Ewu Offense Steals Thunder From Weather Quarterbacks Impressive In Red-White Game

Personal hurts and disappointments aside, maybe all of the concern about the off-season quarterbacking shakeup at Eastern Washington University was unwarranted.

At least that’s the way it seemed in chilly Woodward Stadium Saturday afternoon while the Eagles were wrapping up four weeks of spring practice with their annual Red-White Spring Game.

With Scott Barnes, the school’s recently hired athletic director shivering in the stands, Eastern treated a gathering of about 300 hardy spectators to an entertaining offensive display that often slipped over the line from efficient to electrifying. And it didn’t seem to matter who was under center.

The Eagles’ starters with the No. 1 offense scoring 31 points and the No. 1 defense adding seven on linebacker Britt Lentz’ 42-yard interception return slapped the second-stringers 38-13 in a game-like scrimmage played in constantly changing weather conditions that included snow, sleet, wind and bright sunshine.

Fred Salanoa, the junior-college transfer who was handed the starting quarterback position at the start of spring practice, completed 9 of 13 passes for 146 yards and one touchdown. And fourth-stringer Eli Marsh, when given a chance to throw to Eastern’s splendid stable of tight ends from the comfort of the impregnable pocket created by the No. 1 offensive line, looked every bit as impressive in completing 9 of 12 passes for 157 yards.

“All in all, I thought our offense was really productive,” said coach Mike Kramer, who stirred up a major controversy over the winter by chasing off the top two quarterbacks from last year’s 5-6 team and anointing Salanoa as his starter.

“Our tight-end corps, as a group, is outstanding. We have four guys - five guys, now, with Kyle Delorme at fullback - who can really have an impact and give us a lot of variability on offense.”

Because of several off-season surgeries and early spring injuries that depleted Kramer’s roster, several players played on both the No. 1 and No. 2 units.

And by game’s end, Eagles tight ends had combined to catch 11 passes for 260 yards and two TDs. “It’s a good group,” said senior Tyson Knaevelsrud, who caught four passes for 68 yards and one TD while playing exclusively with the No. 1 unit. “We’re big, fast and strong. Our tight ends, I think, are the core of our offense and they utilize us well.”

Sophomore Dan Curley caught four passes for 90 yards and junior Lance Ballew made three receptions for 110 yards and one touchdown while alternating between the No. 1 and No. 2 offenses.

In addition, starting running back Jovan Griffith, a sophomore, darted for 115 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries.

Still, it is uncertain whether the Eagles will be better off with Salanoa at quarterback rather than last year’s starter Griffin Garske, who quit the team after being informed he would not be allowed to compete for the starting job once Salanoa arrived from Snow College in Ephraim, Utah.

Garske, who was in the stands Saturday, still attends Eastern on an athletic scholarship and has announced no plans to transfer. His backup from last fall, Scott Mitchell, bolted after being asked to move from quarterback to defensive back.

And now Kramer can only hope that Salanoa has learned enough this spring to justify his gamble.

“Only time will tell if he’s ready to hold onto the reins,” Kramer said of the 6-foot, 190-pound Salanoa. “I would doubt that after only 15 practices that he’s mastered the position. In fact, we might go through the entire (1999) season with him learning on every single snap he takes, whether it’s in practice or in a game. I think he can be a lot better than what he’s been this spring. But we’re very pleased that he’s been able to grasp as much as he has.”

Kramer said he was also pleased with the progress of his other three quarterbacks, including Marsh, junior Chris Samms and Lance Hattemer, who all redshirted last fall.

Samms and Hattemer combined to complete 5 of 14 passes for 118 yards and one touchdown against the Eagles’ No. 1 defense during Saturday’s game.

Eastern’s No. 1 defense, which was playing without three projected starters, gave up a couple of touchdowns to the No. 2 offense - one on a 2-yard run by Mike Cappelletti and the other on a 59-yard bomb from Hattemer to Ballew. But it allowed only 14 net yards rushing and six first downs.