Eastern Washington Eagles
Overall Rank: #3
#1 Big Sky
Eastern Washington Team Page
2010 Record: (13-2, 7-1)
2010 Postseason: FCS Playoffs
Coach: Beau Baldwin (27-11 at Eastern Washington, 37-14 overall)
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Mario Brown, RB, 341 yards
Passing: Bo Levi Mitchell, QB, 3,496 yards
Receiving: Brandon Kaufman, WR, 1,214 yards
Tackles: Zach Johnson, LB, 134
Sacks: Renard Williams, DT, 6.5
Interceptions: Matt Johnson, S, 5
No team has as much momentum heading into the 2011 campaign as Eastern Washington. The Eagles had a few thrilling victories en route to their FCS National Championship game, but the most thrilling was the final itself. Down 19-0, EWU came back to win 20-19 against a stunned Delaware squad. This is a team that has the talent to repeat, but there is a long road ahead.
Strengths:
With quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell returning, many consider Eastern Washington the favorite to win the FCS Championship again this year. Mitchell threw for 3,496 yards and 37 touchdowns last season and, scarily enough, could be even better this year. His top three receivers, Brandon Kaufman, Nicholas Edwards and Greg Herd are all back. Kaufman caught 76 passes for 1,214 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2010. He will again be the Eagles big play receiver. When the opposition gets too focused on Kaufman, Edwards will make them pay. He caught 57 passes for 614 yards and seven scores. The absence of a tight end will not hurt the passing game too much since Mitchell usually looked down field. The offensive line will provide Mitchell with plenty of time to find his talented crop of receivers. Four starters return, led by center Chris Powers and left tackle Gabriel Jackson. Even a majority of the backups are back in Cheney making this a very deep and experienced group. Not only will Mitchell have time to throw, but the ground game will be strengthened by the big guys up front.
Weaknesses:
However, the running game does have some issues. Taiwan Jones is off in the NFL after rushing for 1,742 yards and 14 touchdowns a year ago. The line will make the ground game effective, as will Mitchell’s ability to pass and thus open up space for the running backs, but you do not lose a player like Jones and get better. Mario Brown is the team’s best returning rusher after tallying 341 yards on the ground in 2010. However, he managed 3.4 yards per carry while Jones was at 7.9. Darriell Beaumonte and Washington transfer Demitrius Bronson will be in the mix as well, but it will be tough to replace Jones and the offense will not be as balanced or dynamic without him. On the other side of the ball, the absence of J.C. Sherritt and his 176 tackles will certainly be missed. Zach Johnson and Tyler Washburn are proven linebackers, but Sherritt will be tough to replace. The secondary was the team’s weakness last year and now both starting cornerbacks have to be replaced. Matt Johnson and Jeff Minnerly are a couple of big play safeties, but the pass defense may not be any better than it was last year. What made the EWU defense successful was their ability to make big plays. That may happen again, but the unit needs to be more efficient because it is tough to have to rely on turnovers to keep the opposition from scoring.
The Bottom Line:
A more experienced defensive front should help. Ends David Gaylor and Paul Ena will lead the attack, but it is tackle Renard Williams who is the star of the front line. He tallied 6.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles-for-loss last season and is a beast in the middle of the line. With a host of other contributors also returning and the addition of transfer Andru Pulu, the line should be the best unit on Eastern Washington’s defense. Coach Beau Baldwin will have the luxury of rotating in fresh linemen as needed and that could be just what this defense needs to become a strength instead of a liability. If that happens, Eastern Washington may take home another title.
Projected Postseason: FCS Playoffs
2010 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 156.07 (49th in nation, 5th in conference)
Passing Offense: 241.00 (26, 3)
Total Offense: 397.07 (22, 3)
Scoring Offense: 31.47 (18, 4)
Rushing Defense: 139.60 (43, 3)
Pass Defense: 239.27 (104, 7)
Total Defense: 378.87 (86, 4)
Scoring Defense: 24.93 (60, 4)
Turnover Margin: .80 (17, 1)
Sacks: 2.20 (36, 4)
Sacks Allowed: 1.60 (48, 5)
Madness 2011 FCS Football Recruit Rankings:
#39 Cody McCarthy
#87 Thomas Gomez
#110 Jay Deines
#133 Jordan Talley
#150 Julius Tevaga
