It’s fun to rain on someone else’s parade.

By scoring the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter Saturday, Eastern Washington University played party pooper for 7,304 expectant fans at Carbondale, Ill., in upsetting Southern Illinois, the top-ranked NCAA Division I-AA football team.

The final score was 35-31. But it could have been much worse if Coach Paul Wulff’s Eagles hadn’t fumbled the ball twice near the end zone.

As ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman might say: Who woulda thunk it?

The Salukis, after all, were invincible, according to the experts, with a tenacious defense and a powerful offense, headed by a bevy of backs dubbed “The Perfect Storm.”

Not only were they perfect for the role of Goliath in this latest casting of the Old Testament story, but they were playing at home in inclement weather.

The Eagles, co-champions of the Big Sky Conference, of course, were “dissed” somewhat by postseason tournament organizers by being penciled in opposite No. 1 Southern Illinois. Ominously, for the Salukis, the team playing David in this rough reincarnation was respectful but not impressed.

After being named Big Sky Coach of the Year last week, Wulff told The Spokesman-Review: “They’re a good football team, but this program has faced better.”

Trash talk? Not if you back it up. Wulff’s team backed it up by rolling up 568 yards of offense while trashing a defense that had shut out four opponents.

If you missed the broadcast on 89.5 FM on Saturday, you’ll get another chance to root for the Eagles this Saturday – in person. EWU will host Sam Houston State at Woodward Field in the quarterfinal round of the Division I-AA championships. Kickoff is 4:30 p.m. The Eagles have earned nothing less than a stadium jammed with boisterous fans.

With Gonzaga men’s basketball and Washington State football in the region, it’s easy to overlook EWU’s sports accomplishments – or, at least it was until the men’s basketball team earned its first invitation to March Madness earlier this year and the volleyball squad began playing so well.

When it comes to the postseason, Eastern Washington is the Rodney Dangerfield of college athletics. It rarely catches a break. On Sunday, EWU’s volleyball team was again denied an NCAA bid despite winning the Big Sky Conference title.

But that wasn’t half as bad as the NCAA postseason snubs of the past two teams, including the 2002 volleyballers who finished with a 29-2 record.

Eastern Washington’s Dangerfields overcame the NCAA bias in March when they won the Big Sky title in men’s basketball and then played powerful Oklahoma State to a halftime draw before losing.

Now, with the WSU football team on the sidelines and Gonzaga basketball off to a shaky start, EWU has given us a reason to keep cheering.