Eagles fly south for opener at Oregon

The operative word today is “flying,” which is a lot better than the 8-hour bus ride the Eagles took to Corvallis back in 2013. Eastern got the win, all right, but lost several players - and almost the game - to dehydration. This year, they found a few extra dollars to charter a direct flight to Eugene. … For one Eastern player, center T.J. Boatright, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime homecoming, and I tell his story right here . … As for me, I’m driving; I should be in Eugene to cover the Eagles’ Friday afternoon walkthrough at Autzen Stadium. Meanwhile, we had a lively Live Chat today on EWU football, and here’s the transcript . …The Oregonian has plenty on the subject as well, including five things to watch, some advice for Vernon Adams Jr. from a former Oregon quarterback, and news on yet another high-end athletic facility at Oregon. … From the Eugene Register-Guard, there’s a column on the post-Marcus Mariota era about to dawn at Oregon, and a question-and-answer session with Oregon receiver Byron Marshall…. From the Waterloo (Iowa) Courier, here’s a preview of Northern Iowa’s season opener at Iowa State.