Despite disappointing start to season, Eastern Washington players keep ‘unwavering belief’

For the past few months, since Eastern Washington resumed football practices, players and coaches have consistently expressed optimism that this year would be different from the past two, both of which ended with losing records.

Yet through five games, the Eagles’ record is the same as it was in 2022 (1-4) and is one win worse than it was last season, which ended with a 4-7 record.

Still, as the losses have accumulated, EWU captain Austin York hasn’t lost faith.

Far from it.

To York, the senior tight end who is in his third year with the program, there is still a window of opportunity for the Eagles, who face Sacramento State on Saturday night in California, seeking to end a four-game losing streak, three which have come by four points or less.

“It’s just the culture that’s been built over so many years here that it’s an unwavering belief in ourselves to go out and execute and believe what we’re coached to do,” York said Tuesday. “It’s the culture, the family. That’s what it really comes down to.”

Eastern (1-4, 0-1 Big Sky) likely needs to win six of its last seven regular-season games – and even that might be generous – if it hopes to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021 when it won 10 games and reached the second round of the FCS postseason.

But Sacramento State, a playoff team each of the past three seasons, is in a precarious spot itself.

The Hornets (2-3, 0-1) are still among the conference’s seven ranked teams, sitting 18th in the latest FCS Stats Perform Top 25. But their latest performance two weeks ago in a 34-16 loss at Northern Arizona – like the Eagles, the Hornets are coming off a bye – didn’t do much to bolster their postseason hopes.

Against the Lumberjacks, who are ranked 24th, the Hornets amassed a season-low 231 yards of offense and scored just one touchdown, something their offense hadn’t done since a 34-16 home loss to Northern Iowa on Sept. 11, 2021.

Depending on the perspective, a matchup with the Eagles could either be just what the Hornets’ offense needs or precisely what a maligned Eastern Washington defense is looking for.

“Our guys work extremely hard, and it’s early in conference season, so all your goals are still out there,” Sacramento State coach Andy Thompson said Wednesday. “But there has been an urgency to try to improve from our previous week.”

For the fourth game in a row, the Hornets expect to start redshirt freshman Carson Conklin at quarterback. Conklin stepped in for senior Kaiden Bennett, who was injured in Week 2 at Fresno State. Bennett is not listed on this week’s depth chart.

Conklin has completed 76 of 137 passes for 862 yards and nine touchdowns as well as three interceptions. He isn’t much of a rushing threat: His season-long is 9 yards.

Junior running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver has been the Hornets’ most consistent weapon on offense, rushing 93 times for 491 yards and three touchdowns. SSU ranks 11th in the Big Sky in total offense (375.6 yards per game) while committing 14 turnovers.

Eastern, for its part, has taken great care of the football, committing just two turnovers. But it’s also forced just two from its opponents.

And for all of its trouble with giving away the football, SSU has been nearly as good at getting it back, reeling in six interceptions and recovering seven fumbles.

“Turnovers are big. I think they do come in bunches,” EWU head coach Aaron Best said during media availability on Tuesday. “We have not caused one fumble all year, and to do that we’ve got to be there.”

The Hornets have been stout on defense, allowing the third-fewest yards per game in the Big Sky (325.6).

But the Eagles are heading to Sacramento with a great deal of momentum on offense, having scored 28 points in the fourth quarter of a 52-49 loss to Montana.

“The fact they’ve run the ball with all those different schemes, and they’re able to have a passing game to complement it, makes you have to defend the whole field,” Thompson said, “and I think that’s what they did so well in that fourth quarter against Montana.”

Eastern has averaged 198.8 yards rushing this season. Those yards have been well distributed among five players, led by redshirt junior running back Tuna Altahir (306 yards on 52 carries). Redshirt junior Malik Dotson has come on strongly and has 271 rushing yards on the season, followed by redshirt junior quarterbacks Jared Taylor (190) and Kekoa Visperas (143).

Visperas – who hasn’t thrown an interception this season in 142 attempts – also played perhaps his most effective half of his career against Montana as he led the Eagles back to within three points after trailing by as many as 17.

“The trust in each other really came out and flourished in the second half (against Montana), especially from Kekoa,” York said. “It’s just who he was, so obviously none of us were surprised. He’s just a phenomenal athlete.”

The fact remains, though, that the Eagles and Hornets desperately need to win this game.

For the Eagles, the road gets no easier. Each of their next three games come against ranked Big Sky opponents.

“The level of competition in the Big Sky, the margin is so thin,” York said, “so it really comes down to us playing bigger in those (key) situations, adding up the third-down conversions.

“It comes down to playing our brand of football in all three phases.”