LA GRANDE, Ore. - Eastern Oregon Mountaineers Football plays it first home game of the 2021 season this Saturday, Sept. 4 when the team hosts a Montana Western squad that has not played against EOU since the 2019 season.

OPPONENT
Montana Western Bulldogs (1-0, 1-0 Frontier)

WHERE
La Grande, Ore. - Community Stadium

WHEN
Saturday, Sept. 4 - 1 p.m. PT

KICKOFF
• Mountaineers Football is back in action for week two of the 2021 season and this time they will get to play on their home turf. EOU plays host to the Montana Western Bulldogs inside Community Stadium.  
• Eastern is coming off an exciting season opening win that saw the team take down Montana Tech 26-24 on the road to start the year 1-0.
• 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.
• In the preseason edition of the NAIA FirstDown PlayBook Top-25 poll, Eastern Oregon is currently ranked No. 18 in the nation.
• The Bulldogs are 1-0 to start the season as well after posting a 26-22 home win against Carroll College in the season opener. It was UMW's first game since the 2019 season as the team opted out of playing in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Montana Western was picked to finish in a tie for second in the FrontierConference Preseason Coaches' Poll. UMW tied with College of Idaho at 36 points apiece and had one first place vote.
• On a national scale, the Bulldogs are garnering some attention to start the 2021 season. They are in the receiving votes category of the top-25 rankings.

EOU ATHLETICS SPECTATOR POLICY
• Spectators will be allowed at 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.

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. To access livestreams for road games, check the EOU Football schedule page on www.EOUSports.com. 
• 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.

FRONTIER CONFERENCE/NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Eastern Oregon had one athlete earn Player of the Week honors and it was not just at the conference level but at the national level as well.
• Zachary Cahill was named the Frontier Conference Special Teams Player of the Week and then went on to garner the NAIA National Player of the Week honor as well.
• Cahill was clutch in the kicking game for EOU in its 26-24 win at Montana Tech. He was 4-4 on field goal attempts and had two come from 40+ yards out. He also went 2-2 in PAT attempts and his final field goal, from 42 yards out, was ultimately the gamewinner in the final minute of play.

SERIES HISTORY (SINCE 2002)
• The Mountaineers have fared well against the Bulldogs in recent memory. Since 2002, EOU is 17-11 against UMW.
•Inside Community Stadium, the Mountaineers are 10-4 against Montana Western and have won each of the last three matchups. 
• The two teams last played each other in La Grande back in 2018. It was a classic shootout with EOU winning 54-51 in a three overtime thriller.
• On the road, Eastern is an even 7-7 against UMW, but has yet to win a game in Dillon, Montana since 2016. The Bulldogs have won each of the last three contests on their home field.
• Since 2010, the two teams have traded wins in each of the last 16 games, but EOU has the slight edge with a 9-7 record.

LAST MEETING WITH MONTANA WESTERN - Sept. 28, 2019
DILLON, Mont. – The Eastern Oregon football team fell on the road to No. 19 Montana Western, 49-13 in Frontier Conference play on Saturday.
 
The Mountaineers (1-4, 1-3 Frontier) kept the game close through the first quarter and half, trailing just 7-3 through 15 minutes and then 21-6 at halftime after a late field goal.
 
However, the Bulldogs (4-0, 4-0 Frontier) picked up their play in the second half, outscoring EOU 28-7 including 14-0 in the fourth quarter. Montana Western both ran and passed the ball effectively and with balance, amassing 575 total yards.
 
The EOU defense won the turnover battle, recovering three fumbles and intercepting another pass for a plus two on turnovers for the team. However, the Mounties were forced to punt 11 times as they went 2-for-15 on third downs.
 
Eric Prom and Derrick Fontenot each forced fumbles for the EOU defense, with Prom, Chris Kindle and Jacob Shults grabbing recoveries. Safety Zachary Jacobs had an interception in the first half, which he returned 25 yards into Bulldog territory. Linebacker Gunnar Blix paced the defense with seven tackles
 
Offensively, quarterback Kai Quinn had 245 yards passing, including a 27-yard touchdown pass to receiver Phoenix Millhollen on the team's first drive of the third quarter. Receiver Saige Wilkerson made a couple impact plays, including catches of 63 and 41 yards. Quinn led the rushing attack with 10 carries for 45 yards.
 
