Eastern Washington opened Big Sky Conference football play on Saturday with a 16-0 win over Northern Colorado at Woodward Field.

You can read an unedited version of the game story that will appear in Sunday's S-R below, and be sure to check back tomorrow for additional thoughts and post-game comments on the Eagles' first home-field shutout in 26 years.

 

DEFENSE WINS IT FOR EASTERN

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 back to 1983, ended Saturday when EWU – which scrapped its baseball program following the 1990 season – opened Big Sky Conference football play with a grinding 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 overall, 1-0 in the 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.

 

 

And it also came up with a terrific 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 also 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 just 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 just 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.”

 

 

 

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