2021 FCS Season Preview: Eastern Washington Eagles

A tough loss to Idaho and a bad loss in the playoffs at the Fargo Dome left the ultra-talented Eric Barriere and company disappointed. The perennial Walter Payton award nominee quarterback coupled by a dynamic offense and high-motor defense give them yet another year of playoff potential. Can the Eagles send Barriere onto his pro aspirations with a conference title or better this season?

Schedule

Eastern Washington

Home	Away	Venue	Match Day	TV/Streaming	Highlights
Eastern Washington	UNLV	Allegiant Stadium	Las Vegas, NV	-	-
Central Washington	Eastern Washington	Roos Field	Cheney, WA	-	-
Eastern Washington	Western Illinois	Hanson Field	Macomb, IL	-	-
Eastern Washington	Southern Utah	Eccles Coliseum	Cedar City, UT	-	-
Montana	Eastern Washington	Roos Field	Cheney, WA	-	-
Eastern Washington	Northern Colorado	Nottingham Field	Greeley, CO	-	-
Idaho	Eastern Washington	Roos Field	Cheney, WA	-	-
Weber State	Eastern Washington	Roos Field	Cheney, WA	-	-
Montana State	Eastern Washington	Roos Field	Cheney, WA	-	-
Eastern Washington	UC Davis	UC Davis Health Stadium	Davis, CA	-	-
Eastern Washington	Portland State	Hillsboro Stadium	Hillsboro, OR	-	-

Key Players

Eric Barriere – Quarterback – 6’1″ 210 lbs. – RS-SR

Barriere is ever-talented but has yet to win the illustrious Walter Payton Award. The EWU quarterback is one of the best quarterbacks in the entire nation and could have professional football aspirations after this season. Until then Barriere and company will be set on claiming a National Title or better as his career stats continue to rise over 10,102 yards.

Joshua Jerome – Defensive Line – 6’1″ 280 lbs. – RS-SO

Jerome is only a redshirt sophomore, but made a huge impact last season with 41 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 3 sacks, and 2 QB hurries. The local Washington product made a big difference as Chris Ojoh departed the program. With a host of talented running backs throughout the conference Jerome will have plenty of time to shine in big moments this season.

Predicted Finish

First place. EWU is a talented bunch of athletes who not only finish games but dominate games. They are not without their Achilles heels as they allow teams to sneak in and take wins when they should not. Looking at the schedule, Eastern Washington will have several “prove it” games as they face Montana, Weber State, Montana State, and UC Davis. Despite their talent, I see the Eagles dropping one of those tough road contests. EWU does have a legitimate chance to upset UNLV in the newly build “Death Star” of the Las Vegas Raiders, but EWU generally starts the season slow so I will not label this more than an upset watch.

Records
Best: 11-0
Worst: 6-5
Predicted: 9-2 (7-1)

Ben Schleiger

My name is Ben Schleiger and I’m your representative for the Big Sky Conference. I have done work for multiple newspapers and sports blogs including The Johnstown Breeze, The University of Northern Colorado Mirror, and Mile High Maniac. I am a proud alumnus of the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Political Science. In my free time, I like watching sports, playing video games, and trying new foods.