LA GRANDE, Ore. - It's Homecoming Weekend and Mountaineers Football is ready to be back in action inside Community Stadium! Eastern Oregon will look to get back to its winning ways as the team will host the top team in Frontier Conference.

OPPONENT
No. 23 Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears (4-1, 4-1 Frontier)

WHERE
La Grande, Ore. - Community Stadium

WHEN
Saturday, Oct. 9 - 1 p.m. PT

KICKOFF
• Mountaineers Football returns home this weekend as they get set to host conference leader Rocky Mountain College for Homecoming weekend.
• Eastern Oregon will look to snap a two-game skid after falling to in-state rival Southern last weekend, 24-3, in Ashland.
• The Mountaineers were picked to win the Frontier Conference in the preseason coaches' poll. They tallied three first place votes and totaled 39 points to edge out College of Idaho and Montana Western.
• This weekend's game marks the first since the start of the 2020 season that the Mountaineers will not be ranked in the NAIA Top-25. EOU slipped out of the rankings and now sit in the receiving votes category.
• Rocky Mountain comes to La Grande leading the Frontier Conference with a 4-1 overall record and the same mark in conference play. They are also the highest ranked team in the conference at No. 23 in the latest NAIA FirstDown PlayBook Top-25 Coaches' Poll.
• The Battlin' Bears were picked to finish seventh in the Frontier Conference preseason coaches poll. Rocky tallied 15 points in the poll.
• Going into the contest, Rocky has won each of its last two contests but has lost each of its last two match-ups against the Mountaineers.

ON THE AIR
• All home games this year will be webcast on the Mountie Sports Network at www.EOUSports.com/watch. All games will be Pay-Per-View and can be purchased for $7.95 per game. Fans can also purchase an Eastern Oregon All-Access pass to watch all 2021-22 EOU home sporting events for $100.
• Calling the action for this year's home games will be Trevor Curl on play-by-play and Mat Belote on color commentary. Live streams for all home games will begin at 12:45 p.m. PT.
• Live stats coverage for EOU Football games this season can be accessed at www.eousports.com/livestats.

EOU ATHLETICS SPECTATOR POLICY
• Spectators will be allowed at EOU sporting events, but masks will be required to be worn correctly (over mouth AND nose) at ALL indoor and outdoor events per state and local policy. This is subject to change at any time.
• Failure to comply with conference or institutional attendance policies will result in removal from venue and any further EOU contests.
• General Admission is allowed for both indoor and outdoor events and is on a first come, first serve basis. To see ticket prices for individual EOU sporting events and to purchase tickets, click here.
• Concessions will be available for outdoor EOU athletic events, but not indoor EOU athletic events.
• Students, faculty, and staff wishing to attend indoor EOU Athletic Events can do so for FREE by showcasing their EOU ID card.

MOUNTAINEERS IN THE RANKINGS
• Eastern Oregon fell out of the top-25 rankings this week and are now in the receiving votes category at what would be 28th.
• The Mounties highest ranking this year was No. 11 which was back in the week two poll.
• EOU was preseason ranked No. 18 and is one of four teams receiving national attention in the latest top-25 rankings.

SERIES HISTORY
• The Mountaineers and Battlin' Bears have only met 24 times on the gridiron with the first match-up being in 2004. EOU leads the all-time series at 16-8.
• At home, EOU holds a 6-5 mark against Rocky, and is 10-3 in true road games. EOU has also won each of the last two meetings against Rocky.
• Under the direction of Tim Camp, the Mountaineers are 11-6 against the Battlin' Bears with an even 4-4 mark at home.

LAST MEETING WITH ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE
BILLINGS, Mont. – No. 21 Eastern Oregon University Football remains undefeated this spring season as the Mountaineers mounted a comeback to defeat Rocky Mountain College in overtime. EOU trailed 30-16 late in the fourth before scoring 14 unanswered to force OT and scored a touchdown in the frame to win 36-33 over the Battlin' Bears.
 
