2020_Eastern_Washington_Eagles_football_team
2020 Eastern Washington Eagles football team
American college football season
The 2020 Eastern Washington Eagles football team represented Eastern Washington University as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Aaron Best, the Eagles played their home games at Roos Field in Cheney, Washington.
| 2020 Eastern Washington Eagles football | |
|---|---|
 | |
NCAA Division I First Round, L 20–42 vs. North Dakota State | |
| Conference | Big Sky Conference |
| Ranking | |
| STATS | No. 10 |
| FCS Coaches | No. 11 |
| Record | 5–2 (5–1 Big Sky) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Ian Shoemaker (2nd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Multiple |
| Defensive coordinator | Eti Ena (2nd season) |
| Base defense | 4–2–5 |
| Home stadium | Roos Field |
Seasons | |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Weber State $^ | 5 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Eastern Washington ^ | 5 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14 UC Davis | 3 | – | 2 | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Arizona | 3 | – | 2 | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho State | 2 | – | 4 | 2 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho | 2 | – | 4 | 2 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Utah | 1 | – | 5 | 1 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cal Poly‡ | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Montana† | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portland State† | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Polls
On July 23, 2020, during the virtual Big Sky Kickoff, the Eagles were predicted to finish fourth in the Big Sky by both the coaches and media.[1]
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weber State | 135 (7) |
| 2 | Montana | 128 (3) |
| 3 | Montana State | 121 (1) |
| 4 | Eastern Washington | 118 (1) |
| 5 | Sacramento State | 99 (1) |
| 6 | UC Davis | 83 |
| 7 | Northern Arizona | 68 |
| 8 | Portland State | 67 |
| 9 | Idaho | 66 |
| 10 | Cal Poly | 46 |
| 11 | Idaho State | 37 |
| 12 | Southern Utah | 33 |
| 13 | Northern Colorado | 13 |
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weber State | 546 (28) |
| 2 | Montana | 496 (8) |
| 3 | Montana State | 493 (6) |
| 4 | Eastern Washington | 438 (1) |
| 5 | Sacramento State | 389 |
| 6 | UC Davis | 325 (1) |
| 7 | Portland State | 274 |
| 8 | Idaho | 273 |
| 9 | Northern Arizona | 238 |
| 10 | Cal Poly | 206 |
| 11 | Idaho State | 133 |
| 12 | Southern Utah | 105 |
| 13 | Northern Colorado | 88 |
Preseason All-Conference Team
The Eagles had two players selected to the Preseason All-Conference Team. Senior quarterback Eric Barriere was also selected as the Big Sky Preseason Most Valuable Player.[2]
Eric Barriere – Sr. QB (Preseason Offensive MVP)
Tristen Taylor – Sr. OT
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 27 | 3:00 p.m. | at Idaho | No. 12 | SWX/Pluto TV | L 21–28 | 2,694 | |
| March 6 | 1:00 p.m. | Northern Arizona | No. 22 | SWX/Pluto TV | W 45–13 | 0 | |
| March 13 | 3:05 p.m. | at Idaho State | No. 16 | Pluto TV | W 46–42 | 2,226 | |
| March 27 | 1:00 p.m. | Cal Poly | No. 12 |
| SWX/Pluto TV | W 62–10 | 0 |
| April 3 | 1:05 p.m. | at No. 11 UC Davis | No. 9 | Pluto TV | W 32–22 | 1,720 | |
| April 10 | 1:00 p.m. | Idaho | No. 9 |
| SWX/Pluto TV | W 38–31 | 0 |
| April 24 | 12:30 p.m. | at No. 6 North Dakota State | No. 9 | ESPN3 | L 20–42 | 3,587 | |
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Eastern Washington released their initial full schedule on January 11, 2019.[3]
The Eagles were scheduled to play against Florida on September 5 in Gainesville, but this game was canceled on July 30 after the Southeastern Conference moved to a ten-game, conference-only schedule for its teams due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
On August 13, the Big Sky Conference canceled all fall sports, including football, and announced that these sports would begin competition in the spring of 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[5]
On November 4, the Big Sky Conference announced a six game, conference-only football schedule for participating programs that will begin in February. Due to this shortened season, previously scheduled games against Western Illinois, Northern Arizona, Southern Utah, Northern Colorado, and Weber State will not be rescheduled.[6]
On January 15, 2021, Montana, Montana State, Northern Colorado, Portland State, and Sacramento State all opted out of the 2020 spring conference season.[7] The Big Sky Conference announced on the same day that they will move forward with a six game conference season with the remaining eight teams that have not opted out of the spring season.[8] On January 25, 2021, the Big Sky Conference announced its final spring football schedule.[9]
- "Eagles Selected to Finish Fourth in the Big Sky in 2020". July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- "Eric Barriere Selected as Preseason Offensive MVP in Big Sky". July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- Wilmer, Brian (January 11, 2019). "Eastern Washington releases 2019 and 2020 football schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
- Talty, John. "SEC moves to conference-only 2020 schedule, pushes back start of season". AL.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- Greene, Brenna. "Big Sky cancels 2020 football season, other sports amid COVID-19 concerns". krem.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
- Collingwood, Ryan. "Eastern Washington to host Idaho on March 13 as Big Sky releases 6-game schedule". krem.com. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
- Collingwood, Ryan. "'We're ready to compete': Eastern Washington, Idaho still plan on playing Big Sky spring football season after Montana, Montana State and Portland State opt out". spokesman.com. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- "Big Sky Announces Changes to Football Spring Season and Indoor Track & Field Championship". bigskyconf.com. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- "Adjusted Big Sky Spring Football Six-Game Schedule Announced". bigskyconf.com. Retrieved February 25, 2021.