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Originally published Saturday, April 9, 2016 at 6:18 PM

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Passing game highlights Washington State scrimmage

Luke Falk throws 45-yard pass to Kyle Sweet and defense records seven sacks in first spring scrimmage.


The Spokesman-Review and WSU sports information

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Washington State football held its first scrimmage of the spring, working through 85 plays at Martin Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Cougar offense scored four touchdowns, three through the air and one on the ground, while the defense tallied seven sacks and a number of acrobatic pass breakups.

Quarterback Luke Falk went 16 of 25 for 156 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wideout Kyle Sweet. Redshirt freshman quarterbacks Tyler Hilinski and Christian Jorgensen each added a touchdown throw, while Peyton Bender finished 10 of 14 for 113 yards.

Senior wide receiver River Cracraft and redshirt freshman running back James Williams led the way with seven catches apiece. Cracraft tallied 77 receiving yards while redshirt senior wideout Gabe Marks caught six passes for 33 yards and Sweet finished with four catches for 89 yards. Junior Kyrin Priester and sophomore Caleb Fossum each caught touchdowns.

Bender uncorked a 44-yard pass to Sweet, who came down with the reception despite enough contact from the defender to draw a pass-interference flag.

Sweet’s other big play was a little easier, ashe slipped behind cornerback Charleston White and found space before he was in safety Jalen Thompson’s range, where Falk threaded a pass. Sweet made the grab and ran the final 20 or so yards to the pylon for a 45-yard score.

On the ground, redshirt junior Gerard Wicks led the way with seven carries for 34 yards and he also had 29 receiving yards. Fellow redshirt junior Jamal Morrow caught three passes and also rushed for 18 yards, battling to pick up a couple first downs in short-yardage situations. Williams scored the lone rushing touchdown, following the offensive line before bowling his way across the goal line for an 11-yard score.

Defensively, the Cougars received two sacks each from redshirt sophomore defensive end Nick Begg and redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Kingston Fernandez.

Begg recently switched to defense after spending his first two years at tight end. Sophomores Hercules Mata’afa and Nate DeRider each added a sack as did redshirt freshman Nnamdi Oguayo.

The first score of the day came when Jorgenson found Fossum in the back of the end zone for a sliding touchdown grab. Williams followedwith the TD run and Falk then found Sweet behind the defense for a long score. Hilinski capped the day with a 14-yard strike to Priester, who held on in the end zone after the pass was deflected by a covering linebacker.

Kicker Erik Powell connected from 26 and 29 yards out, while redshirt junior Mitchell Cox also made one from 34 yards.



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