It's the same sort of minidrama that plays out upon the giant bloodstain of Roos Field for opponents of the Eastern Washington Eagles. Do you win by getting Eric Barriere off the field? Or by keeping him off?

Similar to what happened two weeks ago, on Saturday a defense – in this case, Montana State’s – demonstrated that the Eagles can indeed be held in check offensively, and that it can even be done on Eastern’s home red turf.

Perhaps no college basketball coach in the Pacific Northwest faces a bigger rebuilding job than Joddie Gleason at Eastern Washington.

Football is X’s and O’s but also irony. As Idaho’s disappointing (2-6, 1-4 Big Sky) season winds down to its final three weeks, a pair of transfer wide receivers are finishing strong for the Vandals.

Coming off Eastern Washington’s only loss so far this season, Debore’ae McClain used extra time available during the bye week to relax, get ahead on his school work and rest his body after playing eight straight weekends.

Even as three of the Big Sky’s top football teams sat idle, the conference’s status in the polls improved this week as it now heads into its final three weekends of the regular season.

This is how things have been for Idaho this year. It has been the victim of losses ranging from epic routs (71-21 to Eastern Washington) to hard-fought heartbreaks, like the game against NAU.

The Gonzaga men and women both finished second to BYU teams at the 2021 West Coast Conference cross country championships on Friday at Newhall Community Park in Concord, California.

At the end of October, a football season looks different than it does in the preseason days of August.

After the euphoria of wins and disappointment of losses fades, what endures is relationships.

Every Big Sky football team has now played at least half of its regular season, and three teams that have passed the midpoint — Eastern Washington, Montana and UC Davis — are on a bye this weekend.

A desperate Weber State team came to Roos Field with its playoff hopes on the line and ran the ball, possessed it for more than 35 minutes and kept Eric Barriere on the sidelines.

The late NFL Hall of Fame head coach George Allen once said, “Football is one-third offense, one-third defense and one-third special teams.”

Idaho worked to perfection its blueprint to possibly beat Montana on its first drive Saturday.

Here are three things to look for when Idaho entertains Montana in the Kibbie Dome Saturday.

In 2007, the Eastern Washington football team traveled to McNeese State in Louisiana for a playoff game.

CHENEY – Faced with equity concerns, Eastern Washington University has a new plan to offset its athletics budget shortfall that doubles down on methods to increase revenue, rather than substantial budget reductions.

Romano has been a contributor in every game Idaho has played this year. Not the fastest. Not the biggest at about 5-10, 210. But utterly reliable Romano has eight rushing attempts for 46 yards. He has caught six passes for 50 yards, and in his forte of returning kicks he has brought back 12 for 278 yards, averaging 23.2 yards per kick, with a long return of 47 yards.

There aren’t many players left from Eastern Washington’s NCAA Tournament team last year, and that has apparently lowered the expectations placed on the Eagles men’s basketball team.