GREELEY, Colo. — In an impressive display of offense, Kekoa Visperas tossed three touchdown passes, while Jared Taylor contributed three additional scores, leading Eastern Washington to a dominant 43-15 victory over Northern Colorado on Saturday.
The Eagles jumped out to an early advantage, establishing a 22-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, largely thanks to Visperas’s excellent passing. He connected with three different receivers for touchdowns, setting the stage for a commanding performance against the struggling Bears.
After Taylor scored on a short rushing touchdown, Northern Colorado managed to find the end zone twice. However, Taylor soon added to his tally with another rushing score and threw a 14-yard touchdown to Efton Chism III.
Visperas completed 13 of his 20 attempts for a total of 179 yards, although he did record one interception. His touchdown passes were impressive, including a 44-yard strike to Wesley Garrett, a 34-yard pass to Michael Wortham, and a 9-yard toss to Chism. On the other hand, Taylor went 3 for 4 for 20 yards, while also demonstrating his running ability with 92 yards on 17 attempts. Malek Dotson starred in the ground game for the Eagles, rushing for 130 yards on 17 carries, and Chism emerged as a key target, making 10 catches totaling 93 yards.
With this performance, Chism’s season totals reached 1,035 yards and 11 touchdowns on 95 receptions, underscoring his impact on the team’s offense.
For Northern Colorado, quarterback Peter Costelli completed 11 of 26 passes for 258 yards and threw two touchdown passes. His notable connections included a 29-yard touchdown to Brayden Munroe and a long 76-yard touchdown pass to Carver Cheeks, but his efforts were ultimately not enough to change the outcome of the game.