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EOU Athletics
34
Winner Eastern Oregon EOU 9-2
28
Doane (Neb.) DOANE 9-2
Winner
Eastern Oregon EOU
9-2
34
Final
28
Doane (Neb.) DOANE
9-2
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
EOU Eastern Oregon 13 7 14 0 34
DOANE Doane (Neb.) 7 7 7 7 28

Game Recap: Football | | Seth Dahle, Sports Information Director

No. 9 EOU Football Makes History, Tops No. 7 Doane, 34-28

CRETE, Neb. – The No. 9 EOU football team collected its first postseason 'W' and school-record ninth victory in stellar fashion, holding off seventh-ranked Doane in the final moments by a 34-28 margin in hostile territory at Al Papik Field on Saturday afternoon.
 
It was a wild victory that saw the two squads trade touchdowns off kickoff returns and exchange interceptions in the most critical moments. But at the end of the day, it was the Mountaineers (9-2) who entered the matchup well-seasoned in close battles, and they utilized that experience to improve to 6-0 this season in games decided by 10 points or less.  
 
Ninth year head coach Tim Camp, who became the winningest coach in EOU history earlier this season, said it was his team's determination that helped pull out the victory.
 
"[Give] credit to Doane," said Camp. "They're a really good football team. We traveled a long ways. Eastern Oregon was able to beat a very good football team."
 

 
Senior quarterback Zach Bartlow was solid from the get-go, carding 22 completions for 273 yards and four touchdowns to go along with 38 yards on the ground.
 
Snagging two long balls for touchdowns on the day, junior wide receiver Brenden Kelly tallied a career-high 168 receiving yards to pace the air attack.
 
The Tigers (9-2), who boasted one of the best running backs in the country in Naie Meier (157 rushing yards vs. EOU), got a taste of senior running back Alfred Gross, who put up 91 yards on the ground of his own.
 
Defensively, the Blue and Gold got the job done when it mattered most, holding Doane to two third-down conversions in 11 tries and only 251 yards of offense.
 
Senior defensive back Jesus Retano mustered two interceptions, including a pick with just under 10 minutes remaining in the fourth after the Tigers had appeared to seize the momentum when they snagged an interception of their own.
 
Junior defensive back Justin Hughes recorded a team-high 7.5 tackles (six solo), and senior defensive back John Payne added two tackles-for-loss and one fumble recovery.
 
The two foes combined for an astounding 364 yards on kickoff returns, as Payne and a pair of Tigers went all the way for tallies, including back-to-back touchdowns in the third quarter. 
 
THE RUNDOWN
EOU marched down the field and scored on its first drive of the game, as junior wide receiver Joshua Richards caught a six-yard touchdown to cap a 6-play, 79-yard drive into the end zone nearly three minutes into the contest.
 
After the Mountaineers forced a 3-and-out, a 65-yard beaut from Bartlow to Kelly for another tally highlighted EOU's second drive of the game, and suddenly the home team found itself it unfamiliar territory, far from a 62-0 win over Briar Cliff in its last time out.
 
That's when Drew Klein put the Tigers on the board, returning a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown to make it a six-point (13-7) ballgame with 7:48 left in the first.
 
Once again, EOU started the quarter strong, posting an 11-play, 43-yard drive into the end zone capped by a touchdown pass from Bartlow to senior running back AJ Prom to extend the margin back to 13 (20-7).
 
EOU ultimately carried a 20-14 advantage in the locker room. The Mountaineers refrained the Tigers from getting anything going in the air, holding them to just one completion for six yards, as well as a 1-for-5 mark in third-down conversions.
 
In the third frame, the teams traded defensive stops before the Mountaineers countered with another seven after Bartlow completed a 27-yard touchdown pass and sophomore kicker Nathan Harden drilled one of his four PATs.
 
Suddenly, the first-ever meeting between the two squads took a bizarre twist in the special teams game. It appeared that Doane had regained the momentum when Klein plated his second kickoff return for a touchdown. But moments later, Payne did the exact same thing – this time for 87 yards to put the Blue and Gold back up 13 (34-21) at the 6:05 mark.
 
The fourth stanza saw Doane score on its first drive, completing a 13-play, 96-yard drive topped by a touchdown pass from Jack Shadley to Hunter Bradley.
 
Bartlow threw an interception as he was tackled by multiple Tigers on EOU's next possession to give Doane the ball at the Mountaineers' 39, but then Retano came up with his second pick of the contest to cap a wild series of events.
 
EOU milked 3:31 off the clock before being forced to punt, and Doane never got past its own 42-yard line on its next drive, as the Mountaineers took possession with just 2:41 left to play.  
 
The Blue and Gold took care of the ball down the stretch, and the Mountie faithful that came all the way from La Grande joined the football team in singing the school fight song to celebrate the historic win.
 
After the game, it was announced that Bartlow was named both the NAIA Champions of Character recipient and Offensive Player of the Game, while senior defensive lineman Kyle Lanoue (four tackles) took home Defensive Player of the Game honors.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
1ST – NAIA National Football Championship (FCS) win in program history.  
9 – Wins this season for EOU, a school record.
4 – Passing touchdowns by Bartlow, the fourth time he's done so this season.
2 – Interceptions by Retano.
364 – Kickoff return yards between the two teams.
6-0 – EOU's record on the road this season.
7 – Number of consecutive wins for the Mountaineers, a program record.
 
UP NEXT
EOU will discover its second-round opponent tomorrow morning.
 
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