Sky Has Limitless Title Possibilities
Mike Kramer believes his Eastern Washington football team can refrain from looking ahead to a likely Division I-AA playoff berth and possible Big Sky Conference title for at least one more weekend.
And for that, the fourth-year Eagles coach can thank a formidable opponent and all of the potential problems that accompany a November trip to Flagstaff, Ariz.
“We’re on the verge of just falling over the cliff into some great things,” Kramer said while preparing his Eagles (8-1 overall, 5-1 in the Big Sky) for Saturday night’s crucial matchup against Northern Arizona (6-3, 4-2) in NAU’s 15,300-seat Walkup Skydome.
“Obviously, we can clinch at least a tie for the conference championship with a win,” Kramer added. “But in reality, we’re playing a game at elevation (7,000 feet), in a dome and on turf, against the preseason conference favorites as part of an arduous road trip - so there’s four challenges right there that don’t have anything to do with the postseason.
“The whole environment and the quality of NAU should keep our guys focused on the fact that we’ve got to play our butts off just to make sure we keep it close.”
Both the Eagles and NAU control their own destinies and can lock up the Big Sky’s automatic playoff berth by winning their last two games. But neither can clinch with a win Saturday.
EWU, even at 6-1, would still have to defeat Cal State Northridge at home on Nov. 15 to secure the title,- provided Montana State (4-2) also wins its last two games.
The Eagles, with a win over NAU, would earn the automatic playoff berth in any three-way tie for the title and any two-way tie involving NAU or Montana (3-2). But because of its earlier win over Eastern, MSU would get the automatic berth if those two teams were to tie at 6-2.
“There’s still a lot of things that could happen,” Kramer said, “so we’re not spending much time, as a coaching staff, talking to our kids about anything but NAU. And they seem real mature about it.”
Kickin’ it
EWU’s Jeff Ogden was knocked nearly senseless after making a crucial, acrobatic catch in the waning moments of Saturday’s thrilling come-from-behind win over Idaho.
But the senior wideout, who suffered a concussion after being flipped into the air by a tackler, retained his sense of humor.
While lying on his back, surrounded by concerned trainers, Ogden suddenly raised his legs and starting kicking his feet.
“The trainers were asking me if I could move my arms and legs,” Ogden explained after the game. “Things were ringing in my head a little bit, but otherwise I was OK.
“I had a lot of family here and I knew they’d be worried, so I wanted to give them a sign that everything was fine.”
Not kickin’ it
Bill Schumacher, the 28-year-old former high school soccer player who was selected to attempt a 40-yard field goal worth $10,000 during halftime of Saturday’s UI-EWU game, came up well short and right of the goal posts with his kick.
Quick kicks
In 25 conference games played so far, visiting teams have won only seven… . In its last two games, Weber State has converted on only four of 29 third-down plays.
, DataTimes