Things to watch: Record-high temperatures expected for Eastern Washington-Drake game on Saturday

It looks as if Roos Field’s moniker as “The Inferno” is going to take on a more literal meaning on Saturday afternoon, when Eastern Washington will host Drake in the Eagles’ second game of the season.

The predicted temperature at kickoff, scheduled for 4 p.m. in Cheney, is 95 degrees.

Should that become reality, it would be the hottest game-time temperature for an Eagles home game and the third hottest of any game in team history.

Eastern is looking to go 2-0 for the first time since 2021, the last season the Eagles finished with a winning season and made the playoffs.

The Eagles’ offense got off to a promising start against Monmouth (New Jersey) last week, racking up 547 yards on 83 plays, 20 more plays than the Hawks ran (for 439 yards). Only once last year, in a 40-29 win over Southeastern Louisiana, did the Eagles have such an edge over an opponent in total plays, a brand of keepaway that kept Eastern’s defense rested.

While it is the reigning Pioneer Football League champion and the preseason pick to repeat, Drake, playing its season opener, has struggled in its ventures outside its conference, notably so when it heads West. Two years ago, Idaho beat Drake 42-14; in 2021, Montana State’s margin of victory was 45-7; in 2018, Montana handed the Bulldogs a 48-16 defeat.

But it was just last week that San Diego, another Pioneer League team, beat Cal Poly, a Big Sky program, 27-21.

“It was a wakeup call that San Diego beat Cal Poly last weekend,” EWU wide receivers coach Jeff McDaniels said. “It helps the (EWU) guys lock in even more.”

Here are three things to keep an eye on Saturday afternoon when the Eagles aim to do just that against the Bulldogs:

1. What new wrinkles will the Eagles unveil on offense? For as frequently as the Eagles had multiple quarterbacks on the field last week, the possibilities of this offense seem tantalizing. A whiff of that potential for variation came when redshirt junior Kekoa Visperas caught a pass from redshirt junior Jared Taylor, a 7-yard gain, on Taylor’s only pass of the game.

Senior Michael Wortham took some snaps but never attempted a pass, rushing eight times for 37 yards.

McDaniels said that the Eagles will lean on Wortham in many ways; he also complimented Taylor’s grittiness in the run game – he rushed 14 times for 64 yards and a touchdown – but reiterated that the Eagles trust Taylor fully in the passing game. It seems like it is only a matter of time before the quarterbacks’ versatility reveals itself in new ways – perhaps a little more, game by game.

2. Which players shine on defense? After playing nearly every member of the defensive two-deep during the first half against Monmouth, Eagles head coach Aaron Best said that would be part of how the defense functions again versus Drake.

“We play a ton of people on defense because we’re a personnel-driven defense now, so it’s not just going to be 14 guys that play the entire game,” Best said. “That’s been fun to keep guys engaged knowing that we’re going to play 20, 25 guys every game, and the offense we’re going against is going to dictate what your package or what your role may be.”

Last week, the Eagles’ leading tacklers were redshirt freshman safety Derek Ganter Jr. and redshirt junior safety Kentrell Williams Jr. with six apiece.

Redshirt freshman Samarai Anderson made five tackles in his most significant game time of his college career. Redshirt freshman linebacker Dishawn Misa made the team’s only sack in his EWU debut. All except for Williams are listed as backups.

3. Field goal, anyone? While redshirt sophomore kicker Soren McKee was perfect on extra points (6 for 6) against Monmouth, he wasn’t asked to attempt any field goals because the Eagles were so efficient at finishing drives, scoring touchdowns on each of their five red-zone trips.

Before the Eagles head out on the road for their next two games, they may be eager to give McKee a chance to try a longer kick. Last year, McKee made 10 of 14 kicks from inside 40 yards but 1 of 3 beyond that mark. Kickoff specialist Jackson Cleaver, now a redshirt junior, was called upon for three kicks last year, all 30 yards or farther. He made all three.