Red rolls over White in last spring scrimmage

FROM STAFF AND NEWS

SERVICE REPORTS

For the fi rst time in a number of years,

Eastern Washington University’s Red-White

scrimmage has been a tightly scripted, well regulated

dress-rehearsal event.

The Eagles got to go a little different

direction last Saturday. First, players were

drafted onto either the Red or White team.

Then a wrinkle or two were thrown into what

turned out to be a dominating performance

on both sides of the ball for the Red team, a

20-0 winner on a windy day at Woodward

Field.

Not only did the Red team score the shutout,

but they also nearly doubled the White

squad 276-157 in total offense. Team Red also

turned on the defense recording nine sacks.

“We had a little fun with it,” head coach

Beau Baldwin explained. “I split up the

coaching staff and then went back and forth

picking by positions. There was some strategy

-- it wasn’t just random.”

The Red opened the scrimmage with a 61-

yard pass on the fi rst play from scrimmage

from quarterback

Bo Levi Mitchell to

receiver Greg Herd.

Mitchell capped the

three-play, 70-yard

drive with an 8-

yard scoring run.

Herd had a hand

in both of the Red’s

other two touchdowns,

catching a

26-yard touchdown pass from junior Greg

Panelli to cap a nine-play, 90-yard drive, and

then throwing a 20-yard TD to Zack Gehring

late in the game. The quarterback on that

drive was directed by Scott Burgett, who led

the team on the 11-play, 75-yard drive.

In all, EWU’s fi ve quarterbacks were a

combined 18-of-37 for 259 yards as EWU

seeks to replace two-time Big Sky Conference

Offensive Player of the Year Matt Nichols.

Mitchell, who fi nished 3-of-7 for a game-high

78 yards, came to Eastern this spring from

Southern Methodist University where he

started all 19 of the games he played.

And while Baldwin has continued to

stop short of offi cially naming his starting

QB leading into the start of fall practice in

August, he more or less revealed his hand

following the scrimmage. “We still have

three more days of spring practice, but if

we were to play tomorrow, Bo would be our

starter,” Baldwin said.

Four returning starters from EWU’s

2009 team sat out the scrimmage, including

1,000-yard All-America running back Taiwan

Jones. In his place, the White’s Darriell Beaumonte

rushed for 80 yards on 11 carries and

Chase King and Daniel Johnson combined

for 83 yards for the Red.

Converted running back Tyler Hart led all

receivers with four catches for 53 yards for

the Red squad. Three players combined for

the nine sacks recorded by the Red, including

2 1/2 by Charles Moetului, two by Jerry Ceja

and 1 1/2 by Levi Reynolds. John Roberts

had an interception, and Artise Gauldin

and Paul Ena each broke up a pass. Ena led

the White with nine tackles, and Moetului

fi nished with seven for the Red.

 

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