‘It’s not a vacation’: Eastern Washington looks for areas to improve during bye week

Eastern Washington on Saturday notched its second victory of the football season, 35-27 over Portland State, following a week of practice that head coach Aaron Best said was his team’s best of the year.

“I think that had a hand in the end result,” Best said.

Now the Eagles have two weeks to prepare for their next opponent, the 11th-ranked Idaho Vandals (2-3), and Best made it clear after Saturday’s game that there are no beach excursions in any coaches’ or players’ immediate futures.

“It’s not an off week,” Best said. “It’s not a vacation.”

With a 2-4 overall record and a 1-1 record in Big Sky Conference play, the Eagles have little margin over the final six games if they hope to reach the FCS playoffs. Here are a few aspects the Eagles would like to improve between now and Oct. 18 against the Vandals.

1. Pass protection

Best spoke at length about pass protection after the victory over PSU. The starting offensive line is almost entirely different from last season, and just one senior, Aidan Corning, has logged significant snaps.

In run blocking, Best said the group has done well. But in order for redshirt sophomore quarterback Nate Bell to be more effective as a passer, he must have better protection, Best said.

By just about any statistical measure, neither Bell nor redshirt senior quarterback Jared Taylor rank among the Big Sky’s top 10 quarterbacks. Bell’s 618 passing yards rank 11th. His completion percentage (49.5) sits at 15th. Bell has thrown three touchdowns, or 13th.

Some of that is due to splitting snaps with Taylor, who has missed a part or all of five games because of an injury. But as a team the Eagles still rank 11th in the league in passing yards per game (173.5), ahead of only Weber State.

The offshoot of the protection issues is that they have given Bell ample opportunities to scramble for yards. Only Montana running back Eli Gillman, with 590, has more rushing yards than Bell does (485) among Big Sky players. Only Gillman has more rushing touchdowns (nine, to Bell’s seven).

The Eagles have only given up seven sacks all season, but Best suggested that was due to Bell’s scrambling ability more than it was an indication of good protection. And Best would prefer that Bell had more time to go through his reads to his second and third options before he was flushed from the pocket.

“We’ve got two weeks to get ready for a (Vandals) team that’s going to get after the quarterback,” Best said.

2. Pass defense

Halfway through the season, Eastern’s run defense has shaved nearly a yard from its average yards allowed per carry (from 5.6 last year to 4.7 this year).

But the same can’t be said for its pass defense, which has allowed 8.4 yards per attempt, almost exactly the same as last year’s 8.5.

The Eagles have played without preseason all-conference cornerback DaJean Wells essentially all season. The redshirt senior has played in just two games so far, though it’s possible he returns to play against Idaho.

The Eagles have also been without grad senior safety McKel Broussard since he was injured in the opening series of the season opener at Incarnate Word. His return is less imminent.

Talent, coaches say, is not an issue on the defense. Game reps, though, are at a premium.

“ Outside of the defensive line, everybody’s young,” Best said. “We have who we have, and we expect those guys to play to the highest of their capabilities.”

One player who has stepped up is redshirt sophomore Jaylon Jenkins. He started the season at nickelback but has played mostly at safety since Broussard’s injury. His game-sealing interception against Portland State was his second of the season.

“That’s what great players do: They make the abnormal play in those situations,” Best said of Jenkins’ interception Saturday. “Jaylon’s on his way to being one of the better players not only on our team in defense but also in this league.”

3. Hanging onto the football

Last season, when the Eagles had a decidedly more experienced team, they committed just seven turnovers across all 12 games.

They’ve already passed that mark this year, with five interceptions and five lost fumbles.

On defense, the Eagles have grown more comfortable with scheme and have given more attention to forcing turnovers, and so far it has worked: After forcing seven turnovers all season, the Eagles have four interceptions this year and have recovered two of their opponents’ seven fumbles.

But losing the turnover battle has made life more difficult for the Eagles, who overcame a deficit (minus 2) against Portland State, making a game that might have been a blowout a tighter contest down the stretch.

“I just think that it shows us when we play good ball, even with us hurting ourselves at times, that we can still find a way to get a win,” EWU redshirt freshman running back Kevin Allen III said. “Going into this bye week, we’re going to go in with the confidence that we have what it takes and build from there.”