Steve Bergum

Washington State's Carlos Daniel understated the obvious Saturday when he announced that the 1996-97 edition of Cougar basketball isn't about to go Hollywood anytime soon. "We're not going to be a glamour team," the 6-foot-7 junior forward said after scoring 21 points in a 94-83 exhibition win over Brewster Heights Packing. "We just have to go out and work harder than anyone else. We've got to do the things that glamour teams don't like to do."

Mike Kramer read the newspaper accounts of Washington State's ill-fated trip into Pasadena, Calif., last weekend. And Eastern Washington's third-year football coach is determined to make sure his Eagles don't suffer a similar pratfall when they invade the distraction-bloated Los Angeles area for tonight's 5:05 Big Sky Conference matchup against Cal State Northridge at North Campus Stadium.

Montana could do the Big Sky Conference a huge favor this weekend by missing its plane to Ogden, Utah, and forfeiting Saturday's game against Weber State. That may be the only chance the top-ranked Division I-AA conference has of sneaking a third team into the NCAA postseason playoffs. It's happened three times, but the only time a third Big Sky team made it without finishing in at least a tie for second in the league standings was in 1988. Boise State finished alone in third place behind Idaho and Montana that year and not only got a playoff bid, but an opening-round home game. This year, No. 2 Montana (9-0 overall and 5-0 in the Big Sky) has all but locked up the conference championship and will get the league's automatic bid if it beats either Weber State or Montana State next weekend. No. 6 Northern Arizona (9-2, 6-1) has concluded its regular reason and can finish no worse than second in the league, assuring itself of a playoff berth. But Weber (6-3, 3-2) remains on the bubble and probably needs to beat Montana on Saturday and Idaho State the following weekend to have any chance to qualify as the Sky's third playoff team. Eastern Washington athletic director John Johnson is a member of the I-AA's eight-member playoff selection committee that will huddle in a hotel in Huntington, W.Va., a week from this Saturday and decide the 16-team playoff field. And Johnson said he thinks the Wildcats can still qualify. "If Weber State were to run the table and beat a top-ranked team (like Montana) in the process, that would probably get them in," said Johnson, who was named to the selection committee last year. "At least they would still be under serious consideration." Outside looking in Last week at this time, the I-AA playoffs were a big topic of conversation around the Eastern Washington campus where third-year coach Mike Kramer had his surprising Eagles sitting at 6-3 overall and 3-2 in the Big Sky. But a 13-10 home loss to Northern Arizona last Saturday left Kramer and his team with no hope of playing beyond Saturday's road matchup against Cal State Northridge. There was some talk about the Eagles still being considered by the selection committee because their three league losses came to the league's top three teams by a total of nine points. "Doesn't matter," Kramer said Thursday afternoon. "Regardless of whether you lost them close or were blown out, the end result is what matters, and we've got three conference losses. "We haven't even used that nasty seven-letter word (playoff) around here this week." Fanfare The crowd of 3,915 that witnessed Eastern Washington's loss to Northern Arizona helped the Eagles set a single-season attendance record by raising the average gate at their five home games to 4,958. The previous record, set in 1992, was an average of 4,632 for five games. Sky writings With 36 touchdown passes this fall, Montana quarterback Brian Ah Yat needs to throw only three in the Grizzlies' last two games to surpass the school record of 38 set last year by Payton Award winner Dave Dickenson. . . . NAU's Archie Amerson finished the regular season with four NCAA Division I-AA records, including most all-purpose single-season yards (2,429), most single-season rushing touchdowns (25), most rushing and overall touchdowns in a single game (7) and most points in a single game (42).

Gonzaga's Paul Rogers muscles up in the middle of Silute's defense. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

In an effort to generate more revenue, increase play and simplify the pricing structure at city-owned golf courses, the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department might very well create a run on pocket calculators. Under the new proposal by the department, residents and non-residents will pay the same for 18-hole greens fees - $18 per round at Esmeralda and Downriver and $22 per round at Indian Canyon and Qualchan. Those fees represent an increase for county residents of $4 per round at Esmeralda and Downriver and $5.50 per round at Indian Canyon and Qualchan. It does not represent an increase for non-residents. However, if a local golfer takes advantage of the new discount card or the 25-play pass or even the unlimited-play pass, the increase can be reduced, according to the city's golf and community development manager Mike Stone. For the non-resident, the new plan should provide a monetary incentive to play the city courses.

