2023 Eastern Washington Eagles football team

2023 Eastern Washington Eagles football
ConferenceBig Sky Conference
Record4–7 (3–5 Big Sky)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJim Chapin (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorJeff Copp (2nd season)
Home stadiumRoos Field
2023 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 2 Montana $^   7 – 1     13 – 2  
No. 8 Idaho ^   6 – 2     9 – 4  
No. 9 Montana State ^   6 – 2     8 – 4  
Northern Arizona   5 – 3     5 – 6  
No. 24 UC Davis   5 – 3     7 – 4  
No. 13 Sacramento State ^   4 – 4     8 – 5  
Portland State   4 – 4     5 – 6  
Weber State   4 – 4     6 – 5  
  3 – 5     4 – 7  
Idaho State   3 – 5     3 – 8  
Cal Poly   1 – 7     3 – 8  
Northern Colorado   0 – 8     0 – 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2023 Eastern Washington Eagles football team represented Eastern Washington University as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Aaron Best, the Eagles played their home games at Roos Field in Cheney, Washington.

Preseason

Polls

On July 23, 2023, during the virtual Big Sky Kickoff, the Eagles were predicted to finish seventh in the Big Sky by both the coaches and media.[1]

Coaches poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Montana State 120 (10)
2 UC Davis 96 (1)
3 Sacramento State 94 (1)
4 Weber State 91
5 Idaho 89
6 Montana 84
7 Eastern Washington 52
8 Portland State 45
9 Northern Arizona 44
10 Northern Colorado 37
11 Cal Poly 25
12 Idaho State 15
Media poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Montana State 447 (26)
2 Idaho 410 (8)
3 Montana 359 (2)
4 Sacramento State 334 (3)
5 UC Davis 330
6 Weber State 320
7 Eastern Washington 216
8 Northern Arizona 178
9 Portland State 167
10 Northern Colorado 109
11 Cal Poly 103
12 Idaho State 69

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 212:30 p.m.vs. No. 2 North Dakota State*
ESPN+L 10–3522,546
September 96:00 p.m.at Fresno State*
UniMás / MW NetworkL 31–34 2OT41,031
September 161:00 p.m.No. 19 Southeastern Louisiana*
ESPN+W 40–294,103
September 237:00 p.m.at No. 15 UC Davis
ESPN+W 27–2414,724
September 301:00 p.m.No. 4 IdahoNo. 19
  • Roos Field
  • Cheney, WA
ESPN+L 36–448,347
October 143:00 p.m.at Idaho StateNo. 21
ESPN+L 41–426,763
October 214:00 p.m.Weber State
  • Roos Field
  • Cheney, WA
ESPN+W 31–237,514
October 281:00 p.m.at Portland State
ESPN+L 35–473,189
November 41:00 p.m.Cal Poly
  • Roos Field
  • Cheney, WA
ESPN+W 48–134,345
November 1112:00 p.m.at No. 5 Montana State
ESPN+L 14–5720,897
November 181:00 p.m.Northern Arizona
  • Roos Field
  • Cheney, WA
ESPN+L 42–494,078
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Pacific time

[2]

Game summaries

North Dakota State

See also: 2023 North Dakota State Bison football team
Eastern Washington Eagles (0–0) vs North Dakota State Bison (0–0)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Eagles 7 0 0310
No. 2 Bison 14 7 7735

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN

  • Date: September 2, 2023
  • Game time: 12:30 p.m. (PT)
  • Game weather: Indoors; 70 °F (21 °C)
  • Game attendance: 22,546
  • Referee: Jason Berg
  • TV announcers (ABC ND/ESPN+): Dom Izzo, Kyle Emanuel, Logan Campbell
Game information
First quarter
  • (9:23) NDSU – Joe Stoffel 7-yard pass from Cam Miller, Griffin Crosa kick (Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:12; North Dakota State 7–0)
  • (7:02) NDSU – TaMerik Williams 54-yard run, Griffin Crosa kick (Drive: 3 plays, 72 yards, 0:46; North Dakota State 14–0)
  • (4:55) EWU – Nolan Ulm 34-yard pass from Kekoa Visperas, Soren McKee kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:07; North Dakota State 14–7)
Second quarter
  • (10:10) NDSU – Cole Payton 70-yard run, Griffin Crosa kick (Drive: 4 plays, 92 yards, 2:10; North Dakota State 21–7)
Third quarter
  • (2:56) NDSU – Cam Miller 14-yard run, Griffin Crosa kick (Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:42; North Dakota State 28–7)
Fourth quarter
  • (8:30) NDSU – Joe Stoffel 3-yard pass from Cam Miller, Griffin Crosa kick (Drive: 13 plays, 86 yards, 7:16; North Dakota State 35–7)
  • (4:01) EWU – Soren McKee 36-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 61 yards, 4:23; North Dakota State 35–10)
Statistics Eastern Washington North Dakota State
First downs 16 22
Plays–yards 67–339 67–513
Rushes–yards 28–72 39–337
Passing yards 267 176
Passing: comp–att–int 23–39–1 19–28–0
Time of possession 26:13 30:35
Team Category Player Statistics
Eastern Washington Passing Kekoa Visperas 23/39, 266 yds, TD, INT
Rushing Michael Wortham 5 car, 41 yds
Receiving Efton Chism III 7 rec, 74 yds
North Dakota State Passing Cam Miller 18/25, 174 yds, 2 TD
Rushing Cole Payton 6 car, 104 yds, TD
Receiving Zach Mathis 4 rec, 53 yds

