A Grip on Sports: EWU’s FCS playoff opponent is familiar, but the time, place and circumstances are not

A GRIP ON SPORTS • This weekend is going to be a bit weird. No, were not referring to the possibility of a cold, rainy Saturday. That happens in late April around here way too much for my tastes. Nor are we alluding to the M’s facing the Red Sox at a half-empty Fenway Park. Nope, we talking about football. FCS playoff football. With Eastern on the road.

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• What’s up with that? When the Eagles have been good enough to make the FCS playoffs, they have hosted, seemingly every year. The red turf is a staple of postseason football at that level.

Not this year, though. Not in the weird spring season (thanks coronavirus). Not when the opponent is North Dakota State, the Boston Celtics or UCLA Bruins of the FCS.

The Bison may not be The Bison this spring – they have lost twice, which is horrifyingly less-than-average to those folks in Fargo – but they are still a force to be reckoned with. Especially in the Fargodome.

In 2010, Eastern defeated the Bison in the quarterfinals at Roos Field. But since 2011, NDSU has won eight of the nine available titles. In 2016, North Dakota State lost to James Madison in the semifinals. Other than that, the Bison have celebrated after the final game of the season.

Will COVID-19 put a dent in that? Well, it already has in a sense. They finished 5-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference this spring, which adds up to a fourth-place finish. That record includes a home loss last Saturday to South Dakota State.

There are many reasons the Bison have not exhibited their usual dominance this season but we’re not going to delve into them here. After all, every school trying to win the FCS title, including Eastern, has dealt with such issues as opt outs, transfers and injuries. Adversity has suited up for every college football team in the past 14 months.

Still, watching a “pretty good” North Dakota State team play a spring football playoff game against Eastern will still be a bit off, considering the Bison’s past history.

• The game could also be the final one for Eric Barriere, the Eagles’ do-it-all quarterback.

A redshirt senior, Barriere could use the NCAA’s COVID-19 waiver and return in the fall for another go-round, but why would he? He’s accomplished just about everything except win the Walter Payton Award, and that’s still a possibility this year.

Barriere was named the Big Sky Conference’s offensive player of the year yesterday, culminating a regular season in which he completed 62 percent of his passes, threw 18 touchdowns and averaged 364.8 yards passing a game. He did that all the while the focus of opposing defenses.

That will be the case Saturday as well. If Barriere can lead the Eagles past NDSU, on the road, and help them make the finals, as he did in 2019, he will cap a strong career in Cheney.

Heck, he’s already accomplished that.

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WSU: When Jeremiah Allison was playing linebacker at Washington State, those close to the program, including diligent fans, knew he had loftier goals. And we’re not talking about the NFL. Allison wanted to be an attorney. He reached that goal last week when he passed the Minnesota Bar Exam. Theo Lawson talked with Allison and has this story recounting Allison’s road to reaching his dream. … Kim Aiken Jr. thought he was going to play for Sean Miller at Arizona after leaving Eastern Washington. Turns out Miller was on his way out. And now Aiken is going to play at Washington State. Theo has the story of Aiken’s sudden about-face as well. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college sports, Washington’s best pass rusher, heck, quite possibly the conference’s best pass rusher, won’t play this fall. Zion Tupuola-Fetui tore his Achilles tendon and will miss the season. … The Huskies are still trying to determine their starting quarterback. … Oregon needs to solidify its offensive line. … So does Colorado, though the Buffs have other places to solidify as well. … Oregon State’s running backs have a reputation to uphold. … Kyle Whittingham is trying to rebuild Utah’s offensive reputation. The defense speaks for itself. … In basketball news, Colorado is looking for a vocal leader. … Arizona State will have a super senior back for next season. … Tommy Lloyd has already worked his recruiting magic on one of Arizona’s returning players. And the coaching staff.

Gonzaga: The school fired men’s soccer coach Paul Meehan after three seasons.

EWU: Usually North Dakota State has an NFL prospect at quarterback. For this season’s playoff matchup with Eastern, the Bison will rely on their rushing attack instead. Ryan Collingwood examines the changing of the guard for the perennial FCS power and how it will impact the Eagle defense. … Larry Weir spent yesterday talking with Tanner and Jake Groves for the latest Press Box podcast. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Weber State’s spring football season has been a success. … As we mentioned above, Barriere led the Eagles to the postseason and won the conference’s offensive player of the year award in the process. Weber’s Conner Mortensen, a former walk-on, did the same with the Wildcats and won the defensive award. … In basketball news, Montana officially added three players to its roster, including Idaho transfer Scott Blakney.

Preps: Spring sports are in full bloom right now – and winter sports are right around the corner. For today, however, we have a tennis story and soccer story from Justin Reed and a track and field story from Steve Christilaw. … Dave Nichols also has a roundup of Wednesday’s action.

Indians: The all-time leader in home runs for the franchise has died. Tom Robson, who hit 41 home runs for the 1974 Indians, passed in Chandler, Ariz., this week. Jim Price has his obituary.

Mariners: Kendall Graveman has found a niche in the bullpen. And he’s performing as if he will never give it up.

Seahawks: Seattle is still building cornerback depth. … Aldon Smith has turned himself in to authorities and has been released on bail. … The best draft the Hawks ever had? It easily could be 2011, when Richard Sherman (and others) joined the franchise, laying the foundation for its Super Bowl title.

Sounders: One match into the MLS season, Seattle already has a few highlights.

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• An old friend sent me this burger story this morning, whetting my appetite for a road trip to, say, Salem, Ore. Alas, we’re too busy this spring to travel such a distance. However, in a couple weeks we will spend a weekend someplace warm, which means an In-N-Out trip will be in the offing. By the way, none of these burger rankings ever seem to include price. Bang for your buck is important these days. And nothing beats the value of a Double-Double. Until later …