The Crimson squad won 22-21 over the Gray squad Saturday at Gesa Field in the 2024 Crimson and Gray spring game.
The Cougs were split into two squads (Crimson and Gray), coached by former Coug players.
Former WSU Quarterback Gardner Minshew II guest coached the Crimson team, and another former Coug quarterback, Jack Thompson co-coached the Gray alongside Ruben Maynes, WSU’s all-time leading rusher and former NFL running back
“I told [Minshew] how appreciative I am and in this moment and what it means to Washington State that he would invest his time to come back here,” head coach Jake Dickert said after the festivities.
John Mateer started behind center for the Gray team and wasted no time getting things going for the offense.
Mateer fired a 75-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage on a flea flicker and hit a wide-open Billy Riviere III in stride for a touchdown.
The Riviere III touchdown was the lone score of the first quarter, with both teams exchanging multiple punts.
Bryant transfer Quarterback Zevi Eckhaus started for the Crimson team, going three and out on his first two drives.
Running back Wayshawn Parker, a true freshman, ripped a 40-yard run at the 8:30 mark of the first quarter, showing off his elite speed.
Redshirt freshman running back Leo Pulalasi was carted off with an injury halfway through the first quarter.
Eckhaus rebounded from the unproductive first quarter, scrambling for 30 yards out of bounds at the beginning of the second quarter, which set up a 34-yard field goal from kicker Dean Janikowski, pushing the score to 7-3 Gray team advantage.
Sophomore running back Djouvensky Schlenbaker burst for a gain of 53 yards, which later set up a two-yard touchdown run for Schlenbaker at the six-minute mark in the second, which pushed the Gray lead to 14-3.
Eckhaus found wideout Carlos Hernandez for a 31-yard score on an over-the-shoulder fade ball in the endzone, just before the two-minute warning before the half, which pushed the score to 14-10, Gray.
Mateer responded, drove the Gray squad into crimson territory, and then hit wideout Josh Meridith on an underthrown ball for a 41-yard touchdown, which put the gray team up 21-10.
Eckhaus and the Crimson squad were not done for the half, however, as Eckhaus hit Leon Neal Jr. on a post for 22 yards, which set up another Dean Janikowki field goal (this time from 46 yards), which put the halftime score at 21-13, gray.
The third quarter was a punt fest, with only 58 yards of total offense from both sides.
At about the 10-minute mark of the fourth quarter, Eckhaus dumped off a swing pass to Wayshawn Parker who cut back across the field, and made nearly every defender miss en route to a 42-yard touchdown catch making the score 21-19 gray.
“Wayshawn, that might have been the play of the spring, there were a couple of them, but that was fun to watch,” Dickert said.
The Crimson team went for two, but defensive back Tyson Durant batted Eckhaus’ pass away at the goal line.
Crimson got the ball back, and running back Dylan Payne broke free for 20 yards setting up the Crimson team in gray territory just before the two-minute warning.
Crimson drained the clock to two seconds of play, which set up a 26-yard game-winning field goal, with the Crimson team taking the win 22-21.
Mateer finished 11-24 through the air for 194 yards and two passing touchdowns for the Gray team.
Schlenbaker was the leading rusher for the Gray team with 16 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Eckhaus went 19-30 for 196 yards and two touchdowns in the air.
The rushing duties were split between Wayshawn Parker and Payne for the Crimson team, as Payne finished with five carries for 50 yards and Parker had one touch for 40 yards.
Linebacker Kyle Thornton and edge Raam Stevenson stood out on the other side of the ball for the Cougs. Thornton finished with 10 total tackles and Stevenson finished with 2 ½ sacks.
“I would say Raam Steven caught my eye, you know he probably said ‘Coach I would have had four or five sacks if this thing was live’ but I just think he is one of those guys, in his third year now and he has progressed better and better,” Dickert said.
WSU football returns to Pullman in July for the start of fall camp.
