PLANNING TO ATTEND A WSU HOME FOOTBALL GAME IN PULLMAN AND
MOSCOW IN 2018AND WANT TO STAY AT A PULLMAN OR MOSCOW HOTEL?!
The 2017 WSU football season ended Dec. 28, 2017. Now it’s
time to look ahead to the 2018 season. Link to 2018 WSU football schedule:
It’s NOT too early to try to get a reservation at a Pullman or
Moscow hotel for a WSU home football game in 2018.
Pullman Chamber of Commerce website provides this URL link
at its website. Text for the link reads, “Click here for hotel availability
during popular weekends:”
Below is provided for your information, it’s not an advertisement
or endorsement. It was posted at the “Die Hard Cougs” Facebook page at 9:45am
on 12/28/2017. It may be that other Pullman and Moscow hotels do something similar.
To find out if that’s the case, contact the other hotels (the link above names
and other hotels, providing their names and telephone numbers).
Courtyards Marriott in Pullman 9:45 12/28/2017 Facebook
posting:
“Our call-in date for Washington State University Football
home games reservations is Wednesday, January 10th, at 12 pm PST for ALL home
games. You MUST call the hotel DIRECTLY at (509) 332-1500.”
//////////////
From WSU Sports Info
Men’s Basketball WASHINGTON STATE AT UCLA
FRIDAY, DEC. 29 – 8 P.M.– PAULEY PAVILION (LOS ANGELES, .)
PAC-12 OPENER
FINAL SCORE: UCLA 96, WSU 82
POSTGAME NOTES
Redshirt freshman, Milan Acquaah had a career high 13
points, 11 of them in the first half.
Acquaah tied his career high for rebounds with 6, he also
did it against Saint Joseph’s, Nov. 23.
Sophomore Carter Skaggs had 17 points on 5-for-8 from
3-point range…all his points came in the second half and he attempted just one
shot in the first half.
He is 15-for-24 (.625) from 3-point range in the last three
games.
Junior Robert Franks led WSU with 20 points and 8 rebounds.
Franks has scored in double figures in 11 of WSU’s 13 games
this season and has 6 20-point games this season.
Franks made his 18th-straight free throw before missing his
third of the night, went 3-for-4 from the free throw line.
Redshirt freshman Arinze Chidom’s 8 points are his most
since 14 against Idaho State, Nov. 18.
Sophomore Jeff Pollard scored 12 points, marking his fourth
double figure scoring of the season and his career.
Sophomore Malachi Flynn led WSU with 4 assists and added 9
points on 3 3-pointers.
With 14 3-pointers, WSU has made 12 or more 3-pointers in
nine of their 13 games.
UCLA’s 96 points are a season high for a WSU opponent this
season.
Next up, WSU takes on USC, Sunday, Dec. 31 at 6 p.m. at the
Galen Center…the game can be seen on ESPN2.
//////////////////
December 29, 2017 / Men's Basketball
Cougars Drop Pac-12 Opener to UCLA
Four Cougars scored in double figures in the 96-82 loss.
LOS ANGELES (AP) Aaron Holiday scored a career-high 33
points and Jaylen Hands added 19 points to lead UCLA to a 96-82 victory over
Washington State University Friday in the Pac 12 opener for both teams.
Kris Wilkes scored 14 points and Thomas Welsh scored 12
points and had 14 rebounds for the Bruins (10-3).
Robert Franks scored 20 points, Carter Skaggs added 17 and
Milan Acquaah and Jeff Pollard scored 13 and 12 points respectively for the
Cougars (8-5).
Holiday made 11 of 18 shots, including all five of his
3-point attempts and recorded his 5th 20-point game of the season and guided
the Bruins to a third consecutive win.
The junior guard surpassed the 1,000-point plateau in his
career when he drilled a 3-pointer at the 7:45 mark of the opening half giving
the Bruins a 27-22 lead. Holiday becomes the 55th player in UCLA history to
score 1,000 points.
