Plenty at stake at Eastern Washington’s final football scrimmage

It’s the next best thing to a game, and almost as important.

On the field and off, Friday’s twilight scrimmage at Roos Field will set the tone for Eastern Washington’s season opener eight days later at Texas Tech.

“We’re going to simulate game-like conditions as much as we can, starting with the pregame meal at 1 o’clock,” first-year head coach Aaron Best said. “Everything from that point on is going to simulate a Saturday.”

Except that it’s happening on a Friday. That’s a departure from scrimmages under predecessor Beau Baldwin, who held them on Saturday mornings.

The hope is that a later start will better simulate the weather expected in Lubbock, Texas, next weekend, but that’s a small issue. For many players, Friday’s scrimmage will set the tone for the season.

“Most of the snaps will be taken by players who we are truly still evaluating, and players who still need work,” Best said. “There will be players held out due to what we know is going to happen on Saturdays – we feel comfortable in what they’ve accomplished thus far in their careers.

“But that isn’t a ton of guys. Most of those will be on defense, because we have only one senior letter-winner on offense.”

Best expects to run 60 to 70 plays, with at least 10 special teams plays.

“We want to continue the pace of play during the scrimmage, so we’ll try to find times where we can get special teams on and off the field like a game,” Best said.

The scrimmage also offers a chance for Eastern’s offensive squads to atone for last week’s scrimmage, in which 72 plays produced just three field goals.

Eastern’s defense also intercepted four passes and held the offense to 3.7 yards per play.