WSU Soccer: Mykiaa Minniss Nabs Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week Honors
From WSU Sports Info 8/28/2018
PULLMAN, Wash. - Two weeks into the 2018 season the defense of the Washington State soccer team has made a name for itself as freshman center-back Mykiaa Minniss nabbed the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week award as announced by the conference office Tuesday afternoon.
The award marks the second-straight week the Cougars have taken the award as Minniss follows in the footsteps of senior Maddy Haro who garnered the recognition the week prior. For Minniss, the award is the first of her young career as she becomes the first freshman of the season to earn a weekly award in the Pac-12 Conference.
For Minniss, the defensive award comes after a weekend matchup against Minnesota on the road in a game the Cougars' defense overpowered the Gophers' attack allowing just six shots in 90 minutes of action. The Gophers entered the Sunday's game undefeated on the young season having scored five goals in three games before Minniss led the Cougars' defense to their second-straight shutout of the season and second shutout of the Gophers in as many years.
In addition to her defense, Minniss got into the offensive attack as well as the first-year Coug scored her first collegiate goal to seal the victory for WSU late in Sunday's contest. Pressing forward into the Cougars' set piece, Minniss got her head on corner from her defensive teammate, Haro, and bounced it off the turf and into the top of the net to give WSU a two-goal cushion with 14 minutes to play in the game. Not only was the goal the first of Minniss' career, the header marked the first official shot of the freshman's career.
Minniss stepped into the starting center-back role for the Cougars immediately upon arriving in Pullman to replace graduated captain and four-year starter Jordan Branch. In three games, Minniss has not missed one minute playing in all 271 minutes for WSU.
The Cougs and Minniss head back out on the road Friday, Aug. 31 when they travel to Nebraska to take on the Cornhuskers in their lone matchup of the week. The game at Barbara Hibner Stadium is scheduled for 5 p.m. PT.
WSU International student shares Coug pride in travel across the US
Jinfeng Ma
shares his love of WSU in road trip across country
By CARMEN
JARAMILLO, Evergreen Aug 27, 2018
The Yellow
River is the second largest in Asia and sixth in the world. It runs about 3,400
miles through northern China from west to east before emptying into the Bohai
Sea. Along that river in central China, surrounded on two sides by mountains,
is Lanzhou. With a population of about 3 million, Lanzhou, a mid-size city for
the country, is about four times the size of Seattle.
That’s
where Jinfeng Ma, a 25-year-old graduate student studying mechanical
engineering, grew up. Ma had never left Asia before he came to the U.S. in 2017
to attend WSU.
Ma was first
told about WSU by one of his professors in China. His first day here he said he
was struck by the beauty of the Palouse. He said he loves Pullman’s small town
feel and safety — a welcome change from his years in Lanzhou.
“It’s easy
to live here,” Ma said. “I like the weather here and the academic environment.
The students are really hard working and also we have time to relax.”
During his
first year in the U.S. Ma visited Hawaii, the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas, but
he wanted to see more. He said he wanted to experience American culture
firsthand and see for himself if all the stereotypes he had heard growing up
were true.
When
summer came around, Ma had no classes and was looking for something to do.
He settled
on a road trip. He would travel the entire U.S. from coast to coast for the
entire summer, carrying two WSU flags.
Ma asked
people along his journey to sign the flags and collected signatures from places
like Google headquarters, Princeton University and several different NASA
centers including the Kennedy and Johnson space centers. The flag was even
signed by astronaut Samuel Durrance in Cape Canaveral.
Starting
in Pullman, Ma drove first to Portland, and then down the coast to Los Angeles,
San Francisco and San Diego. He traveled east to Texas: Dallas, San Antonio and
Houston. Continuing east, he passed through New Orleans and then down into
Florida. He went north through Washington D.C. and then to New York.
On the
last leg of his 16,000 mile trip he drove west, back along Interstate 90 through
Chicago, South Dakota and Montana back to Pullman.
Upon
returning, Ma donated one flag to the International Center on campus. The other
he kept for himself.
He said he
wants his flag to inspire other international students to experience all parts
of American culture and get out of their comfort zone.