Welsh reached the 1,000-point mark with a free throw with
3:16 left in the game and became the 56th UCLA player to reach the 1,000-point
scoring plateau.
Welsh's bucket at the 13:42 mark of the first half gave UCLA
a 14-5 lead. The Cougars battled back and cut the lead to 29-28 following an
Acquaah free throw with 5:33 to go in the half.
Wilkes' 3-point play down the stretch propelled the Bruins
to a 42-37 lead at the break.
Holiday made 9 of 13 shots and scored 23 points in the first
half. Wilkes added 8 points for the Bruins. Acquaah led WSU with 11 points in
the first half. UCLA held a 23-17 advantage on the glass in the opening half
and a 43-30 edge for the game.
Skaggs drilled his fourth 3-pointer of the second half to
cut the lead to 64-62 with 9:34 to play. But the Bruins countered by scoring on
6 of the next 7 possessions and took an 80-68 lead following a layup by Hands
and sealed the win.
The Bruins have defeated the Cougars in five of their last
six contests and have beaten WSU eight straight times at Pauley Pavilion and
are 12-1 in Los Angeles against the Cougars since the start of the 2004-05
season. UCLA extended its record to 58-3 against WSU in Los Angeles.
The Bruins are 7-1 this season at home and WSU fell to 3-3
on the road this season.
The Bruins have outrebounded its opponents in 11 of its 13
games this season.
A moment of silence was observed before the game in memory
of former UCLA broadcaster Dick Enberg who died last week of a heart attack at
his home in La Jolla, California.
BIG PICTURE
WSU: The Cougars lead the Pac 12 in 3's made per game (11.9)
and are ranked 4th nationally. Entering Friday's game, WSU made 12 or more 3's
in 8 of their 12 games this season. Four Cougars rank in the top 10 of the Pac
12 for 3's made per game (Malachi Flynn is second in the league (2.83 per
game), Franks and Viont'e Daniels are 6th in the Pac-12 (2.42) and Skaggs is
ninth in the league (2.33).
UCLA: The Bruins improved its record against the Cougars to
107-17. Holiday also became the 13th UCLA player in history to have scored
1,000 points and dish out 300 assists. Holiday now has 1016 points and 356
assists in Bruins career. Welsh has scored 1,001 points and has 819 rebounds in
his career, only the 12th player to score 1,000 points and 800 rebounds.
UP NEXT
WSU: The Cougars will travel to USC to play the Trojans on
Sunday evening.
UCLA: On New Year's Eve the Bruins will host Washington.
……….
Cougs Come up Short at No. 10 Oregon
12/29/2017 | Women's Basketball from WSU Sports Info
EUGENE, Ore. - A big run by the No. 10 ranked Oregon Ducks
(12-2, 1-0 Pac-12) in the opening quarter set the tone for the Cougars (7-6,
0-1 Pac-12) on the road as Washington State fell 89-56 to open Pac-12 play
Friday afternoon. Playing without their top scorer in Borislava Hristova, the
Cougs could not match the firepower of the high-octane Ducks who took over the
game in the opening minutes with a 14-0 run that put the Cougs down
double-digits just four minutes into the game. Despite the best efforts of
Louise Brown early and Kayla Washington late, the Cougs could never catch the
Ducks as Oregon saw the sophomore stars of Sabrina Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard
combine for 50 of the team's 89 points. Oregon would put the game away for good
in the fourth with the Ducks put together a 15-0 run.
Stat of the Game
The Ducks controlled the paint outscoring the Cougs 42-to-28
while winning the rebounding battle 42-to-33.
Things You Need To Know
The Cougs fell in Eugene for the first time in their last
three road games against Oregon.
Louis Brown led the Cougs in scoring for the second-time on
the year with 12 points while Kayla Washington added 10 points for her third
double-digit scoring effort of the season. Washington added seven rebounds, one
off of her season best total of eight.
