I Saw Red




The Eastern Washington Eagles holding a walkthrough on Friday afternoon at "The Inferno."

Eastern Washington's football team plays host to North Dakota State in a Division I quarterfinal on Saturday in Cheney. The Eagles are looking for their first semifinal appearance since 1997. 

Back in 1997, the Eagles made their playoff run about 20 miles away at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane. Tomorrow, it will be at Roos Field on the red turf. The Eagles are 6-0 at "The Inferno."

Beau Baldwin has done a tremendous job with the Eagles. The Spokeman-Review ran a great feature on the third-year coach in Friday's edition. 

North Dakota State is coming off a 42-17 win over Montana State last week in Bozeman. Although the score ended up lopsided, the game was close for more than 45 minutes. In fact, Montana State led early in the fourth quarter.

The Bison might've been the last at-large team selection for the 20-team field. NDSU finished the regular season 7-4 with all four losses coming in Missouri Valley Conference play. NDSU opened the season with a 6-3 win over Kansas and closed the regular season with a 3-0 loss to Missouri State.

The Bison are very good on the offensive and defensive lines. NDSU has a very strong run game, led by D.J. McNorton, who rushed for 207 yards and four touchdowns against the Bobcats.

NDSU is a below-average passing team. Last week, the squad completed one pass the entire second half. Of course, when you rush for 376 yards who needs to pass?

Eastern Washington's defense stepped up big in the second half in a 37-17 win over Southeast Missouri State. Led by Buck Buchanan Award candidate J.C. Sherritt, the Eagles allowed just 26 second-half yards and zero points. 

Walter Payton Award candidate Taiwan Jones led the offense with 168 yards and two touchdowns. Jones is something Montana State's offense didn't have. He's something that no one else at the FCS level has.

So, can Eastern Washington win tomorrow? Yes, and here are my keys to an Eagle victory.

1. Don't turn the ball over. You can say this every week, but turnovers are magnified in big games. Bo Levi Mitchell threw a very bad pick-six last week. He can't do that tomorrow.

2. If Taiwan Jones gets loose, he must score. Jones can score from 40, 50 or 60 yards. What the Eagles don't need is for his big runs to end at the 15 or 10-yard line. NDSU's defense is very strong in the red zone.

3. Sherritt and the rest of the defense needs to contain the NDSU run game. If EWU can get ahead in the game, and force NDSU to throw the ball I don't see the Bison being able to win.

4. Keep the Bison offense off the field. The Bison offensive line can own a fourth quarter. Best for the Eagles to make quick stops and get lots of rest.

Should be a great game. The winner gets either Appalachian State or Villanova.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference