‘We’re committed to winning’: Eastern Washington’s defense has bought into philosophical changes early in the season

Last weekend, an interesting thing happened on Eastern Washington’s side of the line of scrimmage when its defense was on the field.

Facing a third-and-long, Drake’s offense subbed in a personnel with four wide receivers, a common enough practice for a team that needs 10 or more yards to achieve a first down.

But the interesting thing was what Eastern Washington did: Unlike in previous years, it answered with a personnel grouping that included seven defensive backs.

To safeties coach Zach Bruce, who has been with the EWU football program nearly all of the past 12 years as a player and a coach, this was something entirely new – not so much the formation, but that Eastern was employing it.

That formation is one of 13, by Bruce’s estimate, that the Eagles have used through two games this season.

“Last year, we maybe had five,” Bruce said.

Two games is too small a sample size to draw sweeping conclusions about how much better Eastern Washington’s defense will be this season, but the evidence shows just how differently Eastern (1-1) is approaching that side of the ball under first-year coordinator Eric Sanders.

“Our new coordinator spent a lot of time in the NFL,” Bruce said, “and the No. 1 thing they do in the NFL is match personnels and put the best people on the field.”

If player buy-in is any indication, the early returns on it within the program are resoundingly positive.

“We’re getting something out of everybody,” Eagles senior nickelback Cage Schenck said. “Everyone has a role to play.”

The principle is simple enough: Put on the field the players best equipped to stop the particular formation that the offense presents.

It’s something easy enough to do in, say, the video game College Football 25.

But the practicalities of switching personnel in an actual game – Eastern’s next one is at 4 p.m. Saturday at Southeastern Louisiana (0-2) – are more complex and demand that players and coaches communicate smoothly.

“It takes a lot of communication. A lot,” redshirt junior cornerback DaJean Wells said. “Like, our first rule in our defense is to communicate, so we practice a lot. We try to get all the hiccups and errors out so when it comes to gametime it’s second nature.”

When Drake came out in a heavy formation on Saturday, Eastern answered with a personnel that included three defensive tackles, plus defensive ends Brock Harrison on one side and Dishawn Misa on the other. It was a 5-2-4 formation – five linemen, two linebackers and four defensive backs – that was better positioned to stop the run.

The challenge, though, is that just because a team comes out looking as if it is going to run doesn’t mean it will.

On that first play from scrimmage, Drake quarterback Luke Bailey didn’t hand off; he attempted, unsuccessfully, a pass.

Players in Sanders’ defense need to be versatile. Misa and Harrison, in that formation, need to stop the run, rush the passer and potentially cover a running back or tight end in pass coverage.

“In the NFL, you can sign the players for your defense,” Bruce said. “In college, Sanders, as a first-year coordinator, he doesn’t get to do that. We build the defense with what we’ve got.”

But Bruce said the Eagles are in good shape there, especially in the defensive backfield, because their players have the skill sets to do what is demanded of them.

Flexibility is already something he looks for when he recruits.

“(Cornerbacks) coach (Wes) Nurse and I, anytime we recruit guys, we want guys who can play seven different positions,” Bruce said. “… In our safety room, I’ve got guys who can do a lot of different stuff.”

One example is redshirt freshman Derek Ganter Jr., who through two games leads the Eagles with 13 tackles. Ganter can play both safety spots plus Will linebacker, Bruce said.

In general, the idea is to populate formations with players who are best suited to play it, which means the Eagles play a lot of players on defense – easily two dozen in each game so far. It also means that, depending on what another offense employs with formations, some players may end up with more snaps or fewer snaps.

“Everyone has put aside their egos of, ‘Oh, I should be playing this or that,’ ” Wells said. “The defense as a group, we’re committed to winning, and if that means you’re going out 10 plays or 40 plays, we’re committed to making that work.”

While two games is not enough time to make conclusive pronouncements about how well it’s working, early returns are promising.

Their run defense, which the past two years was among the FCS’ most porous, has allowed 116 yards on 42 carries through two games. Last year, they gave up at least that many rushing yards in every game except two.

The Eagles have also allowed fewer than 30 points in regulation in both games, something they did just four times last season.

“I think we’re doing a better job stopping the run, which was a big question,” Schenck said. “The defensive line has been physical and the linebackers have been playing downhill. We’ve just got to sharpen up our edges.”

There is plenty more the defense would like to do, Bruce said; it is only Week 2, after all.

Bruce, too, is competitive, and he believes in what his guys can do. He said he’d like to see a formation in which six safeties are on the field at the same time because he knows they are talented enough to do it well.

It’s within the realm of possibility.

Bruce said that when Sanders first proposed his plan, he said he’d been on NFL staffs (with the Browns, Jets and Raiders) that used as many as 48 different personnel groupings.

“It is fun now,” Bruce said. “Our players and coaches have grown so much and learned so much.”

Bruce said he is certain, too, that the Eagles have the personnel in place to bounce back from the overtime loss to Drake.

“The last two days have been exceptional days of practice,” Bruce said. “We’ve got a really good team and we’ve got really good kids and good leaders and good coaches who work their tails off.

“I believe the games we have coming up are going to take care of themselves.”