By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

RESERVE – After a year of waiting, Riverside quarterback Deuce Wallace finally got his sweet revenge.

Last season, the Rebels defense toppled the offense in the team’s inaugural Pie Bowl, a spring game that carries plenty of incentive: the players on the winning side gets to deliver a pie to the face of those on the losing side.

Last year, linebacker Evan Veron got Wallace. But Wallace returned the favor to Veron following the offense’s 40-34 victory Saturday, one in which the quarterback tossed three touchdown passes, all hauled in by Von Julien.

“Evan, he got me last year, and I got him this year” said Wallace with a grin. “He came up to me today and goes, ‘Do you want to be pie partners ?’ I said, ‘Of course.’ I definitely wanted to get him back.”

The spring game was structured with four eight minute quarters and an assigned points system that rewarded the offense for touchdowns and the defense for key plays (such as points for turnovers and forcing three and outs). It was an eventful scrimmage that saw the defense lead for much of the day, and plenty of big plays on both sides of the ball to excite the fans in attendance.

Julien provided the most big plays of anyone, though, including what went down as the game-winner. The offense took a 33-27 lead late in the fourth quarter on Brandon Sanders’ 20-yard run with 3:20 left.

After a run-heavy scoring drive and boasting a lead, the thought was that the offense would continue to bleed the clock. But instead, Wallace pump-faked threw it deep to Julien, who beat the defense’s zone coverage for an 80-yard touchdown and made it 40-27, putting a comeback out of reach.

 “We all expected to run the clock out,” said Wallace. “Coach Damian (Melancon) came up to us, though, and said, ‘This is the dagger.’ I pump-faked a little screen route and (Julien) shot wide-open. I knew I just had to get it there and Von would bring it home.”

That screen-fake may have been so effective due to the offense’s first score, where Julien hauled in a screen route, broke a tackle and raced 70 yards for a score. Julien finished with five catches for 217 yards.

“We know that quick strike game will be good to us,” said Stubbs. “We’ve got some dynamic fellas.”

The Rebels defense was on its heels early after a series of successful runs on the first series of the day, but it shifted momentum when Kameron Bailey recovered a fumble at the defensive 43-yard-line. Riverside got another stop on Veron’s third-down sack of Wallace,  then recorded three more before the end of the first quarter – Jordan Andrews intercepted Wallace on the last play of the first quarter, making it 10-0.

Riverside dialed up that long screen Julien for the first offensive points, moments after a sack by Brandon Hymel made it third-and-20.

The defense led 19-14 at halftime, but the offense regrouped in the third. Backup quarterback Kendall Martin hit Bailey for a 72-yard touchdown, then Martin called his own number, running from the pistol formation for a 64-yard keeper score. That made it 26-21 in favor of the offense, but a series of defensive stops pushed the defense ahead 27-26 to end the third.

The offense finally took the lead after  Sanders capped a 10-play drive with a score, after he and DeAndre Wilson combined to chew up 42 yards on five carries.

Wallace finished with 16 completions for 329 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Peyton Falgoust finished with five catches for 50 yards.

Riverside showed off a new offensive look, running much of their offense from the “pistol” and incorporating the read-option. 

“That’s what we’re excited about. We’ve got three backs who can really hurt you and close out a game when we need it,” said Wallace. “It’s really great having them back there.”