REDDING, Calif. – Eastern Oregon University Football closed out their final road game of the 2026 regular season in dramatic fashion, scoring two late touchdowns to secure a 57-47 victory over Simpson University Saturday afternoon. In a back-and-forth offensive battle, the Mountaineers used a strong third quarter and timely fourth-quarter execution to come away with the win.
Eastern Oregon opened scoring on their first possession, marching 75 yards in seven plays before
Chase Nelson connected with
Coby Tanioka for a nine-yard touchdown reception. Simpson answered with a 38-yard rushing touchdown from Jahkylle Smith to even the score at 7-7. The Red Hawks added another touchdown late in the quarter, but failed their two point conversion to give Simpson a 13-7 advantage heading into the second quarter.
The offensive fireworks continued in the second quarter, with both teams trading touchdowns throughout the period. Nelson found
Dylan Shipley for a 42-yard touchdown just 16 seconds into the quarter to put EOU back in front, 14-13. Simpson responded with an eight-yard touchdown pass, but the Mountaineers quickly regained the lead when Nelson connected with
Tyler Creswick for a 52-yard scoring strike. Kershaw hauled in another touchdown for Simpson, putting the Red Hawks ahead 27-21. Eastern Oregon answered with a 10-play, 84-yard drive capped by an eight-yard touchdown run from
Waylon Riedel, taking a 28-27 lead. Simpson managed one final scoring drive before halftime, connecting on a 24-yard touchdown pass to take a 33-28 advantage into the break.
Simpson opened the second half with a 15-play, 55-yard drive that appeared to end with a touchdown, but the score was wiped off the board following an illegal touching penalty. The Mountaineers took advantage, responding with a scoring drive of their own as
Malakai Nutter powered through the ground game before punching it into the end zone for a touchdown. The score extended EOU's lead to 43-33 heading into the final quarter.
Simpson refused to go away, intercepting a pass and utilizing the opportunity for a 6 play 52-yard drive to cut their deficit to 43-40. They then forced a fumble on the kickoff, grabbing the ball and turning around with a 15 yard pass to take a 47-43 lead.
Facing a four-point deficit, Eastern Oregon responded with a seven-play, 60-yard drive, capped by Riedel's second rushing touchdown of the. The Mountaineers' defense then helped set up another scoring opportunity as
Justin Douglas forced and recovered a fumble, and Nutter turned around to finish a five-play, 16-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run.
Tyler Bissel converted both extra points to secure the 57-47 victory and close out EOU's final road contest of the regular season.
Nelson led the offensive attack, completing 19 of 24 passes for 335 yards and four touchdowns. Tanioka paced the receiving corps with nine catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns, while Shipley added five receptions for 114 yards and a score. Creswick contributed four catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.
Nutter powered the ground game with 188 yards on 27 carries, while scoring twice. Riedel added 63 rushing yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns. Defensively,
Nehemiah Medrano led EOU with 12 total tackles, including a sack for a loss of 13 yards.
Wesley Wittmer added eight tackles, while
Chad Spitz finished with seven tackles and a sack.
With the road victory, Eastern Oregon turns its attention to their final regular-season matchup back home in La Grande. The Mountaineers will host their season finale Saturday, November 14, at 1 p.m. EOU Athletics will also recognize and honor the 2026 senior class during a pregame Senior Day ceremony.