“Travel
can open your mind,” Ma said. “I [came] here not only to study for the academic
knowledge, but I would like to learn the culture, the history. I want to see
and touch the people and the country.”
The most
rewarding part of the trip, Ma said, was the people he met along the way.
Everywhere he went someone had a story and he was struck by the depth and
diversity of those he met.
One day he
was eavesdropping on cowboys in Texas, he said, and the next speaking with an
Eastern European immigrant who built a company from the ground up.
Throughout
his trip, Ma said he felt WSU’s reach all across the country. He heard “Go
Cougs” from at least 20 people during the summer, sometimes shouted from cars
or by those who signed his flag.
“This was
the best experience of my life,” Ma said.
Ma said
his travels aren’t over and that he has his sights set on Canada next. As for
his career, he said he may continue his studies at WSU Vancouver after he
finishes his master’s degree, but that he plans to eventually return to China
to be with his family.
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Get excited for return of Cougar
Football
WSU kicks off season Saturday, here’s three reasons to celebrate
By RYAN MOSHER, Evergreen sports editor
August 28, 2018
August 28, 2018
WSU
football returns to the field Saturday for the team’s season-opener in Laramie
against the University of Wyoming. Here are a few reasons why you should be
excited.
The first
is Head Coach Mike Leach, perhaps the most quotable coach if not the most
entertaining. I for one can’t wait for post-game interview gems from Leach. My
favorite from last year came after an upset win against University of Southern
California and fans rushed the field.
“It’s a
good win,” Leach said. “There’s a lot of people. It’s like Woodstock, except
everybody’s got their clothes on.”
Second is
a field of fresh faces new and old, which I choose to look at as a positive.
All-time WSU greats like former quarterback Luke Falk have graduated, but that
doesn’t mean the Cougs are down and out. New recruits are sure to add to the
program and returning guys are set to break out.
Players
to watch include graduate transfer quarterback Gardner Minshew II who is the
likely successor to Falk. He will have a strong core of returning receivers who
can pick up yardage, including senior wide receiver Kyle Sweet and redshirt
sophomore wide receiver Renard Bell.
The
player I’m most excited for is freshman running back Max Borghi, the three-star
recruit who chose WSU over Stanford.
“Max, for
a freshman coming in, he’s built for college football already,” said WSU’s
running backs coach Eric Mele during spring ball earlier this year.
Last on
the list are home games. Fans will have to wait until Sept. 8 to see the Cougs
back at home when they face off against San Jose State University.
The game
will be the long-awaited return of many Cougar traditions, from cannon blasts
to Andy Grammer’s “Back Home” being blasted. I can’t wait to watch the Cougars
take the field and cheer them on from the stands.
More
importantly, WSU will use the home-opener as an opportunity to honor Tyler
Hilinski. The Hilinski family will be in Pullman to raise the Cougar flag that
night.
The return of Cougar football
will be as important as ever this year, after an offseason that changed WSU in
more ways than just the roster. So I can’t wait to watch WSU begin its uphill
battle this year.
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What to expect from Wyoming
Here is what we learned from watching Cowboys’ season opening victory
By JACKSON GARDNER, Evergreen assistant sports editor
August 28, 2018
The
Cougars’ week one opponent, the University of Wyoming, partook in college
football’s opening weekend, or week zero as some people are calling it, and it
was a great opportunity to see what the Cougs can expect this week.
The
Cowboys didn’t need to show too much of their playbook with an easy 29-7 win
against New Mexico State University, but they showed just enough to get an idea
of their offensive and defensive identities.
Offense
If you
want to understand the offensive identity of Wyoming, look no further than this
note: The Cowboys’ roster has four fullbacks. Yes, in 2018, where the fullback
position could be considered an endangered species, the Cowboys’ roster has
four of them. Somewhat of a fullback sanctuary, if you will.
All jokes
aside, the Cowboys are a power run football team. They won’t try and disguise
where they are running the football. Head Coach Craig Bohl will line his
offense up in pro-style formations and say, “Here’s where we’re running the
football, now try and stop us.”
On the
passing side of the ball, Wyoming has chosen a successor to Josh Allen, the No.
7 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. That is redshirt freshman quarterback Tyler
Vander Waal.
