== > Word is that Jimmy
Price, a 6-foot-5, 295-pound offensive tackle from Houston, currently at Tyler (Texas)
Junior College has committed to the WSU Football Cougars!
:::::::::::
Spokane S-R
photos from 2019 Senior Bowl here (link below):
::::::::::::::::::::
Washington
State teammates Gardner Minshew, Andre Dillard find silver linings of Senior
Bowl despite 34-24 loss
UPDATED:
Sat., Jan. 26, 2019, 6:28 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson of Spokesman-Review of Spokane/Inland Empire
MOBILE,
Ala. – Gardner Minshew and Andre Dillard won 11 games together this season, but
capturing a 12th wasn’t in store for the Washington State teammates Saturday
afternoon in the Senior Bowl.
Minshew
and Dillard’s South team grabbed an early lead at Ladd-Peebles Stadium and held
it all the way until the third quarter. Then, powered by a 31-point second
half, Jon Gruden’s North squad managed to score three touchdowns in the final
16 minutes and etch out a 34-24 victory in front of a neutral crowd that was
annnounced at 31,437.
A
three-hour football game that featured official player introductions, halftime
shows and all the pomp of a college all-star showcase may be the top-attended
event of Senior Bowl week, but for the 110 college standouts invited, it was
hardly the most important one of their five-day NFL audition.
That’s why
Minshew was able to brush off an inconsistent day under center. One of four
quarterbacks placed on Kyle Shanahan’s South roster, Minshew completed just
1-of-8 passes in the game for four yards. He scrambled out of the pocket once,
but only reached the line of scrimmage for no gain.
“Man, it
was a great week,” Minshew said. “Learned a lot, didn’t play as well as we
wanted to in the game, always want to help the team win but man, a lot of good
came out of this week and I think it really helps us out.”
Dillard,
the Cougars’ All-American left tackle, was an early talking point on the NFL
Network’s live broadcast and has been regarded as one of the top offensive
tackle prospects in the upcoming Draft.
He didn’t
damage that reputation on Saturday, manning the left tackle spot for two
offensive drives in the first quarter and three more in the third. Dillard
sealed off the left edge for quarterbacks Will Grier (West Virginia) and
Jarrett Stidham (Auburn), and only slipped up twice, committing a false start
penalty and giving up a sack in the third quarter.
“It was a
little different than I expected,” Dillard said. “A bunch of rules were
different and just the whole scenario, but it was fun to go against all these
guys that are some of the best in the country.”
Dillard
elaborated on the adjustments: “Just kind of the timeouts and just like the rotations
and that kind of thing. … And then just kind of what we do before the game. We
don’t prepare as much for them, we just kind of come here, suit up and go out
here. It’s a little different.”
As for the
false start?
“Yeah, I
don’t know about that penalty,” he said. “I’ll have to see it. But just kind of
getting off on the proper snap count and having my hands in the right place.
There’s a lot of things to kind of work on.”
Dillard
and Minshew started in 13 games together this season, each doing their part for
the Pac-12’s top offense. But at no point Saturday did they share the field.
“I thought
he played really well,” Dillard said of Minshew. “And, just live and learn this
game.”
One of
three captains for the South, Minshew waited until the second quarter to get
his first snaps, then took his last few right before the game clock hit
halftime.
Seven
other quarterbacks played: Grier (4-8, 61 yds.), Stidham (4-5, 30 yds.),
Buffalo’s Tyree Jackson (13-21, 165 yds., 2 TDs, 1 int.), Missouri’s Drew Lock
(9-14, 57 yds.), Penn State’s Trace McSorley (7-13, 59 yds.), North Carolina State’s
Ryan Finley (7-11, 83 yds.) and Duke’s Daniel Jones (8-11, 115 yds., 1 TD).
“These
games are hard because of timing,” Minshew said. “You’ve got different guys you
haven’t thrown to much, but I didn’t do what I had to do and it was a good
experience as a whole.”
Minshew
never got into a rhythm after his first pass of the game fell out of Tyree
Brady’s hands. A pass interference call on that play allowed the South to move
the chains, but Minshew’s next throw soared over Deebo Samuel’s helmet, an escape
from the pocket picked up nothing and his final throw of the series hit the
turf well shy of intended receiver Anthony Johnson.