At Fresno State

See also: 2023 Fresno State Bulldogs football team
Eastern Washington Eagles (0–1) vs Fresno State Bulldogs (1–0)
Quarter 1 2 34OT2OTTotal
Eagles 3 0 1477031
Bulldogs 7 7 737334

at Valley Children's Stadium • Fresno, California

  • Date: Saturday, September 9, 2023
  • Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 95 °F (35 °C) • Wind: NW 6mph
  • Game attendance: 41,031
  • Referee: Patrick Foy
  • TV announcers (UniMás / MW Network / KTFF / MWDN): Jessi Losada (play-by-play), Jaime Motta (analyst), & Alejandro Luna (sideline)/Paul Loeffler (play-by-play), Pat Hill (analyst), & Cam Worrell (sideline)
  • Pregame line: Fresno State −31.5
Game information
First quarter
  • (11:34) FRES – Elijah Gilliam 5-yard run, Dylan Lynch kick (Drive: 3 plays, 42 yards, 1:14; Fresno State 7–0)
  • (2:40) EWU – Soren McKee 24-yard field goal (Drive: 21 plays, 85 yards, 8:51; Fresno State 7–3)
Second quarter
  • (13:31) FRES – Jake Boust 6-yard pass from Mikey Keene, Dylan Lynch kick (Drive: 4 plays, 20 yards, 1:24; Fresno State 14–3)
Third quarter
  • (11:15) EWU – Michael Wortham 12-yard run, Soren McKee kick (Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 2:21; Fresno State 14–10)
  • (8:01) FRES – Erik Brooks 29-yard pass from Mikey Keene, Dylan Lynch kick (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:14; Fresno State 21–10)
  • (3:06) EWU – Efton Chism III 2-yard pass from Michael Wortham, Soren McKee kick (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:55; Fresno State 21–17)
Fourth quarter
  • (10:01) EWU – Justice Jackson 33-yard run, Soren McKee kick (Drive: 10 plays, 74 yards, 3:28; Eastern Washington 24–21)
  • (6:44) FRES – Dylan Lynch 44-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 3:17; Tied 24–24)
First overtime
  • (0:00) EWU – Anthony Stell, Jr. 1-yard pass from Kekoa Visperas, Soren Mckee kick (Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards; Eastern Washington 31–24)
  • (0:00) FRES – Elijah Gilliam 1-yard run, Abraham Montano kick (Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards; Tied 31–31)
Second overtime
  • (0:00) FRES – Dylan Lynch 25-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 18 yards; Fresno State 34–31)
Statistics EWU FRES
First downs 22 21
Plays–yards 84–336 73–364
Rushes–yards 38–133 34–141
Passing yards 233 223
Passing: comp–att–int 27–46–1 23–39–1
Time of possession 32:09 29:03
Team Category Player Statistics
Eastern Washington Passing Kekoa Visperas 23/41, 198 yards, TD, INT
Rushing Justice Jackson 11 rushes, 79 yards, TD
Receiving Anthony Stell, Jr. 7 receptions, 77 yards, TD
Fresno State Passing Mikey Keene 23/39, 223 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Elijah Gilliam 20 rushes, 86 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Erik Brooks 8 receptions, 95 yards, TD

