Eastern Washington will complete its streak of five straight ranked matchups this weekend

CHENEY, Wash. October is behind everyone and Eastern Washington football looks to be off to a good start in November. Eastern hosts No. 2 Montana State on Saturday (Nov. 2) at Roos Field, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.

Fans can purchase tickets for the game online by clicking the link here or calling the EWU ticket office at 509-359-6059.

The game will be televised on Scripps Sports and broadcast live on SWX in Spokane. The game will also be streamed live on ESPN+. Hear the action live at Roos Field with the voices of the Eagles, Larry Weir and Paul Sorensen.

Last timeout

Eastern faced its fourth straight opponent last week in Moscow, facing the No. 11 Vandals at the Kibbie Dome. Both teams tried to find a rhythm on offense to start the game. A catch of 33 yards from Efton Chism III Setting up EWU in the redzone and Kekoa Visperas then called his own number from 1 yard away for the score, tying the game at 7 in the first quarter. Eastern got two field goals from Soren McKee in the second quarter and trailed 17-13 at halftime. Idaho scored on a 1-yard touchdown run four minutes into the third quarter. EWU’s offense stalled on its next possession, and the Vandals took advantage, putting together a 10-play, 52-yard drive early in the fourth quarter to go up 31-13. Jared Taylor answered the score with a 3-yard TD pass to J.P. Murphy and the lead was down to 10. Eastern attempted an onside shot, but Idaho recovered and scored on their drive. Michael Waardam broke a 100-yard kickoff return to keep hopes alive, but Idaho held on for the 38-28 win.

Eastern compiled 388 yards of total offense in the game, while Idaho put up 487 yards. Derek Ganter Jr. set a career-high for the second week in a row with 15 tackles, including eight solo. Conner O’Farrell set his own career best with nine tackles, while Myles Majovsky joined the trend with seven tackles in his career.

Back against the Bobcats

Eastern has a favorable record against Montana State, going 32-13 overall and 16-6 at home. The Bobcats have closed the gap by winning their last three games, including a dominant 57-14 victory in Bozeman last season. The teams met in Cheney during the 2022 season and put up an uphill battle. Montana State led 31-21 going into the fourth quarter, but Eastern stormed back with 14 points to take the lead, getting two touchdown passes from Gunner Talkington. After shutting down the Bobcats, EWU fumbled late in the game and allowed MSU to score the touchdown with approval. The Bobcats escaped the Roos field with a 38-35 victory.

Chism updates the record books

It was another week and another career achievement for Efton Chism III. Chism became just the second Eagle receiver in program history with 300 receptions after catching seven against Idaho. He has 302 career receptions, behind Cooper Kupp. He ranks second in EWU history with 6.16 receptions per game and has 3,405 career receiving yards, which ranks him fourth in program history, passing Aaron Boyce. The senior finished with 114 yards against the Vandals. Chism ranks fifth in receiving touchdowns with 32 in his career, tying Shaq Hill on the all-time list. He currently sits in the Big Sky with 864 receiving yards and leads with 76 receptions. His eight touchdowns are tied for first in the conference. Chism leads the FCS with 9.5 receptions per game, ranks second in both yards and receiving touchdowns

Money Mike does it all

Michael Waardam is truly a player who can do it all for Eastern and can play almost every position except the offensive line. Against Idaho, Wortham finally broke loose and returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. Wortham’s return was the first for Eastern since 2019, when Dre’Sonte Dorton returned a kickoff 90 yards against Jacksonville State. It was the seventh kickoff of 100 in EWU history. The most recent event was Lamont Brightful in 2000 against Montana. This season, Wortham leads the Big Sky in kickoff returns, averaging 30.4 per return. He has 821 total return yards, which is twice as many as second-place Christian Grubb of Portland State (339). Earlier this year, Wortham scored a career-high two rushing touchdowns against Drake, rushing for 46 yards on 11 carries, and adding one touchdown pass to Efton Chism III. The senior has 147 receiving yards and 123 rushing yards. His 19 receptions rank him second on the team. He also has 44 passing yards on 4 of 6 passing attempts.

Hurry hard

The Eagles racked up 215 yards on 45 carries against the Vandals. It was the fifth game this season that the team rushed for more than 200 yards. Tuna Altahir led the way with 67 yards on 13 carries, while Jared Taylor Carried 13 times at quarterback for 61 yards. Marcese Yetts stepped up with 7 carries for 51 yards. Kekoa Visperas had 9 carries for 26 yards and 1 touchdown.

Well protected

Eastern’s offensive line prevented Idaho from sacking its quarterback for the second game this season. The cut is an average of 1.5 sacks allowed per game, which ranks 34th in the FCS for 12 sacks this season.

Almost flawless

Eastern has recorded three turnovers in eight games this season, leading the Big Sky and finishing second in the FCS behind No. 1 North Dakota State. The team has forced four turnovers, which translates to a turnover mark of 0.25, which ranks fourth in the conference and 47th in the nation.

 

Season tickets for the 2024 football season are now available. Ticket packages can be purchased online through your Paciolan account, by phone at 509-359-6059, or by emailing [email protected].

ABOUT EAST WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors fourteen intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for the most athletically talented students and as an enhancement of student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with similar enrollments and academic goals.

FOLLOW THE EAGLES

SOCIAL: Tweet | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram