CHENEY — Sam McPherson ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns and No. 3 seed Eastern Washington scored 39 straight points to beat Nicholls 42-21 in the second round of the FCS playoffs on Saturday.
The Eagles (10-2) will host No. 6 seed UC Davis in the quarterfinals next weekend.
Eastern Washington trailed 14-3 after the Colonels (9-4) scored touchdowns on their first two possessions and Nicholls looked to add to the lead with a 37-yard field goal attempt at the end of the first half. But Dylan Ledbetter blocked the kick and Hockinson High grad Kedrick Johnson scooped it up and returned it 55 yards for a score.
The Eagles never looked back, scoring on five of their first six possessions of the second half, four of them touchdowns. Ketner Kupp’s 95-yard interception return with 3:34 left in the game made it 42-14.
Eric Barriere passed for 162 yards, a touchdown and an interception and ran for 54 yards for Eastern Washington. Andrew Boston caught five passes for 89 yards and a score.
