Eastern Washington Coaches and Players Focus on Process Before Montana

Eastern Washington Prepares for Montana as the Red Turf Turns 100

In Flagstaff, Arizona, Eastern Washington began its football campaign with a dominant first-half performance, building a 24-3 advantage and appearing poised to break its postseason drought. Two months later, the remainder of that contest—which ended in a 34-27 defeat to Northern Arizona—now serves as a stark reminder of how a handful of critical mistakes can derail not only a couple games but the trajectory of an entire year.

“I don’t think there’s any one (person) to blame,” EWU senior defensive end Dishawn Misa said on Tuesday, four days before the Eagles come off a bye with a home game against Montana. “I think it’s been a collective (contribution) for our struggles so far.”

Chasing Consistency After a Tough Start

The Eagles sit at 2-6 overall and 1-4 in the Big Sky as they head into Saturday’s matchup at Roos Field. It marks the 100th game on the Red turf that was first installed in Cheney back in 2010. Despite the tough record, players like Misa insist that the team capable of leading a ranked opponent by three touchdowns on the road is still present inside the locker room.

“The confidence we had against NAU in the first half is still there,” Misa said. “We need to work better to be (consistent) instead of being very good in certain parts of our games.”

Standing in their way is a Montana team coming off its own bye week. The Grizzlies enter the contest with a 5-3 record, a 3-2 mark in conference play, and a national ranking at 14th in this week’s FCS Stats Perform Top 25.

Refining the Defensive Process

For EWU defensive coordinator Zach Bruce, the bye week offered a necessary mirror. The team spent the off-week diving deep into seven fundamental areas of defense, a pivot away from earlier tactical complexity.

“I put everything I have into this, and we’re not playing well,” Bruce said. “Not to the standard that we want or the standard that we know we can. … We’re trying to find new and better ways to improve.”

Bruce admitted that he got “too cute with schematics” during the first half of the season, leading to self-scouting discoveries that demanded immediate correction. Even so, he remains resolute as the team faces a four-game stretch leading toward a fifth straight offseason without a playoff appearance.

Facing Familiar Faces on the Sideline

Saturday’s game carries an extra layer of familiarity. Montana’s defensive staff features three former EWU coaches, including Eric Sanders, who preceded Bruce as Eastern’s defensive coordinator. Assistant coaches Jaylen Johnson and Wes Nurse also made the move when Sanders left Eastern.

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“We go into (a game against Montana) with a chip on our shoulder (already),” EWU redshirt safety Jaylon Jenkins said. “And it’s even more of a chip on our shoulder to prove ourselves to the coaches that left.”

EWU running backs coach Tamarick Pierce, who played at Eastern from 2016 to 2021, acknowledged the harsh reality of a 2-6 campaign while emphasizing the need to focus on daily execution rather than just the scoreboard.

“To get it back to where it needs to get back to, with the Eastern winning culture, it’s more about how you can refine your process (rather than) being so focused on the end result,” Pierce said. “We’re not going to dwell on the losses. It’s always about the next game.”