COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Defense prevails in Eastern spring game
From news services
CHENEY — A hot start from the offense and an energized third quarter from the defense highlighted an exciting Red-White Game under the lights at Roos Field on Friday as Eastern Washington closed out their 2023 spring practice schedule. The defense, wearing red, earned bragging rights with a 43-35 victory in the intrasquad exhibition.
"I think the thing that carried (the defense) throughout the day were the three turnovers … they played with a ton of energy. They're down some guys a little bit, but you have what you have and you do what you can do with the guys you have," Eastern Washington coach Aaron Best said.
"It was really fun. A good ending to a spirited game and everyone came out healthy."
The game was played purely offense versus defense with unique scoring. The defense started with a 26-0 lead and earned points for turnovers and fourth down stops. The offense was charged with closing the gap using traditional scoring during four 12-minute quarters with mostly running clocks, with exceptions for certain circumstances.
Transfer quarterback Jared Taylor led the offense to their first score of the night on the white team's second drive, highlighted by a spectacular 31-yard one-handed grab down the right sideline by redshirt freshman Miles Williams. Just a few plays later, Taylor found Williams again for a 2-yard touchdown to the back-right corner.
Kekoa Visperas led the next series, methodically marching down the field with completions to veteran receivers Nolan Ulm and Jakobie James. Running back Justice Jackson found empty space in the flat for a 5-yard TD catch to make it a 26-13 game.
Michael Wortham, the third quarterback in the mix for the Eagles, flashed his athleticism once again on Friday, scoring a 10-yard rushing touchdown to make it a 6-point game at 26-20 for Red in the second quarter.
"Those three quarterbacks have taken a huge jump from where we started. Kekoa has turned into a fierce leader. He's hard on himself which is a huge strength, but the game is slowing down to him. Those three push each other," Best added.
The defense found a spark late in the half when they stopped the offense on a 4th down from the two yard line. Then, coming out of a brief halftime, they kept buzzing thanks to inspired play by the linebackers, with a forced fumble from junior Trevor Thurman, a sack from redshirt sophomore Shane Aleaga and an interception from redshirt junior Ahmani Williams. The three-series sequence put Red back ahead 38-20.
"It was great to see everyone flying around. As a linebacker corps, I felt like we played great. The energy was great on the sideline," Thurman said.
Another forced fumble, this time from defensive tackle Matthew Brown two drives later, was enough to keep the defense on top despite a late surge from the offense.
"I think it was kind of a back-and-forth affair. Some tough catches, some broken tackles, but it was not sloppy by any stretch, which is a good thing," Best said. "It was solid, complimentary when it needed to be and at the end of the day, it did what we intended it to do, being competitive to the last drive."
Visperas led the quarterbacks in passing yards with 138 on 9-for-17 with one touchdown and one interception. Taylor finished with 124 yards on 7-for-16 with a touchdown, highlighted by a 64-yard catch and run from Robert Mason III on the last drive of the game. Wortham added 112 through the air on 11-for-15 with a touchdown passing and rushing.