Mountaineers Football Ready to Take On 2022 Campaign
By Garrett Christensen on Friday, August 19th, 2022 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – (Release from Eastern Oregon University) Eastern Oregon University returns to the gridiron at home against conference opponent Montana Tech on Saturday, August 27th at 6 p.m. The Mountaineers are looking to get back to the standard set in the 2020 season when they won the Frontier Conference for the first time in EOU history.
The Mounties are coming off a 4-6 season that saw them start out with a three-game win streak and reach as high as No. 11 in the national rankings. A rocky second half of the schedule caused EOU to slip in the rankings, however, they finished the season on a high note beating in-state rival Southern Oregon University at home. The Mounties will look to make a playoff push just as they did in 2016 under 15th year head coach Tim Camp.
EOU will need to find replacements for several key players from the 2021 season, including the anchors of the defensive line. First team All-American Sage DeLong and second team All-American Chase Van Wyck shared the title of Defensive Player of the Year in the Frontier Conference and both graduated after the 2021 season. Other notable losses include All-Frontier tackle RJ Thorne, All-Frontier defensive back Brennan Pope, and quarterback Kai Quinn.
The Mounties do have some firepower returning on defense in All-Frontier linebackers Solo Taylor (SR) and Hayden Brandon (JR). Although the Mounties lost some key pieces, they will return eight starters on each side of the ball.
Camp expects the Mountaineers to return to their winning ways in 2022 despite losing some key figures in the program.
“We got a great group of guys that you might not have heard of,” Coach Camp said during the Frontier Conference’s preseason press conference. “We could be very, very dynamic in the immediate future.”
The preseason poll has Montana Western as the conference favorite heading into 2022 receiving four first-place votes and tallying 43 points. EOU came in at sixth with 19 points just behind Montana Tech.
FIRST GAME
Opponent: Montana Tech
Location: La Grande, Ore. / Community Stadium
Kickoff: 6 p.m. PT
MONTANA TECH SCOUTING REPORT:
Preseason Frontier Rank: 5
2021 Record: 5-5
Against EOU last five meetings: 4-1
Key Players:
- Jet Campbell | QB | SR | 2021: 141/266 COMP/ATT, 2,052 YDS, 17 TD, 7 INT
- Jordan Washington | DB | R-JR | 2021: 45 TKL (33 Solo, 12 ASST), 3 INT, 6 PBU, 1 FR, 1 FF
- Blake Counts | RB | JR | 2021: 153 ATT, 777 YDS, 4 TD
Noteworthy: Head Coach Kyle Samson will begin his second year at Montana Tech.
MOUNTIE FACTS
- EOU has scored in 160 straight games. They haven’t been shutout since the 2006 season.
- EOU’s all time record sits at 343-522-14 since the program’s start in 1929.
- EOU has won or shared four conference titles in school history, the last coming in 2020.
- EOU’s lone NAIA FCS Playoff appearance came in 2016 when the Mounties made it to the semifinals.
Head Coach Tim Camp now sits 78-67 over his 14 seasons leading the Mounties.