“It wasn’t
accuracy, it was timing,” Minshew said. “That’s all it is. That’s how these
games are. So, feel good about it, had a really good week.”
On the
next drive, Minshew tried to find Samuel on first down under heavy duress from
Oregon edge rusher Jalen Jelks. He was able to complete a short 4-yard screen
to Ryquell Armstead after that, but a second screen attempt to Armstead was
dropped, forcing the South to punt.
Minshew’s
defense forced a fumble to get him the ball back with 2:04 left in the half,
but the QB threw incomplete on three more plays, once again demonstrating how
difficult it can be to get in sync with new receivers in less than a week’s
time.
Still,
Minshew left with positive spirits.
“You ask
anybody around, I had a great week of practice,” Minshew said. “To be voted
team captain, all my interviews went really well, there was a lot of positives
that came out of this week.”
::::::::::::
Senior
Bowl 2019: Which players helped and hurt their NFL draft stock? …
By Tim
Bielik, cleveland.com | Posted January 26, 2019 at 06:10 PM | Updated January
26, 2019 at 06:41 PM
… includes
the following:
Gardner
Minshew, quarterback, Washington State
Mike Leach
quarterbacks have seldom had any success at the NFL level.
So it was
going to be an uphill battle for Minshew right from the beginning. His day
didn’t go well at all.
He was
inaccurate, underthrowing a receiver on a third-down attempt and threw too high
to Temple running back Ryquell Armstead on a flat, which Armstead dropped.
He was
just 1-for-8 for four yards in the first half and looked the worst of the
quarterbacks on Saturday.
:::::::::::::
Dillard
shines, Minshew struggles for WSU at Senior Bowl
ByBRADEN
JOHNSON Cougfan.com
ANDRE
DILLARD CEMENTED HIMSELF as a bonafide left tackle prospect while Gardner
Minshew struggled to find his passing grove in Saturday’s Senior Bowl in
Mobile, Ala. The former Washington State stars capped their college careers as
members of Team South, which lost 34-24 to the North.
The
showcase game capped five days of practices, position drills and interviews
with NFL coaches and executive. Dillard, who drew rave reviews from scouts and
media members on scene all week, took full advantage of his final game as a
collegiate player.
Wearing
WSU’s white helmet with a Crimson Cougar decal, Dillard got the start at left
tackle. And it only took three plays from scrimmage for NFL Network analysts to
mention his name in their broadcast. In the fourth quarter, draft analyst Bucky
Brooks pegged Dillard as the No. 18 overall pick in his latest mock draft.
DILLARD
TOLD CF.C's Whittney Thornton after the game he has received varying
predictions of which round he’ll be taken in come April. “It’s all over the
place,” he said. “I hear a lot of first and second, I heard third – some places
even say seventh round.”
Dillard
helped engineer a 9-play, 75-yard scoring drive alongside quarterback Will
Grier (West Virginia) to give Team South a 6-0 lead just 4:42 into the game.
Though game rules mandated teams avoid blitzing, Team North pressured Grier
from the right edge while Dillard was on the line.
In turn,
Grier dumped the ball off to running backs Ryquell Armstead (Temple) and Wes
Hills (Delaware) on dives and counters to the left side. A 21-yard dash from
Hills to the 1-yard-line with Dillard pulling Team North’s edge rusher set up
Team South’s eventual score .
Dillard
will now train out of Irvine, California at Rep 1 Sports. He said his focus is
to make himself a well-rounded offensive lineman prospect.
“Really
just for now, contact training and working on my offensive line skills,” he
said. “Getting stronger and bigger.”
DILLARD
ALMOST ALWAYS found himself in one-on-one matchups as Team North instead
double-teamed Team South’s guards and right tackle. On Team South’s second
drive in the first quarter, Dillard, who garnered first team all-Pac-12 honors
and was named to the Associated Press All-American Team in December, flashed
his strength and robust frame.
With the
ball at Team South’s 42-yard-line, Texas edge rusher Charles Omenihu was called
for a hands to the face flag while playing Dillard one-on-one. From there, Team
South drilled a 33-yard field goal to close the frame.
Though
Dillard took reps at right tackle during Team South’s Thursday practice, Dillard
played exclusively at left tackle on Saturday. It was the first time Dillard
had played right tackle since he was a scout team player for WSU in 2014.
