CHENEY, Wash. (Interstat) — In an NCAA Football Championship Division game, Eastern Washington defeated visiting Northern Colorado 31-22 on Saturday at Roos Field. The Eagles improved to 2-5, and the Bears also moved to 2-5. Attendance was 4,990. Eastern Washington, playing at home, relied on four touchdown passes from Nate Bell and a late field goal to hold off Northern Colorado.

Bell, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound quarterback from Brentwood, Calif., completed 25 of 37 passes for 334 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran seven times for 16 yards. Bell spread the ball to several receivers, with Wesley Garrett turning eight catches into 138 yards and a touchdown. Drew Carlson caught three passes for 34 yards and a touchdown and returned a punt 12 yards. Kevin Allen III ran four times for 8 yards, caught three passes for 17 yards, returned two kickoffs for 38 yards and scored a touchdown. Jaxon Bell ran nine times for 33 yards, caught four passes for 26 yards and returned one kickoff for 25 yards. Jamai East caught two passes for 57 yards. Rylin Lang caught two passes for 16 yards and a touchdown. Kayden Stuit added one catch for 11 yards. David Cabrera ran once for 8 yards and caught two passes for 35 yards.

The Eagles struck quickly in the first quarter. Bell connected with Garrett on a 53-yard touchdown pass with 12:28 remaining. Eastern Washington extended its lead with 6:48 left in the opening period when Bell found Carlson from 19 yards out. McKee’s extra points made it 14-0. Northern Colorado got on the board in the second quarter when Landon Richardson made a 24-yard field goal with 12:38 remaining. Bell answered at 8:45 of the second quarter with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Allen. Richardson added a 21-yard field goal with 1:56 left before halftime. Bell then hit Lang for a 10-yard touchdown with 27 seconds remaining in the half, and McKee’s kick gave the Eagles a 28-6 lead at the break.

Northern Colorado continued to battle after halftime. Keegan Patterson scored on a 1-yard run with 5:24 left in the third quarter, but the two-point pass failed. Richardson made a 35-yard field goal with 14:45 remaining in the fourth quarter. Jordan Herron then threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Patterson with 9:11 left, and Richardson’s extra point brought the Bears closer. Eastern Washington’s Soren McKee made a 46-yard field goal with 2:30 remaining to cap the scoring and create the final margin.

Patterson completed 10 of 22 passes for 141 yards and ran 12 times for 32 yards. He also caught an 8-yard touchdown pass and scored on the ground. Justin Guin carried 17 times for 84 yards and caught two passes for 15 yards. Kenny Lueth completed both of his passes for 23 yards and rushed five times for 87 yards. Brayten Silbor completed two of nine passes for 15 yards and ran five times for 32 yards. Brandon Lambert Jr. ran four times for 41 yards. Trey Olsen caught eight passes for 103 yards. Marcus Mozer had three catches for 56 yards. Herron completed his only pass for 8 yards and a touchdown. Evan Morris ran once for 5 yards. Luke Womack caught one pass for 5 yards.

Eastern Washington’s defense was led by Myles Mayovsky, a 6-foot, 219-pound linebacker who recorded 15 tackles. Messiah Washington, a 6-foot, 188-pound cornerback, had nine tackles and one quarterback hurry. McKel Broussard added seven tackles. Isaiah Perez and Jaylon Jenkins each had six tackles. JoJo Maxey-Johnson posted five tackles and two interceptions. Matt Eskridge II had five tackles, and Justis La’ulu recorded four tackles. Luke Faccone punted six times for 215 yards.

Northern Colorado’s Hudson Voggesser made 11 tackles. Joshua Gallien, Evan Harrell and KJ Smedley each had four tackles. Franky Morales, Rylen Renton and Cadence Turner each finished with three tackles. Owen Wind had three tackles and one sack. Ayden Merrihew had one tackle and one sack. Dominic Butts added two tackles. Mikhail Benner, Maddox Broughton, Marquis Jamison, Colby Olson, Brooks Maile, Blake Weslin and Blake Palladino each had one tackle. James Moore punted twice for 105 yards. Tyrone Smiley returned three kickoffs for 43 yards.

Northern Colorado entered the game at 2-4, while Eastern Washington was 1-5. The Bears had lost at Montana and fallen to Wyoming, South Dakota and Weber State, while defeating Utah Tech and Northeastern State. The Eagles had lost at UC Davis, dropped a home game to Cal Poly, fallen at Washington and South Dakota, beaten Northern Iowa and lost at Northern Arizona. Northern Colorado next hosts Cal Poly. Eastern Washington next hosts Montana State.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Eastern Washington 47, Northern Colorado 34. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Eastern Washington with an 85.9 percent probability to win. Northern Colorado had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +6.5. The total score of 53 went over the over/under line of 58.5.