Jim: Let’s talk Eastern football!
scottywashere11: Woohoo! Go Eags!
Jim : Sorry I’m a couple minutes late, I just drove back from Eastern basketball practice (they look good, by the way!)
Jim : Warmup question: How do you feel about the football program NOW, compared with three weeks ago?
scottywashere11: That’s great to hear! It’ll be a fun season to watch them. How was the atmosphere at the Sac State game? I heard that it was pretty great.
Jim : Yes, Sac State was a great game. As you can imagine, great energy from the crowd after the 21-0 start, then a lull before the Eagles pulled away.
Jim : Sac State was tougher than expected (I had pegged that as the easiest game before the season began).
scottywashere11: Watching them play against TTU and NDSU, I was worried that Gage may have only been as good as he was last year because he had three incredible receivers. Obviously, this was not the case. Both of those teams are just having an incredible year.
Jim : Exactly, Scotty - two tough teams out of the game skewed fans’ perception of the Eagles.
PSW (Guest): After the SUU blowout, I had my concerns! SAC also played Weber tight. Great win on the Red. Certainly the last 3 games are a lot more encouraging than the first two.
scottywashere11: After those two games, we have looked incredible. The problem is that this really shows the difference in competition between the FCS and FBS. If EWU is doing so hot against BSC teams, how does that reflect on the conference as a whole when you begin to compare it to FBS or even the MVC?
Jim : MVC is always tough, and Eastern played the toughest program in that conference. The Big Sky was 2-7, I think, against the MVC this year.
PSW (Guest): But you’re right, those first two teams would beat the pants off of just about anyone in the FCS.And I think EWU would put on a better performance against either team if we played them again.
Jim : Better for sure, but I don’t think Eastern wins either of them.
PSW (Guest): Agree
Jim : The schedule doesn’t get any easier for Eastern in October, as UC Davis and Montana State are both playing better than predicted. At SUU on 10/21 won’t be easy either.
Jim : Question: Of those three, which game worries you the most?
scottywashere11: Would you say that this is a down year for the Big Sky Conference across the board? UND is down, EWU was blown out by NDSU, EWU beat UM after that blowout, Cal Poly is 0-5…
Jim : Maybe not down, the some of the top teams (UND with injuries, Poly and NAU just playing awful) are down, and the bottom teams are up.
Jim : Coaches like to say every game is tough, but this year they may be right!
scottywashere11: I’m most worried about MSU, but I think that we still walk away with a W! My biggest conference worry was UND prior to the season, and UM as the season progressed. I am most worried about WSU now, to be honest.
PSW (Guest): Wow, good question.MSU, concerns me most. SUU got blasted by Sac, and not totally sold on Davis just yet.
PSW (Guest): Most worried about Weber moving forward.
Guest5526 (Guest): MSU is always a tough team.
Jim : Weber State comes to Cheney on Nov. 4 - get your tickets now.
scottywashere11: No kidding… The stadium has been selling out every game for the last 22 - 23 conference games!
scottywashere11: At least the tailgate scene has evolved with success over the past decade. Bill Chaves has done a great job of influencing the tail gate scene in P12 and the other parking lots.
Guest5526 (Guest): It is tough going over to the Montana and seeing their stadium and then coming back to Cheney.
PSW (Guest): We had a good showing last week. A little on the quiet side today. These seasons fly by!
Jim : Bill does a good job with little funding.
scottywashere11: Time for a stadium upgrade… >
Jim : $$$$$$
Jim : It’s always the dollars with Eastern - and the folks who don’t like football.
PSW (Guest): I hear the MSU tickets are gone. Quite a nice sellout streak we have going.
Jim : I’ve been impressed with the D-line despite the injuries (Tiuli out for the year and Lino out indefinitely). And they seem to get better as each game unfolds.
Guest5526 (Guest): any injury updates Jim?
Jim : EWU no longer reports injuries unless a player is definitely “out.” This week that’s DT Lino and CB D’londo Tucker, plus Tiuli, Meyer, etc.
Jim : Anyway, I can’t believe we’re in midseason already.
Jim : Next question: What has surprised you - good or bad -about this team?
Jim : For me it’s the D-line, playing so well the last three games despite losing key players.
PSW (Guest): It always is tough isn’t it 5526! Surprise good. Defense, especially on 3rd downs. Bad: Injury bug. Make it stop!
Jim : Injuries are piling up, but mostly spread around the different units. North Dakota has lost most of its defense.
