Eastern Washington’s players were ticked. Deeply, seriously disappointed.
You didn’t see any grins, no sense of moral victory, no satisfaction in mounting a competitive loss to Washington.
These guys not only believed they could defeat the Huskies, they dang near did. They believed it when they got the ball 5 yards from their own end zone with no timeouts and barely more than a minute to play. And they didn’t stop believing until the Huskies’ Desmond Trufant made a game-saving interception in the opposite end zone.
UW escaped with a 30-27 win, but the story of the season-opener at Husky Stadium on Saturday was the way the little “subdivision” team came in from Cheney and nearly pushed the Huskies over the Dardanelles – or whatever is the place referenced in the fight song that is supposed to symbolize UW’s invulnerability.
EWU junior receiver Brandon Kaufman pulled in 10 catches for 140 yards against Washington’s secondary, and he continued to torch the Huskies in interviews afterward.
How should UW feel about the outcome? “They should feel like a lucky group,” Kaufman said. “We’re a good football team, and we should be respected.”
Did you feel that they didn’t respect you? “They didn’t respect us at all … it’s an arrogant group.”
How? “The way they were on the field in the pregame …”
He added his surprise that the Huskies failed to make effective changes as the Eagles passed for 473 yards against them.
Coach Beau Baldwin, a Tacoma native and Curtis High School grad, more coolly explained the game plan that worked brilliantly. The Eagles would move the chains with short routes until the Huskies were forced to tighten up the coverage, and then they’d start going deep against them.
With the 6-5 Kaufman and 6-3 Nicholas Edwards (Foss High), the Eagles’ receivers owned a physical advantage that was exploited by strong-armed quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, a Texas prep product and transfer from Southern Methodist.
Mitchell and Kaufman were key to the second-half rally that the Eagles used to dump Delaware in the Football Championship Subdivision national title game at the end of last season.
Mitchell exemplified the Eagles’ confidence coming into this game. “We expected to come out here and play a great game with some great athletes and go out and win the game,” he said.
And when he got in the huddle for the final drive? “It was one of those (challenges) we accept with open arms … we did it a lot last year.”
Baldwin’s offensive scheme is a marvel. We may wonder how much better it would have looked if fleet running back Taiwan Jones had not opted for a shot at the NFL after his junior year and had returned to provide a rushing diversion for Mitchell.
“I thought if we could get our passing game rolling, we’re pretty dynamic,” Baldwin said. “I knew we had a shot. I didn’t necessarily think we would end up with that many total yards (504), but the guys made plays, and the (offensive) line protected really well against a Pac-12 defensive line.”
They protected extremely well, in fact, as Mitchell was sacked just once in 69 pass attempts. Of course, that’s also indicative of the ineffectiveness of the Huskies.
Baldwin told his team all week that the goal was to go 1-0. “Whether people shook their heads or not, that was the goal. And we’re 0-1 and we don’t like the taste of being 0-1.”
Some special teams miscues hurt the Eagles, and the timely interception by Wilson High graduate Trufant in the end zone was the obvious play of the game.
But the Huskies came just that close to what would have been a memorable defeat. As good as the Eagles are, they operate on a budget that wouldn’t buy UW’s sweatsocks, and they fill a roster with 20 fewer scholarships.
They certainly didn’t have any shortage of heart and grit, though.
“They’re upset,” Baldwin said. “They wanted to win. … We came in believing that if we played well and executed, we could put ourselves in a position to win.”
They did, and UW likewise put itself in a position to lose.
Mitchell was more circumspect on the issue of the Huskies’ respect for them, not focusing on the attitude before the game as much as the one after the game.
“They probably respect us a lot more now,” he said.
They certainly should.
Dave Boling: 253-597-8440 dave.boling@thenewstribune.com
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.