Nov. 5—At the end of September, both the Idaho and Eastern Washington football teams stood at a crossroads.
Each had four losses in what they hoped would be playoff-bound seasons. Each had opportunities coming up to turn things around.
Idaho seized them. Eastern Washington did not. And that sets up a game Saturday at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow where the Eagles are positioned as spoilers and the Vandals are playing still to bolster their playoff resume. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
"We have the time we have to get better, to improve as a team and to finish strong and win games," EWU offensive lineman Cole McGovern said Tuesday during media availability. "(We will do) the best that we can in the time that we have right now and use it to our advantage to get some momentum going into next year."
After losing three of their first four games, the Eagles (2-7, 1-5 Big Sky) let a late lead slip away against Cal Poly on Sept. 26, dropping their record to 1-4.
It was a costly loss, but the Eagles still had games against three ranked teams — UC Davis, Montana State and Montana — scheduled in October.
They lost all of them on either side of a home victory against Northern Colorado.
Linebacker Matt Eskridge II said Tuesday that he didn't think the Eagles would approach this matchup against the Vandals any differently, despite the team's record.
"That's just life, because after football you have to give your all for everything," he said. "It doesn't matter win or loss. It's the process. Even if we won all our games or lost all our games, the process is still the same."
Heading into October, Idaho also had four losses — and still no victories — coming out of a bye week and preparing to host No. 1-ranked Montana State. The Vandals won that game on a two-point conversion 35-34.
They lost at Weber State the following week but have since defeated three teams in a row: Montana, Southern Utah and Portland State.
Idaho is still just 4-5 overall, but a 4-2 mark in Big Sky play — with games against the Eagles, Aggies and Idaho State Bengals left — gives the Vandals a reasonable chance at the playoffs if they win out.
Idaho's primary strengths have been its passing offense and passing defense, which rank among the Big Sky's top four. Senior quarterback Joshua Wood has the second-most passing yards (2,492) in the league while completing 62.6% of his passes for 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
That will test an Eagles defense that has been burned on the ground (220.6 yards per game, the most in the Big Sky) more than through the air (246.7 yards per game, sixth-fewest in the league).
Wood also presents problems as a runner: He has 438 rushing yards and nine touchdowns this season.
"The kid's a baller," EWU head coach Aaron Best said Tuesday. "That's why he was recruited by us. That's why we liked him out of high school."
Wood, the 2021 Washington State High School Gatorade Football Player of the Year at Graham-Kapowsin, was initially an Eagles commit. But he changed that when the Eagles offensive coordinator changed twice during the 2021 season, first when Ian Shoemaker resigned and then when his interim replacement, Pat McCann, left in the offseason to take a position at Fresno State.
Wood first ended up at Fresno State with McCann. But in 2024 he transferred to Idaho, and this year he's playing for Shoemaker, who is now the Vandals' offensive coordinator.
The Eagles have relied on redshirt junior Nate Bell as their starting quarterback in every game this season, a contrast to last year when they started four different players at the position.
Bell has thrown for 2,482 yards — 10 fewer than Wood — with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He is also a rushing threat, with 384 yards — a figure that accounts for the league-high 39 sacks the Eagles have allowed — and eight touchdowns.
Eastern Washington redshirt senior defensive lineman Isaiah Perez, one of four players at his position who is down to his final three collegiate games, said the Eagles are ready for the challenge of playing against Wood. Last year they didn't get the chance: Wood was injured and missed the game in Cheney, which the Eagles won 21-14.
"Idaho is a team that has played really well throughout the year," Perez said. "If you look at the beginning of the season, they were in a lot of tight games that could have gone either way, and they've found a way to close out those close games, and it shows on their record."
Perez said he's still motivated, even if the Eagles aren't playing for everything the Vandals are.
"My work ethic isn't going to stop or slow down at all," Perez said. "Guys see the way I work, and I hope they acknowledge that these are my last three games as a college athlete, and I'm not going to slow down at all."
