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Eastern Washington wins Div. 1 football title

Eastern Washington's Eagles staged a thrilling comeback against the University of Delaware to win the NCAA Division 1 football title, the first for the school. 

After trailing much of the game, Eastern rallied for a 20-19 victory in Frisco, Texas, before a crowd that included enthusiastic Delaware alum Joe Biden. The Vice President and Mrs. Biden. 

The victory caps a season that drew EWU national attention for their play on the field, and for the Eagles' home field itself. This year the school laid red turf on Roos Field as a way to inspire the team and fans, taking a play from Boise State's famous blue turf. 

But Spokane Spokesman-Review reporter Steve Bergum writes the team's magic was in their play, a season highlighted by strong fourth quarters and big plays on fourth downs, including the title game:

Junior quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, who was named the Player of the Game, threw for 302 yards and three second-half touchdowns as Eastern (13-2) climbed out of a 19-0 hole to reel in the Blue Hens in front of a Pizza Hut Park crowd of 13,027.

Northwest Cable News and KREM-TV reports the win gave the Eagles a school-record 13 season wins:

Eastern was making its first NCAA championship game appearance. The Blue Hens, the 2003 national champions and runners-up in1982 and 2007, finished their season 12-3.