SEASON OUTLOOK
Remember when Montana was the dominant program in the Big Sky Conference? Those days are over. Eastern Washington, at least until proven otherwise, is the league’s premier program. The Eagles have won 22 of their last 24 conference games, and they’ll continue winning with 13 returning starters back on board. But no one can bring up the Eagles without also mentioning how EWU was caught in the middle of one of the biggest storylines in college football: The transfer of star quarterback Vernon Adams to Oregon. Adams graduated with his undergraduate degree at EWU and still had one year of eligibility left. Under the current rules, he was allowed to go to another school without sitting out for a season. Eastern was good before Adams. Now the Eagles have to remind everyone of that fact.
OFFENSIVE LEADERS
Cooper Kupp
There is no player better in the Big Sky than the 6-foot-2 Kupp. He’s averaged a touchdown reception every 5.3 catches in his career and has= 3,122 total receiving yards, fourth in EWU history. In two games against the Bengals, Kupp has torched Idaho State for 16 catches, 337 yards and five touchdowns.
Kendrick Bourne
Kupp is no one-man show for the Eagles. Bourne (6-3, 190) is a dynamic athlete and a key weapon in the EWU arsenal. His first career start was at Washington last season. He went on to haul in 814 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns off 52 catches.
Jordan West
West is a former walk-on now tasked with trying to replace the best quarterback in the FCS. The experience, however, isn’t entirely new. West started four games when Adams was injured last season. He went 3-1 as a starter and finished with 1,072 passing yards, nine touchdowns and one interception for the year.
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Samson Ebukam
A second-team all-Big Sky player as a sophomore, Ebukam (6-3, 240) had 45 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in what was a porous defense. With talented-players like Ebukam, Eastern hopes to shore up a unit that allowed 31.4 points a game in 2014.
Miquiyah Zamora
Zamora, a junior, has started 22 career games and was second on the team with 102 tackles a season ago. An honorable mention all-Big Sky honoree, he’s a team captain in 2015 and leading the transition to Eastern’s new 4-2-5 base defense.
Rashad Wadood
A former Arizona State transfer, Wadood (5-11, 185) started 11 games last season and had 44 tackles and one interception. He had up-and-down moments as a junior and is fighting for a starting spot in the defensive backfield where the Spokesman Review reported that at least a half dozen players are battling for open positions.
THREE TO PONDER
Life after Big Play VA. What is that exactly?
Vernon Adams was Eastern Washington football. From 2012-14, he dragged the Eagles to three Big Sky championships and deep into the FCS playoffs. But Adams couldn’t get Eastern past the semifinals and into a national title game. Without him? It’s easy to assume EWU will regress. Just don’t forget Eastern won Big Sky championships and a national title before Adams. Eventually, it’s a program that will recover. But how quickly?
If the offense does slow down, will the defense respond?
Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin is entering his eighth season, and the two-time Big Sky Coach of the Year might be underappreciated. The Eagles have never finished lower than third in the league in scoring offense, and he’s had the No. 1 scoring team in the conference three times. But as good as the offense has been, it’s likely to relapse to some degree this season. Eastern could win games by outscoring opponents a season ago. They may have to buckle down and squeeze out some victories relying on an improved defense and special teams this year.
Do the Eagles have the best offensive line in the Big Sky?
Idaho State loves its offensive line with four starters back for 2015. Montana State’s beef up front is a formidable group, and don’t overlook Cal Poly. But Eastern Washington may have the best unit of them all. The Eagles will start five seniors along their offensive front, including left guard Aaron Neary, a 6-4, 300-pound first-team all-Big Sky honoree. Left tackle Clay DeBord has started 41 games and is a preseason FCS All-American.
WHAT’S AT STAKE FOR THE BENGALS?
Idaho State and Eastern Washington played in a classic, 56-53 shootout last season. Despite the loss for the Bengals, it was a stepping-stone moment as they nearly took down the second-ranked Eagles. In 2015, Idaho State could enter this game in one of two conditions. Maybe the Bengals will be a top-15 team, coming off a successful four-game road trip with victories at Cal Poly and North Dakota — and even UNLV if things go really well. With Eastern as their first home game in 34 days, ISU fans will pack the dome in record numbers. Or maybe Idaho State will slink back to Holt licking its wounds, trying to regroup and in desperate need of a marquee victory to get its season back on track. Either way, this isn’t a game anyone will want to miss.