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After the offense starred in Eastern Washington’s first spring scrimmage a week ago, on Friday at Roos Field the Eagles’ defense showed that it, too, could make the big plays.
The Eagles’ offense scored just once during the session, on an 18-yard touchdown pass from starting quarterback Jared Taylor to sixth-year receiver Nolan Ulm. Ulm made five catches for 79 yards, a promising performance from the team’s most veteran wideout.
But otherwise, what stood out was a strong effort from the defense, which included an interception by redshirt junior safety Drew Carter, who earlier in the scrimmage dropped two would-be picks.
“It felt great,” Carter said of the interception. “I should have hung on to all of them.”
The fifth-year senior Taylor completed 15 of 22 passes for 166 yards. After featuring more a part of the running game last season, Taylor is clearly going to be given more opportunities to throw this fall.
“He’s waited to get this opportunity,” EWU head coach Aaron Best said. “We laugh all the time: I say (to Taylor), ‘You threw the ball pretty well for a running quarterback.’ It’s the running joke between us. Quarterbacks aren’t just throwers or runners. They’re quarterbacks. You’ve got to do it all. He gets a laugh out of that.”
The defense’s performance included a few goal-line stands and pressure on the quarterback that drew Best’s praise. Redshirt junior tackle Isaiah Perez had two sacks, while redshirt junior Ethan Williamson – a Mt. Spokane grad – and junior Jirah Leaupepetele teamed up for another sack.
It was the closest Leaupepetele had come to game action since last season when he played just four games.
Still, the defense was facing an Eagles offense that played shorthanded: It’s offensive line has been practicing all spring with…
Source link : http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/apr/11/defense-wins-day-at-second-eastern-washington-scri/
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Publish date : 2025-04-12 03:59:00
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