“We’re their rival,” Marcus Welnel reminded us Monday night, so it’s likely Eastern Washington will be coming to Missoula with plenty of juice this weekend, despite the Eagles’ 2-7 record and latest humiliation, a 48-16 loss last week to their other rival, Idaho.
It’s easy to forget, but last year this was the glitteriest rivalry in all the land, with Eastern Washington topping the Griz 34-28 in a classic ESPN2 game in Cheney during the regular season and Montana returning the favor with a 57-41 acid trip of a victory at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in the second round of the playoffs.
The matchup has lost some of that heat this year, thanks mostly to the Eagles, whose only victories are in their season opener against Tennessee State and two weeks ago at one-win Cal Poly. Gunner Talkington, it turns out, hasn’t been able to replace Walter Payton Award winner Eric Barriere, and the defense hasn’t been able to give Talkington enough margin for error for that to work. All that aside, this is also Montana’s final regular-season home game, and one the Griz can’t afford to lose if they want to keep their playoff chances alive going into the Brawl of the Wild.
QUICK HITS
Nickname: Eagles
Location: Cheney, Washington
Founded: 1882
Enrollment: 10,892
Stadium: Roos Field, named after EWU alum and former NFL tackle Michael Roos, sits 8,600 and is famous for its red turf field.
Famous alumni: Colin Cowherd, talking head; Cooper Kupp, Super Bowl MVP; Todd McFarlane, baseball collector
Last meeting: Eric Barriere threw for 530 yards on 80 attempts in his final college game but the Eagles lost, 57-41, in Missoula in the second round of the FCS Playoffs on December 3, 2021. Cam Humphrey threw three touchdowns, Malik Flowers scored on a 75-yard run and Justin Ford iced things with a pick-six for Montana.
THE COACH
Aaron Best (sixth year at Eastern Washington, 43-24)
Best hadn’t lost more than two Big Sky Conference games before this season, but, without Barriere, regression has hit the Eagles hard. The big man has been at Eastern Washington since 1996, first as a center and then, after his playing career ended in 1999, on the coaching staff. His one year away from Cheney in that period came in 2007, when he spent the season as the offensive line coach for the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL. In that time, he’s moved up from graduate assistant to offensive line coach to offensive coordinator to head coach in 2017, replacing Beau Baldwin.
PLAYERS TO WATCH – OFFENSE
QB Gunner Talkington, 5-10, 215, RS Sr.
Talkington has been in the program forever as a backup, and he’s been accurate and competent in his one chance to start, completing over 63% of his passes with 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
WR Freddie Roberson, 6-2, 195, RS Jr.
Roberson leads Eastern’s deep group of receivers with 718 yards and seven touchdowns on an average of nearly 18 yards per grab.
WR Efton Chism III, 6-0, 200, So.
Chism, operating more out of the slot, is not quite as explosive as Roberson — he’s averaging under 10 yards per catch — but has been busy and productive with 54 grabs and six touchdowns.
PLAYERS TO WATCH – DEFENSE
DB Ely Doyle, 6-1, 190, RS Jr.
Doyle transferred from Arizona State to EWU two years ago, but hasn’t popped until this year, when he’s leading the Eagles with 71 tackles, nearly 20 more than anyone else on the team.
DL Mitchell Johnson, 6-3, 245, RS Sr.
Eastern Washington has fewer sacks than all but two other teams in the league, meaning Johnson leads the Eagles with four of their 11 takedowns on the year.
DB Demetrious Crosby Jr., 6-0, 185, RS Jr.
Griz fans will remember Crosby from his crucial end-zone interception against Montana last year. He’s got one pick and two fumble recoveries this year as a cornerback.