Sorenstam

EWU's blitzing Aaron Woods helps keep NAU's prolific quarterback Travis Brown in check for most of Saturday's game at Woodward Stadium. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Humility be damned - for this weekend, at least. Mike Kramer figures it like this: When you've come as far in the past 12 months that his Eastern Washington football team has, you've earned the right to use the P-word. Which is why Kramer has no problem discussing the playoff (gasp!) implications of today's 1:05 p.m. regular-season home finale against Northern Arizona. "I think our players and our coaches have gone through these first nine games with such humility regarding last year, that we can finally talk about it - the playoffs," Kramer said. "Now, at this juncture of the season, I can say it: "This is a big game, this is a game we have to have. OK, we've worked hard, we've reached this point and now we deserve a chance to play for a playoff spot." The Eagles (6-3 overall and 3-2 in the Big Sky Conference) come into today's Woodward Stadium showdown as a slight underdog against the Lumberjacks (8-2, 5-1). And even if they pull off the upset, they would need to beat Cal State Northridge on the road next Saturday to have any chance of making the 16-team Division I-AA playoffs. "We realize that we're still talking about only the possibility of making the playoffs," Kramer added, "and that there will be no more possibility if we lose." NAU, which closes its regular season today, has already assured itself of at least a tie for second place in the Big Sky and might have earned its first I-AA playoff berth. But Kramer doesn't expect his players to be in awe of the nation's sixth-ranked team, which comes in averaging a league-high 533.9 yards and 46.0 points per game. Kramer said the team called a players-only meeting this week to discuss how far they have traveled since finishing 3-8 and last in the Big Sky Conference last fall. "For us, it's like, 'Hey, we survived the holocaust of '95, so if (a playoff berth) is within range, let's go get it. Because we worked so hard in the off-season, we feel we can compete with these guys, so let's play as hard as we can.' "We have such tremendous junior and senior leadership on this team. I have no doubt we'll play as wild and as hard and as confident as we can." Still, no other I-AA team in the country scores like coach Steve Axman's Lumberjacks, who boast the Big Sky's top rusher and scorer in senior tailback Archie Amerson and No. 3 passer in redshirt freshman Travis Brown, who Kramer calls "a marquee player, deluxe." "Mark it down, Travis Brown is a premier quarterback on his way to the NFL," Kramer said of NAU's rangy 6-foot-5 rookie, who has thrown for a league-high 3,140 yards and 22 scores. "He's just making a four-year stopover in Flagstaff." Kramer has some weapons of his own, including the running back tandem of senior Joe Sewell and junior Rex Prescott, who rank 2-4 among Big Sky rushers and have combined for 1,668 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Notes Today's game will mark the last Woodward Stadium appearance for 10 EWU seniors, but only three of them - offensive tackle Aaron Barfield, cornerback Ryan Moore and wide receiver Jerrold Jackson - are original members of the recruiting class of 1992. The others are transfers. . . . EWU leads the all-time series against NAU 7-6, but has lost two straight to the Lumberjacks. ... Kramer said his Eagles are as healthy as they've been in some time, with backup tight end Scott Johnson (knee) and wide receiver Steve Correa (shoulder bruise) expected to play despite injuries suffered in last Saturday's 37-27 non-conference loss to Idaho.

Eastern Washington coach Mike Kramer has noticed the recent decline in Archie Amerson's rushing numbers and attributes it to Northern Arizona getting back to being Northern Arizona again. "What they've settled into these last three ballgames is their normal offense - which is to throw the ball until you get so tired you can't stand up, and then run it at you late," Kramer said of the Lumberjacks and their senior tailback, who will provide the opposition Saturday in the Eagles' 1:05 p.m. home finale at Woodward Stadium.

Opposites attract success 1. Eastern's Derek Strey (92) has made a team-high 100 tackles at middle linebacker. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 2. Steve Mattson (85) leads Eagles with nine tackles for losses.

1. Eastern's backup running back, Rex Prescott, has proved to be a tough runner to handle on the field, but not off of it. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 2. Prescott

The 1996 football season seems to have turned into the "Year of the Running Back" in the Big Sky Conference, a league normally dominated by agile, accurate and highly productive quarterbacks. Northern Arizona's Archie Amerson is averaging 6.5 yards per carry and 197.1 rushing yards per game. Montana State's Matt Engelking and Eastern Washington's Joe Sewell also are averaging more than 100 yards per game on the ground.

