Oct. 1—During his four years on the coaching staff at Texas A&M-Commerce, Mike Smith twice coached against UC Davis, the program he and Eastern Washington will face this weekend in California.

The Aggies won both games — 48-10 in 2023 and 36-22 in 2024 — and that was enough to leave an impression on Smith, now the defensive line coach at EWU.

"I expect, based on the coaching staff they have and the type of kid they recruit, that they are going to be extremely motivated to right the ship, so to speak," Smith said on Monday. "I am looking forward to two extremely motivated teams clashing on a Saturday."

Erasing an ugly loss is a source of motivation for both teams. The Eagles dropped to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in Big Sky Conference play after a 31-27 loss to Cal Poly in Cheney; the Aggies (3-2, 1-1) were blasted 62-22 by Montana, at Davis, no less, in their most lopsided loss ever to the Grizzlies.

The Eagles can't afford a loss, really, if they hope to end a five-year playoff drought. The Aggies can afford a loss and still make the playoffs, but they carry realistic aspirations to win a Big Sky championship — aspirations that would be compromised with another loss this weekend.

So yes, both these teams are desperate for a victory, even if the stakes aren't exactly the same.

"(I am) very thankful that we have another game to improve and get better and hopefully get back to our process and playing to our standard," UC Davis head coach Tim Plough said during his Monday news conference. "I still believe that when we do that it can lead to positive results."

Until two years ago, the Eagles had never lost to the Aggies, and they still haven't lost in Davis, where they are 5-0 all-time. That includes a 27-24 victory in 2023 and a 38-20 victory there in 2021.

Plough echoed Smith in his praise for the opposing coaching staff.

"I have a lot of respect for coach (Aaron) Best," Plough said. "Every time you play against that program you know it's going to be a dog fight. We know we've got our hands full."

Eastern's issue lately has been a straightforward one: scoring points. On its final four drives against Cal Poly, Eastern punted twice and was intercepted twice.

Inefficiencies on offense are related to a series of injuries at wide receiver and then at running back. Sophomore running back Wilson Medina missed the game against the Mustangs and then grad senior Malik Dotson was unavailable in the second half.

Dotson is still listed as a starter on this week's depth chart. Redshirt senior wide receiver Wesley Garrett, who missed last week's game but still leads the Eagles with 19 receptions for 256 yards, is listed as a starter against UC Davis and was practicing Tuesday.

Personnel aside, though, Best said the offense needs to be better.

"It doesn't matter who the receivers are, who the running backs are, who the quarterback is, there was a lot to be yearned for offensively (against Cal Poly)," Best said. "It was unclean. It was below our standard."

Davis could say much the same after it was outgained 607-392 by the Grizzlies. The Aggies reached the red zone just two times and converted on 6 of 17 third downs. They also lost two fumbles.

Sophomore quarterback Treynor Cleeland, originally from Vancouver, Washington, had his least efficient start in four so far against FCS programs, completing 18 of 33 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown.

Add to that a wider TV audience — ESPN2 is broadcasting the game — and the stakes are all the more visible.

"(Playing on) national television is big, regardless of record," Best said. "It's going to be a huge task. They didn't play well. We didn't play well. Coach Plough will have them rolling."

If there is one position group that can lead the Eagles in weathering a 1-4 start, it might be the defensive line. It's a group that starts four seniors, three of whom have spent their entire college career at Eastern.

Smith said the defensive linemen understand the balance needed to keep an even keel even amid a losing streak — one the Eagles intend to end this week.

"The worst thing you can do is panic," Smith said. "That just creates this negative air that's not going to benefit anyone or anything. Guys like Isaiah (Perez), (Dishawn) Misa, Ben (Voigtlaender), Jaden (Radke), (Justis) La'ulu, they are doing a really great job. They understand the urgency to execute. They're (trying to) do what they can do at a higher level."

Source: Yahoo Sports