Despite the tough start to the day, the Cougs finished
shooting 42.6% (23-of-54).
In 19 minutes off the bench, Nike McClure matched her
season-high with five blocks while adding four points and one rebound.
The Ducks matched their scoring average on the season with
89 points on 47.2% (34-of-72) shooting.
Four Oregon players reached double-figures with Ionescu and
Hebard each scoring 25 points while Lexi Bando added 18 and Satou Sabally
chipped in 14. Hebard closed out the game with a double-double as the sophomore
grabbed 10 rebounds while Ionescu came up just shy of another triple-double
with eight assists and six rebounds.
WSU looks to get on track in Pac-12 play against the
three-time defending champion Beavers from Oregon State Sunday afternoon in
Corvallis. The game is scheduled for 11 a.m. The Beavers began conference play
with a 75-63 win over Washington Friday afternoon.
……………..
Pullman ranked 8th safest college town
City officials say safety is a collaborative effort
By Scott Jackson, Moscow
Pullman Daily News
The city of Pullman was rated eighth in a list of the 30
safest college towns in America released by home security consultants Safewise
earlier this month.
Mayor Glenn Johnson said the news is unsurprising
considering Pullman's low crime rate.
"When you take a look at crime problems across the
country, I think you can pretty well see that we're one of the safer
ones," Johnson said.
Johnson said it's a difficult thing to measure, but the
level of safety in Pullman is bolstered from a number of sectors, including
emergency medical services, safe transportation services and Washington State
University itself.
Johnson said campus cops meet frequently with living groups
to keep students informed and safe.
"On campus they're doing a lot of things to make sure
that events are safe, and we're trying to do the same thing off campus,"
Johnson said.
Law enforcement officials said officers are invested in the
community because it's their home. Cmdr. Chris Tennant said this connection is
a big asset in maintaining a safe community.
"Most of the officers that work here actually live in
town or live really near us on the Palouse," Tennant said. "This is
our home, and we take ownership in that."
Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Scharnhorst said a rating driven
by police and crime data may overlook important contributions by other
agencies.
Scharnhorst said Pullman has established a network for
automatic mutual aid when call volume becomes overwhelming to provide an added
level of security.
"Sometimes we get to three or four calls back to back,
and ... we have to rely on outside agencies to come in and assist us,"
Scharnhorst said.
Scharnhorst said prompt emergency service of all kinds plays
a big part in the safety of the community. With round-the-clock paramedic and
ambulance services in place, Scharnhorst said residents can expect the same
level of care they would receive in a much larger municipality.
Tennant said this level of care is why many residents choose
to live in a place like Pullman.
"You don't just end up in Pullman by accident,"
Tennant said. "There's a reason that people are here and it's for the
quality of life, and I think most people strive to keep it that way."
Moscow did not rank on the list.
/////////
MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK: One wonky addition to the 'What
happened?' theories
By Dale Grummert /Lewiston
Trib Dec 30, 2017
SAN DIEGO - Lost in another darkly humorous Mike Leach news
conference the other night was an awkward, ill-received line of questioning
that's perhaps more relevant than it initially seemed.
After watching the Cougars sleep-walk to a 42-17 loss to
Michigan State in the Holiday Bowl, it entered a reporter's head to tally
Leach's record as Washington State football coach in two combined categories:
season openers and season finales.
He's 3-9. But so what? The first game of a season and the
final game have so little in common that it's difficult to draw any conclusions
from that figure.
That was obviously Leach's take.
"You can do all your little stats and scenarios and all
those goofy things," he said. "But you can also maybe review how
Washington State has done prior to our players and our staff getting here, and
maybe you can find some answers there. And you seem like a sharp young man. OK,
next."
Given Leach's distaste for coachspeak, that was a
disappointing way to snub the fellow. Trying to place a dreadful performance in
the context of the arc of one's program is the oldest coach's trope in the
book. But maybe this particular question deserved it.