How it Happened
• As a team, the Mountaineers (2-0, 2-0 Frontier) racked up 452 yards of total offense to edge out the Battlin' Bears (0-3, 0-3 Frontier) who finished with 423. Kai Quinn guided the offense finishing with 341 yards of total offense and had five total touchdowns in the win.
• The Battlin' Bears got on the board first, scoring a field goal in the opening quarter. A kick from 47 yards out split the uprights to put Ricky ahead 3-0 with 8:05 left on the clock. EOU responded tying the game up at 3-all when Zachary Cahill hit a 42-yard field goal with 3:40 to play in the first.
• The score remained knotted at a 3-3 tie going into the second. The Battlin' Bears retook the lead early in the second as another field goal, this time from 37 yards, made it a 6-3 contest with 12:06 to play in the quarter.
• Kai Quinn scored the first of his five touchdowns with a 31-yard pass to Tanner Zenke to cap a seven-play 59-yard drive. The PAT was no good which kept the score at 9-6 with 7:53 to play, but nonetheless EOU had its first lead of the contest.
• Quinn kept things rolling following a defensive stop by the Mountaineers. He scored his second touchdown, this time rushing, with 5:13 on the clock to put EOU ahead by two scores. His two-yard score ended a 10-play 84-yard drive. Following the PAT by Cahill, EOU led 16-6.
• Rocky Mountain managed to tack on a field goal just before the first half expired to bring the score to 16-9. A 28-yard boot for the Battlin' Bears kept the game within reach going into the break. Rocky came out of the break scoring three straight touchdowns to go ahead.
• The first of the three touchdowns for Rocky came early in the third. The Battlin' Bears scored in the first three minutes on a 44-yard pass. With the PAT, the game was tied at 16-all. Rocky retook the lead late scoring with 3:15 on the clock to go up by seven.
• A seven-yard pass for the Battlin' Bears is what got them ahead late in the third as they were able to hold the Mountaineers offense scoreless in the third. The lead grew to 30-16 with under nine minutes to play in the fourth as a six-yard score through the air had EOU trailing by two scores late.
• Down by 14, EOU got its answer from Quinn and Zenke who got the improbable run started late in the fourth. The duo connected again as Quinn found Zenke for a 21-yard touchdown pass with 4:11 to play in the game. Cahill nailed the PAT and it was 30-23.
• Following a pivotal stop by the defense, EOU got the ball back with just enough time to potentially make something happen. The Mountaineers did not disappoint as Quinn hit Zenke for a third touchdown with one second left on the clock. His six yard pass capped the six-play 49 yard drive and with the PAT by Cahill, EOU was back in it tied at 30-30 to force overtime.
• The Battlin' Bears got the ball first in OT and were able to kick a 27-yard field goal after the Mountaineers' defense forced another big stop to allow the offense a chance to win the game. Quinn delivered for EOU as he rushed in for a six-yard touchdown to complete the comeback and seal the win at 36-33.

SCOUTING ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE
• The Battlin' Bears enter the weekend with a 4-1 overall record and the same mark in conference play. Rocky is also the No. 23-ranked team in the NAIA in the latest top-25 poll.
• Offensively, Rocky is averaging 25.2 points per game which is second most in the conference and 27th in the NAIA. They put up 410.8 yards of total offense per game with 259.8 coming through the air and 151.0 coming on the ground.
• Defensively, the Battlin' Bears hold opponents to 29.6 points per game but are surrendering 417.2 yards of total offense. They've tallied 13 sacks on the year, five interceptions, and have forced six fumbles.
• Leading the way for the Rocky offense is quarterback Nathan Dick. In five starts, he is 90-173 passing with nine touchdowns and five interceptions. He is completing 52.0% of his passes and has an efficiency of 126.5 with a total of 1,299 yards. 
• Dick is also the team's leader on the ground with 315 yards rushing on 51 carries. He also has four touchdowns. He has 1,614 yards of total offense and 13 total touchdowns.
• Second in rushing is Dawson Schick with 179 yards on 39 carries. He has scored twice and averages 4.6 yards per carry.
• Trae Henry leads the team in receiving yards with 258. He has 12 grabs on the year and two touchdowns. He is averaging 21.5 yards per catch.
• Leading the way in receptions is Lucas Overton with 20 for 249 yards, which is second most on the team. He has one touchdown grab on the year.
• On defense, Nolan McCaffert is the team's leader in total tackles with 36. He has made 17 solo tackles as well. He also had 4.0 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
• Wes Moeai and Ty Reynolds are second in total tackles with 31, respectively. Moeai is also second in tackles for loss with 8.5. Reynolds leads the team in interceptions with two.
• Ethan Hurst leads the charge in tackles for loss and sacks. He has 10.5 tackles for loss and has record 5.5 sacks. 
• Riley Garrett is 7-10 on the year in field goal attempts with his longest coming from 46 yards out. He is a perfect 3-3 in the 30-39 yard range.

LAST TIME OUT
ASHLAND, Ore. - No. 18 Eastern Oregon University Football has now dropped its second straight game as the Mountaineers fell to in-state rival Southern Oregon. A 17-point run by Southern in the third quarter was the catalyst as the Raiders secured a 24-3 win at home.

