Taiwan Jones shines with career-high 322 all-purpose yards, fourth-quarter turnover helps kill Eagles' comeback
By PAUL DELANEY
Staff Reporter
A career day from Taiwan Jones was not enough to carry the Eastern Washington University Eagles last Thursday in a 49-24 season-opening non-conference football loss to the Nevada Wolfpack at Mackay Stadium in Reno.
The All-American running back tallied a career-high 322 all-purpose yards, 145 yards rushing, 92 receiving and another 85 yards on kick returns, beating the 279 he recorded last year at Sacramento State. Included was an 82-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and a non-scoring 74-yard run.
But all Jones' work was not an answer to the Eagles digging themselves into a 21-7 hole after the first quarter and a 28-10 halftime deficit.
Nevada, picked to finish second to Boise State in the Western Athletic Conference, kept Eastern in its rearview mirror just long enough for visions of an upset to set in.
“We were a play here or there of doing that,” Eagles' head coach Beau Baldwin said in a post game radio interview.
Then came that critical fumble on the Eagles' 33 in the fourth quarter by Nicholas Edwards as he was trying to stretch out a pass reception. That led to the first of two wolf Pack TDs that decided things. This came after Eastern had closed to within 35-24 on a Darriell Beaumonte 1-yard run with 1:21 to play in the third.
Nevada jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead just 6:19 into the game thanks to a pair of Eastern special teams miscues. The wolf Pack opened with a 57-yard kickoff return and scored four plays later, then had another 41-yard scoring drive moments later after a 10-yard Eastern punt following a poor snap.
Jones's 8-yard highlight reel TD made it 14-7 but quarterback Colin Kaepernick's second running TD pushed the wolf Pack lead to 21-7. Eastern got a 42-yard field goal by Mike Jarrett to pull within 11 points, but was unable to take advantage of a wolf Pack fumble that was recovered by Eastern's Zach Johnson.
The tempo of the game picked up for the Eagles on offense in the second half. “I want to continue getting faster. I want us to play faster, I want to move the sticks,” Baldwin said. “We went downfield a decent amount of the time and we just weren't as effective as we need to be,” he added.
“We were able to settle down and throw some underneath stuff, you know backs out of the backfield converting first downs,” Baldwin explained. “That will always be a mainstay within the offense.”
After a Nevada score that made it 35-10 just after the start of the second half, Eastern's defense would stiffen. They then stopped the Pack on their next four possessions while getting a 5-yard TD strike from Mitchell to Kaufman with 11:16 to play in the third for a 35-17 game. Two possessions later Beaumonte scored to make it 35-24.
Another Nevada punt followed, giving the Eagles the ball at the 2-yardline. An incomplete pass to Matt Martin resulted in a personal foul and Jones followed with a run to the 33 before Mitchell's short pass to Edwards was jarred loose and returned to the 20. Three plays later Vai Taua scored the first of a pair of game-breaking touchdowns in the fourth.
Eastern lost the team statistical battle 20-24 in first downs and 553-432 in total yardage.
Mitchell, a transfer from Southern Methodist University, completed 19-of-35 passes for 253 yards in his debut. But Eastern was just 6-of-14 on third downs.
His coach gave him the benefit of the doubt, playing for the first time with a new set of receivers and in a new offense. “That was their first time together as far as Beau (Levi-Mitchell) and the receiving crew and there will be no excuses for not getting better and not performing in my opinion on a high level on offense,” Baldwin said. “We should, and we ought to and that's the expectation as we go forward.”
The Eagles will host longtime in-state rival Central Washington this Saturday, at 6:05 p.m. in the second edition of the “Showdown on the Sound” at Qwest Field in Seattle. Eastern then makes their true home debut the following Saturday against Montana in the long-awaited debut of the red turf.
“I expect that we have a salty taste in our mouth,” Baldwin said following the loss.
Baldwin also cautioned his team about the Wildcats, his alma mater, and a team Eastern lost to in Cheney 21-14 the last time the two met in 2006.
“I told them I don't believe in play-up games or play-down games and next week is certainly not a play-down game,” Baldwin said. “That's going to be one tough opponent over there who is going to be hungry as well, especially coming off a loss their first week of the season.”
Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.
Eastern's Jones is Big Sky's top offensive player
The Big Sky Conference has selected its first football players of the week for the 2010 season. Eastern Washington running back Taiwan Jones is the offensive player of the week. Northern Colorado cornerback Korey Askew is the defensive player of the week. Portland State kicker Zach Brown is the special teams player of the week.
Jones led the Football Championship Subdivision in week one with a career-high 322 all-purpose yards in a 49-24 loss to Nevada. His 322 all-purpose yards eclipsed his previous career high of 279 set last year against Sac State. This is Jones' second career player of the week honor.
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