2018 Eastern Washington Eagles football team
The 2018 Eastern Washington Eagles football team represented Eastern Washington University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The team was coached by second year head coach Aaron Best. The Eagles played their home games at Roos Field in Cheney, Washington and were a member of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 12–3, 7–1 in Big Sky play to finish in a three-way tie for the Big Sky championship with UC Davis and Weber State. They received an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs, where they defeated Nicholls, UC Davis, and Maine to advance to the National Championship Game, where they lost to North Dakota State.
2018 Eastern Washington Eagles football | |
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Big Sky co-champion | |
FCS Championship Game, L 24–38 vs. North Dakota State | |
Conference | Big Sky Conference |
Ranking | |
STATS | No. 2 |
FCS Coaches | No. 2 |
2018 record | 12–3 (7–1 Big Sky) |
Head coach | Aaron Best (2nd season) |
Offensive coordinator | Bodie Reeder (2nd season) |
Offensive scheme | Multiple |
Defensive coordinator | Jeff Schmedding (4th season) |
Base defense | 4–2–5 |
Home stadium | Roos Field (Capacity: 8,600) |
2018 Big Sky Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 6 Weber State +^ | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 2 Eastern Washington +^ | 7 | – | 1 | 12 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 7 UC Davis +^ | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 17 Montana State ^ | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Idaho State | 5 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Montana | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cal Poly | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northern Arizona | 3 | – | 4 | 4 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Portland State | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Idaho | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northern Colorado | 2 | – | 6 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Southern Utah | 1 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sacramento State | 0 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Previous season
The Eagles finished the 2017 season 7–4, 6–2 in Big Sky play to finish in a three-way tie for third place. Despite being ranked in the top 25 at the end of the regular season, they were not selected to participate in the FCS Playoffs.
Preseason
Polls
On July 16, 2018 during the Big Sky Kickoff in Spokane, Washington, the Eagles were predicted to win the Big Sky by both the coaches and media.[1]
Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
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1 | Eastern Washington | 134 (6) |
2 | Weber State | 124 (3) |
3 | Northern Arizona | 121 (3) |
4 | Idaho | 101 (1) |
5 | Sacramento State | 94 |
6 | Southern Utah | 91 |
7 | Montana | 82 |
8 | Montana State | 76 |
9 | UC Davis | 64 |
10 | Cal Poly | 40 |
11 | Northern Colorado | 30 |
12 | Idaho State | 29 |
13 | Portland State | 21 |
Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
---|---|---|
1 | Eastern Washington | 651 (27) |
2 | Weber State | 636 (19) |
3 | Northern Arizona | 535 (1) |
4 | Montana | 496 (2) |
5 | Idaho | 483 (3) |
6 | Southern Utah | 449 (1) |
7 | Sacramento State | 415 |
8 | Montana State | 391 (1) |
9 | UC Davis | 331 (1) |
10 | Idaho State | 170 |
11 | Cal Poly | 169 |
12 | Northern Colorado | 166 |
13 | Portland State | 103 |
Preseason All-Conference Team
The Eagles had three players selected to the Preseason All-Conference Team.[2]
Gage Gubrud – Sr. QB
Antoine Custer – Jr. RB
Jay-Tee Tiuli – Sr. DT
Award watch lists
Award | Player | Position | Year |
---|---|---|---|
Walter Payton Award[3] | Gage Gubrud | QB | SR |
Schedule
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
September 1 | 1:05 p.m. | Central Washington* | No. 9 | SWX | W 58–13 | 8,658 | |
September 8 | 3:05 p.m. | at No. 18 Northern Arizona* | No. 6 | SWX | W 31–26 | 8,938 | |
September 15 | 5:05 p.m. | at Washington State* | No. 6 | P12N | L 24–59 | 32,952 | |
September 22 | 1:05 p.m. | Cal Poly | No. 6 |
| SWX | W 70–17 | 9,156 |
September 29 | 1:05 p.m. | at Montana State | No. 5 | RTNW | W 34–17 | 18,667 | |
October 6 | 12:05 p.m. | Southern Utah | No. 5 |
| RTNW | W 55–17 | 8,887 |
October 13 | 3:05 p.m. | at No. 13 Weber State | No. 4 | ELVN | L 6–14 | 8,211 | |
October 27 | 12:05 p.m. | Idaho![]() | No. 5 |
| RTNW | W 38–14 | 10,023 |
November 3 | 11:05 a.m. | at Northern Colorado | No. 5 | Pluto TV 241 | W 48–13 | 3,274 | |
November 10 | 1:05 p.m. | No. 4 UC Davis | No. 5 |
| SWX | W 59–20 | 8,789 |
November 16 | 7:05 p.m. | at Portland State | No. 4 | Pluto TV 232 | W 74–23 | 4,205 | |
December 1 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 14 Nicholls* | No. 4 |
| ESPN3 | W 42–21 | 5,250 |
December 8 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 7 UC Davis* | No. 4 |
