Eastern Washington Eagles
Big Sky
Eastern Washington once again boasted a potent offense. This team is near the top of just about every offensive category. And that is especially impressive considering the fact that quarterback Vernon Adams missed four games with an injury. It was during that stretch that the Eagles lost at Northern Arizona and only managed to put up 26 points at home against Northern Colorado.
2014 Record: 10-2, 7-1
Coach: Beau Baldwin
Big Wins: 9/20 at Montana State (52-51), 11/8 Montana (36-26)
Bad Losses: 9/6 at Washington (52-59), 10/25 at Northern Arizona (27-28)
Strengths:
But Adams is back now and is always a threat to throw for 400 yards. In his return following the injury, Adams threw for 410 yards and four touchdowns against the otherwise solid Montana defense. Against Washington earlier in the campaign, he threw for 475 yards and seven touchdowns, with no interceptions. EWU almost won that game thanks to Adams. There are some very talented wide receivers that help Adams look even better. Sophomore Cooper Kupp is one of the best in the nation and he easily eclipsed the 1,000 yard receiving plateau. Kendrick Bourne and Shaq Hill have been able to take advantage of Kupp’s ability to stretch the field and take a couple of defenders with him. The ground game deserves more credit than they usually get. Quincy Forte has missed a handful of games, but is usually productive. In the 52-51 win at Montana State, he rushed for 190 yards and four scores. Mario Brown may not be quite as explosive, but he did fill in well for Forte and will now provide a quality second option for the ground game.
Weaknesses:
The defense is only bad because of the nature of their offense. Of course this is a team that will get into high scoring games. But the key for this defense will be getting red zone stops, something that has been a problem all season long. It seems like this unit wants to bend, but not break. However, after bending, they tend to break inside the 20. With talent like Ronnie Hamlin and Tevin McDonald, the Eagles defense should be able to get some big stops throughout the game. And really all it takes is a few stops for the offense to put teams away.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Quincy Forte, RB, 694 yards
Passing: Vernon Adams Jr., QB, 2,876 yards
Receiving: Cooper Kupp, WR, 1,160 yards
Tackles: Ronnie Hamlin, LB, 86
Sacks: Samson Ebukam, DL, 6
Interceptions: Victor Gamboa, DB, 3; Tevin McDonald, DB, 3
2014 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 191.0 (38th in nation, 5th in conference)
Passing Offense: 224.5 (2, 2)
Total Offense: 525.5 (3, 2)
Scoring Offense: 29.6 (82, 5)
Rushing Defense: 162.1 (51, 4)
Pass Defense: 271.9 (112, 7)
Total Defense: 434.0 (93, 6)
Scoring Defense: 29.6 (82, 5)
Turnover Margin: 0.45 (29, 5)
Sacks: 2.18 (48, 4)
Sacks Allowed: 3.09 (101, 11)
Recent Playoff Appearances
2013 Second Round Defeated South Dakota State
2013 Quarterfinals Defeated Jacksonville State
2013 Semifinals Lost to Towson
2012 Second Round Defeated Wagner
2012 Quarterfinals Defeated Illinois State
2012 Semifinals Lost to Sam Houston State
2010 Second Round Defeated SE Missouri State
2010 Quarterfinals Defeated North Dakota State
2010 Semifinals Defeated Villanova
2010 Championship Defeated Delaware
2009 First Round Lost to Stephen F. Austin
2007 First Round Defeated McNeese State
2007 Quarterfinals Lost to Appalachian State
2005 First Round Lost to Northern Iowa
2004 First Round Defeated Southern Illinois
2004 Quarterfinals Lost to Sam Houston State
1997 First Round Defeated Northwestern State
1997 Quarterfinals Defeated Western Kentucky
1997 Semifinals Lost to Youngstown State
1992 First Round Lost to Northern Iowa
1985 First Round Defeated Idaho
1985 Semifinals Lost to Northern Iowa
1985 Semifinals Lost to Northern Iowa
*all team stats through 11/15
