EWU

velochat · Post by **velochat** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 11:09 am

http://www.ewu.edu/x16345.xml

http://www.ewu.edu/x16361.xml

big match saturday night at Shroyer.

too bad the Spokesman makes people pay to read their paper on line now.

Obzerver · Post by **Obzerver** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 5:05 pm

I'll put the articles about the game as I get them out of the Spokesman.

Beating MSU should secure a postseason berth, but you never know, Dave Trimmer says

A win and EWU's in (maybe)
Dave Trimmer
The Spokesman-Review
November 9, 2004

The Eastern Washington football team has done everything necessary — well, almost everything — to win the Big Sky Conference championship and earn a berth in the I-AA playoffs.

There was that matter of a blocked field goal attempt last month that sealed a loss to Montana, which meant the final four games of the season were playoff games in all but name.

The Eagles (7-3, 5-1) are down to that last unofficial playoff game and all they have to do is go on the road and beat their third Top 25 team this season, a team with a coach that has no trouble gearing up his guys to see red.

Eastern, now ranked 16th, takes on No. 23 Montana State (6-3, 4-1), coached by former Eagles assistant and head coach Mike Kramer on Saturday.

The game will be televised on KAYU Fox-28 starting at 11 a.m.

With three losses already, the loser is out of the playoff picture. The Bobcats end the season next week at No. 9 Montana (7-2, 4-1).

We can assume, but not guarantee, Eastern will be in the playoffs with a win. No Big Sky co-champion or runner-up with only three losses has missed the playoffs, which implies that Eastern gets in with a win.

However, only the Big Sky champion is guaranteed a playoff berth and that won't be decided until after the Grizzlies and Bobcats battle.

If UM wins that game, it would be co-champion with Eastern, assuming it beats visiting Sacramento State on Saturday. An MSU win would hand the Eagles the title, assuming the Bobcats fall to EWU Saturday.

Montana holds the tie-breaker advantage over EWU, while Eastern holds an advantage over Montana State, with a win Saturday.

Put down the phone, we know we're assuming Montana beats visiting Sacramento State on Saturday. That seemed to be a safe assumption after watching the Eagles crush the Hornets 45-10 two weeks ago. However, Sac did beat then 17th-ranked MSU last weekend 38-28 just a week after the Cats destroyed Northern Arizona 60-14 the week before.

Go figure.

Positive thinking

What happens if the Eagles win?

Easy, they have a week to wonder what is going to happen.

First they watch to see if they are outright Big Sky champions thanks to a win by MSU or co-champs if the Grizzlies win.

Then come the I-AA playoff pairings, announced Sunday, Nov. 21 at 10 a.m. on ESPNEWS.

Teams are seeded 1-16, but only the top four seeds are guaranteed home games for the first round Nov. 27.

A minimum — repeat minimum — bid of $30,000 is required for a first-round home game and it goes up $10,000 for each round.

Another factor to consider is the Eagles averaged just 6,466 fans at Woodward Field despite drawing 10,754 for the Montana game. The two home games after that, Homecoming and the finale against then No. 11 Cal Poly, didn't crack 6,000. That ranks the Eagles 64th in the country with almost every team with a whiff of the playoffs drawing more.

Eastern will submit a proposal by Friday's deadline but the odds are against a playoff game in Cheney.

Guessing a first-round playoff opponent and location is difficult. This weekend the EWU-MSU game is just one of five involving Top 25.

One projection has Eastern traveling to Bowling Green, Ky., to play Western Kentucky, currently the fifth-ranked team.

Traditionally Big Sky teams play a lot of first-round games against the Southland Conference and the Gateway Conference, and Western Kentucky is in the Gateway.

The Gateway is only going to get two berths with top-ranked Southern Illinois all but guaranteed a top four seed. Western Kentucky is 7-2.

The Southland includes Nicholls State, which beat EWU in the season opener, McNeese State, Stephen F. Austin, Northwestern State and Sam Houston. It is probable Sam Houston State, currently 8-1 and ranked third, is going to be the only team to get in and the Bearkats are projected as a top four.

It should be noted that Harvard and Pennsylvania, which bracket Eastern in this week's Top 25, don't participate in the playoffs because they belong to the Ivy League. Grambling and Southern, which play in a traditional game after the playoffs start, don't participate. They are members of the Southwest Conference, which is split into two divisions with the winners meeting for the title in December. Current standings eliminate No. 25 Southern (again) and 20th-ranked Alabama State from consideration.

Honored

Eastern quarterback Erik Meyer and safety Brandon Keeler were named Big Sky Players of the Week after the 38-21 win over Cal Poly – which fell to 17th after the loss.

Meyer threw for a career-high 417 yards with four touchdowns against the Mustangs to move back to the lead nationally in passing efficiency. He shared the offensive honor with Sacramento State true freshman Ryan Mole who rushed for 245 yards, including touchdowns of 87 and 50 yards, in the upset of Montana State.

Keeler, a converted wide receiver, had nine tackles, including one for a loss, an end zone interception and a pass breakup on a fourth-down play.

The EWU defense held Sac State to two yards rushing, making opponents a minus-2 for the last three weeks. In the last eight games, the Eagles have allowed 594 yards rushing after giving up 599 in their first two games.

Meyer was honored for the second time, giving the Eagles four offensive players selected this year. Eric Kimble was honored as a receiver and special teams player. RB Darius Washington was also selected. Meyer was selected once last year and Kimble was picked two years ago.

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Post by **kmax** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 5:10 pm

Thanks Obzerver, appreciate it.

velochat · Post by **velochat** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 5:27 pm

Thanks, Obzerver, you're a gentleman and a scholar, as they say. Sometime in the past year, the Spokesman on-line stopped being available to those who registered for free and is now available only to subscribers. This puzzles me, as I doubt there's much revenue, and it means the info is limited to the locals, pretty much. Most papers in the world are free on-line.

Obzerver · Post by **Obzerver** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 9:29 pm

I paid at least until Football is over. EWU takes second fiddle to WSU, Idaho and even UW on coverage but it is getting better.

velochat · Post by **velochat** » Wed Nov 10, 2004 8:50 am

I've always had the impression that the Spokesman covers the Big Sky fairly well, considering that WSU, Gonzaga, and Idaho are much more popular. It was probably better when Idaho was in the Big Sky. I looked to see if the Tri-cities paper covered EWU, but there was nothing. Considering the uphill battle, EWU has done very well for itself. I always thought it would be much better for EWU to have a natural rival, such as CWU or WWU, in the conference.

grizhatr · Post by **grizhatr** » Wed Nov 10, 2004 8:56 am

That's because Dave Trimmer is from Billings and he is the sports writer for the Spokesman. He used to be with the Gazette in the eighties.

velochat · Post by **velochat** » Wed Nov 10, 2004 9:10 am

The Spokesman certainly covers the Sky better than the Wyoming Gazette. Story in today's Trib on the game:

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/p ... 00326/1006