| ESPN3 | W 34–29 | 5,503 |
December 15 | 11:00 a.m. | No. 12 Maine* | No. 4 |
| ESPN2 | W 50–19 | 7,529 |
January 5 | 9:00 a.m. | No. 1 North Dakota State* | No. 4 |
| ESPN2 | L 24–38 | 17,802 |
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- Source: Schedule
Despite also being a member of the Big Sky, the game vs. Northern Arizona was counted as a non-conference game and had no effect on the Big Sky standings.
Game summaries
Central Washington
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wildcats | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
No. 9 Eagles | 20 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 58 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
34–30–4 | 2010 | EWU, 35–32 |
at Northern Arizona
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 6 Eagles | 14 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
No. 18 Lumberjacks | 0 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 26 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
20–12 | 2016 | EWU, 50–35 |
at Washington State
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 6 Eagles | 0 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
Cougars | 14 | 14 | 7 | 24 | 59 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
1–3 | 2016 | EWU, 45–42 |
Cal Poly
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mustangs | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
No. 6 Eagles | 14 | 21 | 14 | 21 | 70 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
7–2 | 2016 | EWU, 42–21 |
at Montana State
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 5 Eagles | 14 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 34 |
Bobcats | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
31–10 | 2017 | EWU, 31–19 |
Southern Utah
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Thunderbirds | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
No. 5 Eagles | 14 | 20 | 21 | 0 | 55 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
6–3 | 2017 | SUU, 46–28 |
at Weber State
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 4 Eagles | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
No. 13 Wildcats | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
19–15 | 2017 | WSU, 28–20 |
Idaho
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vandals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
No. 5 Eagles | 14 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 38 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
6–15 | 2012 | EWU, 20–3 |
at Northern Colorado
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 5 Eagles | 13 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 48 |
Bears | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
11–1 | 2016 | EWU, 49–31 |
UC Davis
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 4 Aggies | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
No. 5 Eagles | 7 | 14 | 14 | 24 | 59 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
6–0 | 2017 | EWU, 41–38 |
at Portland State
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 4 Eagles | 14 | 13 | 27 | 20 | 74 |
Vikings | 0 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 23 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
19–20–1 | 2017 | EWU, 59–33 |
FCS Playoffs
Nicholls–Second Round
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 14 Colonels | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
No. 4 Eagles | 3 | 7 | 10 | 22 | 42 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
0–1 | 2004 | NSU, 37–14 |
UC Davis–Quarterfinals
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 7 Aggies | 0 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 29 |
No. 4 Eagles | 7 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 34 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
7–0 | 11/10/18 | EWU, 59–20 |
Maine–Semifinals
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 12 Black Bears | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 19 |
No. 4 Eagles | 21 | 7 | 15 | 7 | 50 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
First meeting |
North Dakota State–Championship
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 4 Eagles | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
No. 1 Bison | 10 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
1–2 | 2017 | NDSU, 40–13 |
Ranking movements
Week | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final | |||||||
STATS | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | |||||||
Coaches | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6–T | 5 | 4–T | 3 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
References
- https://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2018/7/16/football-eastern-washington-picked-to-win-the-big-sky.aspx
- http://bigskyconf.com/news/2018/7/16/doss-buss-headline-big-sky-football-preseason-all-conference-team.aspx
- "FCS football: 2018 Walter Payton Award watch list". August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.