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They have red turf...very hard to look at...a lot worse than the stripes.
They have an impressive resume...
The beat Washington State and have a close OT loss to North Dakota State
They are 10-1 on the season
They play in the Big Sky Conference
They beat both Montana and Montana State it appears without much trouble.
They throw it a gazillion times a game
They have a National Championship in 2010
They are in the playoffs on a routine basis.

I'm pretty sure this will be the first ever meeting between the two programs.

Bears will be ready...

BPSG
___________________
GO BEARS

Well, I have, kind of, removed myself on the previous discussion regarding the poor attendance and pi$$ poor marketing...time to move on.

Know this would be difficult, but is anyone on here planning to go ? Right now, I'm going....my wife is not happy with me at all, but understands.

No turnovers
Few penalties
Start Faster on offense
Play for each other

EWU is the best team that we will have faced since Okla State. Yes ,I'm putting them ahead of Sam. They beat Washington State who almost made the Pac 10 championship game. Their star receiver, Cooper Kupp has absolutely put up some crazy stats. Desmond just broke Norvell's record and now has 223 receptions. This guy has over 400 in 39 games. O Line have a great day and we have a great chance.

Hey all. I just wanted to invite you guys to join our discussion over at http://www.bigskyfans.com/eagles

How many folks do you think will make the trip up to Cheney? We have a pretty nice tailgate scene and I'm sure you'd find our fans to be gregarious hosts (as long as you aren't also a Montana fan.)

A few things about the team:
Cooper Kupp is probably the best player in the country, and would probably be the best receiver at almost any Power 5 school. He sprained his shoulder in our last regular season game, but is expected back.

Our offense as a whole is ridiculous. Primarily known for our passing prowess, we've been building a running game as the season progresses. We have a young line and a freshman running back that looks to be a bright spot for the future.

Our defense has struggled in the past, but are really starting to solidify. We've got a stud linebacker and a couple hosses on the line.

Special teams is solid, with the minor exception of a questionable field goal kicking unit.

Should be a fun game, I won't be able to make it in person, but will be watching from Seattle.

Good luck, and Go Eags. Feel free to ask any more questions.

BTW- our field is beautiful. Yours is the real ugly one. Gray stripes???

I personally believe both fields are awful.

If we can get into a rhythm offensively and not put the ball on the turf, then we will have a shot. Keeping the EWU offense off the field will be paramount. The defense will provide enough stops if the offense can move the ball. If that happens, the game will be close and could come down to special teams, which is our specialty!

I wish I could make it, but can't really justify an impromptu $1,000 trip right now. Hope it's a good atmosphere...

I personally feel as though this game has all the makings of SHSU 2.0! Our offense is EXTREMELY slow getting started, and our defense, while great against the run, couldn't stop SHSU from slinging it all over the field and I feel that Eastern Washington is a few notches above SHSU.
I pray this Bears team steps up to the challenge and proves me wrong, but I feel this one could be over quickly for our Bears.

I would put 7 DB's in the game and just rush with the front 4 who are more than capable of creating havoc in the backfield. Force EW to run the ball, and we have a chance. Open up our playbook and try to jump on them early, and put the pressure back on them, cause the to rush and make mistakes.
we are not suppose to win to what to we have to lose by pulling out all the stops.

I would put 7 DB's in the game and just rush with the front 4 who are more than capable of creating havoc in the backfield. Force EW to run the ball, and we have a chance. Open up our playbook and try to jump on them early, and put the pressure back on them, cause the to rush and make mistakes.
we are not suppose to win to what to we have to lose by pulling out all the stops.[/quote

I looked at the EWU vs. NDSU box score just to get an idea how NDSU won. NDSU ran 74 plays for 280 yards rushing and 257 yards passing and had time of possession of 34 minutes. EWU ran 75 plays for 106 yes rushing, 450 yds passing and had a possession time of 26 minutes. Obviously NDSU pounded the running game, controlled the clock and had a balanced attack, but this game still was a shoot out which NDSU won 50-44 in OT. If the Bison couldn't control the game with these stats plus 3 interceptions, the Bears will have their hands full given our normal game plan and slow start. Perhaps your suggestion of trying 7 DB's makes sense?

Really super proud for you guys at UCA! Way to not let go of the dream and come out on top! Super awesome!

Can't wait for you guys to play EWU. I really think if you run the ball well against them, you can control the clock and not get into a shoot out with them.

Combine that with your front line D crashing the LOS with your LB's filling the gaps will create havoc for them, and may actually bring their season to a quick conclusion.

I'm pulling for you Bears!


RastaKat

Southland Strong!

First, I think of it as purple stripes..........

Second, would love an all SLC game in Frisco..............

Third, huge hill for Bears this weekend......maybe we learned something from the SHS game..........got to control the LOS and clock...............and get TOs............and make sure tackles ...........try to slow them down enough to help stay in the game......field position with special teams..........great o-line play..........Nate opens the playbook to full throttle..........execute.......if you ever want to play for national championships in FCS you have to step it up to win against these type teams.......

Some random thoughts about EWU:
- Somehow a team that has thrown the ball 485 times has only given up 18 sacks on the year. Not as good as Sam Houston, but fairly similar. Sam was able to pick apart our defense with those quick passes that didn't allow our defensive line time to get any pressure.

- After the first three games of the season, the only close game EWU has played was the last one against 3-8 Portland State. The Vikings were able to run the ball, control the clock (+9:30 TOP), and "limit" the EWU passing attack to just 304 yards including one interception. (By comparison, even NDSU gave up 450 yards passing in game 2 of the season.) EWU actually trailed Portland State by 7 headed into the 4th quarter before scoring 14 in the final period to win 35-28 on the road.

- Looking at the NDSU and Northern Iowa (who finished 5-6) games, it's not really obvious on paper what they did so well to win/stay close. NDSU was +2 in turnover margin and UNI +1. But there's not a lot similar outside of that.

- The EWU defense started the season giving up 36 ppg thru the first 6 games. In the final 5, just 20.

Big Sky Recap
- The conference had four teams reach the playoffs. Weber State and Cal Poly both go down in round one. North Dakota and EWU had first-round byes.

- The conference schedule also set up nicely for EWU. They didn't face North Dakota or Weber State during the regular season.

I agree with ddasm3. 7 - dbacks or blitz every down and make them throw it
quick. Pull out all the stops on offense and throw the ball vertically when we throw.
If the offense can every figure out how to get started from the 1st possession...
imagine how good this team would be?

BPSG
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GO BEARS

Anyone hear if Jatavious is good to go this weekend?