Gashawn Moody intercepted a TCNJ pass early in the second quarter, setting up Eastern's first touchdown. It's first-ever touchdown. Eastern athletics photo

By Brian Lester
D3sports.com

Izayah Guy-Bruton snagged the pass thrown by Sabor Stevens for a catch-and-run scoring play that covered 15 yards early in the second quarter of Saturday’s historic season opener for Eastern University, the Eagles charging in front 7-3 on TCNJ.

It was the first touchdown for the Eagles in the inaugural varsity game for a program that has existed for less than 24 months.

“There was so much excitement,” Guy-Bruton said. “There was so much energy running through me celebrating with my teammates. I was just thankful to be in that moment.”

It was a moment that was nearly two years in the making. The announcement was made to start football in September of 2021. Billy Crocker, a long-time coach at the Division I level, was hired that December to help build this program from the ground up.

In the locker room before the game kicked off, Crocker talked with his team about being the new kids on the block and not having any pressure on their shoulders. He told them they were ‘playing with house money.’

It’s one thing to speak those words and another for a team to go out and play free and with confidence, especially with this being the first meaningful game for every player on the roster since their high school days.

But that’s what the Eagles did. They were ready for the moment. They trailed just 27-21 going into the fourth before falling 41-21.

“We expected (to compete),” Guy-Bruton said. “I feel like a lot of people counted us out, but we knew what we had, and now we’ve seen what we have in a game. We need more work. And the next time we are in that situation, we have a chance to overcome and win.”

Crocker had no complaints after the game was over.

“I’m not one for moral victories, but we went in there feeling like we could win that football game, and we could have. It was a one-score game with about 10 minutes left,” Crocker said. “I’m really happy for the guys. I’m proud of their effort.”

Especially considering how long the defense was on the field on a hot afternoon in New Jersey.

“It was super hot and they had an up-tempo offense. Our defense was on the field almost 65 snaps in the first half. But they battled and kept us in the game”

Chris Forte was part of that defensive effort, racking up six tackles and recovering a fumble. The sophomore linebacker said that while the team didn’t come away with a win, it did leave the field with something else.

“It felt good to play as hard as we did,” Forte said. “Like coach told us, we didn’t have respect yet, but came away with a little bit of it. We fell short, but we played hard. But I don’t think we played to our full potential.”

That will come in time for Eastern, which wasn’t sure what to expect as it jumped into starting this program.

Crocker said he took the job because he wanted an opportunity to be part of the building process. He admits it hasn’t always been easy. But it’s been worth it.

“Even though it’s a big undertaking and a little intimidating, I thought it was a unique opportunity. Not many coaches get a chance to do something like this,” Crocker said.

“Have there been bumps in the road? Absolutely,” Crocker continued. “But the administration has been supportive, and this area is sort of home for us.”

Selling recruits on a new program was an interesting task. Crocker did his best.

“When we first recruited kids it was hard,” Crocker said. “We were selling a vision, selling our coaching staff, which I think we hired an excellent one, and letting them know they were going to be the first to do something here. Those kids took a chance.”

As far as the players are concerned, it was worth the risk.

“To me, the big thing was that it was a first-year program,” Forte said. “To be part of something new is cool. It’s a chance for myself and my teammates to do our own thing here and set a foundation for years to come.”

Guy-Bruton has a similar mindset. “This was a chance to play college football. I saw the vision of what the coaches wanted to build here,” Guy-Bruton said. “It’s something new and it was an opportunity to be a part of something amazing.”

Crocker said now that his team has experience, there are lessons to learn from going forward. “Each game is going to be different, and our kids are going to continue to play hard,” Crocker said. “We have to clean up our execution and not beat ourselves. We got into some situations where we beat ourselves on Saturday.”

That will be key as Eastern will be an underdog each week. Of course, that fact doesn’t faze the team.

“They know they are going to be undermanned and overmatched physically and experience wise pretty much against everyone we are going to play. But they don’t care,” Crocker said. “They have confidence and a little bit of a chip on their shoulder.”

And the Eagles will keep taking the field playing as if they have house money.

“We showed that we have the potential to be the team we know we can be, and we have to go in and play up to our expectations each week and play higher than the expectations others have for us,” Guy-Bruton said.