Baldwin says the 'red' still remains a place to reckon with

The joke, as Eastern Washington University head football coach Beau Baldwin likes to tell it, goes like this:

“It’s interesting, the pessimists in Missoula and Bozeman in 2010 tried to convince me, ‘Coach, by 2016 you’re going to have a pink field,” when Eastern was in the process of installing that wild red rug at what is now Roos Field.

As he addressed the annual gathering of the West Plains Chamber of Commerce at its Aug. 17 breakfast on the red turf Baldwin delivered his state of the Eagles message to business and community leaders, reiterating the red is still holding strong in more ways than just its color.

It’s toned down a tad from that first game, Sept. 18, 2010 versus Montana, but the Roos turf is still a real red, and a place where much success has taken place the past six seasons. Eastern has a 34-7 record at home.

But a disappointing 2015 season, in which Baldwin’s team finished an uncharacteristic 6-5 overall and 5-3 in Big Sky play — ending a run of three consecutive league titles — has served as motivation that not even Baldwin could have instilled.

The 2015 campaign finished with three consecutive losses and Eastern being bounced from the postseason for the first time since 2011.

“I didn’t have to do a ton (of work in the off season) because these players were so driven to do things at a different level,” Baldwin said.

Players came to Baldwin, he said, seeking advice on what they could do that was different from previous offseason work.

And unlike other years, where what was gained in spring ball might have been lost by August, “With these guy, no, they were driven in May, June and July to continue to do things on their own,” Baldwin said.

“We are in a great spot, but we better be,” he added.

Eastern players came well prepared for preseason camp, and well they should as another juggernaut schedule awaits with a Sept. 3 opener against a rejuvenated Washington State in Pullman, followed by a trip to Fargo to face five-time defending Football Championship Subdivision titlists, North Dakota State.

And there’s no glossing over Baldwin being in a good mood because, as he said, “Back in December we happened to land our top recruit of the year — by the way he had already been in here a few years on top of that — (when) Cooper Kupp decided to come back for another year,” Baldwin said.

Baldwin called Kupp’s return, “The biggest recruiting hit for me all year,” as the all-everything wide receiver from Yakima opted not for the NFL draft, but to hang around to complete some unfinished business.

“One of the things I said to him (was), why?” Baldwin said.

It was interesting to sit in the office and ask, “Cooper, why — I’m not trying to talk you out of it — but you’re married, you’re graduated,” Baldwin said.

He’s done everything he needed to do at Eastern, from Baldwin’s perspective that is.

As for Kupp, however, “His reasons were so great, they were genuine,” Baldwin said.

“He sat in my office and said, ‘Coach, I want to lead as a senior, you only get one chance to do that,’” Baldwin said. “He said, ‘Coach, I want to finish with the guys I started with.’”

And in true confident Kupp fashion, while scouts were telling him he should come out and enter the draft, “If I’m a second-round pick this year, but next year they say you dropped all the way to fifth (round), I’m going to make that team anyway,” Baldwin said of the conversation the two had.

There’s also that desire to get back to Frisco, Texas in January for a chance at another national championship. “He said, ‘Coach, I want to go after a national championship, I get one more chance to do that.’”

On the verge of an intense next four months working seven days a week, “I don’t even want to count the hours,” Baldwin said. “Usually you’re crossing them (the days) off, 118, 117.”

With support coming from all corners of the community, it never feels like a job, Baldwin said. And that, one can easily tell, is no joke.

Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.