Look, we're not going to pretend like anyone was thrilled with how the Eastern Washington football season ended last year.
Led by quarterback Eric Barriere, the 2021 winner of the Walter Payton Award for the most outstanding offensive player in FCS football, the Eagles had their sights set on sending off the sixth-year senior with a national championship run. That dream came to a sudden halt on Dec. 3, when the Eagles traveled to Missoula and lost a heartbreaking second-round playoff shootout against the Big Sky rival Montana Grizzlies by a score of 57-41. In many ways, it was the end of a chapter in Eastern Washington football.
Because of the quirks of the NCAA allowing extra years of eligibility due to COVID, EWU essentially had three classes of senior players for the 2021 season. In addition to losing Barriere, the Eagles also saw a slew of starters depart, including standouts like middle linebacker and defensive anchor Jack Sendelback, gritty stalwart safety Calin Criner, and wide receiver Talolo Limu-Jones. But it wasn't just the players in flux; the coaching staff also saw turnover — most notably offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ian Shoemaker departed for the same post at the University of Hawaii. Shoemaker was replaced by Jim Chapin, formerly the associate head coach, offensive coordinator and QB coach at University of Sioux Falls (Division II).
Perhaps more than any Xs and Os on the field, the thing that strikes the head coach about this year's squad is how well they've jelled to this point. It's not been the easiest past few years, and in some way that's really brought the team together as a sort of familial unit.
"I've had multiple upperclassmen [who've said] this team is as close as any team that they've been on, that's coming from them," says EWU head coach Aaron Best. "That's where it starts. And that's a great foundation for any team."
While the team vibes may be excellent, the reality is that it's basically impossible to succeed in modern football without a great quarterback leading the offense. With Barriere's departure, the No. 1 question for the Eagles is who will take snaps and try to step into those almost unfillable shoes.
The program's QB lineage might be second to none in modern FCS football. Here's an absolutely bonkers stat to prove it: Every quarterback that started a full year at Eastern since 2002 — going on 20 years — has won Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year at least once. That's even before adding in the Walter Payton Awards won by Barriere, Bo Levi Mitchell and Erik Meyer.
Now comes redshirt senior Gunner Talkington, who certainly has an ideal name for a QB, but so far the 5-foot-10 gunslinger has mostly seen mop-up duty in his career, throwing for five touchdowns and two interceptions on 32-64 passes for 365 yards.
"Gunner has a poise to him. A certain focus," says redshirt junior wide receiver and co-captain Freddie Roberson. "I feel confident with him being out there, taking control. Being able to just go out there and play his game. He's just worried about leading his team and achieving our end goal, which is to win a national championship."
Coach Best realizes the offense will probably look different with Talkington under center, but, again, it's all about playing to the strengths of his players' talents.
"Eric was second-to-none, extending plays. There was no receiver that was not open ever on the football field, whether it's 3 inches downfield or 79 yards downfield. Gunner will just extend plays differently — get the ball out, let the playmakers do work," says Best.
In some ways, Best sees some parallels between himself and Talkington in the pressure of having to follow an Eastern Washington legend. Talkington follows Barriere, just as Best followed head coach Beau Baldwin.
"My situation following Coach Baldwin, I learned a lot of stuff," says Best. "Although I hadn't done it a day in my life, I'd rather learn from the greatest and take notes from the greatest than take great notes from someone that's not the greatest. So I think Gunner has got an upper hand from a studying [and] from a communicative standpoint. And then just go be yourself. Don't be anybody other than Gunner Talkington."
Talkington's toolshed won't be empty, as the offensive skill positions for the Eagles are still loaded with guys like wide receiver Roberson, a very deep running back corps and preseason All-Big Sky wideout Efton Chism III.
"I think our receivers and our tailbacks are a strength of ours," says Best. "I think we'll be able to move the last scrimmage a little bit better. I think we'll be a year stronger, a year older, a year wiser up front."
But the real leap for EWU might come on the other side of the ball. While the program has risen to prominence as an offensive juggernaut, the Eagles' defense looks to step out of their counterparts' shadow in 2022.
"We're gonna need to lean on the defense," says Best. "The big theme this year is complementary football — it is every year, but we're going to be able to lean on some of those defenders more than we have in the past, which is exciting."
There are certainly questions at linebacker following the departure of mainstays like Sendelbach and Ty Graham, but the defensive front still has junior defensive tackle Joshua Jerome — the unit's lone preseason All-Big Sky selection. More intriguing is the development of the Eagles' secondary, which looks to establish itself on the national stage; they have a chip on their shoulder about always being an afterthought to the offense and want to prove they belong.
"Eastern has a great, experienced defense unit coming back," says redshirt senior safety and co-captain Anthany Smith. "Lost some senior linebackers, but we've got some young dudes — that are actually great leaders for how old they are — stepping up in those shoes. Our offense will always make a statement, but I feel like our defense is gonna be a great attribute."
With all the talent that left Cheney after last season, it's natural for some doubters to start chirping. In both the coaches and media preseason Big Sky Polls, Eastern was picked to finish sixth out of 12 teams. Middle of the pack.
Then again, this year's Big Sky is loaded. For proof, look at the national polls. Despite being tabbed to barely finish in the top half of their own conference, Eastern Washington is ranked No. 15 nationally heading into the year.
And while EWU might be picked middle of the league, rival coaches like Montana's Bobby Hauck — whose team is ranked No. 3 heading into the season and is tabbed to finish first in the Big Sky — certainly aren't overlooking the guys from Cheney.
"They're good, and they'll be good this year," says Hauck. "Coach Best does a great job. He's got a good formula. They do a really nice job of highlighting their personnel, so they're a good football team, A to Z: offense, defense, kicking."
"At Eastern we talk in terms of standards," says Best. "Expectations are one thing, but standards are different. Standards are gonna stand the test of time." ♦
