CHENEY, Wash. – The Eastern Washington Eagles (4-5) saw steady ran and a a barrage of Sacramento State (5-4) rushing to fall 35-13 in Cheney.
“I think it wasn’t what we anticipated, what we expected, but that’s a good football team,” head coach Aaron Best said. “They’re talented, and they executed their gameplan much better than we did when it was all said and done, in all three phases, really.”
Sac State is the top rushing offense in the Big Sky, and they proved it through the Hornets’ running backs Rodney Hammond Jr. and Jaquail Smith combining for over 300 yards and four touchdowns.
“The explosives, we let up a lot of explosives,” Eagles defensive end Tylin Jackson said. “We let up a lot of explosives today. It’s something that we can’t afford, especially in this type of game and situation that we’re in, and I just think stopping those plays will make a real big difference in the game.
Eastern’s starting quarterback Nate Bell came down with an injury that held him out of the rest of the game, and backup Jake Schakel took over in relief.
“I’m super proud of him,” Landon Cooper said. “He took the reins, unfortunate what happened to Nate, but I think he had a great next-man-up mentality, and we’re going to continue to be there for Jake as we would for Nate.”
Coach Best spoke at the weekly press conference about the importance of winning in the trenches, and how this emphasis didn’t pan out for the game.
“Seven-plus per clip rushing, and those all probably four for five rushes that were explosives, but it’s not how you get there, it’s that you get there,” Best said. “So, whether it’s an 80-yard run or ten eight-yard runs, you still covered 80 yards in a span of time.”
The Eagles are back in action next Saturday for a tough test at the No. 3 Montana Grizzlies in Missoula, kickoff at noon PST.
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