THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Eastern looks to get back upright in football
Much like the Oklahoma “Sooner Schooner” did a few years back while celebrating a touchdown, the Eastern Washington football bandwagon took a tumble the past two seasons.
Records of 3-8 in 2022 and 4-7 last season will do that to an Eagle program used to success in recent years — 12 trips to the FCS playoffs in 18 seasons, including a national championship in 2010.
It’s too early to say the Eags are back after Thursday’s not-as-close-as-that 42-27 victory over Monmouth on Thursday night at Roos Field.
But after displaying an improved defense, coupled with an explosive offense Eastern fans are used to, the Eagles are, as they say, trending.
“Being on the short side of things might make you appreciate the better side of things,” EWU coach Aaron Best said in July, at the Big Sky Football Kickoff media day in Airway Heights. "A lot of people get spoiled winning early. Success is defined differently by different people. Some may say, 10 wins. Some may say, great fathers, great husbands. Great husbands and fathers isn’t put on the sports page. So the world bases these guys’ evaluations, and coaches’ evaluations, on wins and losses.”
EASTERN WAS picked to finish sixth by the media and eighth by the coaches in the preseason football poll.
The Eags don’t worry about that; polls are a talking point for a week or so, then all but forgotten once practice and the season starts.
“I think I speak for coach (Mike) Kramer and coach (Paul) Wulff and coach (Beau) Baldwin (previous EWU coaches), Eastern’s known, it’s a national brand," Best said. “Doing the two-year evaluation, and saying, 'Well, they’re not what they once were,’ I readily admit, we aren’t. We missed the playoffs the last two years, and playoffs were kinda the standard. But the hardest part in sports, in my opinion, is highly successful consistency. With the portal, with coaches in and out, when you’re operating at a high level, on a consistent basis, boy, that’s impressive.”
EWU defensive end Brock Harrison, a graduate student, said things will be different this year with many key veterans returning.
“That’s something for us to fall back on, what we’ve been through those two years, and it is what it is,” Harrison said. “It wasn’t fun to be a part of, but there’s a lot of learning experiences to have in those two years, and that’s how we look it going into this season. Not as, dreading on the past, more so looking toward the future and what we can do.”
PLUS, WHILE Eastern has missed the postseason the last two years, the Idaho Vandals, some 77 miles away, have reached the playoffs the past two seasons under coach Jason Eck, pummeling the Eags in 2022 and winning at Cheney last year.
"I know it was a very bitter rivalry before I came to Cheney,” said Best, who played at Eastern before becoming and Eagle coach. “Heard a lot of stories, and all probably really true, and I think it’s getting that way. We’ve got to present more of an issue, which we did last year for them. Rivalries are always back and forth. It’s tough to call it a rivalry, and force-feed it. They’ve gotten the better of us the last few years; last year we came up short.
“Coach Eck’s got those guys rolling. We don’t circle anybody, but we’re very aware of, who are the main games, where they’re at. We respect every program in this room, but coach Eck’s got them headed in the right direction, and it’s crappy to watch those guys in the playoffs when you’re at home. But you root for the Big Sky Conference, and you want there to be success, because you know how tough this conference is.”
TWO LOCAL players are on the Eastern Washington roster this year, both true freshmen — linebacker Shea Robertson from Coeur d’Alene High, and tight end Asher Bowie from Post Falls High.
Best said most of his freshmen redshirt, but much like the backup quarterback, some of them could be one play away from seeing action.
On Robertson ...
“Best way to describe him is, football player,” Best said. “Kind of a throwback, tackles well, physical, plays sideline to sideline, has pretty good length. He was in our camps, so we got a firsthand glimpse of him. Comes from a winning program. He’s got a great future. Great kid; great family.”
Best said Robertson will play either strong-side linebacker or middle linebacker.
“He’ll play in the box,” Best said. “In this day and against these offenses, you need more of a safety type body on the outside, against slots, so he’ll be in the box, and play in between the tackles. That’s where he’s going to thrive. He’s a downhill player; he’s a tackler, and he’s a vocal person, and you need that when you’re talking to the D-line, setting those guys up, putting the front where it needs to be, recognizing formations. He’s done a great job up to this point.”
On Bowie ...
“We’re pretty deep at tight end right now, but we’ve got some injuries, so he’s probably going to have an opportunity,” Best said. "I think he’s got a big ceiling. He’s got a ton of potential; big frame, big kid. Made his commitment early to us, so he was serious about us, we were serious about him, and he’s got five falls ahead of him, and he’ll be a good one. Coach (Marc) Anderson utilizes his tight ends more than we did in the past, and Asher is excited about being part of that rotation.”
Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.
Shea Robertson
Asher Bowie