Bohl
doesn’t ask Vander Waal to do nearly as much as his predecessor. Perhaps what
Vander Waal does best is simply being aware that he isn’t Josh Allen.
He will
dink and dunk as much as he needs to compliment his run game, and that is all
he is asked to do. When Vander Waal is required to make plays with his arm, the
Cowboys’ offense starts to stray from their comfort zone.
Although
it didn’t prove to be much of an issue against New Mexico State, Wyoming’s
offensive line has started this season banged up. The O-line is particularly
young with three redshirt freshman starting.
The goal
for the Cowboys on offense is to establish the run game early with their stable
of running backs, headlined by senior Nico Evans, and stick with it until they
are forced to do otherwise. They are about as slow and methodical of an offense
as any and the clock-controlling drives are entirely by design.
Defense
The
Cowboys’ defense starts and ends with their defensive line. Their downhill
style of play is much like the Cougars. Wyoming clearly puts a premium on their
defensive linemen getting in the backfield and creating tackles for losses.
When it
comes to defending the pass, they take their foot off the gas a bit and just
try to keep receivers in front of them. They trust their four-man front to get
to the quarterback in passing situations without employing very many blitz
packages.
In the
secondary, they’re an equally physical group. In their matchup with New Mexico
State they didn’t show any man-to-man or zone tendencies.
But they did
almost always press their opposing receivers at the line of scrimmage and rely
on their pass rushers to get to the quarterback.
In terms
of players to watch, the Cowboys’ defense starts with their two interior
lineman: 2017 First-Team All-Mountain West junior defensive tackle Youhanna
Ghaifan and the Seoul, South Korea native nose tackle Sidney Malauulu.
These two
set the tempo for the entire defense. They are both three-down defensive
linemen who can defend the run just as well as they can rush the passer.
Senior
safety Marcus Epps is another player to keep an eye on. The former walk-on
leads the way for the Cowboys’ senior-driven secondary.
As a whole, Wyoming’s defense is
the stronger half of its team, but still, one of the greater football coaching
proverbs rings true for the Cowboys: The best defense is a good offense.
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“Or” steals show on Cougars’ depth
chart
By JACKSON GARDNER, Evergreen assistant sports editor
August 28, 2018
August 28, 2018
Without
even taking a snap, the Cougars already lead the nation in one department: the
19 “or’s” that separate players in the newly-released 2018 depth chart.
It
doesn’t come as a surprise to see the word “or” between players. WSU Head Coach
Mike Leach has used this particular technique in the past. But perhaps the
unprecedented amount of uncertainty is warranted in a season that has seen the
most turnover since Leach’s first season at WSU.
The most
notable of the “or’s” lies at the quarterback position where Leach elected to
name all four of his quarterbacks the starter. But rest assured, with graduate
transfer Gardner Minshew II at the top of the list we can expect to see him on
the field for the first snap.
Here are
some notable “or’s,” or lack thereof, in WSU’s initial depth chart:
No “or”
for junior wide receiver Dezmon Patmon
I don’t quite know what to make
of it, considering junior Calvin Jackson Jr. is listed below Patmon but still
has an “or” next to his name. Maybe I am looking into it too much, but the lack
of an “or” next to Patmon’s name took me by surprise.
While
redshirt junior Easop Winston Jr. has earned every right to be listed as the
starter after making a name for himself in spring camp and continuing his
stellar play in the fall, Patmon is the biggest red zone target on the roster,
and it is hard to believe with 19 “or’s” on the depth chart that Patmon didn’t
earn one of them.
Sophomore
linebacker Dominick Silvels starting at rush linebacker
I wouldn’t have been surprised by
this if Silvels was named the starter at rush toward the end of spring. But for
most of fall camp Silvels had been taking reps at the inside linebacker
positions, and playing well at that.
Maybe
Silvels played so well that Claeys and Leach agreed he needed to be on the
field. Or maybe they were not as impressed with redshirt freshman rush
linebacker Willie Taylor III as I had anticipated, who also has an “or” next to
his name.
But the
sudden change of position is an interesting move, and we won’t truly know what
sparked the decision until we see Silvels and Taylor play this week.
