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CU report: Eastern Washington not intimidated

By B.G. Brooks, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published September 3, 2008 at 10:51 p.m.

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Numbers game

$450,000 will be Eastern Washington's payoff for playing in Boulder, according to Dave Plati, CU director of athletic media relations.

BOULDER — After the season's first two weeks, Eastern Washington should have a fairly good feel for the Big 12 Conference.

The Big Sky Conference school opened at No. 12 Texas Tech on Saturday, losing 49-24 in a game Eagles coach Beau Baldwin believes wasn't as lopsided as the 25-point margin might indicate.

The Red Raiders led 21-0 after one quarter, then were up 28-17 at the half.

"I'm proud of our guys," Baldwin said Wednesday. "We put ourselves in an early hole, but we didn't let it get out of hand. This team could have folded and gotten beat 59-7 in a game like that. But we didn't; no one panicked, no pointed fingers."

The Eagles, who visit Folsom Field on Saturday (1:30 p.m.; no television), are co-Big Sky favorites (with Montana) and are ranked No. 7 in the NCAA Football Subdivision Top 25.

Baldwin, hired when former coach Paul Wulff left for Washington State, said his task this week is to rekindle the emotion the Eagles took to Texas Tech: "We have to have that motor, that attitude . . . the challenge this week is finding it again, coming out again with that same attitude."

Nickel me, dime me

Eastern Washington's penchant for passing will put CU's defense in extra-defensive-back mode. That could get interesting if redshirt freshman Anthony Wright (ankle) is unable to play as a "dime" back.

Filling in for him would be either of two redshirt freshmen - Travis Sandersfeld or Jonathan Hawkins. CU's "nickel" back is sophomore Jalil Brown.

Montana State memories

The Buffs' most recent encounter with a Big Sky team didn't go so well.

Hawkins' CU debut was soiled by Montana State (19-10). He said that loss was "brought up to the team," and senior captain Ryan Walters added, "We know what happened with Montana State. We don't have to talk a lot about it . . . We'll prepare (for Eastern Washington) like we're playing the Green Bay Packers."

Big plans for Walters

CU coach Dan Hawkins hopes to have Walters on his staff one day as a graduate assistant. Hawkins called the safety "a real blessing, a mature young man . . . he's way more than just a player."