After a week off, Eastern University Football returns to action with a key conference match-up against a King's College team that earned a final-second win the last time out. With wins over Misericordia and Delaware Valley and results elsewhere, the Eagles sit atop the MAC Standings as the only team without a loss in the league. 

The Monarchs (1-2, 1-2) came into the league season at a disadvantage after their rivalry game with Wilkes ended early. After dropping the first two games, King's scored the final eight points of the game with a safety and a last-second touchdown to rally to an 18-13 win over a Widener team that came into the game without a loss in the league. 

Junior quarterback Jaelin Mims led the Monarchs on a nine-play, 108 second drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass. Mims finished with 142 yards in the air and 44 yards running. 

Two of the biggest plays in the fourth quarter happened with the Monarch punt unit on the field. With seven minutes left, the Pride took a 13-10 lead on a blocked punt and a 35-yard return. After three incomplete passes, the Monarch punting unit returned to the field. This time Aaron Losado hit a 61-yard bomb to the one-yard line. 

That play put the Pride in a hole they could not escape. Tarrylle Stewart made a tackle behind the line of scrimmage for a safety. After the two teams traded unsuccessful possessions, the Monarchs went on their deciding drive. 

Though Eastern earned a 39-37 win in Wilkes-Barre last year, King's leads the series 2-1. Dru Beckford broke up a pass on a two-point conversion to help secure the winin last year's wild affair. The 76 points is the biggest total for a game in program history. Brett Nabb ran for 164 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 257 yards and two more scores to beat the 2024 MAC Champions on their home turf. 

The Eagles (3-1, 3-0) come into the game on the heels of an impressive 21-7 road win at Delaware Valley. Eastern ran for a program-record 365 yards and had the ball for nearly 45 minutes. With a key fake punt from Curtis Johnson, the Eagles had the ball for the final nine-and-a-half minutes of the game. 

The Eastern defense allowed just 14 yards in the second half and has surrendered only  a single score in the last two games. While DonJuan Clark III has stepped in for an injured Jason Bateman and performed well, the unit has been balanced and aggressive across all three levels . Eastern ranks 18th in the nation in total defense while allowing only 110 yards per game in the air. 

Today's game will feature the top three rushers in the conference. With 612 yards and seven scores, Jeremiah Avrilien is ranked third nationally in rushing yards per game. King's sophomore running back Reynaldo Carter is averaging over 100 yards per game on the ground and is ranked 28th, and Nabb is third in the league and 42nd in the nation.

This will be the second time Eastern has hosted King's for a Homecoming contest. The Monarchs rode a stellar effort from Radnor native Russell Minor-Shaw to a 35-23 win in 2024.

There are five 2-1 teams in the MAC. Alvernia will host Misericordia in the only match-up between those teams. Widener hosts Albright (1-2). Delaware Valley hosts FDU-Florham (0-3), and Stevenson journeys to Lebanon Valley (0-3). 

The Eagles will return to Radnor Street Road next week to host Blue Route-rival Widener in a 1:00 pm start.