Eastern wins Big Sky opener 37-14
It wasn’t easy – and sometimes excruciating – but the Eastern Washington University football team got by UC Davis 37-14 in its first-ever game in Davis., Calif., Saturday (Sept. 27) at Aggie Stadium. The victory came in EWU’s Big Sky Conference opener for the defending league champions.
The Eagles scored the first three times they had the ball in the third quarter, after having only three possessions total in the first half. As a result, the Eagles turned a 9-7 halftime lead into a 30-7 advantage late in the third quarter.
“We were able to make a few more plays in the third quarter and our players kept churning,” said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin. “We only had three possessions on offense in the first half, and it was a grind. (UC Davis) coach (Ron) Gould does a great job of getting into ballgames like that – he can make you impatient. Credit them – it was a battle the whole game.”
Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. led the way with 303 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns. He now has 95 career TD passes, just one away from the school record and three from the Big Sky mark. His 320 yards of total offense gives him 9,829 in his career, just 161 from the coveted 10,000-yard mark.
Eastern out-gained UC Davis in total offense 475-260. In the pivotal third quarter, EWU had a 203-11 advantage until a 70-yard pass play by the Aggies on the final play of the period.
