FCS #17 Eastern Washington Eagles (0-1, 0-0 BSC)
Saturday, September 11 • 6:05 p.m. Pacific
Qwest Field (67,000/FieldTurf) • Seattle, Wash.
Series Record: 33-30-4 EWU
Last Meeting: CWU 21-14 Sept. 2006 in Cheney
Last Game:
CWU 24-14 over D-II Dixie State
EWU 24-49 against FBS Nevada
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Eastern is 33-30-4 against Central Washington in a series that started in 1921. Central, ranked third in last year’s final NCAA Division II poll, beat Eastern 21-14 the last time the schools met in 2006. The two schools were long-time rivals in the Evergreen Conference and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), but Eastern left in the late 1970s to eventually become a member of NCAA Division I and the Big Sky Conference.
“I told our team that I don’t believe in calling them play-up games or play-down games,” said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin. “Central is certainly not a play-down game -- they are going to be one tough opponent. They are going to be hungry as well, especially after losing the first game of the season. Playing at Qwest Field in Seattle just adds to the hunger for both teams. I expect it to be a tough ballgame, but I expect us to grow a lot in that game.”
"We look forward to playing a long-time rival at a premier venue,” said Eastern athletic director Bill Chaves when the game was announced earlier this summer. “We hope that a tremendous number of alumni and fans rally around this fantastic opportunity and come out and support two of the best football programs in their respective divisions.”
Eastern enters the game 0-1 after falling to Nevada 49-24 on Sept. 2. The Eagles had a chance to cut into an 11-point Wolf Pack lead in the fourth quarter, but an Eagle turnover led to two late Nevada scores. Central, meanwhile, is 1-1, losing its opener to Minnesota Duluth 35-10 and then rebounding for a 24-14 Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory over Dixie State.
Eastern is ranked 17th in this week’s The Sports Network/Fathead.com NCAA Football Championship Subdivision poll, dropping from 13th in the preseason poll. Central was ranked fifth in the NCAA Division II preseason poll, slipped to 13th after its loss to fifth-ranked Minnesota Duluth and is ranked 12th this week.
“We expect to take a big step,” said Baldwin. “I expect that we will have a salty taste in our mouths, which you always should after any loss. We have a couple of extra days to prepare for Central and we need to come back in that game like gangbusters.”