No “or”
for freshman wide receiver Rodrick Fisher
This could be for two reasons.
First, sophomore receiver Tay Martin is the best receiver on WSU’s roster and
deserves to be on the field for every offensive snap. It could also be because
19-year-old Fisher was arrested on a “baby” DUI charge earlier this week.
While I
think both are warranting reasons to define Martin as the starter, I suspect
Fisher didn’t get an “or” next to his name for the latter reason.
Fisher
has impressed through spring and fall camp and was poised to contribute for the
Cougars in 2018. With the team announcing it would handle Fisher’s punishment
internally, it remains to be seen what his role will look like going forward.
Still too
close to call in the kicking game
While I typically find the
excessive “or’s” to just be misleading, I think they accurately sum up the
kicking battle for WSU. I honestly don’t know who is more deserving to be the
starter and I don’t think the Cougars know either.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they
go with the names listed on top until they miss or produce a poor punt. I would
say the kicking game will be decided the same way as the running backs, which
is until the team has the empirical data to support one kicker or the other.
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Evergreen
Athlete of the Week: Morgan Weaver
Weaver had
a strong showing in first three games for No. 22 WSU
By COLIN
CONNOLLY, Evergreen reporter
August 28,
2018
Junior
forward Morgan Weaver is the Evergreen’s Athlete of the Week for Aug. 19-25.
Weaver is an integral member of the No. 22-ranked WSU women’s soccer team.
Weaver
takes home the honors by playing a big part in all of the Cougars’ first three
matches. She looks to be a big key to the team’s success moving forward with
the offensive talent she has shown in the first week.
In the
opening match against Seattle University in which the Cougs beat the Redhawks
3-1, Weaver played a part in all three goals, scoring on the first and third
goals of the night and assisting on the second.
Weaver’s
second goal of the match was from 20 yards out and seemed to have shocked both
the goalkeeper and Weaver.
“I caught
myself off guard, to be honest,” Weaver said. “It ended up going in.”
In the
match against Grand Canyon University, Weaver was held scoreless. However, it
wasn’t for a lack of trying as she still fired off seven shots for the Cougars.
In the
third and final match of the week for WSU, Weaver again pushed the Cougars onto
the score board as she passed off the ball to sophomore forward Makamae Gomera-Stevens
for a goal.
Head Coach
Todd Shulenberger said Weaver has put her time in, and being a junior now, the
team is pretty used to seeing her do great things.
“We expect
some good things out of her,” Shulenberger said. “The sky is the limit for Morgan
and what she is going to do this year.”
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Volleyball walks away from weekend
undefeated
Cougars defeated two teams on road trip to start off season 2-0
By COLIN CONNOLLY,
Evergreen Aug 26, 2018
WSU
volleyball came out victorious against North Carolina State University 3-1
Sunday, ending the weekend road trip to Raleigh undefeated.
Long
runs of scoring and shutting down the opponent was the theme of the day for the
Cougars (2-0) as they continuously blanked the Wolfpack (1-1) to gain big
leads.
The
first set started closely, but senior outside hitter Taylor Mims brought the
energy with three early kills and helped the Cougs build a lead. Up 15-13
coming out of a timeout, WSU used a 10-0 run to win the first set by a final
score of 25-14.
Starting
out back and forth, WSU used another 6-0 run to take a 12-8 lead in the second
set. The Cougs kept up the success and had a second 6-0 run to pull away from
the Wolfpack.
Mims
and senior outside hitter McKenna Woodford combined for 10 of the 14 kills for
WSU in the second set.
After
winning the second set by a score of 25-17, the Cougars were looking to start
the season with two straight three-set sweeps. NC State wouldn’t make it easy
for WSU, as the third set was yet another close affair.
The
difference was that the Cougars couldn’t put together a run as they had in the
first two sets. The Wolfpack took a three-point lead late to go up 21-18.
Avoiding a push from WSU, the Wolfpack finished out the third set, winning by a
score of 25-22.
WSU quickly
returned to form in the third set as the team started the fourth set out with a
5-3 lead. The Cougs continued as they then went on a 9-0 run to pull away from
the Wolfpack.
