Thriving on pressure

Craig McIntyre hears the preseason talk, but tries not to put too much stock in all the fuss.

He’ll wait to prove it on the field

The senior All-Big Sky honorable mention wide receiver at Eastern Washington University knows the Eagles are picked to win their conference this season – breaking a string of seven consecutive pre-season nods to the University of Montana. National pre-season polls have Eastern ranked as high as No. 3.

Coming off last year’s 9-4 season and a loss in the second round of the NCAA Division 1-AA playoffs, the Eagles have momentum.

“There are a lot of expectations for this season,” the West Valley graduate said. “It’s been different, but I just think the players and coaches both know that this team can be better than it’s been the previous two years. Every season is exciting when you go into it, but this year we’re a little more hyped up.”

Of course, losing their final game of the season in heartbreaking fashion also has a way of inspiring a team to new heights.

EWU led Sam Houston State by 20 points in the second half of its second-round playoff game at Woodward Stadium, only to see the Bearkats rally to win the game on the final play, 35-34.

“Every day, when we go into the weight room to lift, our strength coach has that game playing on the television,” McIntyre said. “I see it every day and I still can’t figure out how we lost that game. We weren’t just beating them, we were dominating them for three quarters.

“Every day I have people come up to me and ask what happened. I still can’t talk about it.”

McIntyre is part of what will likely be the most successful senior class in the school’s history. McIntyre, All-America quarterback Erik Meyer and All-America wide receiver Eric Kimble all entered EWU at the same time, redshirted their first year and will open their fifth training camp together in two weeks.

“When we first came in, there were about 40 of us in the class,” McIntyre said. “Now there are just a handful of us left. There’s a lot of talent in our class. And a lot of success.”

Coming out of West Valley, McIntyre said he was taken aback by what he found on the Cheney campus.

“When I first came in here, I listened to all the other kids in my class talk about winning state championships and all the successes they had on the field,” he said. “I didn’t have that. I didn’t have any major stats or anything like that. I wasn’t intimidated by it, but I thought, ‘Wow, this is different.’

“We all redshirted that first year, and the team that was there finished 6-5, but had the No. 1 offense in the country with Jesse Chatman as the running back. I figured that we were going to be part of something pretty cool.”

With an All-America throwing the ball and an All-America starting on the other side of the field, the Eagles know how to make an offense click.

“It’s a big difference, catching a ball from (Meyer) as opposed to catching one from other quarterbacks,” he explained. “I’ve worked with him for four years; I was roommates with him for a year. It’s almost like he knows what I’m going to do and I know what he’s going to do. It makes the game a lot easier.

“Really, I think we all feel we could throw the ball on every play and no team could stop us. The fact that we can run the ball makes us that much more dangerous. I don’t think there’s a team in the country that can stop our offense.”

Coming off a junior season that saw him catch 39 passes for 520 yards, four touchdowns and earn All-Big Sky consideration, McIntyre feels the need to live up to and surpass those accomplishments in his final season as an Eagle.

“There’s a little pressure on me to live up to those expectations, but at the same time I’m going out there the same way I always have,” he said. “I’m going to work hard every day and just keep going.”