Eagles Down Vikings 47-10 on Record-Tying Day for Matt Johnson and Matt Nichols
Eastern scores 33 first-half points in easy win over Portland State in the "Showdown on the Sound" in Seattle
Sophomore strong safety Matt Johnson and senior quarterback Matt Nichols each tied records as the Eastern Washington University football team rolled over Portland State 47-10 Saturday (Oct. 31) in the "Showdown on the Sound" at Qwest Field in Seattle, Wash.
Johnson intercepted four passes, tying the Big Sky Conference record shared by two other players. The most recent was 1989 as Johnson came one pick short of EWU's school record of five set in 1986 by Mark Cordes against Boise State -- a year before Eastern became a league member.
Nichols completed 21-of-30 passes for a season-high 413 yards and four touchdowns as he tied the school's career touchdowns passes record of 84. He shares the record with the quarterback he replaced, Erik Meyer (2002-05).
Johnson helped Eastern's defense hold PSU without a touchdown, and Nichols helped Eastern to a 545-278 advantage in total offense. Last season in a 47-36 Portland State win, the Vikings passed for 623 yard and five touchdowns.
"It was a huge win," said Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin. "Our defense did a great job and our coaching staff put together a great plan. Early on, our offense sputtered in our first couple of drives, so it was our defense that found a way to get turnovers and stop them. Once our offense started clicking and our defense kept playing solid throughout, I felt pretty good about the way we played as a team."
Eastern enters its bye week 6-3 overall and 5-2 in the Big Sky Conference, while the Vikings fell to 2-7 overall and 1-5 in the league. The Eagles play a non-conference game at Southern Utah on Nov. 14 before concluding the regular season with a league game at Northern Arizona on Nov. 21.
Nichols had his fourth 400-yard passing performance in 44 career games, and his 16th with at least 300 yards. He completed passes to eight different receivers, with six catching at least three passes. Tony Davis, one of 17 Eagle seniors honored in pre-game ceremonies, caught three passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. Senior tight end Nate Overbay had four catches and a touchdown and running back Tyler Hart caught three passes with a pair of scores.
In addition, Taiwan Jones rushed for 62 yards and two touchdowns, including a 47-yarder that gave EWU a 19-2 lead early in the second quarter. Eastern eventually led 33-4 at halftime and finished with 132 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
"Our goal every game is to be as balanced as we can," said Baldwin. "When we're mixing it up and spreading the ball around, that is when we are at our very best."
Johnson also had two tackles, and EWU's three linebackers combined for 24 stops. True freshman Tyler Washburn led the Eagles with nine and senior Makai Borden had eight, while J.C. Sherritt finished with seven. Sherritt entered the game as the leader in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision with an average of 14.9 tackles per game.
It was a happy homecoming for a total of 48 players on EWU's 90-man roster who are from the Puget Sound area, as well as another 10 from West of the Cascade Mountains. Eastern is in its 101st year of football, but this is believed to be the first time it has played a game in Seattle. The Eagles played their first game in the Puget Sound area since Oct. 30, 1982, when Eastern won at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. Eastern is scheduled to return to Seattle in 2011 to play the Washington Huskies.
"It's awesome to play here -- I love it and the kids love it," said Baldwin of playing at Qwest. "And best of all, we played well."
None of EWU's current players had ever defeated the Vikings until this year's win. The Vikings won 34-0 in 2006, 28-21 in 2007 and 47-36 last year in Portland. Former NFL head coach and current PSU head coach Jerry Glanville was previously 2-0 versus the Eagles.