Give me your tired, your fortunate ... but go ahead and keep your injured. That pretty much summed up Mike Kramer's feelings late Saturday afternoon in Holt Arena after his dog-tired, but opportunistic, Eastern Washington Eagles shook off the effects of a road trip from hell to outlast banged-up Idaho State 31-17. "We avoided catastrophe," Kramer said. The comment was made in reference to several near-misses the Bengals had on punt-block attempts. But it served also as a blanket endorsement of the proceedings that unfolded before a homecoming crowd of 8,370. The Eagles, operating on less than 5 hours of sleep after arriving in Pocatello on an emergency backup charter just a little after 4 Saturday morning, seemed to rally around their travel hardships. Buoyed by their dominance in the offensive and defensive trenches, the running of backup tailback Rex Prescott and a couple of crucial interceptions by Maurice Perigo, the Eagles raised their overall record to 6-2 and their Big Sky Conference mark to 3-2. In addition, they kept their Division I-AA playoff hopes alive and assured Kramer his first winning season in his three years as a collegiate head coach. ISU, playing without its top two tailbacks, its No. 1 quarterback and three other injured starters, including cornerback Marcus Jackson - who was paralyzed from the neck down while making a tackle earlier in the season - fell to 3-4 and 1-2. Still, the Bengals were right there until the final 3 minutes, when Perigo picked off a wobbly, pressured throw by quarterback Shane Griggs, a true freshman, and returned it 47 yards to ISU's 11-yard line. Three plays later, Eastern QB Griffin Garske sneaked into the end zone from the 1 to give the Eagles their final margin of victory. Prescott, who finished with 157 yards rushing and three receptions for 72 more, scored twice on short runs and Steve Correa hauled in a 73-yard scoring bomb from Garske for EWU's other touchdowns. The Eagles also got two short field goals from Josh Atwood and a brilliant punting performance from Tom Zurfluh, who averaged 43.6 yards per kick under constant duress. "Their pressure on our punter was something we never really saw," Kramer admitted. "When we watch video tomorrow, we're going to be sick about our punt protection." Still, Zurfluh managed to successfully launch all five of his punts - including a 66-yarder that came within a yard of equaling the longest in EWU history between, under and around the outstretched arms of ISU's straining rushers. And he played an important role in the battle for late-game field position. The Eagles were also able to overcome another sporadic performance by Garske, a redshirt freshman, who threw for 253 yards but completed only 11 of 29 passes and had two intercepted. They also managed to dodge a dagger or two from the agile 6-foot5 Griggs, who completed 9 of 29 for 209 yards and one touchdown, but also overthrew several wide-open receivers who had Eastern defenders beaten deep. "I thought the game mirrored the fact that both teams are still infantile at quarterback," Kramer said. "Both of these quarterbacks should probably shower right now, get a bite to eat and come back and practice for about 2 hours, no question. But you know both of them are destined for greatness." Griggs, who has started the last two games because of junior Gary Anderson's tender hamstring, impressed defensive end Steve Mattson, who had 2 of Eastern's seven sacks. "He was real quick and we knew he was dangerous throwing on the run once he got outside," Mattson said of Griggs. "But we felt like this might be a big week for the D-line and that if we kept him off-balance he would make some bad throws. And he did." It was the Eagles' relentless pass rush that helped provide Perigo with the decisive interception - his sixth of the season - and a perfect birthday gift for middle linebacker Derek Strey, who calls the defensive signals. "It started out in the huddle," Perigo said of his second pick. "(Strey) said, 'Hey, this is the biggest play of the game, it's my birthday, I want you guys to do something for me.' "I was thinking, 'We still have this last play, so let's try to make something happen.' The quarterback was forced to throw the ball away and I just happened to be right there." The Eagles travel to Idaho for a 3:05 p.m. non-conference matchup against the Vandals next Saturday. E. Washington 31, Idaho St. 17 EWU 3 9 13 6 - 31 ISU 3 0 6 8 - 17 ISU-Ferrell 33 FG EWU-Atwood 27 FG EWU-Atwood 28 FG EWU-Prescott 5 run (kick failed) EWU-Correa 73 pass from Garske (2-point conversion failed) ISU-Young 40 pass from Griggs (2-point conversion failed) EWU-Prescott 4 run (Atwood kick) ISU-Griggs 10 run (Barry pass from Griggs) EWU-Garske 1 run (kick failed) A-8,370. EWU ISU First downs 22 17 Rushes-yards 50-216 38-158 Passing 253 209 Comp-Att-Int 11-29-2 9-30-2 Return Yards 113 158 Punts-Avg. 5-43.6 8-37.8 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-1 Penalties-Yards 1-5 5-53 Time of Possession 30:29 29:31 Individual statistics RUSHING-EWU-Prescott 26-157, Sewell 8-35, Mackenzie 9-21. ISUJoseph 14-115, Bell 5-35, Bradshaw 6-17.

