on hand to witness the Eagles’ first home-field shutout in 26 years and their first at any venue since 2006, when they blanked UNC at Nottingham Field in Greeley, Colo. But no one in the stadium appreciated Eastern’s defensive effort more than the players and coaches who were a part of it.

“It incredible to finally look up and see a zero on the scoreboard,” said senior free safety Kevin Hatch, who contributed eight tackles and a key interception for the Eagles (2-1, 1-0 Big Sky). “This was something we wanted for a long time, and we finally got it.”

“Obviously, this is the first one of these I’ve been involved with here,” added junior linebacker J.C. Sherritt, who finished with a game-high 16 tackles, including seven individual stops. “It feels great.”

On a day when its offense struggled, Eastern’s defense limited the Bears (1-2, 0-1) to 12 first downs and 238 yards of offense, while forcing four turnovers – two of which led directly to short-drive touchdowns for the Eagles.

It also came up with a four-and-out stop early in the game, when a fumble recovery and 36-yard return by UNC’s Max Hewitt gave the Bears a first down at EWU’s 17-yard line.

“It’s was really something special for the kids,” Eagles defensive coordinator John Graham said of the shutout. “It certainly wasn’t anything magical we did scheme-wise. We just stayed in our basic 4-3, cover-2 defense and let the kids play.

“We made stopping the run a point of emphasis coming in, and our guys up front did a great job of doing just that. We might not have any superstars up there – a Greg Peach or Jason Belford – but we’ve got seven or eight guys we rotate who get the job done.”

Beau Baldwin, the Eagles’ second-year head coach, heaped praise on the players who made the simple defensive game plan work.

“They might give a little, but they’re not giving up the big play,” he said. “They’re making opponents earn everything, and when they get down in the red zone, they get real stingy. Obviously, Coach Graham and his staff did an excellent job preparing for this ballgame, but, ultimately, the players made the plays on the field, and I was really proud of that.”

Baldwin wasn’t so pleased with his offense, however, after watching the Bears’ defense pinch off his passing game with solid pressure up front and smothering coverage in the secondary.

The Eagles’ two touchdowns came on drives of 39 and 6 yards following UNC turnovers. Senior quarterback Matt Nichols had a hand in both, tossing first-half scoring passes of 5 yards to tight end Nathan Overbay and 9 yards to wideout Aaron Boyce.

“Obviously, this win goes to the defense,” said Nichols, who completed 14 of 25 passes for 146 yards, while getting sacked three times. “They’re playing the best I’ve seen them play since I’ve been here. They just did everything right out there today.”

Montana 49, Portland State 17: At Missoula, Andrew Selle came off the bench to throw three touchdown passes and lead the Grizzlies (3-0) to a win over the Vikings (1-2) in a conference opener for both teams.

Portland State jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, scoring on a 3-yard run by Ben Bowen and a 38-yard pass from Drew Hubel to Lavonte Kirven.

Montana built a 28-17 lead by halftime. The second half was all Montana as Chase Reynolds scored on a 4-yard run, and Salle connected on a 45-yard pass to Marc Mariani and 6-yard strike to Donaldson.

Weber State 44, Idaho State 17: At Ogden, Utah, Cameron Higgins threw for 265 yards and three touchdowns as the Wildcats (1-2) defeated Idaho State (0-3) in a conference opener for both teams. Higgins completed 25 of 31 passes for the Wildcats, who have won 23 of their last 25 games against Idaho State.

Northern Arizona 42, Southern Utah 39: Despite Southern Utah’s furious fourth-quarter comeback attempt, Northern Arizona (1-1) held off the Thunderbirds (1-2) in the Lumberjacks’ home opener in Flagstaff.