Playoff Notes
A Big Sky Conference team is in the national championship game for the 13th time in the 33-year history of the FCS.
Big Sky Conference teams are 5-7 in national championship games.
With a victory, Eastern Washington will set a school record for victories in a season. The 1997 semifinal team finished 12-2.
This is the third straight season Big Sky and CAA teams have met in the national championship game. The CAA won the previous two meetings.
This marks the second time that the Big Sky has been represented in the championship game for a third straight season. In 1994 Boise State advanced to the championship game. Montana qualified in 1995 and 1996.
A Big Sky team advanced to the FCS semifinals for the 20th time in the 33-year history of the FCS.
Eastern Washington is tied for second in the 20-team playoff field in scoring offense at 38.7 points per game. Delaware is fifth at 28.3.
Eastern Washington leads the 20-team field in total defense with an average of 271.3 yards per game. Delaware is fourth at 312.7 Delaware is first in scoring defense (11 points per game), while EWU is 11th at 26.3
Eastern Washington has thrown two pick-six interceptions, and allowed two kick returns for touchdowns in the playoffs. If those scores are taken away, EWU’s defense has allowed 17 points per game.
Eastern Washington has recorded eight sacks in the three playoff games and allowed five. Delaware has six sacks and has allowed six.
Delaware has a turnover margin of +6 in the playoffs while Eastern Washington is at +4.
The Eagles are playing a playoff game in Texas for the second straight season. The Eagles lost a first-round game at Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches 44-33 in 2009.
Delaware is 2-0 in the playoffs vs. Big Sky Conference teams. The Blue Hens beat Montana 49-48 in a 1993 first-round game in Missoula. Delaware beat Portland State 49-14 in a 2000 first-round game. Eastern Washington is 1-0 in the playoffs vs. CAA teams, having beaten Villanova 41-31 in this year’s semifinals.
Beau Baldwin is 26-11 in his third season with the Eagles. His .703 winning percentage ranks 10th in Big Sky history. He is just behind Nevada’s Chris Ault (1979-91) and just ahead of Dennis Erickson, who coached Idaho in the Big Sky from 1992-85.
Eastern Washington has played its last seven games on turf. This will be Eastern Washington’s third game this season on natural grass, and the first since beating Northern Colorado 35-28 on Oct. 16. Eastern Washington beat Weber State 35-24 on grass on Oct. 2 to start its 10-game winning streak.
This will be Eastern Washington’s first game away from “The Inferno” since beating Portland State on Oct. 30.
Eastern Washington’s 10-game winning streak is the longest active streakin the FCS, and is the fifth-longest active streak in FCS football. Auburn has won 14 straight, while Oregon and TCU have won 12 in a row. Virginia Tech has won 11 straight since losing to James Madison, a conference rival of Delaware. By the time the national championship game is played, TCU will have played in the Rose Bowl and Virginia Tech will have played in the Orange Bowl.
Eastern Washington QB Bo Levi Mitchell is the only player on either team’s active from the state of Texas. Mitchell is from Katy, Texas Mitchell’s older brother Cory, is a redshirt wide receiver for the Eagles.
EWU and Delaware both feature quarterbacks who transferred from Football Bowl Subdivision Schools. Bo Levi Mitchell began his collegiate career at SMU in Dallas. Delaware’s Pat Devlin began his career at Penn State.
Villanova is the only common opponent for Delaware and Eastern Washington. Delaware lost to Villanova 28-21 in overtime on Nov. 20 in Newark, Delaware. Eastern Washington beat Villanova 41-31 in a semifinal.
Both teams won three home playoff games to advance to the championship game. EWU outscored playoff opponents 116-79. Delaware outscored opponents 85-33.