LA GRANDE – The Eastern Oregon University football team's record breaking season came to an end Saturday after a 48-43 loss to No. 2 Carroll College.
The No. 22 Mountaineers fought valiantly with the Frontier Conference champion Saints. Eastern Oregon led three times during the game, and scored 14 points in the final five minutes of the game to come close to the upset win.
Carroll defeated EOU on Senior Day in La Grande and emotions were high with playoff implications for the Mountaineers. The teams combined for 1,023 yards of total offense. Eastern senior, Jordyn Jackson, broke the school record for pass receptions for a touchdown in a season with two on Saturday. Jackson had 10 touchdown receptions in 2009. Jackson ended his career at Eastern Oregon with eight catches for 142 yards.
The Mountaineers' Chris Ware finished with 412 all-purpose yards. The sophomore threw for 292 yards, completing 23 of his 53 passes, with four touchdowns. Ware ran for 120 yards and added a score on the ground.
Carroll's Gary Wagner completed 22 of his 28 passes for 391 yards, with four touchdowns and an interception. Three Saints' players went over 100-yards receiving in the victory.
Eastern Oregon trailed Carroll College at the half, 21-15, but took its third lead just into the third quarter, 22-21. The Saints took the lead back in the third quarter and stretched the margin to 48-29 with 5:08 remaining in regulation.
Ware found Mike Corral for a 46-yard touchdown reception with 3:48 left in the fourth quarter to make the score, 48-37. Two and a half minutes later the Mountaineers found the endzone again with a
Hayden Plocher run from six-yards out. With the score 48-43, EOU went for the two-point conversion but failed to score. The ensuing Eastern onside kick failed for Eastern and Carroll ran the remaining clock out.
Eastern won seven games in a season for only the third time in its 80-year history of football in 2009. EOU's seven wins is the program's highest total in 29 years. The Mountaineers broke 25 school records in 2009.