WSU won
the fourth and final set by a final score of 25-8, completing the nearly-perfect
weekend and winning both matches it played.
Woodford
came away with player of the match honors as she tied for the match high with
15 kills. Mims, Woodford and junior libero Alexis Dirige won all-tournament
honors and Mims also earned the tournament MVP award.
After
going 2-0 on its first road trip of the year, WSU will look to keep the winning
streak going as it heads to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to face University of Northern
Iowa 4 p.m. Friday at the McLeod Center.
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WSU to break ground on new lab
After
11 years, construction of the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
is expected to start next month
- By Scott Jackson, Moscow Pullman Daily News
- Aug 28, 2018
Washington State University plans to break
ground on a long-planned addition to the Paul G. Allen Center for Global Animal
Health on Sept. 15, university officials say.
The nearly 62,500-square-foot addition will
house the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, currently located in
nearby Bustad Hall, which has a variety of functions, including monitoring and
testing for animal-borne diseases like avian flu and West Nile virus on a
national scale. WSU Veterinary School Public Information Officer Charlie Powell
said the lab conducts around 250,000 individual tests every year at the behest
of state and federal agencies as well as private businesses.
"The diagnostic services that we do
here at WSU are vital to the economy of not only the state but the Pacific Rim
in helping maintain the vigilance to keep foreign animal diseases and emerging
diseases out of the state and prevent those from affecting commerce,"
Powell said.
Laura Lockard, director of communications
and public affairs for the veterinary school, said the addition that will house
WADDL is the second phase of the Allen Center, with the first phase completed
around 11 years ago. She said the Washington Legislature has already approved
$23 million for the project, which is expected to cost about $36.4 million
total. Lockard said so long as the remaining funding is secured on schedule,
the building should be completed by January of 2021. She said the new
facilities will help the university meet a growing demand in animal disease
detection.
"It allows us to expand our current
functions, but it also gives us an opportunity to advance and grow,"
Lockard said. "We have the ability to do a lot of regional testing as
well, and this will allow us to grow into that role."
WADDL is one of just 15 laboratories in the
U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Animal Health Laboratory Network,
Lockard said. She said these labs act as an early alarm system, intended to
catch animal-borne pathogens before they are passed to humans.
"If there's a major bird flu that's
crossing America, WADDL is one of the national labs that is designated to do
that testing," Lockard said
She said the lab also conducts other
disease-oriented tests, such as the necropsy performed on a cougar that attacked
and killed a bicyclist in western Washington last May.
In addition to its government contracts,
Lockard said WADDL also takes on private clients in animal-derived food
industries like fish and poultry to help certify American goods as disease-free
before export. She said this is one of the lab's functions that is integral to
promoting regional and international trade.
"We identify diseases that are
transmissible from animals to humans, so we serve as the first alert,"
Lockard said. "That keeps food safe to eat and keeps humans
healthier."
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WSU football: With three big holes to fill,
a stress on developing talent
Liam Ryan has made recent surge at left
guard, may start in opener
By Dale Grummert Lewiston Trib Aug 28, 2018
Judging by the shuffling bodies at left
guard in practice, one might conclude that Washington State is having trouble
replacing Cody O'Connell.
Well, you don't remove a 6-foot-9,
368-pound man from the picture without sensing a void.
But it's just possible the shuffling bodies
indicate something else, a trait that fans don't normally associate with the
Cougar offensive line: a hint of depth and versatility.
That would be good news for a unit trying
to replace not only O'Connell but two other starters from last year's cohesive
group. The Cougars have remained so healthy at O-line in recent years that the
development of their young backups - many of them highly regarded - has lagged
a bit. Now that's changing.
"These guys are starting to get
it," first-year position coach Mason Miller said. "They're starting
to understand how to play. It's taken some time. It always does."
Although 6-foot-4, 300-pound Josh Watson
was the morning-line favorite for the starter's role at left guard, fellow
sophomore Liam Ryan (6-5, 295) has made a recent surge and might get the nod
when the Cougars open at 12:30 p.m. PDT on Saturday at Wyoming. But Watson is
still clearly in the mix, partly because he's learned how to play right guard
as well.
