Championship Subdivision Football | FCS Football | Stadiums | Blogs | Forums

#4 Eastern Washington Eagles (4-2, 2-0 BSC) vs. Southern Utah Thunderbirds (5-2, 2-1 BSC)

Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013 • 5:05 p.m. Pacific
Roos Field (8,600) • Cheney, Wash.

The scenario is much the same, but the Eastern Washington University football team is hoping the results are much different when it plays in front of what is anticipated to be a sold-out Homecoming crowd.

Facing the team that knocked them out of the top spot in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision rankings a year ago, the fourth-ranked Eagles host Southern Utah Saturday (Oct. 19) in a Big Sky Conference game. Kickoff at Roos Field in Eastern’s 87th Homecoming game is 5:05 p.m. Pacific time in a game televised live regionally by SWX.

As of Monday morning (Oct. 14), no tickets remain for sale for the game, which will feature a crowd of upwards of 10,000 at the Inferno. However, the release of tickets from group holds is possible later in the week and availability will be announced via EWU’s social media outlets.

Eastern is currently tied atop the Big Sky standings at 2-0 with Montana State and Cal Poly, and EWU is 4-2 overall. The Thunderbirds are 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the conference and are fully capable of upsetting EWU like they did a year ago in Cedar City, Utah.

“It’s going to be a slugfest – it is,” said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin. “We are going to get their best punch. We were a pretty good team last year finishing in the top four in the country, but along the way Southern Utah beat us. We know how good they are and what a great job coach Ed Lamb and his staff do there.”

In last year’s game, senior quarterback Brad Sorenson passed for 392 yards and SUU kicked a field goal with three seconds left to pull off the upset over No. 1 ranked EWU. Eastern had entered the game 6-1 and 5-0 in the Big Sky, and SUU entered just 3-5 overall and 2-3 in the league.

In fact, Eastern sophomore quarterback and Walter Payton Award candidate Vernon Adams has had an incredible start to his career and is now 12-3 as a starter. But one of those three losses came against Southern Utah, as well as games earlier this year versus Toledo and Sam Houston State.

Southern Utah is coming off a 17-7 thumping of Portland State in which SUU won the turnover battle 5-1. The Thunderbirds lost at Washington State (48-10) and UC Davis (21-3), but beat NCAA Football Bowl Division member South Alabama (22-21) to open the year.

“I think solid is the best word I can use to describe them,” said Baldwin of the Thunderbirds. “They are very workmanlike and they play together as a team so well. They do what they do really well, and they all know their assignments. And they are very strong – that is something they hang their hat on. We saw their strength and their physicality last week against Portland State when they held the top offense in the Big Sky to seven points. Their mindset is that they are going to be tougher than their opponent, and it shows up because they continually win the turnover battle and ultimately games.”

GrizFanStuckInUtah wrote:I wish this game was in Cedar City, I'd be all over it.

grizzaholic wrote:

GrizFanStuckInUtah wrote:I wish this game was in Cedar City, I'd be all over it.

GFSU...you still coming to Missoula for the EWU v. Montana game to witness Kalm buying me a shot for the SUU win?

GrizFanStuckInUtah wrote:

grizzaholic wrote:

GFSU...you still coming to Missoula for the EWU v. Montana game to witness Kalm buying me a shot for the SUU win?

I have my tickets in hand. I would love to get a live preview of EWU before we play them but Cheyney is a long drive from here.

grizzaholic wrote:

GrizFanStuckInUtah wrote:


I have my tickets in hand. I would love to get a live preview of EWU before we play them but Cheyney is a long drive from here.

No need to bother with that dumpster fire....Granted SUU will be fanning the flames on EWU, but that dumpster fire will only burn so long...just hope it doesn't burn down Kalm's tailgate so he can make it to Missoula.

Your (and your sig other/friend/partner???) first and second drinks are on me...point of advice: Pols will control the conversation 15 minutes before he get to the bar...you will hear him

GrizFanStuckInUtah wrote:

grizzaholic wrote:
No need to bother with that dumpster fire....Granted SUU will be fanning the flames on EWU, but that dumpster fire will only burn so long...just hope it doesn't burn down Kalm's tailgate so he can make it to Missoula.

Your (and your sig other/friend/partner???) first and second drinks are on me...point of advice: Pols will control the conversation 15 minutes before he get to the bar...you will hear him

I've met Pols a couple times now.

I will not be drinking this game , I will have my youngest daughters with me and my wife will be here in Utah. Sucks being a responsible parent! If I wasn't kid watching, I'd be all over it. I won't be up until late on Friday night but will be at the tailgate as early as possible saturday.

Grizalltheway wrote:I think SUU pulls off the shocker in the Directional School Bowl.

Grizalltheway wrote:I think SUU pulls off the shocker in the Directional School Bowl.

kalm wrote:

Grizalltheway wrote:I think SUU pulls off the shocker in the Directional School Bowl.

NAU
UNC
...

Grizalltheway wrote:I hope SUU pulls off the shocker in the Directional School Bowl so my Jizzlies can catch up.

Screamin_Eagle174 wrote:

Grizalltheway wrote:I hope SUU pulls off the shocker in the Directional School Bowl so my Jizzlies can catch up.

Fixed.

Grizalltheway wrote:

Screamin_Eagle174 wrote: Fixed.

Nope, just feel it in my gut. Or maybe that's the Me-he-can I had for dinner.

grizzaholic wrote:

Grizalltheway wrote: Nope, just feel it in my gut. Or maybe that's the Me-he-can I had for dinner.

Both of you better be ready for the SUU dump truck that is coming.....SUU will be winning the Big Fluffy Sky this year

Screamin_Eagle174 wrote:

grizzaholic wrote:
Both of you better be ready for the SUU dump truck that is coming.....SUU will be winning the Big Fluffy Sky this year

Oh, you're serious?

grizzaholic wrote:

Screamin_Eagle174 wrote:



Oh, you're serious?

I am going to the EWU v. Montana game...are you?

I would go to the EWU v. SUU game, but the blood bath that SUU leaves on the field would make most EWU fans puke if their field wasn't already red.




sure hope SUU makes a game of it

GrizFanStuckInUtah wrote:

grizzaholic wrote:
No need to bother with that dumpster fire....Granted SUU will be fanning the flames on EWU, but that dumpster fire will only burn so long...just hope it doesn't burn down Kalm's tailgate so he can make it to Missoula.

Your (and your sig other/friend/partner???) first and second drinks are on me...point of advice: Pols will control the conversation 15 minutes before he get to the bar...you will hear him

I've met Pols a couple times now.

I will not be drinking this game , I will have my youngest daughters with me and my wife will be here in Utah. Sucks being a responsible parent! If I wasn't kid watching, I'd be all over it. I won't be up until late on Friday night but will be at the tailgate as early as possible saturday.

dbackjon wrote:Who the HECK had the bright idea of scheduling the bloody T-birds for Homecoming?!? You're supposed to schedule a patsy like UNC or a D-II for HC. The AD ought to be flogged for falling asleep at the switch for this.

polsongrizz wrote:

GrizFanStuckInUtah wrote:

I've met Pols a couple times now.

I will not be drinking this game , I will have my youngest daughters with me and my wife will be here in Utah. Sucks being a responsible parent! If I wasn't kid watching, I'd be all over it. I won't be up until late on Friday night but will be at the tailgate as early as possible saturday.

Lucky folks...