Cooper Kupp finally scored a touchdown for his home-state franchise. Kendrick Bourne continued his upward trend with another sparkling showing.
Eastern Washington football was represented well on the NFL stage Sunday, as two Eagles legends had standout pass-catching performances.
Kupp, the most decorated player in EWU history, hauled in his first touchdown pass as a member of the Seattle Seahawks. Bourne, an FCS All-American during his time with the Eagles (2013-16), tied his career high in receiving yards, amassing 142 yards for the second straight week for the San Francisco 49ers.
Kupp’s third-quarter touchdown helped the Seahawks put away the Jacksonville Jaguars. On a third-and-3, Kupp darted upfield and cut outside to gain just enough separation to make a tough, falling catch near the sideline for an 11-yard TD, putting Seattle up by 14 points. The Seahawks went on to win 20-12. Kupp set up the touchdown three plays earlier with a 29-yard catch-and-run.
The Yakima native finished with 40 yards on those two receptions. Kupp, now in his first year with Seattle after eight seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, has 23 catches for 261 yards and a TD on the year.
Bourne had another huge game, matching a career high in receiving yardage that he’d set just 10 days prior. He totaled 142 yards on five catches during the 49ers’ 30-19 loss at Tampa Bay. Bourne had the third-most receiving yards of any NFL player Sunday.
He reeled in a 41-yard catch on a deep corner route over the middle of the field in the first quarter. Bourne recorded a 56-yard reception in the second quarter, catching the ball about 20 yards down the field and racing ahead for extra yardage. He also had catches of 19 and 14 yards during a third-quarter drive.
Bourne appears to be trending toward a starring role with the 49ers in his second stint with the team – he began his career in San Francisco in 2017 and spent four years with the franchise before a four-year stay in New England. The ninth-year vet, who was picked up by the 49ers on Sept. 8 after spending a couple of months mulling his options in free agency, started the season slow, but broke out with a 10-catch, 142-yard effort Oct. 2 in an overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams, then followed that performance up with another career day.
On the season, Bourne is up to 371 yards on 23 catches, but has yet to score.
• **Abraham Lucas (WSU)**, the Seahawks’ right tackle, played all 55 snaps during Sunday’s win. The fourth-year pro allowed one pressure but didn’t give up a sack.
Lucas has an overall grade of 70 on the season, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics, which ranks him at 28th of 112 NFL tackles.
• **Cam Ward (WSU)**, the rookie quarterback for Tennessee, had another day to forget as the Titans fell to 1-5 with a 20-10 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders .
Ward threw a pick, lost two fumbles and absorbed six sacks. He completed 26 of 38 passes for 222 yards with the pick and one touchdown, a 1-yard dart to David Martin-Robinson late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.
Ward lost a fumble when he was sacked near his own goal line in the second quarter. The Raiders recovered and capitalized with a touchdown to make the score 10-0. He threw an ugly pick two drives later, tossing it right to the defense just before halftime.
The first overall pick in this year’s draft, Ward has had an unfortunate start to his NFL career. On the season, he’s passed for 1,101 yards and three touchdowns with four interceptions on a 55% completion rate. He ranks last in QBR among starters and has taken a league-high 25 sacks.
**• Daiyan Henley (WSU)**, a team captain at inside linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers, totaled a team-high seven tackles (three solo) in a 29-27 win over Miami.
The third-year pro, a fast-rising name in the NFL, made two stops behind the line of scrimmage on running plays during a Dolphins drive in the second quarter. Henley leads L.A. with 39 tackles on the season.
• **Jalen Thompson (WSU)** had another consistent outing in his 78th-career start at strong safety for the Arizona Cardinals.
The seventh-year vet tied for third on the team with six tackles (three solo), and allowed two short receptions during a 31-27 loss to Indianapolis.
• **Jaylen Watson (WSU)** started again at cornerback for Kansas City during its 30-17 win over Detroit. The fourth-year pro made three tackles and allowed three catches.
• **Jaden Hicks (WSU)** started at safety for Kansas City, but surprisingly spent much of the game on the bench and didn’t record any stats. Hicks had been one of the top hitters in the Chiefs’ secondary over the first five games of the year.
• **Chau Smith-Wade (WSU)** returned to the Carolina Panthers’ lineup after missing last week with an injury. The second-year cornerback came off the bench to record three solo tackles during a 30-27 win over Dallas.
• **Daniel Ekuale (WSU)**, a veteran defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, recorded one tackle and a QB hit during a 23-9 win over Cleveland.
• **Samson Ebukam (EWU)**, a ninth-year pro and rotational defensive end for Indianapolis, made two solo tackles during the win over Arizona, stuffing a run at the line of scrimmage on one stop.
• **Christian Elliss (Idaho)**, a starting linebacker for New England, made a big play in the fourth quarter of the Patriots’ 25-19 win over New Orleans.
The fifth-year pro, in his first season as a full-time starter, punched the ball out of Juwan Johnson’s hands just before the Saints tight end’s knee hit the turf. The fumble was recovered by New England. Elliss’ highlight came at a critical point in the game. It stopped a New Orleans drive near midfield with under nine minutes to play and with the Patriots clinging to a six-point lead.
Elliss finished second on the team with seven tackles (three solo) and a pass deflection.
• **Ryan Rehkow (Central Valley)** averaged 52.8 yards on four punts for Cincinnati during a 27-18 loss to Green Bay. Rehkow pinned the Packers inside the 20-yard line on three punts.