Kicker Jaiden Machuca knocked through two field goals of 33 and 31 yards. The transfer Machuca also had 11 punts for 353 yards, averaging 32.1 yards per punt.

SCOUTING MONTANA WESTERN
• Through one game played, the Bulldogs are averaging 26.0 points per game on 414.0 yard sof total offense. On the ground, UMW averages 228.0 rush yards per contest and averages 186.0 yards per game passing.
• Defensively, UMW has given up 22.0 per game this year on 352.0 yards of total offense. They have surrendered an average of 246.0 yards per game passing and 106.0 yards per game rushing.
• Early on, Reese Neville leads the rushing attack at 167.0 yards per game and has scored two touchdowns. He is averaging 6.7 yards per rush.
• Also scoring two touchdowns in the ground game is Jon Jund. He is second in rushing at 48.0 yards per game and 2.7 yards per rush.
• Jund is also the leader in passing for the Bulldogs. He averages 186.0 yards through the air and is completing 65.4% of his passes. He has yet to throw a touchdown and has been picked off once.
• Neville also leads the way in receiving for UMW in terms of yards. He has made three catches for 50 yards and averages 16.7 yards per catch.
• Nate Smikins is the leader in total catches with four through one game. He has racked up 36 receiving yards so far and is averaging 9.0 per catch.
• On defense, Joe Calcedo is the leader in tackles with 10. His total tackles are tied for fourth in the conference. He also has one pass breakup.
• Tanner Harrell is the leader in tackles for loss at 3.0 for a total of 14 yards. He has also tallied 1.0 sack for 10 yards.
• Reese Artz and Dylan Pope are currently tied for second in total tackles with seven, respectively. 
• James Aragon leads the way in total sacks with 1.5 for 10 yards.

LAST TIME OUT
BUTTE, Mont. - No. 18 Mountaineers Football kicked off the 2021 season in the right direction as they took down the Montana Tech Orediggers 26-24 Saturday night on the road. With the win, Eastern Oregon starts the season 1-0 overall and 1-0 in Frontier Conference play. The win also snaps a two-game skid against the Orediggers.

