Eastern Washington Eagles
Big Sky
After missing the playoffs in 2015, Eastern Washington got back on track in 2016. The Eagles under Coach Beau Baldwin are always one of the most prolific passing teams in the FCS and this year is no different. With an offense that started the year dropping 45 points on Washington State in a huge win and 44 points on North Dakota State in a close loss, EWU has already proven that they can beat anybody on any given day.
2016 Record: 10-1, 8-0
Coach: Beau Baldwin
Big Wins: 9/3 at Washington State (45-42), 9/17 Northern Iowa (34-30)
Bad Losses: 9/10 at North Dakota State (44-50)
Strengths:
Sophomore Gabe Gubrud took over the quarterback duties in the fall and never looked back. On the year he has thrown for 4,071 yards and 40 touchdowns. Those are not shocking numbers for an Eastern Washington quarterback, but Gubrud has proven to be explosive and consistent. On top of his passing, he is also the team’s top rusher. Senior wide receiver Cooper Kupp is the FCS’ all-time leader in receptions and, obviously, is one of the best pass catchers to come along in a long, long time. During his senior campaign he caught 91 passes for 1,297 yards and 12 touchdowns. With Kendrick Bourne and Shaq Hill, Gubrud has plenty of very talented receiving options.
Weaknesses:
Even without much of a ground game, Eastern Washington rarely has trouble scoring points. The bigger issue is on defense. This group is going to give up plenty of points just because of the system. However, the Eagles have been relatively poor against the run this year. That means good teams that can stay close against Eastern Washington can ride the ground game and at least give themselves a chance to knock off the Eagles. For EWU, they need to negate all of the yardage they allow by creating turnovers. So far that has gone very well since Coach Baldwin has a bevy of defensive playmakers who can create turnovers, but against a decent offense that can take care of the ball, Eastern Washington is susceptible.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Gage Gubrud, QB, 463 yards
Passing: Gage Gubrud, QB, 4,071 yards
Receiving: Cooper Kupp, WR, 1,297 yards
Tackles: Zach Bruce, DB, 95
Sacks: Samson Ebukam, DL, 6.5
Interceptions: Zach Bruce, DB, 3; Mitch Fettig, DB, 3
2016 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 134.1 (86th in nation, 11th in conference)
Passing Offense: 417.1 (1, 1)
Total Offense: 551.2 (2, 1)
Scoring Offense: 45.1 (3, 1)
Rushing Defense: 205.9 (99, 9)
Pass Defense: 235.0 (85, 5)
Total Defense: 440.9 (104, 7)
Scoring Defense: 28.9 (72, 6)
Turnover Margin: 0.70 (20, 3)
Sacks: 2.30 (33, 3)
Sacks Allowed: 1.70 (44, 5)
Recent Playoff Appearances:
2014 Second Round Defeated Montana
2014 Quarterfinals Lost to Illinois State
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 11/12
