1995 Reserve Qb Shores Up Eagles

The quarterback outlook at Eastern Washington University isn’t quite as gloomy this week as it was immediately following last Saturday’s 20-13 Big Sky Conference football victory over Montana State.

Starter Harry Leons, who injured his right knee on a first-quarter scramble, might not, as was first feared, be finished for the season.

And Eagles coach Mike Kramer’s APB for an “emergency” quarterback to back up redshirt freshman Griffin Garske has been answered - by a young man who came to EWU on a football scholarship, no less.

But there are also several downsides associated with the injury update on Leons and the return of Scott Bond.

A Monday morning MRI performed on Leons’ knee showed a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament, but no tear. That, according to Kramer, means Leons could be ready to play in two or three weeks, provided he can wear some kind of protective brace.

“However, his primary care physician has declined to allow him to play in a brace because of health insurance issues,” Kramer explained. “So right now, we’re caught up in the insurance-health care provider minutia.

“We’re going to get a couple of other opinions, but he is out for the next two weeks for sure. And then it will probably take an act of Congress to get him back on the field.

“It’s unbelievable.”

Until Leons is cleared to play, Kramer’s No. 2 quarterback will be Bond, a 6-foot-1, 185-pounder who was one of four quarterbacks on the Eagles’ roster last fall. Bond, a Pasco native who came to EWU after brief stints at Montana State and Walla Walla Community College, was No. 3 on the depth chart behind Leons and Brian Sherick. Sherick opened the 1995 season as the starter, but he went down with a season-ending ACL tear after playing in six games.

Bond, realizing Garske’s potential, figured he wouldn’t see much playing time, so he quit to concentrate on his studies.

Then Sherick decided not to return, leaving Kramer with only two scholarship QBs. And when Bond, who watched Saturday’s win over MSU from the Woodward Stadium stands, saw Leons go down, he realized he was only a snap away from being the starter.

Kramer said backup linebacker Matt McKinstry, a high school teammate of Bond, came up to him on the sidelines Saturday and told him that Scott was in the stands and willing to suit up if needed.

“It was tempting,” Kramer admitted, “but there was no way to get the paperwork done so he would be eligible.”

The paperwork was completed earlier this week, however, and Bond has practiced the past two days with the second-string offense.

“He’s actually looked pretty sharp,” Kramer said. “It’s nice to have the luxury of having a former quarterback with playing time become available to us again.”

And the downside?

“Scott got married this spring and worked a lot on his golf game - but not at all on his football,” Kramer explained on Wednesday. “And last night, when we were running conditioning drills, it was obvious that he was w-a-a-a-a-a-y behind.”

Then there are Bond’s less-thanimpressive numbers from last fall, when he played in seven games - more than any other quarterback - but finished 0 for 4 passing with one interception and a passing efficiency rating of minus 50.

Garske continues to take all the practice snaps with the No. 1 unit.

“I guess I’d better be careful and slide whenever possible,” he said after completing eight of 19 passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday’s win.

“I was kind of rusty, actually, because I didn’t get a lot of reps with the first team, which is normal. But a win is a win, and I’ll get a lot better this week. The offense will get used to me and, hopefully, Harry will be back pretty quick.”

The Eagles, after playing three straight home games, travel to Cal State Sacramento Saturday for a 6:05 p.m. game with the Hornets.

Eight is enough

Bond, who wore No. 16 last fall, has opted for jersey No. 8.

“Last year he was No. 16,” Kramer kidded, “but he’s only going to be here for half the season this year, so we divided it by two.”

Lucky number 67

Northern Arizona quarterback Travis Brown, a redshirt freshman, ranks No. 5 in the Big Sky in passing efficiency with a rating of 129.22.

Included in his numbers are eight touchdown passes - three of which came on 67-yard bombs against three different opponents.

Dave who?

Brian Ah Yat hasn’t exactly made Montana fans forget Dave Dickerson, but the shifty sophomore who replaced the starting quarterback on last year’s Division I-AA title team doesn’t seem to be awed by his predecessor.

Through four games, Ah Yat has the Grizzlies 4-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation behind Marshall.

A 6-1, 185-pounder, Ah Yat has completed 76 of 135 passes for 1,091 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdowns. He has thrown eight interceptions, but still ranks No. 2 in Big Sky passing efficiency with a rating of 146.60.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN - Big Sky football notebook