SEMO

[SEMOFB2010]

First off to all teams that made the field of 20.....Congratulations. From talking to many players and alumni we maybe a little disapointed on the pairing but are more then happy to just be in. To EWU fans...congrats on a great season and what do SEMO fans need to know about your team, who to watch, what does your offens\defense run. What are some things SEMO fans need to see\do when we get to town. I know there are many alumni\fans from SEMO that are making plans for the trip. This has the makings of being a great second round game.

[EWURanger]

http://www.bigskyfans.com/eagles/viewforum.php?f=2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Any questions you have can be answered there.

[SEMOFB2010]

Waiting for my registration conformation. Got some questions for you guys. Can't wait for red-on-red-on-red next weekend.

[freebird]

First off to all teams that made the field of 20.....Congratulations. From talking to many players and alumni we maybe a little disapointed on the pairing but are more then happy to just be in. To EWU fans...congrats on a great season and what do SEMO fans need to know about your team, who to watch, what does your offens\defense run. What are some things SEMO fans need to see\do when we get to town. I know there are many alumni\fans from SEMO that are making plans for the trip. This has the makings of being a great second round game.

Welcome SEMO fan. I think Eastern is a little disappointed in getting such a quality opponent in their first game too, but hey, these are the playoffs and the goal is to prove you are better than all the teams in the field.

EWU primarily runs a one back pro set with a pretty good balance between running and passing. You can see some highlights of our RB in the Payton award thread in this forum. He doesn't have quite the yards per game as your back, but he's pretty good. On defense we haven't faced an traditional option team this year, and probably haven't for many years, so that could be interesting. We have faced two teams that ran the pistol offense. Our guys are going to need play disciplined and keep their assignments if we are to be successful. We do have good team speed on defense.

As far as coming to town. Cheney is a great small college town about 20 miles from Spokane. The people are great and very friendly to guests. The closest decent hotel is the Holiday Inn Express. It's newer, clean, and very well managed, The service is great and they'll also run a shuttle to and from the game, and pretty much pick you up when you call. The cheapest places to stay will be in Airway Heights around the airport and about 15 minutes to Cheney. If you want to see the sights and have the best selection of restuarants, I'd suggest staying around river park in Spokane. It's about 20 or 25 minutes to Cheney from there. There is a nice riverwalk and park, Spokane Falls, an IMAX, Spokane Arena, a large mall, and a fun zone for the little tikes, all within walking distance. There's a pretty good Martini bar called Twigs in the mall, also within walking distance. A good local place to eat around River Park would be the Red Lion Bar and Grill (not associated with the hotel, or even on the same grounds). Good BBQ and large portions pool tables and a good selection of beers. Anythony's Seafood over looks the falls and is also quite good. There was a really good Irish pub too, but I forget the name. All the hotel chains are in the River Park area, but I'd avoid both the Red Lions. I've stayed in the tower there and it was okay, but the other rooms were dirty. When I complained they suggested upgrading to a tower room. Nice, apparently clean rooms are extra. I've also stayed at the Marriot, Double Tree, and Hilton there and been very happy. If you don't mind off chain hotels, the Oxford Suites in Spokane is my personal favorite.

For more on game day experiences see the form that Ranger recommended. You might have to dig, but there is a tailgating thread from last summer that talks about all the good local haunts.

You should definitely come out to Cheney and enjoy the playoff experience.

[Screamin_Eagle174]

O'Dougherty's Irish Pub. Love that place, especially the Shepherds Pie.

[Screamin_Eagle174]

Ironic sidenote: I started creating the signature banner before the bracket was announced, and had to go online to find a crowd shot of fans wearing red. Here's the pic I ended up choosing:

[blazerbird]

Love the banner SE. I was just looking at the box score from Saturday's game which shows we weren't penalized once. Amazing. Anyway, for those coming to the game, I suggest staying in downtown Spokane. You'll find everything there. Great hotels (Davenport, Lusso, Montvale), good restaurants (Clinkerdagger, Scratch, Anthony's, PF Changs), and shopping (Riverpark Square). Plus there's Riverfront Park, wineries, the MAC, and much more. Come to Roos Field well before the game and tailgate with us. Last Saturday we must have had 30 people eating, drinking, and staying warm around our fire. Awesome time. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who braved the cold and wind.
I was looking at a few of SEMO's box scores. Your RB Harris carries the load on offense. Although your QB looks capable, I saw a few games where he passed fewer than a dozen times. We mix run and pass up very well and as others have mentioned, can shut offenses down in the red zone. If I were the opponent, I would try to pressure Mitchell as much as possible. When he has time, he can pick a defense apart. When pressured, he's made some dumb mistakes.