The new starter at that position is
probably senior Robert Valencia (6-6, 300), who came to WSU with strong
junior-college credentials before sitting out last season for unexplained
reasons. He outdueled Noah Osur-Meyers at RG during spring drills, then took
firmer grasp of the position when Osur-Meyers underwent season-ending surgery
during the summer.
Watson's ability to play both sides gives
the Cougs some options, such as sliding Valencia to right tackle when
necessary. Another unseasoned but versatile guard is soph Christian Haangana
(6-4, 345), whose game has been vitalized by a significant weight loss.
Things are more clear-cut at the other
trench positions.
The humble, level-headed star of the O-line
is senior left tackle Andre Dillard (6-5, 310), who has started 26 consecutive
games and earned honorable mention on the All-Pac-12 team last year. He'll play
a critical role in protecting whichever quarterback seizes the starting job,
probably Gardner Minshew.
Of similar temperament but even larger
stature is new right tackle Abe Lucas (6-7, 320), a second-year freshman whom
Miller calls "the baby moose." He'll replace Cole Madison, who
started 47 games, tied for the second-most in school history.
"He's one of the more athletic kids
I've been around at that age," Miller said of Lucas. "It's kind of fun
to watch the wheels turn with him."
Reprising his role at center is junior
Frederick Mauioga (6-3, 305), who started all 13 games last season and is
satisfying Miller's intellectual demands for that position.
"One of the big things for me is
training the center to put us in the best protection possbible," Miller
said. "I've always done that. I'm a big believer in it. It's kind of like
the quarterback situation in our (Air Raid) offense. Nobody can see it better
than them."
In short, Miller sounds optimistic. But
with a freshman and as many as three sophomores in the mix, the learning curve
will be the steep and the variables endless.
"With offensive linemen," Miller
said, "you're not going to get a lot of ready-made, cookie-cutter guys
that can come in and play right away. It's hard to do. And what we've done
around here historically, in my opinion, is we've grown offensive linemen up
the right way and developed them."
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Washington State basketball to play 11
games inside state lines during nonconference season
Updated Tue., Aug. 28, 2018, 5 p.m.
By Theo Lawson Spokane S-R
PULLMAN – Aside from two games in Las Vegas
and one more in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Washington State’s men’s basketball
will stay right at home in the Evergreen State during the nonconference portion
of its 2018-19 schedule.
The Cougars will play eight true home games
at Beasley Coliseum – including an exhibition –but 11 total in the state of
Washington, with a road game against Seattle U at Key Arena on Nov. 14 and
neutral-site games against Montana State at Toyota Center in Kennewick on Dec.
9 and against Santa Clara at Spokane Arena on Dec. 29.
Times for each of the 14 nonconference
games are still to be determined.
WSU’s first road test of the campaign will
come on Dec. 1 against New Mexico State at the Pan American Center in Las
Cruces. The Aggies lost just two games in Western Athletic Conference play last
season and beat Grand Canyon to win the WAC Tournament. NMSU is the only 2018
NCAA Tournament participant on WSU’s nonconference schedule.
The Cougars and Aggies could meet again in
the pre-Christmas Las Vegas Classic at Orleans Arena. WSU will open the
tournament on Dec. 22 against San Diego, then play wither Drake or NMSU the
following day.
A Nov. 4 exhibition against Walla Walla
University in Pullman will be WSU’s first test against another opponent. The
Cougars will then host seven other teams at Beasley Coliseum throughout the
nonconference season: Nov. 11 against Nicholls State; Nov. 24 against Delaware
State; Nov. 27 against Cal State Northridge; Dec. 5 against Idaho; Dec. 9
against Montana State; Dec. 17 against Rider and Dec. 19 against SIU
Edwardsville.
WSU and Idaho are meeting for the 113th
consecutive season. The Cougars will aim to end a two-game losing skid against
their border rivals, who picked up a 91-64 win in Moscow last year – the
third-largest margin of victory for the Vandals in series history.
The home games against Rider and SIU
Edwardsville will act as the first two rounds of the Las Vegas Classic.
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Craig Bohl’s defense is formidable, but not
unfamilar to Washington State’s coaching staff
UPDATED: Tue., Aug. 28, 2018, 9:58 p.m.