Guest5526 (Guest): I have been surprised/impressed with Dre Dorton. He seems like a bright spot on the team
scottywashere11: Yeah, don’t blink or you’ll see yourself back in March or June just counting down the days for football to start again haha. I would say that the wide receivers have surprised me the most. I can’t believe Splendorio almost beat Kupp’s number of receptions in one-game record.
Jim : Great kid too, after talking to Dre’Sonte. He’s developing as a receiver and is making such an impact on kickoff returns. That allows Custer to focus on being a running back, and it shows.
Jim : Strong game for the backs in the second half, as the pass sets up the run. That’s the Eastern formula for success, and it’s encouraging that Best is following the recipe!
Guest6977 (Guest): Curious if there is any talk of pulling any redshirts on the OL & DL? Seems like we are getting real thin there and we are going to run out of TE’s that can play tackle?
Jim : Good point, 6977 - the run game is all the more surprising with the losses at tackle and guard.
PSW (Guest): Did they find a lineman in tryouts?
Jim : Don’t know, although they were intended as scout players only. Good reminder: I will follow up on that.
Guest5526 (Guest): I think the one other surprise for me is that we have not blocked a punt this year. Seems like a couple of years ago we blocked several.
Jim : No blocked punts yet,but the KR game (Dorton and Co.) is ranked 10th in FCS.
Jim : However, punt returns are struggling (1.8 yards per return,ranking 115th) They miss Kupp there as well.
scottywashere11: Anyone know if the UC Davis game this weekend will be on WatchBigSky.com? The televised streaming this year has just been awful.
Jim : Yes, I’ve heard.
Guest6977 (Guest): It’s on Big Sky TV
scottywashere11: Awesome!
Jim : On, speaking of injuries, WR Terence Grady is already back on the field, though without pads. That collarbone is healing faster than expected
Jim : KHB is in the house!
Guest6977 (Guest): What is Matt Meyer’s injury? Anyone know?
Jim : Not sure, but he is out this week.
KHB_GoEags: Ha ha ha, here I am, story of my life— late as always!
KHB_GoEags: What did I miss?
Jim : Actually, we missed you. KHB!
Jim : Gotta talk about the protected rivalry issue. That broke a week ago, just after our chat ended. It was the most-read story online that day in the entire paper, which surprised me. Lots of emotion on this issue. Thoughts?
KHB_GoEags: How do you think Idaho will do their first official year in Big Sky?
Jim : They will kick butt, but I have to check how they go about reducing scholarships. Obviously, the best players will stay.
scottywashere11: I was just typing that as you brought the topic up! Read my mind…
Guest6977 (Guest): I think Idaho will be a good rivalry down the road maybe better than Montana….
scottywashere11: BTW- Great articles on the protected rivalry with UM being dissolved, Jim. Everyone seems to be pretty frustrated with the closed-door dealings that led to the end of a rivalry that has recently REALLY been picking up steam. Montana fans can have an inflated ego from our frustration, but regardless of which school it is… a rivalry that the school and fans has invested in has been taken away from us. To make matters worse, it was just as EWU began to catch up in the W/L series.
KHB_GoEags: I mean you know how I feel — I’m totally bummed. Agree, Scotty!
Jim : I could write a book from all the “off-the-record” comments I’ve received on this subject. Bottom line was that the majority of schools wanted to keep the status quo for protected rivalries while affecting the fewest schools.
Jim : Eastern got the butt end of this deal, no doubt.
KHB_GoEags: That series all those Montana fans keep referring to, gets taken away as we have really OWNED them the last 10 years!!!
Jim : Seven out of the last nine despite the lack of $$$ and facilities. EWU’s only advantage is having the inside track on the in-state football talent in the Puget Sound. Every year, half the roster is from that area.
Guest5526 (Guest): A little bitter that we are losing the Montana game. Seems like Montana, Montana State, Idaho, EWU and Portland State should all play each other every year. The whole idea that you can only have two rivals is very limiting.
KHB_GoEags: Is that what Chaves meant in your article, Jim? He said something along the lines of EWU doesn’t always have things go our way, but that’s the conference? (Re: your comment of butt end of the deal)
Jim : He implied that. Bill has to very careful in what he says.
Jim : They also discussed splitting into divisions, but I imagine Bill and the northern schools fought that one because a North-South split would mean a dogfight every year with UM, MSU and Idaho.
scottywashere11: Three teams would have been best. Three protected rivalries, regardless as to whether or not one school didn’t get a third team. Why not rotate each school only getting to play 2/3 of their protected rivalries each year? 13 teams, 12 years where you play 3/3 and 1 year that you play 2/3. Boom…Call Bill, tell him to assemble the Big Sky Athletic Directors. We just solved this issue! Yay!
