Fordham has been waiting for chance to challenge Eastern Washington
New Yorkers will barely bat an eye when Eastern Washington takes the football field Saturday.
The Giants are home this weekend and so are the Yankees, who play just three miles away.
And this is New York, after all.
But in one tiny corner of the Bronx, they’ve been waiting anxiously for this opportunity since last fall, when Fordham and the Eagles arranged this rare nonconference matchup at 7,000-seat Jack Coffey Field.
“We’re excited to play the game, and I’m really happy that we were able to work it out,” Fordham coach Andrew Breiner said Thursday from the Bronx.
“We’re a program that’s had a lot of success, and if we want to be consistent in that top tier and find out where we are, then this is a good game for us.”
That goes double for the Eagles, who are ranked 12th in the nation but sit at 0-2 after blowout losses to Texas Tech and North Dakota State.
While Breiner spoke, the Eagles were en route to New York. Many of the players have never been east of the Mississippi, so the journey offers the bonus of some cultural enrichment.
That’s nice, but this also is a serious business trip for first-year coach Aaron Best, who still has one big box to check.
“The firsts are done now – the first road game, the first home game,” said Best. “There is one first left and that is a win.
“We’ll get on the saddle and do whatever we can. We’ll roll up the sleeves, roll up our pants, tie our shoelaces tighter – our only mission this week is to win.”
To do that, the Eagles probably will have to score more than 11 1/2 points, which is their two-game average thanks to some struggles in the pass and run games.
Quarterback Gage Gubrud has been off-target and his receivers have struggled to get separation and make catches.
“We think we can be a great team, we truly believe that,” EWU wide receiver Nic Sblendorio said. “We’re a tough, resilient group.”
So is the EWU defense, but no one could hold up after spending 43 minutes on the field, as the Eagles did against NDSU. Fordham employs a similar ball-control offense, although not as proficient as the Bison.
The Rams’ best player, All-American running back Chase Edmonds, is questionable with a knee and leg injury.
Eastern lost wide receiver Terence Grady and offensive lineman Kaleb Levao last weekend.
Three other starters – linebacker Ketner Kupp, defensive lineman Jay-Tee Tiuli and cornberback Nzuzi Webster – are questionable.