By Theo Lawson S-R of Spokane
PULLMAN – Steve Spurrier Jr. spent an
entire year at Duke in the mid-1990’s trying to crack Craig Bohl’s defense, so
if anyone knows what Washington State’s offense is up against this Saturday in
the season opener at Wyoming, the Cougars’ outside receivers coach might be
able to lend a hint.
Spurrier Jr. was a senior wide receiver at
Duke in 1994 when the Blue Devils hired Bohl – then just 13 years deep into his
coaching career – as their defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. So,
between August and December, Spurrier Jr. saw Bohl’s defense nearly every day on
the practice field and pitied anybody who had to face it on Saturday.
“Our defense there was really good,”
Spurrier Jr. recalled Sunday following a WSU practice in Pullman. “We opened up
that year 7-0, ended up playing in a bowl game that year. … That was a pretty
strong group, but our defense played really well and (Bohl) was a big part of
that.”
Duke’s defense gave up 23 points per game
that year, conceding just 14 per game during the unbeaten streak. And 24 year
later, it’s clear Bohl hasn’t lost his touch.
In Wyoming’s season opener last Saturday
against New Mexico State, the Cowboys played a suffocating brand of defense
that kept the Aggies from getting a first down until 20 seconds remained in the
first half. In a 29-7 win, Wyoming held NMSU to just 20 yards of offense in the
first half and the Aggies finished with a negative sign in the rushing column
(-9 yds).
Certainly not a bad way to grab your next
opponent’s attention.
“They’re good. He’s a good coach. Very
sharp,” WSU coach Mike Leach said. “… He’s had success everywhere he’s been and
I think it’s just his attention to detail and the fundamentals, really. Just
over the years, you have the coaches gatherings and meet each other at
conventions and stuff. He’s a guy that I always wanted to meet and played
against him when he was at Nebraska.”
Leach was in the first year of his rebuild
at Texas Tech, and still installing the Air Raid offense, when Bohl, a
first-year defensive coordinator at Nebraska, guided the top-ranked Cornhuskers
to a near-shutout of the Red Raiders. Handing Tech the biggest loss in program
history to that point, Nebraska intercepted quarterback Kliff Kingsbury twice
and held the Red Raiders to 11 yards on the ground en route to a 59-3 win.
Tech was more competitive the next year,
losing to the Huskers just 41-31.
“We didn’t really know each other then,”
Leach said, “but I’ve always admired what he’s done.”
Bohl is more familiar with another WSU
coach, though, stating Monday he knows defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys “very
well.” The two coached in neighboring states from 2011-13, while Claeys was the
DC at Minnesota and Bohl the head coach at North Dakota State, and their teams
played each once during that span. During the 2011 season, Bohl’s FCS
Jackrabbits edged Claeys’ Big Ten Gophers 34-27.
“Our offense and defense shared ideas and
stuff like that when he was at North Dakota State,” Claeys said, predicting
that if nothing else Saturday, Bohl’s group “will be prepared, they’ll play
hard, they’ll be good on defense. So there won’t be a lot of room to give up a
lot of points.”
Claeys and Bohl also crossed paths on the
FCS trail while Claeys was the DC at Southern Illinois. The 20th-ranked
Jackrabbits visited the 11th-ranked Salukis near the end of the 2005 season in
a game that perfectly displayed the defensive acumen of both coaches. Just one
touchdown was scored in a 9-0 SIU win.
“A great game,” Claeys recalled.
And maybe another reminder what the Cougars
are up against this Saturday.
“They don’t beat themselves,” Claeys said.
“They take care of the ball and all the different formations they do, they make
you work for it on defense.”
………………….
A game-by-game look at the WSU Cougars’
2018 schedule
Originally published August 28, 2018 at
7:00 am Updated August 27, 2018 at 2:54 pm
The Cougars face a potentially difficult
slate with a rebuilt roster. Pac-12 media picked them fifth in the North. Be
your own judge as we break down each game on the Cougs' schedule.
