SPOKANE, Wash. – A valiant second-half comeback attempt by the Eastern Oregon University Mountaineers fell short on Saturday, as they dropped their road matchup against the Whitworth Pirates, 31-19, at Pine Bowl. After trailing 31-0 at halftime, the Mountaineers fought back in the final two quarters but were unable to overcome the early deficit.
Whitworth took control of the game early, opening the scoring in the first quarter with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Blair to Caelin Johnson at the 9:38 mark. Just over a minute later, the Pirates extended their lead to 14-0 on a 1-yard touchdown run by Luis Salgado, capitalizing on an Eastern Oregon fumble.
The Pirates continued to pour it on in the second quarter, with Blair connecting on two more touchdown passes to Evan Liggett, one from 4 yards and another from 7 yards out. Whitworth kicker Iden Bone added a 44-yard field goal with 3:44 left in the first half, giving the Pirates a commanding 31-0 lead at the break.
Eastern Oregon regrouped in the second half and mounted a comeback. Quincy Glasper found wide receivers Walker Camp and Malachi Spurrier for two touchdown passes in the third quarter, one from 5 yards out and another from 9 yards, cutting the deficit to 31-13.
In the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers continued to chip away at the lead, as Brody Macmillan punched in a 2-yard touchdown run to make it 31-19 with 6:00 remaining. However, EOU's comeback bid ultimately fell short, as Whitworth's defense held firm in the closing minutes.
Statistically, Whitworth outgained Eastern Oregon with 444 total yards to EOU's 414. Glasper finished the game with 283 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Spurrier caught 12 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. Glasper also led the Mountaineers with 79 rushing yards on 15 attempts, followed by Brody Macmillan with 42 yards and one touchdown.
For the Pirates, Blair threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns, while Salgado led the ground attack with 151 rushing yards on 24 carries.
Juan Avalos anchored the Mountaineers' defense, accounting for a team-high 7 tackles.
Eastern Oregon will look to bounce back in their next contest as they prepare for their home opener next Saturday against Montana Tech. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.
