E Washington grinds down UC Davis 59-20 in FCS showdown

CHENEY, Wash. -- Antoine Custer, Sam McPherson and Tamarick Pierce each ran for two touchdowns and Eastern Washington rolled to a 59-20 win over UC Davis on Saturday in a Big Sky Conference showdown and matchup of Top 5 FCS teams.

The Eagles (8-2, 6-1), ranked No. 5 in the STATS FCS Top 25, were down 10-0 midway through the first quarter when they went on a 21-0 run while holding the prolific Aggies (8-2, 6-1) to 78 yards on 25 plays. Custer scored on a 1-yard run, McPherson and Pierce on 3-yard runs to cap drives ranging from 73 to 83 yards.

When it was over, Eastern Washington had 669 yards, the sixth-most in school history, with 372 on the ground. Custer had 100, McPherson 95 and Pierce 75. Eric Barriere, who was 16 for 30 for 285 yards and a late touchdown, added 60 yards on the ground. Trenton Harris caught his first touchdown pass in the final minute.

Fourth-ranked UC Davis closed within 21-17 when Tehran Thomas scored on a 69-yard run in the last minute of the first half but the third-ranked Eagles turned the game into a rout when Nzuzi Webster returned an interception 45-yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter. Nsimba Webster led the Eagles with 103 yards on just three catches.

The Aggies, who entered with a league-leading average of 43.1 points a game, had 395 yards, just 195 passing, well-behind their 326.2 average. They fell to 0-7 against EWU, which leads the nation in total offense at 530.7 yards.