EWU defense catching up to offense

The Eastern Washington football coaches didn’t need film to confirm the obvious: Defense dominated Friday’s scrimmage. “There were some unforced things out there,” said head coach Beau Baldwin, “but there were a lot of things where it was plays being made by the defense. “Even errant passes came from guys getting in the face of the quarterbacks.” The learning curve definitely got steeper for quarterbacks Anthony Vitto and Vernon Adams, who dealt with some poor snaps and a tough pass rush in Friday’s live-simulation scrimmage. “We just need to go back and clean up some things,” said Baldwin of the offense. “But at the same time, if we’re cleaning up things, it usually means that the other side of the ball was helping mess those things up.” As a result, average yards per play allowed by the defense dropped from 8.6 in the first scrimmage to 3.1 in the second. The improvement came from “not breaking down too early” and tackling better, Baldwin said. Baldwin knows his offense will have something to prove this week, but, nevertheless, he was pleased with how last week’s scrimmage ended, with Vitto finding Nicholas Edwards for a 25-yard touchdown. “Whenever one side is struggling you always want to see them come back and finish in a positive way, and that is what the offense did,” he said. “Had they just continued to not score at the end, it wouldn’t have been the end of the world, but it wouldn’t have been great.” Notes The Eagles will hold three practices this week: today, Wednesday and Friday, all at 4 p.m. … The third scrimmage of spring drills is scheduled for Saturday at 10:30 a.m. … RB Mario Brown’s timetable for recovery from a concussion is uncertain, Baldwin said. … S Jeff Minnerly is “day-to-day” with a sore groin, though he has been on the field helping with special teams. Minnerly is expected to be the holder on field goals and extra points, but will work with a new kicker, as Mike Jarrett graduated. Tickets are still available for the 31st Orland Killin Dinner, Dance and Auction on April 28, following the Red and White Game. Cost for the dinner is $100 per individual, or $700 for a table of eight. The event starts with a social hour and auction at 4:30 p.m., followed by the dinner at 6:15. Besides online at www.goeags.com, tickets may also be obtained by calling (509) 359-2463 or (800) 648-7697.