(STATS) – Week 11 Matchup: No. 4 UC Davis (8-1, 6-0 Big Sky) at No. 5 Eastern Washington (7-2, 5-1)
Kickoff: 4:05 p.m. ET at Roos Field (8,600) in Cheyney, Washington
Broadcast: SWX, watchbigsky.com, Pluto TV
Series: Eastern Washington leads 6-0 (last meeting: EWU won 41-38 at UC Davis on Oct. 7, 2017)
The Skinny: UC Davis sits in first place in the Big Sky with Eastern Washington, No. 3 Weber State and No. 24 Idaho State one game behind. An Aggies win on the road would clinch at least a share of their first-ever conference title.
UC Davis’ only loss is to Stanford and it has scored at least 42 points in each of its eight wins. QB Jake Maier (2,716 passing yards, 27 TDs) leads an offense that has numerous weapons, including RBs Ulonzo Gilliam and Tehran Thomas, WRs Keelan Doss (79 receptions, 7 TDs) and Jared Harrell and TE Wesley Preece. The Aggies’ aggressive defense ranks No. 1 in the conference with 27 sacks, including LB Mason Moe with 8½. CB Vincent White has a whopping 14 pass breakups in addition to one interception. There aren’t many decisive differences statistically between the two teams, but the Aggies’ plus-12 turnover-margin – best in the conference – far outweighs Eastern Washington’s plus-2.
The host Eagles will honor 27 players on Senior Day, and they’ve combined on 411 starts and 967 games in their careers. That veteran play fuels this team, although senior QB Gage Gubrud is out with a season-ending injury. QB Eric Barriere is 3-1 as the starter and adds elusiveness to a running game led by the offensive line and RBs Sam McPherson and Antoine Custer Jr. While the Eagles are No. 1 the FCS in total offense (532.4 ypg), their defense has been a revelation this season, allowing a Big Sky-low 15.3 points per game (with no game above 17). Cooper Kupp’s younger brother Ketner, a linebacker, is the team’s leader in tackles (56), and the Eagles aren’t far behind UC Davis in sacks with 25. PK Roldan Alcobendas is having an All-American season – 82 points, 12 of 12 on field goals and a 46.9-yard average on punts.
“We talk about it all the time how we want to get everybody’s best shot and how we want to give everybody our best shot,” EWU coach Aaron Best said. “You have two great teams playing on our home field, and we’re excited.”
Prediction: Eastern Washington has overwhelmed opponents in the first half, but UC Davis has been able to score at will, even when behind. It’s a tossup. UC Davis, 31-24.
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