Stephens hands off the ball. (Photo by Noah Orloff | Student Life)

A new face won the first snap for WashU Football in the team’s final regular season win against Carroll University.  

The tall sophomore, Clark Stephens, clapped his hands instead of usual starter Matt Rush, who was sidelined after an injury in the team’s game against Wheaton the week prior. 

For the young quarterback, it was crunch time. While he had played during the last minutes of blowout games and closed out the team’s recent matchup against Wheaton, he had never started a game for the Bears. But the quarterback didn’t look intimidated against a seasoned Carroll team, throwing 295 yards for a 82.8% completion percentage.

Stephens, who has played  QB2 all season, seems poised to take over the position of starting quarterback in the 2023 season. 

He also carries a family legacy; his dad, Tim Stephens, played quarterback at WashU under former head coach Larry Kindbom.   His chance to get on the field on Saturday was the culmination of two seasons of waiting and learning from Rush’s tenacity and skill as he prepared to assume the role of the signal caller.

“It felt awesome,” he said about his first start for the Bears. “I came in sort of with the approach to lay it all out there, whether it was our last game or not, and I felt pretty good about my performance. I think I’ve always been able to play at the collegiate level and start; I just had to wait for my opportunity, and an opportunity came.” 

After winning the coin toss and deferring, WashU forced a fourth-down punt to give the Bears the chance to score.  Even with movement on three consecutive first downs, the Bears were stymied by a third and three incomplete pass that bounced out of the hands of intended receiver Collin Hoyhtya on the back line of the endzone, forcing them to settle for a field goal.

WashU finally got on the board three possessions later, when a deep slant pass found Collin Goldberg in the back of the endzone, completing a five-play, 49 yard drive. Carroll responded forty-five seconds later, but that would be the only mark they made on the board.

The Bears only built on their lead, as a fading pass to Goldberg along the sideline put the team up 16-7. One more touchdown came in with just seconds left in the first half. A faked handoff that landed in the arms of senior receiver Cole Okmin drew the linebackers downfield and allowed the team to lead 23-7 going into the half.

The second half continued the momentum for the Bears, and two more touchdowns in each quarter putting the Bears at a thirty-point advantage for the final score of 37-7. It was a reassuring sign from the team’s young members, including Goldberg, Fred Ware, and Kenneth Hamilton, as they are the players who will carry this team into its next era. This weekend was Stephens’ first chance to get on the field after practicing for a full week with the starters; his level-headedness and execution on Saturday gave insight into the next few steps for the team. 

“I think there’s a lot more opportunity to grow and get better; get into a rhythm with the rest of the offense when you’re getting more reps,” Stephens said. “I honestly felt that this week, practicing as the starter, whereas I’ve been practicing with the number twos for the whole season, really helped me prepare with the starters. Coming in with a game plan and that sort of thing really helped me.”

The year isn’t over yet for the Bears, who were granted a spot at Culver’s Isthmus Bowl on Saturday, November 19. Wheaton, the second-placed CCIW school, snagged an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, giving the Bears one more week of play. WashU will play the University of Wisconsin River Falls, a team that the Bears lost to 48-27. 

Cole Okmin, senior wide receiver, on staying healthy and catching the long pass