Eastern Washington head into their first home game of the season with something to prove, but Aaron Best’s message after the 34-27 loss at Northern Arizona was that the performance contained enough positives to build on before Northern Iowa arrive at Roos Field. The matchup, Northern Iowa Vs Eastern Washington, kicks off at 4 p.m. Saturday in Cheney.
Best’s team is 0-1 overall and 0-1 in the Big Sky after surrendering a 21-point lead in Flagstaff, but the coach was keen to stress that the film showed more good than bad. With Northern Iowa still at 0-0, the opener in Cheney also brings uncertainty, especially against an opponent Eastern Washington know well from recent meetings.
Best sees positives despite the result
“We did some good things in the second half, too,” Best said Tuesday after reviewing the tape. He added that “there were a ton of really good things, and we had a chance to win inside the 10-yard line.”
That is the sort of language a coach uses when the final score hurts but the structure is still encouraging. Eastern Washington had 307 yards through the air and 75 plays in all, which suggests the offense found enough rhythm to believe the result was not a full reflection of the performance.
Best even pointed to the balance of the game in a way that underlined both the frustration and the opportunity: “There was only one three-and-out, and unfortunately that was the ball we threw to the other team.” He also said, “If you’re going 75 plays and saying I wish I could have just this one back, that’s a good-looking script.”
Nate Bell and Jaxon Branch give Eastern Washington something to build around
Nate Bell’s role again stood out. One year after he ran for Eastern Washington’s only two touchdowns in a 17-14 loss to Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, he was once again central to the discussion. Best said Bell is “one of those guys where sometimes he’s got to be on the move to make things happen.”
Jaxon Branch also gave the Eagles a reason for optimism, finishing with seven catches for 88 yards. His view was simple: “We’ve got to focus on continuing that. We looked dangerous out there.”
For Eastern Washington, that is the key point. The challenge is not whether the team can move the ball. It is whether they can turn enough of those moments into points when the game gets tight.
Northern Iowa bring uncertainty and familiarity
Northern Iowa enter the game without having played yet this season, and that makes them harder to pin down even with recent history between the schools. Eastern Washington beat Northern Iowa 19-9 in the 2021 playoffs in Cheney, but Northern Iowa responded 12 months ago with that 17-14 win at home.
Caleb Padilla said the coaches’ work gives a strong clue about what to expect. “They are a coaching staff who has an identity to how they want to run offense from their time at Drake, and we see a lot of things there that are identity plays: Things they are always going to hang their hat on,” he said. But he also warned, “We might see stuff that is completely new.”
That uncertainty is part of the appeal of a first home game. Todd Stepsis said, “When you watch just the coaches’ copy, it’s hard to see the flow of the game and the responses after plays.” He added, “So, watching them march down the field, watching them get the three-and-out at the start of the game, it opened our guys’ eyes.”
Eastern Washington now get a chance to reset in front of their home crowd, while also beginning a stretch of three straight nonconference opponents. If Best is right about what the film showed, Saturday offers an early chance to turn a near miss into a first victory.