Southeastern Louisiana

See also: 2023 Southeastern Louisiana Lions football team
Southeastern Louisiana Lions (0–2) vs Eastern Washington Eagles (0–2)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 19 Lions 7 7 7829
Eagles 7 10 32040

at Roos Field • Cheney, Washington

  • Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Wind: N 4 mph
  • Game attendance: 4,103
  • Referee: Spencer Mumford
  • TV announcers (SWX NW/ESPN+): Dennis Patchin (play-by-play) and Greg Peach (analyst)
Game information
First quarter
  • (13:28) SLU – Zachary Clement 7-yard run, Riley Callaghan kick (Drive: 4 plays, 44 yards, 1:22; Southeastern Louisiana 7–0)
  • (7:35) EWU – Efton Chism III 3-yard pass from Kekoa Visperas, Soren McKee kick (Drive: 15 plays, 75 yards, 5:53; Tied 7–7)
Second quarter
  • (7:35) SLU – Bauer Sharp 3-yard pass from Eli Sawyer, Riley Callaghan kick (Drive: 6 plays, 76 yards, 2:54; Southeastern Louisiana 14–7)
  • (7:35) EWU – Soren McKee 26-yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 70 yards, 4:58; Southeastern Louisiana 14–10)
  • (7:35) EWU – Nolan Ulm 5-yard pass from Kekoa Visperas, Soren McKee kick (Drive: 7 plays, 59 yards, 0:51; Eastern Washington 17–14)
Third quarter
  • (6:17) EWU – Soren McKee 39-yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 19 yards, 1:42; Eastern Washington 20–14)
  • (0:05) SLU – Bauer Sharp 1-yard pass from Zachary Clement, Riley Callaghan kick (Drive: 9 plays, 30 yards, 4:02; Southeastern Louisiana 21–20)
Fourth quarter
  • (11:22) EWU – Justice Jackson 7-yard run (Drive: 10 plays, 85 yards, 3:38; Eastern Washington 26–21)
  • (5:39) SLU – Jacob Logan 19-yard pass from Zachary Clement, Darius Lewis kick (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:43; Southeastern Louisiana 29–26)
  • (1:34) EWU – Tuna Altahir 1-yard run, Soren McKee kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:05; Eastern Washington 33–29)
  • (1:26) EWU – Marlon Jones Jr. 34-yard interception, Soren McKee kick (Drive: Eastern Washington 40–29)
Statistics SELA EWU
First downs 14 37
Plays–yards 293 530
Rushes–yards 11 11
Passing yards 3 23
Passing: comp–att–int 13–23–1 34–48–1
Time of possession 25:42 34:18
Team Category Player Statistics
Southeastern Louisiana Passing Zachary Clement 10/19, 80 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Harlan Dixon 18 carries, 71 yards
Receiving Darius Lewis 4 receptions, 75 yards
Eastern Washington Passing Kekoa Visperas 33/47, 349 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Justice Jackson 12 carries, 91 yards, TD
Receiving Efton Chism III 9 receptions, 103 yards, TD

At No. 15 UC Davis

See also: 2023 UC Davis Aggies football team
UC Davis Aggies (0–0) vs Eastern Washington Eagles (0–0)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Aggies 0 0 000
Eagles 0 0 000
  • Date: Saturday, September 23, 2023
  • Game time: 10:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: • Temperature: • Wind:
  • Game attendance: 14,724
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Scott Marsh, Scott Gordon

No. 4 Idaho

See also: 2023 Idaho Vandals football team
No. 4 Idaho Vandals (3–1) at No. 19 Eastern Washington (2–2) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 4 Vandals 7 14 101344
No. 19 Eagles 7 14 7836

at Roos Field • Cheney, WA

  • Date: September 30, 2023
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game attendance: 8,347
  • TV announcers (SWX NW/ESPN+): Dennis Patchin, Greg Peach

At Idaho State

See also: 2023 Idaho State Bengals football team
No. 21 Eastern Washington Eagles (2–3) vs Idaho State Bengals (1–4)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 21 Eagles 14 21 6041
Bengals 0 14 72142

