Althoqh stopped by the Vandels on thla play, lllte In thepme, EWU'I Jamie Town~e~~d (441 Mlled • 7S·y•rcler which for the Ul spelled...
... 1-AA defeat h e telephon e rang in the Sports Information Office. Dennis Erickson answered it. "Eastern Washington won," h e said. The caller did not know he was talking to the losing coach. "No, I don't know what the score was," he added. and hung up the phone. Those were the first public words the Vandal h ead footbal l coach uttered after his team's elimination from the NCAA Division 1-AA playoffs. Although a t the time of the phone call Erickson did not know the final score, h e soon did. And for the 6,500 fans who ventured through Moscow's s nowy wasteland during Thanksgiving break to watch the game, th e 42-38 score and the "play" would not soon be forgotten. "We weren 't prepared for it," Erickson said. He cited the Va ndals' earlier victory over the Eastern Eagles and the controversy surrounding his own depar.ture as two reason s for the Vandals' lethargic play. "We didn't lose to a better team," wide receiver Eric Yarber said . "Eastern was good , but it was the bi.£! plax that beat us." Tne 'big play" Yarber referred to started out as a seemingly insignificant third down screen pass to EWU's Jamie Townsend. With 30 seconds to go in the game. the Eagles h ad the ball on their own 10-yard line. Needing a first down to keep their playoff hopes alive. the ball was dumped off to Townsend, who proceeded to scamper 73-yards to the Vandal 17. Just one play later Eastern quarterback Rick Worm an rolled left and. hovering near the out-of-bounds line, fired a touchdown pass to tight end Eric Riley. Twelve seconds remained in the Vandals' season, and Eastern led 42-38. But the game was as good as over. A desperate hail Mary pass fe ll into the arm s of an Eastern defender, and the Eagles advanced in the playoffs. For the Vandals. the season ended with a 9-3 mark. And for Dennis Erickson, a telephone was ringing.
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ortland State Univers ity quarterback Terry Summer· field ( 17) releases the ball before Vandal nose guard Mark Schlereth (60) reaches him.
lthough fr eshma n t ailback A Todd Holness wore number 20 during conference games. In his debut against Oregon State Unlver· slty he sported number 37.
Football
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