How it Happened
• Making a difference in the Mountaineers' win against Montana Tech (0-1, 0-1 Frontier) was the rushing attack. They outgained the Orediggers 266-134 and had two of their scores come from the ground game. EOU only threw the ball 21 times and had just 83 yards while Montana Tech chucked the ball 23 times for 153 yards.
• Defensively, the EOU secondary managed to pick off the Orediggers twice in the contest. The defense also came up big in third downs as they held Montana Tech to just 5-14 on third down conversions.
• Special Teams was arguably the biggest X-factor for the Mountaineers as Zachary Cahill was a perfect 4-4 in field goal attempts. His kicking combined with the Mountaineers advantage in possession time (36:15-23:45) were key in the win.
• EOU got on the board first with a 37 yard touchdown rush by Jordan Eggers in the team's second drive. After a three-and-out by EOU on the opening drive, the defense got them back on the field with the help of Zak Donato interception at the Montana Tech 44-yard line.
• The Mountaineers first score came with 9:08 to play in the first quarter and it remained at a 7-0 lead for Eastern going into the second. The lead grew to 10-0 in the first minute of the frame on a Cahill field goal from 41 yards out.
• The drive for EOU started late in the first quarter as they ate up 2:05 in the drive that ended the first and led to the early score in the second. Cahill's kick was the first of four and it was his second longest of the game.
• Montana Tech responded on the ensuing drive as the Orediggers drove 65 yards down the field for the touchdown. Quarterback Jet Campbell did the majority of the work as he went 4-5 through the air and capped off the drive with a 10 yard touchdown pass to Logan Kennedy to make it a 10-7 game.
• Looking to stay in the driver's seat, EOU pushed the lead back to 10, 17-7 on the next drive. Kai Quinn facilitated the offense, moving the Mounties down the field for the score. He had help as Eggers and Victor Rosas added help in the rush attack to help EOU clear the 75 yards. A six yard touchdown run by Eggers capped the drive to make it a 17-7 score.
• On the ensuing kickoff, the Orediggers got solid field position with a 51 yard return to the EOU 46. They threatened to score and got down to the EOU 27 before Chase Van Wyck forced a fumble that Wesley McIlwaine recovered to stall the drive.
• The late stop by the Mountaineers allowed them to take a 10-point lead, 17-7, into halftime. Helping the Mountaineers grab the lead was a run game that totaled 196 yards in the first half, coupled with timely stops and turnovers by the EOU defense.
• Montana Tech cut the EOU lead to just one score in the opening drive of the second half. The Orediggers managed to score a touchdown on a third and goal from the 10-yard line but a holding penalty negated it and forced them to kick a 27 yard field goal to cut the Mountaineers lead to 17-10.
• EOU looked to answer on the following drive but had the drive stall at the Oredigger 49. On the Jaiden Machuca punt, Willie Camp knocked the ball loose against the kick returner which allowed Blaine Chavez to recover the ball and give EOU new life.
• The recovery put Eastern at the Montana Tech 17 yard line, but the Ordiggers managed to limit the Mountaineers to just a field goal. Cahil made it 2-2 as he split the uprights from 37 yards out. The field goal gave EOU a 10-point lead once more at 20-10, which they took into the fourth quarter.
• In the fourth, Montana Tech had possession from a drive that started late in the third, but once again an interception by EOU gave its offense great field position. Blaine Shaw picked off Campbell at the EOU 46 and returned it to the Montana Tech 23 to allow the offense to capitalize.
• EOU's offense needed just four plays and 93 seconds to get on the board. The Orediggers held the Mountaineers to just a field goal yet again but a calm Cahill once again made it look easy. He nailed a 35 yard field goal to push the EOU lead to 13, 23-10, early in the fourth quarter.
• Looking to keep this close, Montana Tech pieced together a 12 play, 81 yard drive on the next possession to cut its deficit to single digits. The drive ate up 6:06 of clock time and was capped with a one yard touchdown run by Blake Counts. Following the PAT, EOU's lead was cut to six, 23-17.
• EOU got the ball back with 6:59 to play in the fourth and mimicked what the Orediggers did on the previous drive. The Mountaineers were held to just a field goal but burned 5:53 off the clock. Cahill nailed his final field goal, this time from 42 yards out, and gave EOU a 26-17 lead with 1:06 on the clock.
• The Orediggers wasted little time trying to force a comeback as they returned the following kickoff 76 yards for a touchdown to make it 26-24. Montana Tech tried to onside kick but Shaw picked up the ball to get it back to EOU. Quinn and the Mountaineers then got in victory formation and ran out the clock for the two-point win.

THE MOUNTAINEERS IN FRONTIER CONFERENCE PLAY
• The Mountaineers are one of four teams to start 1-0 in league play. EOU is now 71-54 all-time in Frontier Conference play under Head Coach Tim Camp.
• Since 2008, the Mountaineers are 8-6 in Frontier Conference openers. Eastern has won each of its last to conference opening games as well.

THE MOUNTAINEERS AT HOME
• The Mountaineers finished the modified 2020 season 1-1 inside Community Stadium.
• Eastern Oregon is 35-31 on its home field under the guidance of Tim Camp.
• Since the installation of the turf field in 2018, the Mountaineers are an even 6-6 at Community Stadium.

THE MOUNTAINEERS ON THE ROAD
• Eastern Oregon went 2-0 in 2020 in road contests and are 39-30 under Tim Camp
• The Mountaineers two road wins in 2020 came against Rocky Mountain and MSU-Northern.
• Dating back to the 2019 season, EOU has now won each of its last four road games, with two coming against Rocky Mountain College.

WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF
• This season, Eastern is 1-0 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.
• Eastern Oregon is now 51-10 under Tim Camp when leading at the half after defeating Montana Tech
• The Mountaineers were 1-0 in 2020 when trailing at halftime, with the lone win coming against Rocky Mountain on the road.