“It wasn’t
that bad,” Dillard said of playing on the right side. “It’s muscle memory,
really. I just got thrown in during team periods.”
Dillard
also played the third quarter alongside Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham. He
and Minshew never saw the field together.
OUT OF THE
INTERMISSION, Dillard faced a bit of adversity. He was flagged for a false
start on Team South’s first drive and was beat off the snap by TCU defensive
end L.J. Collier on the final play of the quarter. Collier sacked Stidham and
forced a fumble, though Team South recovered.
However,
Dillard, who was measured at 6-4 and 310 pounds on Wednesday, flashed some raw
power midway through the quarter. On a third-and-four play from the Team South
31-yard-line, Dillard pancaked an edge rusher on a designed screen from the
left side.
He sat out
the fourth quarter but the performance capped a banner week in Mobile. Dillard
met with more than a dozen NFL teams and NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah
said Dillard looked the part of the best left tackle prospect in this year’s
draft class.
MINSHEW
MAY WANT a do-over after his Senior Bowl showing. He got the nod in the second
quarter but completed just 1-8 passes for 4 yards. He also scrambled on his
first series on a second-and-10 play for 1 yard.
The
numbers may be scrutinized over the coming weeks in comparison to other
participating quarterbacks. Here are the stat lines of Minshew’s positional
counterparts:
Grier:
4-8, 61 yards
Stidham:
4-5, 30 yards
Tyree
Jackson (Buffalo): 13-21, 165 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
Daniel
Jones (Duke): 8-11, 115 yards, 1 touchdown
Ryan
Finley (North Carolina State): 7-11, 83 yards
Trace
McSorley (Penn State): 7-13, 59 yards
Drew Lock
(Missouri): 9-14, 57 yards
All three
of Minshew’s series under center resulted in three-and-outs, though Team South
hit a field goal to close the second quarter after a fumble on the 25-yard-line
set up field position. To be fair, two of Minshew’s passes were dropped and he
was pressured off the edge on three plays.
Minshew,
who passed for 4,776 yards for the Cougars in 2018, lacked the familiarity he
had with WSU’s receiving corps. Two of his incompletions were underthrown while
his second pass from under center was overthrown.
His one
completed pass went to Montgomery on a screen pattern to the right side. On the
following play, Minshew flipped the play to the left on third-and-six but
Montgomery dropped the ball while bracing for contact.
MINSHEW
DREW POSITIVE REVIEWS during practices and interviews in the lead-up to the
game, though. His hand size – measured at 10 1-4 inches – was the largest of
the eight participating quarterbacks and Eric Edholm of Pro Football Weekly
said he liked Minshew as a “Day 2” draft choice come April.
:::::::::::::::
Women’s
Basketball: Cougs’ upset bid runs out of juice
WSU
constructs a halftime lead before No. 5 Oregon flips switch in second half and
rolls to 79-64 win
By Stephan
Wiebe Moscow Pullman Daily News
A 40-point
beatdown was fresh in the minds of the Washington State women’s basketball
players Friday, when the fifth-ranked Ducks came to Beasley Coliseum for a
rematch.
The
Cougars were determined to not let the best team they’ll play all season
embarrass them a second time and, to the surprise of the several Ducks fans in
attendance, led by four points at halftime.
WSU’s
success did not continue in the third quarter, though, and Oregon avoided its
first Pac-12 loss en route to a 79-64 Ducks victory.
“What a
great opportunity we had to come out and play the first half with such energy
and such competitiveness,” said WSU forward Borislava Hristova, who led the
Cougs with 29 points. “But to win this game we need to play for 40 minutes
because we took a break in the third quarter. To win this game … we needed to
play every possession.”
Washington
State (7-12 overall, 2-6 Pac-12) led 13-9 early on a Hristova 3-pointer, and
led or tied most of the first quarter until a Taylor Chavez buzzer beater gave
the Ducks (18-1, 7-0) an 18-17 advantage.
Back-to-back
Chanelle Molina 3s bolstered WSU to a 30-24 lead in the second quarter and the
Cougars held on to lead 34-30 at the break.
“Last time
we played them I couldn’t have been more disappointed with our effort,” WSU
coach Kamie Ethridge said, “and I was really proud with how we managed the
first half and played and competed.”
