Eagles fend off Bears
Nichols hooks up with Boyce twice for TDs
Redshirt freshman Taiwan Jones returned the second-half kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown and Aaron Boyce caught two touchdown passes from Matt Nichols as Eastern Washington turned back Northern Colorado 31-16 in a Big Sky Conference football game Saturday afternoon at Greeley, Colo.
The Eagles (4-5, 3-3) were clinging to a 7-6 lead after a sluggish first half when Jones got the second half off to a big start.
The Eagles’ defense was led by senior All-American Greg Peach and the freshman Johnson brothers.
Peach had two sacks, giving him a school-record 16 for the season and increasing his record career mark to 331/2.
“I’m really proud of him and it’s an honor to coach Greg,” EWU coach Beau Baldwin said. “He deserved every bit of it and everything that has come to Greg, he’s earned.”
Zach Johnson, a linebacker, led the Eagles with 15 tackles and had an interception in the red zone. Matt Johnson, a safety, added 12 tackles.
Nichols completed 19 of 26 passes for 243 yards. He capped a short drive in the first half with a 17-yard strike to Boyce. The possession after Jones’ big play ended when the duo hooked up for a 29-yard score.
“We missed on a few opportunities in the first half, but we stayed with the plan,” Baldwin said. “All three facets had a big impact in the second half, special teams, defense and offense.”
The Bears (1-8, 1-5) controlled the first half but couldn’t get into the end zone. They ran 35 plays to EWU’s 21 and had a 61/2-minute advantage in time of possession.
After piling up just 128 yards in the first half, the Eagles finished with 336.
Weber State 57, Idaho State 27: Cameron Higgins passed for 369 yards and three touchdowns as the Wildcats trounced the Bengals in Pocatello to earn the conference championship and a spot in the FCS playoffs.
Montana 29, Portland State 12: Chase Reynolds rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Grizzlies over the Vikings in Portland.
Montana State 25, Northern Arizona 23: Jason Cunningham kicked a 38-yard field goal with 1:24 remaining to lift the Bobcats over the Lumberjacks in Flagstaff, Ariz.
Sacramento State 29, UC Davis 19: Sophomore quarterback Jason Smith threw three touchdown passes and ran for another to lead the Hornets past the Aggies (5-5) in Davis, Calif.