How it Happened
• The Mountaineers (3-2, 3-2 Frontier) managed just 284 yards of total offense, while their defense limited Southern Oregon (3-2, 3-2 Frontier) to 262. Helping the Raiders in the win was 17 unanswered points in the third quarter after a scoreless first half.
• Helping the Raiders in the win beside a high scoring third quarter run was their defense that sacked Kai Quinn six times and picked him off twice. 
• The first half was a defensive battle through and through with neither team finding the end zone. The Raiders had a pair of chances in the first and second quarter, respectively, but came up empty handed.
• The first chance at scoring for Southern came at the 5:33 mark on the clock. Caesar Ruiz took a field goal attempt from 39 yards out but it went wide left to keep the game scoreless.
• Tough and disciplined play by EOU's defense was key in stopping the Raiders from ending the scoreless bout early in the second quarter. A 4th and goal rush from the 1 yard line was stuffed as Sage Delong and Hayden Brandon stopped Matt Struck on the quarterback keeper.
• Despite the high level efforts from both teams' defense, neither offense was able to find a rhythm in the first 30 minutes of action. At halftime, EOU had a 126-112 total yards edge over Southern.
• The scoreless bout ended midway through the third quarter as Southern found the back of the end zone on its second drive of the frame. A 12 yard touchdown run by Avery McCuaig and a PAT from Ruiz gave the Raiders a 7-0 lead.
• Eastern looked to respond on the ensuing drive but on a second down play Quinn had his pass picked off inside Mountaineers territory. The Raiders took over at the EOU 32 and made it count.
• With little field to clear, the Raiders marched the 32 yards in just six plays and capped the drive with a seven yard touchdown pass by Struck. Christian Graney pulled in the reception and in a blink of an eye the Raiders led by a score of 14-0.
• SOU's defense continued to hold the Mountaineers scoreless through the remainder of the third quarter and the offense added one more score before the fourth. A 41 yard field attempt by Ruiz late in the frame was good to give the Raiders a 17-0 going into the fourth quarter.
• Eastern was able to avoid being shutout in the early going of the fourth quarter as Zachary Cahill nailed a 24 yard field goal to make it a 17-3 game with 11:53 left in regulation.
• The Raiders immediately responded on the ensuing kickoff as Shane McLaughlin ran the ball back 95 yards for a touchdown. The PAT by Ruiz gave Southern a commanding 21-point lead, 24-3 with 11:39 to play in the game.
• The Mountaineers never managed to find the endzone as the Raiders defense made key stops throughout the remainder of the quarter to hold on for the win. Quinn and the offense had a chance late getting to the SOU seven-yard line before he was intercepted again ending any chances at a potential comeback.

THE MOUNTAINEERS IN FRONTIER CONFERENCE PLAY
• The Mountaineers are in a four-way tie for second in the league with a 3-2 record.
• EOU is now 74-56 all-time in Frontier Conference play under Head Coach Tim Camp.
• Eastern is 3-2 in Frontier Conference play for the first time since 2018.

THE MOUNTAINEERS AT HOME
• The Mountaineers are now 1-1 at home this year following the 24-7 loss to College of Idaho.
• Eastern Oregon is 36-32 on its home field under the guidance of Tim Camp.
• Since the installation of the turf field in 2018, the Mountaineers are 7-7 at Community Stadium.

THE MOUNTAINEERS ON THE ROAD
• EOU is 2-1 on the road this season following the 24-3 road loss at Southern Oregon. EOU's two road wins are against Carroll College and Montana Tech.
• With the loss to SOU, the Mounties had a five-game road win streak snapped.
• The Mounties were 2-0 on the road in 2020 with wins at Rocky Mountain and MSU-Northern.

WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF
• This season, Eastern is 2-0 to start the 2021 campaign when leading at the half.
• The Mountaineers were 2-1 in 2020 when they led the opposition at halftime. The lone loss came against College of Idaho.
• EOU is now 52-10 under Tim Camp when leading at the half after defeating Montana Western.

21 AND UP
• Eastern Oregon is 1-0 this season when scoring 21 or more points.
• The Mounties are now 22-25 under Tim Camp when scoring 21 or more points.
• Last season, EOU scored 21 or more points in all four games.
• When scoring 30 or more points, the Mounties are 1-0 this season and 18-9 under Tim Camp.
• Under the guidance of Tim Camp, EOU is 31-2 when scoring 40 or more points.

TOUCHDOWN STREAK SNAPPED
• The Mountaineers streak of scoring at least one touchdown in a game was snapped last week in the loss to Southern.
• EOU had scored at least one touchdown in 154 consecutive games.
• The scoring streak dated back to week eight of the 2006 season.

SCORING STREAK INTACT
• The Mountaineers have scored at least a field goal in each of its last 155 games.
• The streak dates back to week eight of the 2006 season.
• The last time EOU was shutout was back on October 14, 2006 against Carroll College, 34-0.

