Eagles Focus On Sac State Memories Of Last Year’s Flop Help Keep 4-1 Ewu Humble
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.
“They’re struggling,” Kramer said of the Hornets, who entertain EWU at 6:05 tonight in a Big Sky Conference clash at Hornet Stadium. “They’re still trying to meld and mesh a bunch of new guys together into a cohesive unit.
“Eventually, I think they’re going to find themselves, but they’re a long way from being one of the top teams in our conference … “
After a pause, Kramer tactfully closes with, “as are we.
“Until we get done with our soiree through Montana, Idaho State, Idaho and Northern Arizona - a string of four huge, tough games - nobody can really say we’re a good team, either. So, when we go to Sacramento, it’s two teams that are really, really searching for themselves.”
From all indications, this is a game Eastern should win. The Eagles (4-1 overall, 1-1 in the Big Sky) have won four in a row and
They are approximately 6 inches away from being 5-0 after a lastsecond Weber State field goal bounced over the crossbar to give the Wildcats a 22-20 win in the season opener for both schools. The Eagles recently moved up to No. 26 in the Division I-AA poll.
The Hornets (1-3, 0-2) have been outscored 82-31 in their last two games - Big Sky losses to No. 2 Montana and Idaho State. They were drilled 33-3 by Hofstra in their opener and rank last in the Big Sky in scoring offense (15.3 points per game) and eighth in rushing (87.0 ypg) and total offense (303.3).
But Kramer and his Eagles have a few things working against them, too - like the unpredictability surrounding redshirt freshman Griffin Garske’s first start at quarterback.
And the unsettling memory of last year’s 1-6 finish that followed a promising 2-1 start.
“I think people realize how shattered we were last year,” Kramer said, “so even at 4-1, don’t be talking to me about anything other than the fact we play Sacramento in a game either team can win.”
Sac State quarterback Tony Corbin has thrown for 784 yards and three touchdowns, but has been hampered this week by injuries.
Still, the outcome could rest in the hands of Garske, who threw for 129 yards and two TDs after replacing injured Harry Leons in last Saturday’s 20-13 win over Montana State.
“For the second year in a row, we’re going to have a quarterback out there who has to learn some things, make some plays and do things that, until now, he has just had to do in practice,” Kramer said.
Game notes
Eastern, which started 4-1 on its way to winning a share of the Big Sky title in 1992, has not started 5-1 since 1985 when it advanced to the quarterfinals of the I-AA playoffs. … Backup tight end Scott Johnson (knee) will not play, but defensive tackle Avont Grant (knee) and backup linebacker and special teams standout Matt McKinstry (hamstring) are listed as probable.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Eagles vs. Sac. State