Things to watch: How Eastern Washington can snap is three-game losing streak against Montana

When he watches film with other players on the Eastern Washington defense, Conner O’Farrell sees the breakdowns.

But, he said, he also sees how close the Eagles are to clicking.

“We get a lot of green,” O’Farrell said, referring to how the defense categorizes plays in which they did what they were supposed to, as opposed to the red ones that didn’t go as well. “And then there’ll be a red. One play, one explosive (play). One mishap turns into a big gain.”

Eastern (1-3) plays its fifth game of the season Saturday at Roos Field in Cheney. The Eagles’ opponent is the No. 8 Montana Grizzlies (3-1). It is the Big Sky opener for both teams.

The play of Eastern’s defense is certainly one aspect of the game to watch , as the Eagles will look to corral Montana’s bevy of rushing threats.

Here’s a look at that as well as two other keys to the matchup on the red turf:

1. Can the EWU defense get into Montana’s backfield? Through four games, the Eagles rank ninth in the Big Sky with five sacks, eight fewer than Montana and 11 fewer than conference leader Sacramento State.

Beyond the sacks, though, the Eagles also have just 12 tackles for loss. They have allowed opponents to gain 5.1 yards per carry, third most among Big Sky teams.

Montana has allowed a conference-high 10 sacks , two more than Eastern . But the Grizzlies will almost certainly try to win this game on the ground: They have 1,086 rushing yards as a team and have scored 17 rushing touchdowns, the most in the FCS.

2. Will the Eagles run effectively? Eastern has run the ball well in three of its four games, and a notable absence from the other one – the 28-24 loss at Southeastern Louisiana – was senior quarterback Jared Taylor. Taylor also missed the Drake loss (35-32), but the Eagles still had 206 rushing yards against the Bulldogs. Against the Lions, they had 90.

Taylor returned last week against Nevada, and he and running back Malik Dotson led the Eagles’ in an efficient ground game that gained 170 yards on 33 runs.

Montana has been stout against the run, allowing just 3.1 yards per carry and 107.8 yards per game. A performance such as the Eagles’ showing against Nevada would bode well for Eastern and would, in theory, open up its passing attack, which has mostly stuck to conservative short-to-midrange throws.

3. Can Eastern change the field in the return game? Montana’s coverage teams have been the Big Sky’s most effective. The Grizzlies lead the conference in net kickoff yardage and rank third in net punting average. That’s not surprising, as under head coach Bobby Hauck – who was for three years the special teams coordinator at San Diego State – Montana has been consistently good in special teams.

But in the return game, and on kickoffs especially, the Eagles have shown improvement this season under first-year coordinator Danny McDonald. Michael Wortham, who frequently brings the football out of the end zone, leads the league in kicks returned (14) and in kick return average (24.1). His 55-yard return against Drake is the longest by a Big Sky player this season.

Special teams has been a positive for the Eagles this season. Even one game-changing play in the Eagles’ favor Saturday could go a long way for Eastern’s chances to upset Montana and start Big Sky play with a victory.