That’s
where their steam ran out.
The Ducks
erupted with a 17-2 run to start the third quarter for a 49-36 lead in what was
the pivotal stretch of the game.
Oregon’s
top scorer Satou Sabally went 4-for-4 from the 3-point line and scored 14 of
her 33 points in the third frame. The Ducks were 6-for-6 from long range in the
third as a team.
WSU’s
silver lining was it found its footing in the fourth quarter and didn’t let
Oregon run away with a big win a second time.
In the
final 90 seconds, the Cougars garnered old-fashioned three-point plays by
Hristova and Molina slicing to the rim, and a regular 3-pointer by Hristova.
“There was
a lot of games that we quit at the end when there’s a 20-point lead from the
other team,” Hristova said. “We just had to fight through it.”
Hirstova,
Molina (18 points) and senior guard Alexys Swedlund (14) combined to score 61
of WSU’s 64 points. Sophomore forward Jovana Subasic (three points) was the
only other Cougar with a field goal.
Meanwhile,
Sabally went off for the Ducks from long range (8-for-11 shooting from 3),
while Ruthy Hebard and Sabrina Ionescu combined for 34 points. Hebard added 14
rebounds for a double-double.
Washington
State is almost through a stretch of playing three top-10 teams in one week.
After losses to No. 6 Stanford and No. 5 Oregon, the Cougars play host to No. 9
Oregon State at noon Sunday.
“We’re
going to play another top 10 team that’s playing at a really high level and we
have to emotionally get back up, physically get back up,” Ethridge said. “So
that’s really the challenge when you’re playing that type of competition.”
OREGON
(18-1)
Boley 1-4
0-0 3, Hebard 8-11 4-4 20, Sabally 11-16 3-7 33, Cazorla 0-4 0-0 0, Ionescu
6-16 0-1 14, Gildon 0-1 1-2 1, Giomi 1-1 0-0 2, Chavez 2-4 0-0 6, Totals 29-57
8-14 79.
WASHINGTON
ST. (7-12)
Hristova
11-20 4-4 29, Levy 0-4 0-0 0, Kostourkova 0-5 0-0 0, Molina 7-16 1-1 18,
Swedlund 5-11 2-2 14, Subasic 1-4 0-0 3, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Molina 0-2 0-0 0,
Molina 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 24-62 7-7 64.
Oregon 18
12 30 19—79
Washington
St. 17 17 12 18—64
3-Point
Goals_Oregon 13-22 (Boley 1-2, Sabally 8-11, Cazorla 0-2, Ionescu 2-5, Chavez
2-2), Washington St. 9-28 (Hristova 3-5, Levy 0-2, Molina 3-10, Swedlund 2-7,
Subasic 1-2, Molina 0-2). Assists_Oregon 17 (Ionescu 7), Washington St. 14
(Kostourkova 3). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_Oregon 37 (Hebard 14), Washington St.
33 (Kostourkova 11). Total Fouls_Oregon 11, Washington St. 12. Technical
Fouls_None.A_931.
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(Below is
a link to entire text. Partial text follows.)
Football Conference
Breakdown: Looking at the Pac-12 heading into 2019
Jan 25,
12:09 PM from 247sports.com
This is
the fifth of a five-part series breaking down each Power Five conference’s
efforts this past season while looking forward to 2019.
WASHINGTON
STATE (11-2): EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS
Losing the
Apple Cup and a chance for a Pac-12 championship stings. But considering what
the Cougars went through in the offseason with the tragic death of Tyler
Hilinski, to rally and win a program-best 11 games is a heck of an
accomplishment.
2019 Outlook:
Washington
State’s offseason will be defined by its ability to find a quarterback. Mike
Leach is known for putting up offensive numbers no matter what. But there’s
little doubt Gardner Minshew, who threw for 4,779 yards while completing 70.7
percent of his passes, was special in that regard. The Cougars have been
sniffing around the QB transfer market, but Trey Tinsley (a rising senior) and
Anthony Gordon (another rising senior) are also options. The Cougars offense
does return seven starters, including its three leading pass catchers. A pretty
good defense by Air Raid standards brings back five starters, though 60 percent
of the starting secondary (with a nickel) departs. With a second year under DC
Tracy Claeys, it’s easy to see the unit at least maintaining. Find a QB and
Washington State will again be a Pac-12 North contender.
