Redshirt sophomore quarterback Luke Falk’s Crimson team held off the Gray squad in the Cougar’s annual spring game.

Falk played exceptionally well completing 26 of 33 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns without throwing any interceptions. The Crimson team won 31-29, but the score was 31-17 when both starting quarterbacks left the game. Redshirt freshman quarterback Peyton Bender started for the Gray team and played relatively well, completing 29 of 42 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.

Falk’s play showed that the starting experience he has over Bender can be the deciding factor in the announcement of the starting quarterback in the fall. Falk made smart decisions throughout the game while Bender made a couple questionable choices. However, Falk also displayed the shortcomings in his physical skill set that have made some observers nervous about the quarterback.

It was redshirt senior wide receiver Dom Williams who stepped up for Falk and the Crimson squad. Williams registered eight catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns. One play the Crimson squad ran had Williams catch a short ball on a slant and turn it into a 55-yard touchdown with a burst of speed.

Williams will be seen this season as the leading outside receiver after the departures of Vince Mayle and Isiah Myers. Gabe Marks, a redshirt junior, caught six balls for 37 yards from Bender.

One point of emphasis for the Cougars this spring was to improve their running game, after it being nonexistent last season. However, the Cougars struggled to get anything going on the ground during the Crimson and Gray Game, Saturday. The Crimson team saw redshirt sophomore running backs Gerard Wicks and Jamal Morrow getting the carries. Wicks had 10 carries for 30 yards and a touchdown while Morrow only had two carries for 7 yards and a touchdown.

For the Gray team, redshirt freshmen running backs Keith Harrington and Alijah Lee saw the most action with five carries apiece. Harrington rushed for 18 yards while Lee was able to manage 14. Harrington also was a factor in the receiving game, catching 10 balls for 58 yards. The Gray team didn’t have a rushing touchdown.

Despite the excellent play from Williams, the Cougar secondary did a nice job containing the receivers and registered three interceptions on the day for the Crimson team. The front-seven also provided pressure with the Gray team registering four sacks and the Crimson team getting five on the afternoon.

Redshirt senior linebacker Darryl Paulo and senior defensive lineman Destiny Vaeao had two sacks each. Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore cornerback Charleston White was among the three players to register an interception in the game. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Peyton Pelluer registered the most tackles in the game, finishing the day with eight.

Many Cougar football icons were mixed in the crowd of 6,217 in Spokane’s Joe Albi Stadium, including recent first round draft pick Deone Bucannon and former Cougar quarterback Alex Brink.

The Cougars will hold one final practice at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday to address their performance in Saturday’s game.

Reporting by William Cheshier