at Holt Arena • Pocatello, Idaho

  • Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023
  • Game time: 3:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 6,763
  • Referee: Scott Root
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Dylan Carder (play-by-play) and Kody Graves (analyst)
Game information
First quarter
  • (4:58) EWU – Efton Chism III 13-yard pass from Kekoa Visperas, Soren McKee kick (Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:27; Eastern Washington 7–0)
  • (1:08) EWU – Tuna Altahir 8-yard run, Soren McKee kick (Drive: 4 plays, 57 yards, 1:13; Eastern Washington 14–0)
Second quarter
  • (14:30) EWU – Michael Wortham 23-yard run, Soren McKee kick (Drive: 4 plays, 69 yards, 1:30; Eastern Washington 21–0)
  • (12:53) IDST – Soujah Gasu 38-yard run, Yoann Kinanga kick (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:37; Eastern Washington 21–7)
  • (8:35) EWU – Efton Chism III 10-yard pass from Kekoa Visperas, Soren McKee kick (Drive: 12 plays, 72 yards, 4:10; Eastern Washington 28–7)
  • (1:15) EWU – Miles Williams 32-yard pass from Kekoa Visperas, Soren McKee kick (Drive: 2 plays, 41 yards, 0:27; Eastern Washington 35–7)
  • (0:04) IDST – Chedon James 2-yard pass from Hunter Hays, Thomas Kopcho kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 1:11; Eastern Washington 35–14)
Third quarter
  • (5:11) EWU – Soren McKee 32-yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 61 yards, 6:14; Eastern Washington 38–14)
  • (1:48) EWU – Soren McKee 30-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, -5 yards, 1:00; Eastern Washington 41–14)
  • (0:46) IDST – Cyrus Wallace 15-yard pass from Jordan Cooke, Thomas Kopcho kick (Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 1:02; Eastern Washington 41–21)
Fourth quarter
  • (10:06) IDST – Soujah Gasu 1-yard run, Thomas Kopcho kick (Drive: 6 plays, 90 yards, 2:04; Eastern Washington 41–28)
  • (3:28) IDST – Aaron Blancas 25-yard pass from Jordan Cooke kick (Drive: 7 plays, 68 yards, 2:23; Eastern Washington 41–35)
  • (0:52) IDST – Hunter Hays 1-yard run, Thomas Kopcho kick (Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 2:31; Idaho State 42–41)
Statistics EWU IDST
First downs 32 29
Plays–yards 79–553 75–572
Rushes–yards 32–150 20–49
Passing yards 403 523
Passing: comp–att–int 33–47–0 38–55–2
Time of possession 33:29 26:31
Team Category Player Statistics
Eastern Washington Passing Kekoa Visperas 33/47, 403 yards, 3 TD
Rushing Michael Wortham 6 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Efton Chism III 13 receptions, 161 yards, 2 TD
Idaho State Passing Jordan Cooke 25/39, 389 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Soujah Gasu 8 carries, 72 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Chedon James 15 receptions, 206 yards, 1 TD

Weber State

See also: 2023 Weber State Wildcats football team
Weber State Wildcats (0–0) vs Eastern Washington Eagles (0–0)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Wildcats 0 0 000
Eagles 0 0 000
  • Date: Saturday, October 21, 2023
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: • Temperature: • Wind:
  • Game attendance: 7,514
  • TV announcers (SWX NW): Dennis Patchin, Adam Shackleford

At Portland State

See also: 2023 Portland State Vikings football team
Portland State Vikings (0–0) vs Eastern Washington Eagles (0–0)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 0 0 000
Eagles 0 0 000
  • Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: • Temperature: • Wind:
  • Game attendance: 3,189
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Matt Richert, Scott Hermo

Cal Poly

See also: 2023 Cal Poly Mustangs football team
Cal Poly Mustangs (0–0) vs Eastern Washington Eagles (0–0)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Mustangs 0 0 000
Eagles 0 0 000
  • Date: Saturday, November 4, 2023
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: • Temperature: • Wind:
  • Game attendance: 4,345
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Dennis Patchin, Greg Peach

At No. 5 Montana State

See also: 2023 Montana State Bobcats football team
No. 5 Montana State Bobcats (0–0) vs Eastern Washington Eagles (0–0)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 5 Bobcats 0 0 000
Eagles 0 0 000
  • Date: Saturday, November 11, 2023
  • Game time: 3:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: • Temperature: • Wind:
  • Game attendance: 20,897
  • TV announcers (MTN-CBS): Jay Kohn, Marty Mornhinweg, Kyle Hansen

Northern Arizona

See also: 2023 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (0–0) vs Eastern Washington Eagles (0–0)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lumberjacks 0 0 000
Eagles 0 0 000
  • Date: Saturday, November 18, 2023
  • Game time: 10:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: • Temperature: • Wind:
  • Game attendance: 4,078
  • TV announcers (SWX NW): Austin Getz, Bill Ames

References

  1. ^ "Montana State Tabbed Preseason Football Favorites". July 25, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  2. ^ "2023 Eastern Washington Football Schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved March 4, 2023.


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