:::::::::::::::::::::
WSU MEN’S
BASKETBALL LOOKS TO BREAK STREAK IN EUGENE
Based on
info from WSU Sports Info
Washington
State men's basketball (8-11, 1-5) is in Eugene looking for its first win at
Matthew Knight Arena, when it takes on Oregon (11-8, 2-4), Sunday, Jan. 27 at 5
p.m.
• The game
will be televised on ESPNU as Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play) and Caron Butler
(analyst) have the call.
• Hear the
game on the Cougar IMG Sports Radio Network with the “Voice of the Cougars,”
Matt Chazanow on the call.
COUGARS
VERSUS DUCKS:
• Sunday’s
game will mark the 295th all-time meeting between Washington State and Oregon,
as the Ducks hold a 169-125 advantage in the series.
• The two
teams split the regular season series last year with each winning at home, then
Oregon defeated WSU, 64-62 in overtime at the Pac-12 Tournament.
::::::::::::::::
Track
& Field Coug Earn Multiple Wins in Albuquerque
From WSU
Sports Info 1/16/2019
Charisma
Taylor of Women’s Track & Field continues impressive season after setting
WSU indoor record in the triple jump.
ALBUQUERQUE,
N.M. - The Washington State University Track and Field program was in action as
a split squad at the New Mexico Team Invitational Saturday inside the
Albuquerque Convention Center.
WOMEN: Freshman
Charisma Taylor continued to look dominate throughout the indoor season,
posting a WSU Track and Field indoor record of 42-feet 6 1/4 inches (12.92m) in
the triple jump. Taylor took first in the event at the invitational, and landed
herself on the Washington State all-time top ten list in the event as well at
third overall. Charisma also placed first in the long jump at 19-feet 9 1/2
inches (6.03m), ninth best in Washington State history as well. Chrisshnay
Brown had herself a phenomenal day as well, placing first in the shot put,
after a PR of 51-feet 3/4 inches (15.56m), which was the third best all-time
throw in WSU history. The Cougars saw another winner from the New Mexico
Invitational as well in Regyn Gaffney in the 60m dash at 7.55 for the first
place finish, along with Emily Coombs taking first overall in the pole vault at
13-feet 1 1/2 inches (4.00m), and was the seventh best mark all-time in Cougar
track and field history.
MEN: The
WSU men turned in a great day as well at the Albuquerque Convention Center with
Jake Ulrich and Emmanuel Wells Jr.leading the way for the Cougars. Ulrich won
the 400m dash with a PR of 46.75, a time that currently sits at 11th best in
the nation in the event. Wells continued to climbed up the WSU all-time list in
the 60m dash after running a 6.67 to take first at the invitational, and also
ranked in a tie for fourth best overall in Washington State history. A handful
of wins followed throughout the day for the Cougars with Sam Brixey winning the
60m hurdles (PR, 7.84), Peyton Fredrickson in the high jump at 6-feet 10 3/4
inches (2.10m), and the team of Christapherson Grant, Noah Wallace, Corey
Allen, and Ulrich who won the 4x400m relay.
:::::::::
Distance
Leads Way For WSU Track & Field at UW Invitational in Seattle
Based on
info rom WSU Sports Info 1/16/2019
Jenkins,
Ryan anchor the split squads inside Dempsey Indoor.
SEATTLE -
The Washington State University Track and Field program competed inside the
Dempsey Indoor at the UW Invitational, Friday through Saturday.
WSU women
were led by Emma Jenkins in the 3000m race where she posted a 9:43.66, the
Washington State freshman indoor record. And it was a personal record, too.
Kaili
Keefe got a personal record in the mile at 4:52.17 also.
Mackenzie
Fletcher finished 12th overall in the 60m hurdles event.
The
Cougars on the men's side were also anchored by distance, with Paul Ryan and
Zach Stallings each recording personal records runs in the mile. Ryan finished
12th overall at 4:02.85, while Stallings finished 23rd at 4:06.09. Kyler Little
was timed in a PR in the 5000m at 14:28.36 for a 14th place finish. Trevor
Bushman placed in the top ten over the weekend in the pole vault event at
15-feet 5 3/4 inches (4.72m) overall.
#