Several minutes later, though, the same writer rephrased the
query.
"Coach, you don't think there's been an issue with
having more than a week off preparation-wise for you in your tenure here?"
That's a far more interesting way to put it. Which maybe
explains Leach's response.
"Next question."
Now we're talking about categories with something in common.
Presumably the reporter was referring to season openers, games following a bye
and bowl games - all the situations that lie outside the usual weekly routine
of preparation.
Leach is 3-13 in those games. Pointing out such a stat may
seem goofy to him, so let's toss in some anecdotal evidence. In many of those
games, as far as I can remember, the Cougars looked pretty much how they looked
Thursday night: disjointed, unfocused, on holiday.
It's difficult to overstate the importance in Leach's
philosophy of repetition, routine, a type of heightened mindlessness - maybe
not for him and his quarterbacks, but for most of the other players. He wants
inspired robots.
You can see this philosophy in his Air Raid offense, in his
disdain for distractions (real or imagined), in his automatic rejection of
conventional athletic story lines - the personal quests, the rivalries, the
Senior Nights, the awards. It's all about the next play.
What happens when you cool your heels for a spell and push
that next play forward a week, a month, an entire offseason? Isn't it possible
that these discontinuities throw the Leach-era Cougars off their game? They
finally won an opener this season, but they're 1-3 in bowl games and 1-5 after
an open date.
Here's a caveat: This didn't seem to be a problem for Leach
during his decade at Texas Tech. He went 19-10 in games involving a long delay
beforehand, though his 4-5 post-bye record wasn't impressive.
And, of course, there were other factors in the Cougars'
latest belly flop.
The offense was missing Luke Falk and two disgruntled
receivers from Florida. The defense was missing Hercules Mata'afa in the first
half, and knew it would probably be jilted soon by wunderkind defensive coordinator
Alex Grinch.
Falk, Mata'afa, Grinch: three of the most important names in
the program at the moment. Throw in all the injured senior leaders, and there's
no particular reason to get wonky in explaining the Cougars' somnambulism.
Still, how many previous Cougar coaches have gone 3-13 over
a six-year period in games involving drawn-out preparation?
Maybe the "sharp young man" should do the research
that Leach suggested.
/////////////////////////////////////////////
Men’s BASKETBALL
UCLA outlasts Washington State in Pac-12 basketball opener
UPDATED: Fri., Dec. 29, 2017, 11:17 p.m.
By Theo Lawson Spokane S-R
LOS ANGELES – For the vast majority of Friday’s Pac-12
opener in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, the Washington State
Cougars stuck closely to the victory formula that netted them a few
high-quality wins and a tournament trophy in nearby Fullerton almost a month
ago.
The Cougars dictated the tempo, they made 3-pointers at a
fairly high volume and they were able to draw a couple of impressive showings
from the guards on their bench, getting a career- best 13 points from Milan
Acquaah and 17 more from Carter Skaggs, who jump-started WSU late with one of
his signature three-point flurries.
But on the other end of the floor was an experienced UCLA
team with two veteran players who were each hunting the 1,000-point career
milestone on the same night. Aaron Holiday and Thomas Welsh both got there and
they did much more than that to deliver a 96-82 win for the Bruins in front of
8,069 fans at Pauley Pavilion.
“Tough place for us to open up with this young of a team against
UCLA and USC,” WSU coach Ernie Kent said. “You’re going to have to play them
sometime and I thought my guys battled hard for having to be out there. … This
is all new to these guys, to understand not only what the conference is like
but the tradition of this building and the energy in this building. You can’t
prepare that, you have to go through that.”
UCLA didn’t look like a team that was marred, depleted or
embarrassed by the international shoplifting incident that took place in
Guangzhou, China, at the start of the season and forced the Bruins to move on
without three of their young players. And Steve Alford’s bunch, at least on
this night, didn’t appear like a team that was missing the trio of 2016-17
stars who were selected in the NBA Draft.
