Eastern holds off Montana for 36-26 Roos Field win

In the moments following Eastern Washington's enormously important 36-26 Big Sky Conference football victory over the Montana Grizzlies, Eagles' quarterback Vernon Adams once again found himself the center of attention.

Returning to action after four weeks on the sidelines as his broken foot healed, Adams deflected the suggestion that "Big Play V.A." had a new nickname: "Griz killer."

"Naw," Adams said. It's all about his team's preparation during the week.

But statistics just don't lie, either last Saturday in front of 11,339 who assembled at Roos Field for Senior Day, or in Adams' other two starts against Montana that have kept the Eagles a perfect 3-0 in the last three meetings.

Adams completed 25 of 37 passes for 410 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions for fifth-ranked Eastern. At Missoula in 2013 Adams finished 27 of 40 for 457 yards and six touchdowns in a 42-37 EWU win.

And as a redshirt freshman in 2012 the stats line showed 353 yards and three TD passes in a 32-26 win - including two scores in the final 2 minutes, 19 seconds - rallying his team from a 26-17 deficit.

While EWU head coach Beau Baldwin may have kept his counterpart, Mick Delaney, guessing about Adams, there was not an ounce of doubt in any of a number of players, including Adams.

"No," he snapped. "I knew I was playing last Sunday," Adams said.

While he may not have been 100-percent, he was darn close. "There was a little bit of rust," Adams said of a day when his scrambling was not its old self. He was sacked four times and rushed for just 8 yards in 11 carries.

"It was really special for him to do the things he did, make the plays he made and get us in rhythm against one of the top defenses in the Big Sky," Baldwin said. "It was huge for him to play, even not at 100 percent."

But if Adams wanted to bestow the Griz Killer moniker on Cooper Kupp, perhaps the sophomore might agree. In two outings Kupp's caught 19 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns, plus a punt return for a score.

Last Saturday Kupp scored twice in just in 1:21 early in the third quarter to turn a 20-10 Eastern lead into a 33-10 margin, which they would need every bit of in the end.

The tone of the game might have been set in the opening drive by Montana which took 10 plays to drive 65 yards down to the Eastern 8 where the school's all-time tackling leader, Ronnie Hamlin, tipped a Jordan Johnson pass and then intercepted the ball as he fell to the turf.

That was one of just three trips the Griz were able to make into the Eastern red-zone where they were limited to only a pair of field goals.

Hamlin was just as quick in postgame interviews with a deflection of credit. "I'm just glad we won, man," Hamlin said. "There were a lot of big plays out there."

After a 24-yard Daniel Sullivan field goal for Montana, it took just five plays and 1:37 for Adams to connect with Shaq Hill for a 7-3 lead.

The Grizzlies went three-and-out with a net -3 yards to show on their next possession and Adams struck again in just four plays and 1:43 when Nick Sblendorio made a miraculous one-handed catch for his first collegiate touchdown. That gave Eastern a 13-3 lead with 22 seconds to play in the opening quarter after Tyler McNanny missed the point-after.

The teams got into a defensive mode until the final 2 minutes of the half when Ryan Burke scored for the Grizzlies with 1:38 to go in the half.

But Adams quickly marched the Eagles the other way in 1:21, connecting with Kendrick Bourne in an "I can top Sblendorio" moment with his reaching one-handed diving grab for a score that gave the Eagles a 20-10 lead heading into halftime.

Eastern would open the third with those two quick scores from Kupp, then withstand the trademarked Montana rally - a 16-0 run featuring scores from Travon Van and Jamaal Jones in the final 4:55 of the third quarter. Sullivan coneceted on another field goal with 5:56 to play to cap the rally make it a one-possession game at 33-26.

McNanny made up for two earlier missed extra-points with his 34-yard clinching field goal with 28 seconds remaining.

Besides the interception, Hamlin registered nine tackles to move him past J.C. Sherritt's previous record of 432 and now sets his sights on the Big Sky mark of 471. Tevin McDonald also had an interception at Eastern's 1-yard line and returned the ball to the 36. Four plays later Kupp scored the first of his two touchdowns.

Montana had a slight 447-410 edge in total yards.

The Eagles improved to 6-1 in Big Sky Conference play, 9-2 overall with a bye week before closing out league play at Portland State next Friday, Nov. 21. Montana fell to 4-2 in 'Sky play and 6-4 overall.

Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].