Despite record, Eastern still a dangerous foe for Vandals

Eastern Washington at Idaho • Today, 2 p.m. • TV: SWX/ESPN+ • Radio: ESPN 700, 105.3 FM, 1230 AM, 107.1 FM 

By MARK NELKE 

Sports editor 

"Don't look at their record," Idaho football coach Thomas Ford Jr. said of Eastern Washington (2-7, 1-5 Big Sky Conference), which visits Idaho (4-5, 4-2) today at 2 p.m. at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome in Moscow. 

Winners of four of their last five games, the Vandals still have hopes of reaching the FCS playoffs if they can win their three remaining games, starting today.

Eastern, led by 10th-year head coach Aaron Best, would love nothing better than to be the team that knocked Idaho out of the playoff hunt. 

"It's easy to say this is just like every other game, but it's not," said Ford, in his second season as Vandals head coach. "It's a big-time rivalry. They have a ton of kids from Western Washington, as do we, who played against each other in high school. There are some rivalry things that are more than just the programs. 

"This game means just as much to them as it does to us, and we can't lose sight of that," Ford added. 

Eastern Washington quarterback Nate Bell has morphed from a running quarterback who occasionally passes, to a true dual-threat quarterback, the Eagles leaning more on his arm than his legs this season. 

Bell has thrown for 2,482 yards and 19 touchdowns, and also leads the Eagles with 384 rushing yards and eight scores. 

Last year, Bell carried 23 times for 134 yards as Eastern beat Idaho 21-14 in Cheney. Throwing mostly short passes, Bell was 18 of 31 for 177 yards and two touchdowns, with an interception. 

"They have a phenomenal quarterback in Nate Bell; he can do it a number of ways," Ford said. "They are not a 2-7 team on tape." 

"The quarterback is an electric player," Idaho defensive coordinator Lee Stalker said of Bell. "They have an elite offense, and they've done it for a while." 

Eastern's top receiver, Jaxon Branch, returned from injury last week and had seven catches for 131 yards in a 42-33 loss to Montana at home. 

Despite Bell getting sacked 11 times, the Eagles hung with the Griz throughout. 

Idaho's dual-threat quarterback, Joshua Wood, missed last year's loss at EWU with an injury. This year, Wood ranks No. 4 in the FCS in total offense, averaging 325.6 yards per game. 

With Idaho jumping out to leads in recent games, the Vandal offense has become more balanced, and less reliant of Wood's arm — and legs — while playing from behind. 

"They're incredibly disruptive," Ford said of Eastern's defense. "Isaiah Perez (defensive tackle) is a monster in the middle." 

On the other side of the ball, Vandal coaches said as the secondary has improved, so, too, has the Idaho defense. 

Notes: The teams play for the Che-Scow Cup, created by Jason Eck when he was Vandals coach from 2022-24. ... Best is in his 26th season as a coach at Eastern. He came to Cheney as a freshman offensive lineman in 1996. ... The teams have met nine times since Idaho returned to the Big Sky in 2018, with the Vandals winning five. ... First-year Idaho offensive coordinator Ian Shoemaker was OC/quarterbacks coach at Eastern for two seasons when Eric Barriere was QB (2020-21). Asked about coaching against his former team, Shoemaker said, "We're just looking forward to putting together a great game plan, and putting our best foot forward. This is just a week to be 1-0. We have a survive-and-advance mentality."