Jim : There you go!
Guest5526 (Guest): The Big Sky would make more sense split into divisions.
Jim : My proposal, which ran today, includes three protected rivals. I really believe it would work:
Jim : http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/oct/04/big-sky-athletic-directors-pondered-options-with-c/
Eastern Washington University Football
Jim : 5526, how would you split the league?
Jim : It has to be north-south, 6 schools in one division and 7 in the other. North would have to include EWU, PSU, UI, MSU, UM. Possibly ISU and/or UNC
KHB_GoEags: I am 50/50 for the split, but don’t like how someone like UND avoids Montana and EWU, yet gets to share a title.
Guest5526 (Guest): North South would seem to make the most sense. A schedule where we played U of M, MSU, Idaho and Portland State each year would be great.
Jim : But it would be a tougher schedule, because historically, those are the top programs.
Jim : SUU winning the conference in 2015 was an outlier.NAU is mediocre, as are the three California schools.
KHB_GoEags: I would feel bad for a UNC or ISU in that situation.
Jim : You can bet they wouldn’t want to be in a North Division!
Guest5526 (Guest): It would be a tougher schedule, but in the end isn’t that what makes a great program? Prepares us for the playoffs.
Jim : Or no playoffs at all.
scottywashere11: At some point, the conference is going to get so big that is just breaks in half into two conferences. I guess that we can call one the Big Sky and the other the Little Sky.
Jim : Good one!
Jim : Wow, 12:50 and we haven’t talked about UC Davis. That QB was unreal last week vs. North Dakota - 33-for-38.Who’s worried?
PSW (Guest): Surprise team of the year so far?
Jim : Along with MSU… now EWU gets them back-to-back.
KHB_GoEags: I am more worried about MSU and Weber.
Jim : However, Davis got smoked at Weber 41-3 two weeks ago. Weber stuffed the run and made their QB throw it more than he wanted. That’s the formula, it would appear.
scottywashere11: Hoping that our secondary plays like they did in the second half against UM. That’ll keep their QB from completing passes.
Jim : That along with pressure. Eagles did that in their base package in the second half in Missoula - very impressive!
Jim : Looking back, Eastern has struggled early in its last three meetings with Davis, and the final scores were very misleading.
Jim : Last year, EWU trailed 23-14 in the third and wound up winning 63-30.
KHB_GoEags: We’ve been a second-half team the last few years, too.
scottywashere11: Gotta say, Coach Best is doing great for a first time head coach. To beat UM in Missoula in his first year, hats off. I am sure that he can lead this team through UC Davis.
KHB_GoEags: Just need to keep letting Gage do what he does best!
Jim : Let’s hear some predictions. I say the defense shuts down their go-to receiver Doss (199 yards last week), offense does its thing and Eagles win 45-27.
Guest5526 (Guest): Yes, throw the ball. The idea of EWU being a 50% pass/50% run team just doesn’t seem like it works
scottywashere11: As I’ve seen in a meme on the internet… “Run, Gage,Run!”
Jim : Predicted highs in the upper-80s (my hotel has a swimming pool!), but it’ll cool down by kickoff.
Guest5526 (Guest): EWU 49/Davis 21
scottywashere11: EWU 42
scottywashere11: Davis 18
Jim : Was that for dramatic effect, Scotty?
scottywashere11: I hit the enter button too early, lol!
KHB_GoEags: Ha ha, that’s awesome. I haven’t seen that meme.
Jim : Where’s that meme???!!
PSW (Guest): 42-14 Good guys!
KHB_GoEags: EWU 63, UC-Davis 6.
KHB_GoEags: Yeah, they miss the extra point.
Jim : Six, KHB?
scottywashere11: I saw it on the Red Zone, a fan forum http://www.bigskyfans.com/eagles/viewforum.php?f=2
Eagles Football - Eastern Washington Eagles
Jim : Thank you, Scotty, and thanks too for the nice words in the forum - much appreciated!
Guest5526 (Guest): thank you Jim for the great stories over the last couple of weeks.
Jim : Thanks!
Jim : Now I have to finish the feature on Nic Sblendorio that was delayed by all that rivalry stuff. Look for that tomorrow along with a sneak peek at the basketball team.
Jim : Till next week!
scottywashere11: Cheers, everyone. Go Eags!
