Cheney, WA – Eastern Washington's road to the 2010 FCS national championship was paved with numerous close games.
So the scare Eastern Washington got from Wagner before it prevailed, 29-19, in the second round of the playoffs Saturday night may just indicate what's ahead for the Eagles.
Coach Beau Baldwin's second-seeded squad from the Big Sky Conference overcame three turnovers and scored the final 15 points after trailing 19-14 late in the third quarter. The Eagles (10-2) advanced to the national quarterfinals, where they will host Illinois State (9-3) next weekend.
Wagner, the Northeast Conference champion, entered the game on an FCS-high nine-game winning streak. The Seahawks trailed 14-6 at halftime, but took the 19-14 lead in the third quarter after Jerome Williams' 1-yard touchdown run and David Lopez's third and fourth fields goals of the game.
Eastern Washington reclaimed the lead on Quincy Forte's 3-yard touchdown run on the final play of the third quarter. A Kyle Padron pass to Brandon Kaufman for the two-point conversion extended the lead to 22-14.
Demitrius Bronson then basically put away Eastern Washington's win with a 2- yard touchdown with 4:02 left in the fourth quarter.
Padron completed 26-of-36 pass attempts for 327 yards, a first-quarter touchdown to Ryan Ceto and one interception. Kaufman caught 10 passes for 174 yards.
Wagner quarterback Nick Doscher had 169 yards of total offense. The Seahawks (9-4) played without 1,000-yard rusher Dominique Williams.
It was the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
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