Eastern Washington
N/A0-0
Washington State
12th PAC-123-9
Eastern Washington @ Washington State preview
Martin Stadium
The second contest of the Mike Leach era contains dicey circumstances as Washington State hosts FCS school Eastern Washington. The Eagles are located approximately 70 miles north of Washington State but the talent gap is much more miniscule. Eastern Washington won the 2010 FCS national championship and narrowly lost at Washington last season. The Eagles won’t be intimidated by the Pac-12 Cougars, who sputtered badly in Leach’s first game as coach and were routed 30-6 by Brigham Young. Washington State’s offense produced just 224 yards and two field goals, a major disappointment amid Leach’s high-profile arrival. Eastern Washington, which plays in the Big Sky, is ranked ninth in Sports Network’s FCS Top 25 poll. The Eagles beat Idaho 20-3 in their opener to snap a 10-game skid against FBS squads.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Networks Washington LINE: None
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON (1-0, 0-0 Big Sky): The Eagles feature an experienced quarterback in junior Kyle Padron, a transfer who started 21 games for Southern Methodist. Padron completed 13 of 33 passes for 260 yards against Idaho. Two seasons ago, Padron passed for 280 yards as SMU defeated Washington State. Junior receiver Brandon Kaufman had 148 yards against Idaho for his ninth career 100-yard outing. Junior linebacker Ronnie Hamlin was the Big Sky’s defensive player of the week after posting eight tackles and helping hold Idaho to 2-of-15 on third-down conversions.
ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (0-1, 0-0 Pac-12): Senior quarterback Jeff Tuel posted a career-best 30 completions against BYU but also was intercepted twice. Tuel threw for 229 yards and ranks 10th in school annals with 4,074 passing yards. Junior receiver Marquess Wilson had four receptions, and his 141 career catches rank seventh in school history. The Cougars will look to get their running game going after having minus-5 yards against BYU. Defensively, senior end/linebacker Travis Long had 2.5 tackles for loss and ranks seventh in Washington State history with 31.5 for his career. The secondary needs to step up after allowing 303 passing yards.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Washington State won the only two previous meetings but both contests were over 100 years ago – 46-0 in 1907 and 73-0 in 1908.
2. Eastern Washington is 2-12 in its last 14 games against FBS schools, with both victories coming against Idaho.
3. Washington State hasn’t lost to a current Big Sky program since 1947 and has a 43-2 mark against teams from the conference.
PREDICTION: Washington State 23, Eastern Washington 21.
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TV: 3 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Networks Washington LINE: None
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON (1-0, 0-0 Big Sky): The Eagles feature an experienced quarterback in junior Kyle Padron, a transfer who started 21 games for Southern Methodist. Padron completed 13 of 33 passes for 260 yards against Idaho. Two seasons ago, Padron passed for 280 yards as SMU defeated Washington State. Junior receiver Brandon Kaufman had 148 yards against Idaho for his ninth career 100-yard outing. Junior linebacker Ronnie Hamlin was the Big Sky’s defensive player of the week after posting eight tackles and helping hold Idaho to 2-of-15 on third-down conversions.
ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (0-1, 0-0 Pac-12): Senior quarterback Jeff Tuel posted a career-best 30 completions against BYU but also was intercepted twice. Tuel threw for 229 yards and ranks 10th in school annals with 4,074 passing yards. Junior receiver Marquess Wilson had four receptions, and his 141 career catches rank seventh in school history. The Cougars will look to get their running game going after having minus-5 yards against BYU. Defensively, senior end/linebacker Travis Long had 2.5 tackles for loss and ranks seventh in Washington State history with 31.5 for his career. The secondary needs to step up after allowing 303 passing yards.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Washington State won the only two previous meetings but both contests were over 100 years ago – 46-0 in 1907 and 73-0 in 1908.
2. Eastern Washington is 2-12 in its last 14 games against FBS schools, with both victories coming against Idaho.
3. Washington State hasn’t lost to a current Big Sky program since 1947 and has a 43-2 mark against teams from the conference.
PREDICTION: Washington State 23, Eastern Washington 21.
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