Eastern Washington hosts UC Davis on Saturday with a spot in the FCS Playoffs semifinals up for grabs. The quarterfinal matchup pits the third-seeded Eagles against the sixth-seeded Aggies in a battle of two of the best offenses in all of FCS play.
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These two teams met less than a month ago in a game that saw Eastern emerge with a 59-20 victory after trailing 10-0 early in the game.
Here's a countdown of 10 important stats and figures to prepare you for the EWU-UCD quarterfinal matchup:
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10: Trips to the Quarterfinals for EWU
Saturday marks Eastern Washington's 10th trip to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs. The Eagles are 5-4 in their previous nine quarterfinal games, and won their most recent quarterfinals matchup in 2016 against Wofford before ultimately falling to Youngstown State in the semifinals.
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9: Receiving TDs for Top UCD Targets
The Aggies have one of the most prolific passing attacks in FCS play (more on that later). Quarterback Jake Maier has thrown 32 total touchdowns, nine each to the top two touchdown-catchers on the team.
Keelan Doss has nine touchdowns on 109 receptions this season. Wesley Preece is a red-zone threat, catching nine touchdowns on just 26 total receptions. That's a touchdown on about 35 percent of his receptions.
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8: Potential NFL Prospects
The aforementioned Doss and Maier are two of eight players on the two rosters who are ranked in NFL Draft Scout's database as potential NFL prospects. Here's a look at those players:
UC Davis:
Keelan Doss, No. 20 WR (2019)
Jake Maier, No. 35 QB (2020)
Eastern Washington:
Roldan Alcobendas, No. 15 K (2019)
Ketner Kupp, No. 24 ILB (2019)
Mitch Fettig (Inj.), No. 30 FS (2019)
Gage Gubrud (Inj.), No. 31 QB (2019)
Jay-Tee Tiuli, No. 35 DT (2019)
Nsimba Webster, No. 76 WR (2019)
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7: UC Davis' Scoring Offense Rank
The Aggies, as mentioned earlier, have a prolific scoring offense. The unit averages 40.6 points per game, the seventh-ranked scoring offense in all of FCS play.
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6: Defensive TDs by EWU this season
In last week's game against Nicholls, Ketner Kupp picked off a pass in the red zone and rumbled 95 yards to paydirt, helping to seal the 42-21 victory for the Eagles. That defensive score was the sixth touchdown produced by EWU's defense this season, which is tied with Stony Brook for the most defensive touchdowns by a team this year in FCS play.
Eastern Washington has four fumbles returned for touchdowns and two pick-sixes this year.
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No. 5 Individual Scorer
Only four players have averaged more points per game this season than EWU kicker Roldan Alcobendas. He's totaled 103 points in 11 games, averaging 9.4 points per contest. He's 15-of-15 on field goals and 58-of-59 on PATs this year.
The only four players who average more points per game this season are Kennesaw State QB Chandler Burks (14.5 ppg), Jacksonville QB Calvin Turner Jr. (11.0 ppg), Montana State QB Troy Anderson (9.8 ppg) and Davidson RB Wesley Dugger (9.6 ppg).
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4: EWU's Scoring Offense Rank
UC Davis isn't the only prolific offense to hit the red turf at Roos Field on Saturday, EWU can score with the best of them. The Eagles average 44.9 points per game this year, good enough for fourth-best in FCS play.
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3: UCD's Passing Numbers
UC Davis has the third-ranked passing offense in college football, averaging 326.6 yards per game. They trail only Samford (392.7 ypg) and San Diego (349.2 ypg).
Additionally, Keelan Doss is third in FCS play with 9.1 receptions per game and Jake Maier is third in FCS play averaging 308.1 passing yards per game.
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2: EWU's Total Offense Rank
The Eagles average more yards per game than any other team in FCS play not named Davidson. EWU's second-ranked offensive attack produces 543.0 yards per game. That includes 271.0 yards per game on the ground (No. 10 rushing offense) and 272.0 passing yards per game (No. 20 passing offense).
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1: A First for UC Davis
The UC Davis-Northern Iowa game last week was the Aggies' first-ever FCS Playoff game, and, therefore, the Aggies' first-ever FCS Playoff win. This week they will have another first — their first-ever FCS Playoff road game.
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FCS PODCAST: Previewing The Quarterfinals, And The Coaching Carousel Continues
