Eastern Washington offense gets untracked in scrimmage

One play spoke volumes in Friday night’s scrimmage at Roos Field.

It spoke loudly and clearly that no matter what, Eastern Washington is going to keep throwing the ball.

On third and goal from the 2, the Eagles lined up with three wideouts on the right side. Naturally, quarterback Gage Gubrud found the fourth, Jayson Williams, on the left side for an easy score.

Plays like that brought a smile to Stu Stiles, who’s fighting for playing time in a big, talented group of wideouts.

After catching three balls and almost making a circus catch in the end zone, Stiles said, “I want to be one of those four guys on the field.”

That’s right, four. And that was OK with head coach Aaron Best, whose emphasis on the running game might have been misinterpreted by some fans.

Never fear, said Best, who confirmed that “three- and four-wide sets are going to be our base.”

“Whatever works against what the defense is giving us,” said Best, who has some two-tight end formations ready, just in case.

That was just one of many takeaways from Friday’s scrimmage, which served as the final tune-up for the Sept. 2 opener at Texas Tech. It even included a pre-scrimmage anthem and a bona fide halftime, though without a concession stand to serve the 200-odd spectators.

However, fans were treated a solid half of fast-paced offense, in contrast to the struggles of the first scrimmage six days earlier.

Gubrud’s TD toss to Williams capped a 75-yard drive that showcased his arm and mobility - if anybody doubted them after his All-American season in 2016.

On the next possession, backup Eric Barriere showcased his big arm, seemingly barely flicking his wrist while hitting wide-open true freshman Johnny Edwards IV for a 55-yard touchdown.

Speaking of takeways, the defense got two of them while keeping the offense out of the end zone the rest of the night. D’londo Tucker jumped on a poorly thrown ball by Gubrud, and a few plays later, cornerback Victor Gamboa leaped high to snap an underthrown deep ball from Barriere.

The defense also had six quick-whistle quarterback sacks.

“Our offense got on track early and our defense was kind of in hesitancy mode – but then the script was flipped,” Best said.

“We got after it on defense and started sleep-walking on offense. Again, we had a few careless mistakes on offense as far as putting the balls in the hands of guys in the other jersey color, but I thought there was some good tempo early and there were some good combinations early,” Best said.

There were winners on both sides as Best and his staff narrowed the list of true freshmen who might see the field on Saturdays. At this point, five have risen to the top: quarterback Nick Moore, wideouts Edwards and Andrew Boston, linebacker Chris Ojoh and defensive back Anfernee Gurley.

Those redshirts won’t necessarily be burned, Best cautioned, but those five are expected to make the trip to Lubbock, Texas.

Meanwhile, the offensive line rotation is still being finalized in the wake of the recent departure of starting left tackle Nick Ellison.

“There are a few things kind of in the works,” Best said. “I think there are seven or eight offensive linemen that could play tomorrow if we were playing game. And I feel good about those guys and we would feel good about those guys with varied combinations.”

Gubrud finished 6-of-11 for 67 yards, while Barriere was 12-of-17 for 139 yards. Gubrud led the running game with 27 yards, with Tamarick Pierce adding 21.