EOU football falls to Rocky Mountain on homecoming for third straight loss
Oct. 9—LA GRANDE — It was a difficult showing on homecoming weekend for the Eastern Oregon University football team. Facing off against the No. 23 Rocky Mountain Battlin' Bears, the Mountaineers were bested 34-17 on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021.
Coming off two straight losses to the College of Idaho and Southern Oregon, similar issues persisted as Eastern never held a lead. The Mountaineers made adjustments to get the offense back on track, but a more aggressive approach ultimately led to a flurry of costly turnovers against a stout Rocky Mountain defense.
Quarterback Kai Quinn threw for 201 yards and rushed for 82, but forcing plays and leaning on his rushing attack led to mistakes. Quinn was intercepted three times and lost three fumbles in an agonizing performance from the redshirt senior.
It was a fast start for the Rocky Mountain offense, scoring on the team's first drive with a four-yard pass from Nathan Dick to Andrew Simon. Dick was efficient all day in the pocket, throwing for 224 yards and four touchdowns. He threw three of his touchdowns in the first half, establishing a steady lead for the Battlin' Bears.
The Mountaineers started strong, coming right back with a touchdown of their own to tie the game at 7-7 early on. Victor Rosas rushed in from one yard out after taking advantage of good field position to start the drive.
The Battlin' Bears immediately countered the score from Eastern, which seemed to be a trend for the entirety of the game. Dick found Lucas Overton wide open on the right side of the field for a 57-yard touchdown to give Rocky Mountain a 14-7 lead.
Once again Eastern fought back to tie the game at 14-14, but this would be the final touchdown of the game by the Mountaineers. Rosas scored another one-yard touchdown, finishing with 47 yards on the day in a heavier workload than previous games.
The Battlin' Bears responded on the very next drive, converting a 38-yard passing touchdown from Dick to Trae Henry. Quinn led a strong drive on the ensuing possession, but ultimately fumbled at the Rocky Mountain one-yard line to stifle the team's momentum. Quinn turned the ball over three times in the first half. The Battlin' Bears responded with a field goal and held a 24-14 lead at halftime.
After another Dick passing touchdown on the opening drive of the second half, Eastern started falling behind and making more mistakes as the Battlin' Bears held a 31-17 lead. Quinn fumbled on the ensuing drive and threw an interception later in the quarter as the Mountaineers headed into the fourth quarter down 31-17.
In the fourth quarter, Rocky Mountain slowed the tempo and added a field goal for the only score of the quarter. Quinn was intercepted again, his sixth turnover of a forgettable day. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Luke Ross took snaps on the final drive in what ended in a disappointing 34-17 loss on homecoming.
For the Mountaineers, the team has now dropped three straight losses after climbing as high as No. 11 in the NAIA Coaches' Poll earlier in the year. In today's loss the offense seemed to be moving more efficiently than the previous three games, but turnovers proved costly.
Eastern will have a much-needed week off to regroup, before traveling to MSU-Northern on Oct. 23. With four games left in the season, the Mountaineers have little room for error if they hope to make a run at the conference.