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 Mountaineers were 1-1 in 2020 and are 17-9 under Tim Camp.
• Under the guidance of Tim Camp, EOU is 31-2 when scoring 40 or more points.

HIGH POWERED MOUNTIE ATTACK
• The Mountaineers have scored at least one touchdown in 151 consecutive games to keep a streak of not being shutout intact.
• The streak dates back to week eight of the 2006 season.

2021 FRONTIER CONFERENCE/NAIA STAT LEADERS
• As a team, EOU is currently fourth in points per game at 26.0. Eastern is ranked third behind College of Idaho, Rocky Mountain, and Southern Oregon.
• The Mountaineers rushing offense currently ranks second in the conference at 266.0 yards per game and is sixth best in the NAIA through one game played.
• On the defensive side, the Mountaineers currently rank third in the conference in points allowed at 24.0 per game. Their mark is also tied for 20th in the NAIA. 
• Through the air, EOU has surrendered an average of 148.0 yards per game which is third best in the conference and 17th in the NAIA.
• Early on this season, Jordan Eggers is ranked in the top three in rushing yards. He is third at 148.0 yards per game and his mark is tied for sixth best in the NAIA. His two touchdown rushes are also tied for the lead in the Frontier Conference and second in the NAIA.
• Zak Donato already leads the Mountaineers in total tackles and is tied for fourth in the Frontier Conference at 10.0. His mark is also tied for ninth in the NAIA.
• Zachary Cahill has already established himself as one of the best kickers in the NAIA and currently leads the Frontier Conference. He is just one of four kickers in the NAIA who has yet to miss a field goal while making multiple attempts.
• Cahill also ranks second in the NAIA for longest kick with his 42 yard field goal that he nailed to win the game at Montana Tech.

MOUNTAINEERS IN THE CAREER RECORD BOOKS
• Two active players currently rank in the all-time top-10 of the EOU record books in quarterback Kai Quinn and defensive lineman Chase Van Wyck.
• Quinn is tied for fifth in career rushing touchdowns with 18. He needs one more to tie for fourth and is seven away from tying for first.
• Quinn is ranked eighth all-time in career rushes with 339. He is 43 rush attempts away from moving up to seventh.
• In the passing game, Quinn is third all-time in touchdowns thrown with 46. He is second in pass attempts and third in pass completions with 1,1195 and 618, respectively. 
• Quinn is also third all-time in total offense yards with 9,637. He is now just 364 yards away from moving up to second on the career list.
• Van Wyck is currently fifth in tackles for loss with 32. He needs three more to move up to fourth and just five more to move up to third. He is 47 total tackles away from entering the top-10.
• Van Wyck also sits third in career sacks with 17.5. He is just 3.0 sacks away from moving up to second. To become the career leader, Van Wyck needs 12.0 sacks.

AROUND THE FRONTIER CONFERENCE
• Montana Tech is on the road this week and will take on Carroll College. Both squads are winless on the year. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. MT.
• A pair of 1-0 squads will square off when Rocky Mountain College travels to College of Idaho. Both teams are ranked in the top-two of the conference in scoring. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. MT.
• MSU-Northern will play on the road this weekend as they travel to Southern Oregon to battle the Raiders. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT.

A WIN OVER MONTANA WESTERN WOULD…
• Keep EOU undefeated at 2-0 and give the team a 2-0 start for the second straight season.
• Push the Mountaineers home winning streak against Bulldogs to four straight.
• Give Eastern its first win at home for the 2021 season.

A LOSS TO MONTANA WESTERN WOULD…
• Snap a three-game home winning streak for the Mountaineers against the Bulldogs.
• Drop EOU's record to 1-1 and give them their first 1-1 start since the 2019 season.
• Extend the Bulldogs overall win streak to two against the Mountaineers.

MOUNTAINEERS FOOTBALL HISTORY
• In 88 seasons of EOU Football the Mountaineers have compiled a 340-515-14 (.340) record in 869 total games played going into 2021.
• 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 75-61 all-time entering 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 have their first bye week as there is no game schedule for Sept. 11. EOU will be back in action on week four when the team travels to Helena, Montana to take on Carroll College. Kickoff against the Saints is scheduled for 1 p.m. MT.

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