Redshirt freshman quarterback Eric Barriere won his first start as an Eagle, but he certainly had some help.
The No. 19/21 Eastern Washington University football team had huge contributions by its defense, punter Jordan Dascalo and running back Sam McPherson as the Eagles beat North Dakota Saturday (Nov. 11) 21-14 in a Big Sky Conference showdowns at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, N.D.
Eastern scored all 21 of its points in the first half, and held on to clinch the school’s 11th-straight winning season – equaling the most in EWU’s 109-year football history. With several players already out with injuries, two others joined the ranks of those not on the trip when they were suspended for violation of team rules.
“It’s a testament to these players for having a ton of grit,” said Eastern head coach Aaron Best, whose team kept alive its playoff hopes heading into next week’s regular season finale at home versus Portland State. “We haven’t been given a full deck, but Eagle Nation knows our players keep finding a way. That’s because of who they are – they believe in the system, they believe in themselves and they believe in each other. I’m very proud of our 60 players we brought on the trip, and our focus will be on Portland State after we savor this one tonight.”
Barriere was filling in for suspended starter Gage Gubrud, and finished the game with 130 passing yards and 55 on the ground. Eastern finished with a 376-366 edge in total offense, including a 191-29 advantage in the second quarter when EWU out-scored UND 14-0. Eastern forced two turnovers and had none itself, giving the Eagles a 41-0 record since 2010 when winning the turnover battle.
Dascalo punted seven times for a 52.7 average, but none were bigger than his last – a 67-yarder that was downed at the UND 3-yard line with 2:47 to play. The Fighting Hawks picked up just one turnover before turning the ball over on downs, thus enabling EWU to run out the clock with kneel-downs.
McPherson contributed to all three EWU touchdowns and had 157 total yards, including a career-high 118 rushing, a TD pass and a scoring reception. He set-up EWU’s third and final touchdown of the day late in the first half with a career-long 55-yard rush, but he was injured on the play and didn’t return.
Defensively, the Eagles held UND to a net 103 yards rushing and an average of 3.3 per rush. Sophomore Jack Sendelbach, starting in place of suspended middle linebacker Kurt Calhoun, had a team-high 11 tackles and a key second-half fumble recovery.
The Eagles are one of a handful of league teams fighting not only for the league title, but berths in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs which begin on Nov. 25. The Eagles and Fighting Hawks are the defending league champions after both were 8-0 in the league a year ago.