2021 FRONTIER CONFERENCE/NAIA STAT LEADERS
• Zachary Cahill is one of 12 kickers left in the NAIA who has yet to miss a field goal and is the only kicker left in the Frontier Conference. He is 6-6 on the year.
• Cahill is also just one of two kickers in the NAIA who has a perfect field goal percentage while attempting five or more kicks. 
• The Mountaineers have only surrendered 26 penalties for 237 yards. Their number of penalties is 26th least in the NAIA, while their penalty yards is 24th lowest.
• Easter has tallied 13 sacks on the year which is tied for third in the conference and tied for 27th in the NAIA. 

MOUNTAINEERS IN THE CAREER RECORD BOOKS
• Three active players currently rank in the all-time top-10 of the EOU record books in quarterback Kai Quinn and defensive linemen Chase Van Wyck and Sage DeLong.
• Quinn is tied for fourth in career rushing touchdowns with 19. He needs one more to tie for third and is six away from tying for first.
• Quinn ranks eighth all-time in career rushes with 385. He is four carries away from moving up to seventh on the all-time list.
• Quinn is now in the top-10 in career rushing yards with 1,482 to sit 10th. He is 11 yards away from moving up to ninth.
• In the passing game, Quinn is third all-time in touchdowns thrown with 51. He is second in pass attempts and third in pass completions with 1,331 and 689, respectively. 
• Quinn is second all-time in total offense yards with 10,585. He has 9,103 passing yards and 1,482 rushing yards.
• Van Wyck is third all-time in career tackles for loss with 39.5, and is just 1.0 away from taking sole possession of second.
• Van Wyck now ranks second all-time in career sacks with 20.5. To become the career leader, Van Wyck needs 9.0 sacks.
• Sage DeLong is now tied for fourth in career tackles for loss with 36.0. He is currently fourth in career sacks with 18.0 and is 2.5 away from moving up to third.

AROUND THE FRONTIER CONFERENCE
• Four teams are tied for second, while one squad holds the top spot in the Frontier Conference making this weekend's match-ups a defining one to create potential separation.
• Southern Oregon (3-2, 3-2 FC) travels to No. 24 Montana Western (4-2, 3-2 FC) in a battle of two second place teams. Kickoff is set for 1:07 a.m. PT.
• Montana Tech (2-3, 2-3 FC) hosts College of Idaho (3-2-, 3-2 FC). The Yotes will look to stay in contention, while the Orediggers will look to get back to .500. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. PT.
• MSU-Northern (0-5, 0-5 FC) heads to Carroll College (2-3, 2-3 FC) still in search of a win, while the Saints look to get back to .500. Kickoff is at 12 p.m. PT.

A WIN OVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE WOULD…
• Snap a two-game losing streak for the Mountaineers.
• Extend the Mounties win streak over the Battlin' Bears to three in a row.
• Push EOU's record to 4-2 overall with the sam embark in conference play
• Be the team's 12th win over the Battlin' Bears under the direction of Tim Camp.

A LOSS TO ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE WOULD…
• Snap a two-game win streak for the Mounties over the Battlin' Bears.
• Hand the Mountaineers their second straight loss at home this season.
• Drop the Mountaineers overall record to 3-3 and be their third straight loss.
• Drop EOU's record to 11-7against the Battlin' Bears under the direction of Tim Camp.

MOUNTAINEERS FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In 88 seasons of EOU Football the Mountaineers have compiled a 342-517-14 (.400) record in 873 total games played.
• EOU won a school-record 10 games in 2016 and made it to the Semifinals of the NAIA FCS Playoffs. EOU has posted a .500 record or better in 31 seasons.
• EOU has won or shared a combined four conference titles in school history with the last coming in 2020. The conference crown in 2020 is the first as a member of the Frontier Conference.
• The Mountaineers have qualified for the NAIA FCS Playoffs once, with their lone appearance coming in 2016.

CAMP AT THE HELM
• Eastern Oregon Head Coach Tim Camp is 77-63 (.550) all-time in his 14th season of leading the Mountaineers.
• Prior to becoming the EOU Head Coach, Camp was the offensive line coach for EOU from 2016-18.
• Prior to working at Eastern Oregon, Camp was an offensive line coach and offensive coordinator at Bucknell University.
• Camp has also served as an assistant coach at University of Nebraska-Omaha, University of the South (Tenn.), and Western Oregon.

UP NEXT
• The Mountaineers will be on the road next weekend when they travel back to Montana to take on Montana State-Northern. Kickoff against the Lights is set for 12 p.m. PT/1 p.m. MT in Havre.

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