Things to watch: Can Eastern Washington outlast Portland State in a rivalry shootout?
The annual football game between Eastern Washington and Portland State has developed a reputation for being a shootout.
In the past 13 games in the series, the winning team has scored at least 34 points, and over that span only twice has the losing team scored fewer than 23.
On Saturday, when the Eagles host the Vikings at Roos Field in a matchup of 2-5 teams (who also have identical 1-3 Big Sky records), there is little reason to think it will be any different.
Eastern’s defense ranks last in the Big Sky, having allowed 507.1 yards per game. Portland State, ranked ninth in the conference, isn’t much more formidable (444.1).
Each team’s offense ranks in the middle of the Big Sky in points scored, suggesting that they have enough agency to move the football against poor defenses.
Regardless, the losing team Saturday is guaranteed a losing season overall no matter how the final three games go. The winning team can at least make a run at a 6-5 record and a case for a playoff spot in a strong conference, especially because each has two FBS losses.
The weather looks like it won’t pose any major issues in Cheney. Here are three parts of the game to focus on after the teams kick off at 1 p.m.:
Which team can create more explosive plays? Asked this week about what was important for the Eagles offense, EWU coach Aaron Best singled out explosive plays, which he said has been what Eastern has lacked all year. “Could be in the run game,” he said. “Could be in the screen game. Could be in the pass game. But when you’re playing a man (defense) team, we’ve got to be able to protect (in order) to be able to throw the ball, catch the ball and then break a tackle.” Last week against Idaho, Portland State allowed an 83-yard run and receptions that went for 63 and 55 yards as the Vandals pulled away for a 56-21 win. In all, Idaho racked up 571 yards and averaged 9.5 yards per play. That bodes well for an Eagles offense that has plenty of talented position players and an offensive line that hasn’t allowed a sack in its past two games. But the Eagles are also vulnerable to big plays, and they are again facing a quarterback, in sophomore Dante Chachere, who can run and throw the football. Earlier this week, Best complimented the Portland State receivers, saying they were the best corps the Eagles have seen this year aside from the Oregon’s and Florida’s.
Can the Vikings throw on the Eagles’ secondary? Against a Cal Poly team that likes to throw the football, Eastern’s defense allowed 165 passing yards and had a season-high three interceptions. Chachere’s best Big Sky game this year came against Northern Arizona, when he completed 22 of 28 passes for 274 yards and three scores while also rushing for 128 yards and two more touchdowns. PSU receiver Beau Kelly said he sees a lot in the EWU defense that he and the team’s other receivers can exploit. “They do a lot of man coverage, and when it’s man coverage, it’s saying that we’re relying on our defensive backs to cover the guys long enough to get to the quarterback,” Kelly said Tuesday. “For our receiving group, I’m very confident in our abilities if they go Cover-1 (man defense).” If the Vikings beat that coverage and Chachere can make accurate throws to open receivers, that’s going to spell trouble for Eastern. But if the Eagles can generate a pass rush and get to Chachere quickly – and keep him from escaping the pocket – they would have the upper hand.
What if it all comes down to the kicking game? Between junior Seth Harrison and sophomore Wyatt Hawkins, the Eagles are 2 for 6 kicking field goals this season. Only Northern Colorado (2 for 7) has been less successful among Big Sky teams. Only slightly better is Portland State, as sophomore kicker Gianni Smith is 3 for 4 this year with a long of 40 yards. Both teams have trailed often, facing late-game situations in which attempting a kick is less sensible than going for a touchdown. It might just be fitting, then, if this contest came down to the team whose kicker comes through with a field goal in a key situation.