OK, so a few warts have surfaced. Griffin Garske isn't Troy Aikman or Steve Young. Heck, he might not even be Harry Leons - yet. But Eastern Washington coach Mike Kramer loves his redshirt freshman quarterback just the same. And he can't wait to see where the 6-foot-4, 217-pound Mead High School product takes his Eagles from here. "When you watch him throw early in the ballgame and he's wild high, you still know that in time - with a little more maturity and experience - he's just going to be magnificent," Kramer said of Garske, who was prematurely shoved into a starting role three weeks ago when Leons, a junior, suffered an apparent season-ending knee injury in a 20-13 victory over Montana State. "He really has some strong gifts, but he's also still maturing into the kind of calm, cool quarterback he's going to need to be." Garske, who has been touted as Eastern's quarterback of the future ever since he reneged on the letter of intent he signed with Utah State out of high school, has made some humbling mistakes in his first two starts. The biggest came in last Saturday's 34-30 homecoming loss to No. 2-ranked Montana, when he stared down his intended receiver long enough for Grizzlies free safety Blaine McElmurry to sprint out of deep zone coverage, make the interception

OK, so a few warts have surfaced. Griffin Garske isn't Troy Aikman or Steve Young. Heck, he might not even be Harry Leons - yet. But Eastern Washington coach Mike Kramer loves his redshirt freshman quarterback just the same. And he can't wait to see where the 6-foot-4, 217-pound Mead High School product takes his Eagles from here.

Montana's Dallas Neil will try to help the Grizzlies grab an important Big Sky win Saturday against Northern Arizona. Photo by Associated Press

1. Eastern recovers Joe Sewell's first-quarter fumble on hit by Mike Bouchee, but lost its grip on the lead late and fell to Montana 34-30 Saturday. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 2. Montana's record-setting Joe Douglass slips away from Eastern's Jason Christensen to score winning touchdown. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Brian Ah Yat, University of Montana's latest quarterback star, runs away from tacklers, as well as interviewers. Photo by Associated Press

So much for the virtues of depth and balance. Host Eastern Washington University, the pre-tournament favorite, placed four golfers among the top 10 individuals finishers in the Big Sky Conference men's championships that concluded Tuesday at MeadowWood Golf Course, but still had to settle for second place. The title went, instead, to Big Sky newcomer Sacramento State, which countered Eastern's consistency with the devastating 1-2 punch of Robert Hamilton and Adam Pohll.

EWU, Darin Vaughn are shooting for men's titles. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

Mike Kramer is not far enough removed from the colossal lateseason collapse of last year's 3-8 team to risk bragging even a little bit about this year's 4-1 start. Which is why Eastern Washington's third-year football coach is couching nearly every candid thing he says about Cal State Sacramento.

The quarterback outlook at Eastern Washington University isn't quite as gloomy this week as it was immediately following last Saturday's 20-13 Big Sky Conference football victory over Montana State. Starter Harry Leons, who injured his right knee on a first-quarter scramble, might not, as was first feared, be finished for the season. And Eagles coach Mike Kramer's APB for an "emergency" quarterback to back up redshirt freshman Griffin Garske has been answered - by a young man who came to EWU on a football scholarship, no less. But there are also several downsides associated with the injury update on Leons and the return of Scott Bond. A Monday morning MRI performed on Leons' knee showed a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament, but no tear. That, according to Kramer, means Leons could be ready to play in two or three weeks, provided he can wear some kind of protective brace.

With sidelights such as a welcome luncheon for participating teams, a clinic for kids and a silent auction to benefit the Spokane Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Center, baseball had a difficult time retaining its place on center stage during the second annual Evans, Craven & Lackie College Baseball Invitational at Gonzaga University this weekend. But on Sunday, the University of Washington and host GU pushed the game back into the focal point of the three-day event by engaging in a wonderfully entertaining 10-inning game that chased the sun down.

1. EWU running back Joe Sewell follows the lead of Adam Keller (87) through a Montana State defense that surrenders 175 yards rushing in a 20-13 loss. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 2. EWU's attention turns to quarterback Harry Leons after he absorbs a nasty hit that may have ended his season. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review