The Air Raid offense took flight Saturday in Martin Stadium as Crimson used a late touchdown run to take down Gray 25-24 in the annual spring game. 

The game returned to Pullman for the first time since 2010 and raised $51,830 for the ASWSU Coug Health Fund.

Entering the contest, all eyes were on the quarterback position to see who could step up and fill the void left by the departure of Gardner Minshew.

Redshirt senior quarterback Anthony Gordon looked like the guy, leading the Gray team to the end zone on their first drive when he found redshirt freshman wide receiver Kassidy Woods for an 8-yard touchdown.

Gordon finished with 234 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception while completing 21 of his 30 passes.

Head Coach Mike Leach said he was pleased with Gordon’s performance.

“I thought Gordon went out there, played pretty well, let it rip,” Leach said. 

Redshirt senior quarterback Trey Tinsley also looked to make a strong impression for the Crimson team. He responded to Gordon’s drive with a 31-yard touchdown pass down the sideline to redshirt junior wide receiver Renard Bell to tie the game at 7-7.  

Bell finished with five catches for 108 yards and a touchdown in the game.

Tinsley said it felt great to play in front of the home crowd and compete against the other quarterbacks.

“It was great to play in front of a lively atmosphere,” Tinsley said. “Though our groups are a little mixed up I think we handled everything pretty well.”

Tinsley only threw for 155 yards and one touchdown in the game and tossed a pair of interceptions.

“I thought Trey was tentative at times,” Leach said.

The Gray marched down the field on the ensuing possession as Gordon squeezed a pass in a tight window to find senior wide receiver Calvin Jackson Jr. for a 2-yard touchdown. The Gray took a 14-7 lead. 

In the second quarter, the ball slipped out of Tinsley’s hand as he threw and the pass was intercepted by redshirt senior defensive lineman Nnamdi Oguayo. It was the first turnover of the game.

Gordon tossed his third and final touchdown on the ensuing drive when he found redshirt sophomore wide receiver Travell Harris from 33 yards out to give Gray a 21-7 lead.

The rain began to fall midway through the quarter and fans scrambled to find cover. Before the end of the first half, Gordon made his only mistake of the game as a pass intended for Harris was tipped and intercepted by junior cornerback George Hicks III. Gray took a 21-7 lead into halftime.

The Crimson started off the third quarter with a monster 26-yard rush from Tinsley to kickoff a drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Max Borghi. Redshirt junior kicker Jack Crane missed the extra point to make the score 21-13 in favor of the Gray.

Redshirt freshman Cammon Cooper replaced Gordon in the third quarter and threw an interception to senior safety Jalen Thompson. Cooper then switched over to the Crimson team in an attempt to find a better scoring opportunity.

Unfortunately, Cooper’s struggles continued as he failed to convert on fourth down and threw an interception on the next possession.

Redshirt sophomore kicker Blake Mazza hit a 50-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to give Gray a 24-13 lead.

The game then went into overtime and redshirt sophomore quarterback John Bledsoe found redshirt freshman wide receiver Rodrick Fisher for a 16-yard touchdown. Crane missed the extra point to make the score 24-19.

Redshirt freshman running back Dominic Tominiko then ran the ball into the end zone from a yard out to score the game-winning touchdown for the Crimson team.

At the conclusion of the scrimmage, Harris led the Gray with 103 receiving yards while Bell led Crimson with 108 yards. Gray had three interceptions and one sack in the game and the Crimson grabbed two interceptions and recorded six sacks. 

Junior defensive end Will Rodgers III had three of the Crimson teams sacks. On one of his sacks, Rodgers hit Cooper which is against WSU’s policy of not hitting quarterbacks in intrasquad scrimmages.

“I had beat my man, the O-lineman, and the momentum just wouldn’t let me stop on that one,” Rodgers said. “So I tried to pull up, but it happens sometimes.”

The Cougars will finish off the spring with their final practice 2:45 p.m. Tuesday.