By Dan Thompson The Spokesman-Review
The Eastern Washington football team has an opportunity Saturday to make a statement against the Sacramento State Hornets.
The Hornets (4-4, 2-2 Big Sky) currently have more victories than any of the teams the Eagles (4-4, 3-1) have defeated this season, and their limbo status as a team leaving the FCS but not yet with an FBS conference home makes them a juicy foe. Take them down, and Eastern’s playoff resume is much stronger.
But to do so, they probably need to play better, specifically on offense. Eastern is averaging 328 yards per game, 100 fewer than Sacramento State. And while the Eagles have been opportunistic – last week, they scored three touchdowns in three red-zone visits – that’s not necessarily sustainable.
Here, then, are three factors to look for when the teams kick off at 1 p.m. at Roos Field in Cheney:
**1\. Whether the Eagles get after the Hornets QB.** Eastern has 13 sacks this season, half as many as Sacramento State, which leads the Big Sky with 26. While Eagles head coach Aaron Best has pointed out that sacks aren’t a perfect measure of the pressure a team puts on quarterbacks, he said Tuesday that the Eagles need to disrupt what the Hornets’ offensive line does.
“Our biggest challenge on both sides of the ball is the line of scrimmage,” Best said. “We’ve got to create seams in that (talented) offensive front. If they can protect, and we don’t get close to the quarterback, it could be a long day.”
Moving the line of scrimmage back would also impact the Hornets’ running game, which leads the league with 1,872 yards and is a close second to Montana State in yards-per-carry (5.5).
**2\. Whether the Eagles can get their own running game going.** On Tuesday, Best likened Eastern’s rushing stats from its win over Weber State – 40 carries for 30 yards – to the name of a documentary.
“I’m not interested in a sequel to 40 for 30,” he quipped, pointing out that the Eagles had to create “some kind of running game” on Saturday.
Doing so has been an issue during the Eagles’ four conference games, when they have averaged 3.8 yards per carry, third-worst in the league. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Nate Bell continues to lead the team in rushing yards with 639, but the Eagles haven’t gotten much out of running backs Kevin Allen III and Marceese Yetts. In their last two games, that duo has combined for 18 carries and six rushing yards.
With redshirt senior Jared Taylor now a full-time running back, he could spark the running game. But against Weber State he was more of a finisher than a dasher, rushing 11 times for 23 yards and two touchdowns.
**3\. Whether the Eagles keep their special teams rolling.** The Eagles rank among the Big Sky’s top five in returning kicks and punts this season, and combined with Hunter McKee’s work on kickoffs – the Eagles have had a league-low 10 kickoffs returned – those units have been a steady positive for the Eagles.
After an inconsistent start, senior punter Landon Ogles has excelled lately and leads the league with 19 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. The field position game is one the Eagles have been winning.
“Special teams have been huge,” Ogles said on Tuesday. “These games have come down to just a couple points, and every drive counts, whether it’s putting a punt inside the 10 or knocking down a field goal that we need. It can go hidden sometimes in the game, but I think it really makes a difference when a team has a great special teams unit out on the field.”