By Scott Hanson Seattle Times
Sept. 1 at Wyoming
12:30 p.m., CBS Sports
Mike Leach gets to coach in the state he
grew up in without having to answer endless questions about his team’s failures
in season openers — not after the Cougars beat Montana State 31-0 in last
year’s opener, the first time they started 1-0 since 2011. But Wyoming is a
much bigger test, particularly with the game being in Laramie. This is a huge
game for WSU.
Game 2
Sept. 8 vs. San Jose State
Ten bold predictions for the UW Huskies
2018 season
8 p.m., Pac-12 Networks
This is a game the Cougars have to win. San
Jose State, which plays in the Mountain West Conference, was 2-11 last season. Since
beating Stanford in 2006, the Spartans are 0-13 against Pac-12 schools.
Game 3
Sept. 15 vs. Eastern Wash.
5 p.m., Pac-12 Networks
Eastern Washington defeated WSU 45-42 in
the Cougars’ season opener in 2016, a game in which Eastern quarterback Gabe Gubrud
completed 34 of 40 passes for 474 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for
77 yards and set a school record with 551 yards of total offense. Gubrud is now
a senior, and WSU had better be ready.
Game 4
Sept. 22 at USC
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7:30 p.m., ESPN
Washington State had perhaps its biggest
victory in coach Mike Leach’s tenure when it beat the fifth-ranked Trojans
30-27 at home last season in front of a national TV audience to improve to 5-0.
The Trojans won’t have quarterback Sam Darnold, who left early for the NFL, but
they always have plenty of talent and were picked by the media to win the
Pac-12 South.
Game 5
Sept. 29 vs. Utah
Time and TV TBA
The Cougars have beaten the Utes in their
past three meetings, including a huge 33-25 road win last season that gave them
a 9-2 record. Utah was picked second in the Pac-12 South by the media, so WSU
will have to play well to win its homecoming game.
Game 6
Oct. 6 at Oregon State
Time and TV TBA
Luke Falk, WSU’s Pac-12 record-setting QB,
had some of his best games against Oregon State, leading the Cougars to
victories over the Beavers the past four seasons. Will that success continue
for Washington State with a different quarterback? Even with the game in
Corvallis, this is a game WSU should win.
Game 7
Oct. 20 vs. Oregon
Time and TV TBA
The Cougars have defeated the Ducks the
past three seasons, including last season’s 33-10 victory in which the Ducks
had just 277 yards of offense. But Oregon star quarterback Justin Herbert
didn’t play in that game because of an injury. At least the Cougars will get an
extra week to prepare for the Heisman Trophy candidate.
Game 8
Oct. 27 at Stanford
Time and TV TBA
The Cougars have beaten the Cardinal the
past two seasons. The key last year was holding Stanford to 198 yards of total
offense, and star running back Bryce Love was limited to just 69 yards on 16
carries, the only time all season he rushed for less than 100 yards. Stopping
Love, who returned for his senior season, will once again be the top priority.
Game 9
Nov. 3 vs. California
Time and TV TBA
The Cougars get a chance to avenge what
might have been the most disappointing loss in coach Mike Leach’s six years at
WSU. The Cougars lost 37-3 last season to a very average Cal team despite
entering the game 6-0 and ranked eighth in the country. Expect a better game
from WSU this season.
Game 10
Nov. 10 at Colorado
Time and TV TBA
This figures to be a competitive game with
WSU picked fifth in the Pac-12 North and Colorado picked fifth in the Pac-12
South. The Cougars shut out Colorado last season, 28-0, their first Pac-12
shutout in 23 years. It won’t be easy, but this is the type of game WSU must
win.
Game 11
Nov. 17 vs. Arizona
Time and TV TBA
Can the Cougars stop Arizona star
quarterback Khalil Tate? They certainly could not last season as he threw for
275 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 146 yards and a score in the
Wildcats’ 58-37 victory. On the plus side for WSU, this time the game is in
Pullman.
Game 12
Nov. 23 vs. Washington
5:30 p.m., FOX
The Cougars have lost the past five Apple
Cups, and the past four have been routs. The Cougars have had little success
offensively against the Huskies, averaging just 14.2 points a game in the past
five matchups. They will need to do better to have a chance this season, but
the game is in Pullman, and that is a positive for WSU.
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