Sam Houston vs. Eastern Washington: Score, Stats & Highlights

Final Score: Eastern Washington 56, Sam Houston State 35

Roos Field, Eastern Washington

The red turf at Roos Field. Wikipedia

It may not have been the kind of statement that Eastern Washington delivered last year when it beat Oregon State. But the Eagles put on a show Saturday afternoon in the first college football game of the season.

Led by prolific quarterback Vernon Adams, the second-ranked Eagles routed 14th-ranked Sam Houston State 56-35 on the red turn at Roos Field.

Here’s what you need to know:

<Adams Threw for 302 Yards & 4 Touchdowns


The 2 Teams Put on Yet Another Prolific Offensive Showing

Sam Houston Kept it Close in the 4th Quarter

A touchdown catch by Shane Young brought the Bearkats to within 42-35, but Eastern Washington tacked on two insurance touchdowns to pull away.


Adams Hit Blair Bomber for a Touchdown to Start the 2nd Half /h2>

Different quarter, same result. Eastern Washington was facing a 3rd-and-goal early in the third quarter when Vernon Adams hit Blair Bomber for a touchdown. This one was from 3 yards out, and Bomber made an acrobatic grab while cutting toward the left sideline to put the Eagles back on top by a touchdown.

Adams The Game Was Tied 21-21 at the Half

The game was tied at 21 at the half. Check out the ESPN video above for a highlight reel.


Keshawn Hill Had a 79-Yard Touchdown Run

Eastern Washington may have produced the most overall offense, but the biggest play of the game came from Sam Houston running back Keshawn Hill, who broke away for a 79-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 7 in the first quarter.


Blair Bomber Scored the 1st Touchdown of the Year

The honor of scoring the first touchdown of the 2014 season goes to Blair Bomber, who caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Vernon Adams with 6:35 left in the first quarter to put Eastern Washington on top 7-0.

Adams had all the time in the world in the pocket on 3rd-and-goal. He stepped up and hit Bomber wide open cutting across the back of the endzone.


Pregame: Season Opener on Tap

So what if it’s not an FBS game? A nation starving for regular season football will get its first dose of it Saturday, when two of the best FCS teams in the country tangle on the red turf at Eastern Washington.

The Eagles, ranked second in the preseason FCS coaches‘ poll, host the 14th-ranked Bearkats of Sam Houston State in the season’s first regular season game.

The game was a topic of conversation on Saturday morning’s edition of College Game Day on ESPN, complete with Lee Corso donning the Eastern Washington headgear to punctuate his prediction of an EWU win.

As Corso and Krik Herbstreit point out, Eastern Washington opened the season last year by upsetting Oregon State, only to lose a month later to the Bearkats.

Here’s what you need to know about the game:

WHO: Sam Houston State at Eastern Washington

WHEN: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

WHERE: Roos Field, Cheney, Washington

TV: ESPN

LIVE STREAM: WatchESPN.com (cable provider and log-in required)

LINE: Eastern Washington by 8 (via sportsbet.com)

The first game of the season involving an FBS team is Wednesday night, when Georgia State hosts Alibene Christian (which, like Sam Houston, plays in the Southland conference) at the Georgia Dome.