1985 Eastern Washington Eagles football team

1985 Eastern Washington Eagles football
NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal, L 14–17 at Northern Iowa
Conference	Independent
Record	9–3
Head coach	Dick Zornes (7th season)
Home stadium	Joe Albi Stadium
Seasons ←  1984 1986  →

1985 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 9 Georgia Southern ^			–					13	–	2	–	0
No. 11 Eastern Washington ^			–					9	–	3	–	0
No. 18 Richmond			–					8	–	3	–	0
Colgate			–					7	–	3	–	1
Delaware			–					7	–	4	–	0
Tennessee State			–					7	–	4	–	0
No. 16 William & Mary			–					7	–	4	–	0
Lafayette			–					6	–	5	–	0
James Madison			–					5	–	6	–	0
Lehigh			–					5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross			–					4	–	6	–	1
Florida A&M			–					4	–	7	–	0
Western Kentucky			–					4	–	7	–	0
Bucknell			–					3	–	7	–	0
Northeastern			–					2	–	8	–	0
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1985 Eastern Washington Eagles football team represented Eastern Washington University in the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season. This was the Eagles' second season in Division I-AA, having moved up from Division II after 1983, ^{[1] [2]} and participated as an independent until joining the Big Sky Conference in 1987. They played their home games at Joe Albi Stadium in nearby Spokane.

Led by seventh-year head coach Dick Zornes, the Eagles went 8–2 in the regular season and earned the program's first Division I-AA playoff bid. They traveled and defeated Big Sky champion Idaho in the first round, ^{[3] [4]} avenging a 21-point loss four weeks earlier, then lost by three points in the quarterfinals at Northern Iowa. ^[5]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 7	Chico State		Joe Albi Stadium Spokane, WA	W 28–3	2,122	[6] [7]
September 14	at Weber State		Wildcat Stadium Ogden, UT	W 31–19		[8]
September 21	at Montana State		Reno H. Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT	W 28–23	11,293	[9]
September 28	Northern Arizona		Joe Albi Stadium Spokane, WA	W 33–0	7,614	[10]
October 5	Fort Lewis		Joe Albi Stadium Spokane, WA	W 35–24	2,326	[11]
October 12	at No. 11 Nevada	No. 10	Mackay Stadium Reno, NV	L 25–31	9,650	[12]
October 19	at Long Beach State	No. 17	Veterans Stadium Long Beach, CA	W 30–23	9,605	[13]
November 2	at No. 8 Idaho	No. T–9	Kibbie Dome Moscow, ID	L 21–42	15,500	[14]
November 16	Montana	No. T–13	Joe Albi Stadium Spokane, WA (rivalry)	W 52–19	1,975	[15]
November 23	at Idaho State	No. 11	ASISU MiniDome Pocatello, ID	W 42–21		[16]
November 30	at No. 5 Idaho	No. 11	Kibbie Dome Moscow, ID (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	W 42–38	6,500	[17]
December 7	at No. 4 Northern Iowa	No. 11	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	L 14–17	6,220	[18]
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

^[19]

References

1. "1985 Team Football (2005) - Eastern Washington University Athletics Hall of Fame - Eastern Washington University Athletics". goeags.com. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
2. Stewart, Chuck (November 16, 1984). "EWU's Zornes is ready for the second season". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 27.
3. Barrows, Bob (December 1, 1985). "Vandalized!: Late score helps Eastern turn Idaho upside down, 42-38". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
4. "Idaho ousted in Division I-AA". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 1, 1985. p. 7C.
5. "College football playoffs". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 8, 1985. p. 6C.
6. "Chico State stays close but EWU finishes strong". Chico Enterprise-Record. September 8, 1985. Retrieved November 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Final 1985 Division II Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved May 22, 2022.
8. "Eagles trip Weber State". The Montana Standard. September 15, 1985. Retrieved November 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Eastern Washington surprises Montana State University, 28–23". The Independent-Record. September 22, 1985. Retrieved November 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Some sheers go to Eagles, 33–0". The Spokesman-Review. September 29, 1985. Retrieved November 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "EWU's unbeaten, but it's not perfect". The Spokesman-Review. October 6, 1985. Retrieved November 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "No. 11 Pack wins nail-biter". Reno Gazette-Journal. October 13, 1985. Retrieved November 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Long Beach's rally falls short, 30–23". The Los Angeles Times. October 20, 1985. Retrieved November 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Vandals keep playoff hopes, top Eagles 42–21". The Times-News. November 3, 1985. Retrieved November 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
15. "Townsend's four TDs give EWU a warm feeling". The Spokesman-Review. November 17, 1985. Retrieved November 20, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
16. "Eastern wins big, waits for NCAA". The Spokesman-Review. November 24, 1985. Retrieved November 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
17. "EWU nips Idaho in I-AA playoffs". The Billings Gazette. December 1, 1985. Retrieved November 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
18. "Panthers gain semifinal round". The Des Moines Register. December 8, 1985. Retrieved November 22, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
19. "2023 Eastern Washington Football Record Book" (PDF). Eastern Washington University Athletic Department. p. 65. Retrieved March 13, 2024.