Oct. 3, 2009
Final Stats
Pocatello, ID --- Taiwan Jones tied a Holt Arena record with three touchdowns, including a back-breaking 96-yard run in which he reversed field twice, broke several tackles, and set an Eastern Washington record in the process as the 17th-ranked Eagles defeated Idaho State 38-3 in Holt Arena, spoiling Homecoming and handing the Bengals their 20th defeat in the last 21 games.
Idaho State again continued to struggle holding onto the ball, as they fumbled six times, losing three of those, with the first coming after the Bengal defense stopped the Eagles on their first drive. The Bengals had just picked up a first down when Stew Tracy fumbled, setting up Eastern at the ISU 38-yard line. Taiwan Jones scored on a 15-yard run for his first touchdown, making it 7-0.
Eastern then put together a long 10-play, 88-yard drive with Jones finishing it off from 11 yards out for a 14-0 first quarter lead.
Idaho State finally got on the board in the second quarter when Jarrett Huk hit a 43-yard field goal after Dustin Tew forced a fumble and A.J. Storms recovered it. ISU then forced a punt and survived when JD Ponciano fumbled the ensuing punt, but Clint Knickrehm fumbled on the next play. ISU was able to get the ball right back when Tew ripped the ball out of Jones' hands after it looked like he was stood up, giving the Bengals the ball at their own 12, but on 3rd-and-1, Kyle Blum couldn't get the first down on the sneak, and ISU punted from their own 32.
The strategy looked to have worked as Eastern got backed up for a 3rd-and-22 at their own six, but Matt Nichols, who was quietly brilliant going 27-for-38 for 293 yards and two touchdowns, threaded a pass down the sideline to Aaron Boyce for a first down. Boyce eventually ended that drive with a 25-yard touchdown reception as he finished with 10 catches for 149 yards.
Jones then ended any hopes of a comeback on Eastern's first drive. After Jon Vanderwielen punted a ball out of bounds at the Eastern four, Jones started left, and was hit, but spun away from two tackles, and outraced a third and dashed up the right sideline. At the ISU 45, he cut back all away across the field and in the end he had a record-breaking 96-yard touchdown, and Eastern led 28-3. The run was the longest ever in Holt Arena, and it was the longest in Eastern Washington history, topping a 95-yard run way back in 1954.
Eastern went up 35-3 when ISU went for it on fourth and inches at their own 23, but Knickrehm fumbled for the third time in the game, and Jacob Kragt recovered for his second recovery of the game. Quarterback Kyle Blum was hurt on the play making the tackle, and he gave way to Russel Hill after Eastern made it 35-3. The Eagles capped the scoring with a 49-yard field goal in the fourth by Mike Jarrett.
The Bengals again struggled rushing the ball, and sacks and a poor center snap to Hill led to a -2 yard rushing total, which amazingly in the second best rushing total of the year for ISU. Blum was 13-of-22 for 150 yards, and Hill was 8-of-16 for 85 in relief. Jaron Taylor had 129 yards on seven catches, and JD Ponciano was literally everywhere, catching five passes for 43 yards, returning two punts for five yards, five kickoffs for 127 yards, and throwing a pass to Taylor for 38 yards.
Taylor and Ponciano both left the game, leaving ISU with just four healthy receivers at the end of the game, three of those true freshmen, although Taylor was fine after the game. A.J. Storms led ISU with nine tackles, but Dustin Tew had eight tackles, a tackle for loss, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
For the Eagles, Jones finished with 168 yards rushing on just 14 carries as Eastern had 530 yards of total offense. Renard Williams had four tackles, but three were for loss, and two were sacks, as Eastern had five on the game.
The Bengals now head to Sacramento State, who defeated Portland State in Portland 31-14 for their first conference win of the year. It will mark the first game this season that ISU isn't playing a BCS team or a nationally ranked team.
NOTES: Jon Vanderwielen showed his All-America form, punting eight times for a 47.2 yard average, including five pins. Two of those pins went out of bounds at the four and three yard line. He did have a touchback on a 59-yard punt at the end of the first half when ISU kept everyone back on an 11-man rush by Eastern ... ISU has now lost 11 fumbles on the season, after losing just nine all of last year in 12 games ... ISU has rushed for negative yardage in four of their five games this season ... on one snap in the fourth quarter ISU had five true freshmen out on offense ... Nick Tranmer made his first career start, starting at right guard.
