{
  "id": 10340142,
  "title": "Inconsistency plagues Eastern Washington's defense in loss | EWU notebook",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/inconsistency-plagues-eastern-washingtons-defense-in-loss-ewu-notebook",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-28T02:07:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/inconsistency-plagues-eastern-washingtons-defense-020700378.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Eastern Washington's defense faced inconsistency in their 31-27 loss to Cal Poly on Saturday. The defense showcased their ability to thwart opposing offenses with interceptions by Jaylon Jenkins and Ambrose Marsh, as well as a forced fumble by Dishawn Misa that was recovered by Bryce Smith. However, the defense also struggled to limit explosive plays, as highlighted by redshirt junior Jaylon Jenkins, who stated, \"We just didn’t limit explosives.\"\n\nCal Poly's Jaden Green was the primary reason for the defensive struggles, rushing for 269 yards and scoring on a 55-yard, 53-yard, and 31-yard runs. Green accounted for more than half of Cal Poly's total yards (428), making him the most productive rusher in the Big Sky Conference this season. Despite Green's impressive performance, Eastern's defense managed to stop the Mustangs' offense outside of Green, with quarterback Anthony Grigsby Jr. completing a season-low 13 passes for 163 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.\n\nInjuries further complicated the Eagles' offensive efforts. Kevin Allen III led the team with 15 rushes for 49 yards and five receptions for 33 yards, taking on more snaps after redshirt senior Malik Dotson left the game in the first half. The Eagles were also without sophomore running back Wilson Medina, who was sidelined throughout the game. The receiving corps was similarly affected, with redshirt senior Jamai East suffering a season-ending injury late in the contest. Eastern currently has more injured receivers than healthy ones, and the team has been without redshirt senior Cole Pruett, who uses a cart to move around the sidelines, as well as redshirt senior Wesley Garrett and redshirt sophomore Jaxon Branch for the duration of the game.\n\nThe Eagles' injuries have posed a significant challenge, as they face a tough stretch of three games in five weeks against ranked opponents. Starting with UC Davis (3-2, 1-1) on Oct. 10, followed by Montana State (5-0, 2-0) on Oct. 17 and Montana (4-1, 3-0) on Oct. 31, the Eagles also host Northern Colorado (2-3, 1-1) on Oct. 10. With the bye week on Oct. 24, the program, which is seeking its first playoff appearance since 2021, faces a challenging path forward. EWU head coach Aaron Best acknowledged the difficulty of the situation, emphasizing the need for sustained and capitalized play.",
  "summary": "Sep. 27—Among the litany of conflicting aspects of Eastern Washington's 31-27 loss to Cal Poly on Saturday at Roos Field was the feast-or-famine nature of its defensive performance. Eastern demonstrated its ability to take away the football with interceptions by redshirt junior Jaylon Jenkins and redshirt sophomore Ambrose Marsh, as well as a fumble forced by redshirt senior Dishawn Misa and ...",
  "key_points": [
    "Eastern Washington's defense inconsistent in 31-27 loss to Cal Poly",
    "Cal Poly's Jaden Green rushed for 269 yards, scored 3 TDs",
    "Eagles injuries impacted offense, facing tough stretch of games"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}