Holiday, Welsh and blue-chip freshman guard Jaylen Hands
might be the new trio – and they were an overwhelming one for the Cougars in
the late stages of the second half on Friday night.
Holiday, the younger brother of NBA pros Jrue and Justin,
scored a career-high 33 points and did the dirty work on the other end, pulling
down 11 rebounds. Welsh, the senior forward who’s been a model of consistency
for Alford’s program over the years, added 12 points and a game-high 14
rebounds. Hands, the talented rookie who can leap out of the gym at any time,
flushed down an alley-oop in the first half and bombed the Cougars from the
3-point line toward the end of the second. He scored 19 points on 4-of-5 from
long range.
“They have some McDonald’s All-Americans over there, but
Holiday and Welsh were the two main guys,” said Skaggs, who made 5-of-8 3’s to
spark the Cougars in the second half. “We just feel like we have to get
tougher. We really talked about it. Just like against Kansas State, we lost by
three after being down 19.”
This game was a different story.
UCLA led by no more than two possessions for most of the
game and the Cougars brought the deficit to two points when Skaggs canned his
fourth 3-pointer with 9:38 to play. The Bruins then pulled ahead by seven points,
but Malachi Flynn dished an inside pass to Jeff Pollard with 7:16 left to make
it a two-score game at 69-64.
But UCLA won the final seven minutes with a combination of
toughness and finesse. Hands provided a lift with 11 straight points to make it
80-68 and the Bruins protected their double-digit lead by making 11 free throws
in the final 2:48.
“Our kids are consistent, and they listen,” Kent said. “They
can score the ball and they’re very coachable. But the main thing we didn’t get
better at is toughness. Our guys need to understand that we have to make a
tough play when a tough play is needed.”
The Cougars were without “point-forward,” Drick Bernstine,
who wore a sweatsuit on the visitor’s bench and missed his second game this
season with a tweaked knee.
………………..
Analysis | WSU’s 2017 football season was once again one
wild ride. Here’s how the Cougs graded out
Originally published December 30, 2017 at 6:00 am Updated
December 29, 2017 at 3:43 pm
This season had highs, and lows, and everything in between.
Now that the (disappointing) bowl game is over and the dust has cleared, we
look back and evaluated WSU's 2017 football campaign.
By Stefanie Loh
Seattle Times
SAN DIEGO – Despite having a veteran team laden with 20
seniors who all began the season in Washington State’s two-deep, perhaps it was
telling that the three players sent out to face the media on Thursday after
WSU’s 42-17 Holiday Bowl beatdown against Michigan State were all
underclassmen.
Sophomore safety Jalen Thompson, sophomore quarterback Tyler
Hilinski and freshman receiver Tay Martin represent the nucleus around which
the Cougars will rebuild next season. And thanks to some unforeseen injuries,
they all got significant playing time this year, which should help ease the
team into 2018.
But first, a look back at 2017.
Due in large part to the presence of the aforementioned
senior class led by quarterback Luke Falk, running back Jamal Morrow, offensive
lineman Cole Madison, linebackers Isaac Dotson and Peyton Pelluer and defensive
tackle Daniel Ekuale, 2017 began as the most hyped WSU season since – perhaps –
Jason Gesser’s senior year in 2002.
And for while, it appeared as if the Cougars would finally
live up to the hype. For the first time in the Mike Leach era, WSU finally won
an opener, blanking Montana State 31-0 in a show of dominance.
Slowly but steadily, the Cougars started collecting wins.
First came the triple-overtime thrilled against Boise State that first
introduced Coug fans to Hilinski’s heroics as the backup quarterback relieved
Falk to lead WSU to a 47-44 comeback win. Then came the euphoric home win over
a fifth-ranked USC team that caught the nation’s attention and gave Leach his
first signature win at WSU. The Cougars went on to beat Oregon for the third
year in a row, and peaked at a No. 8 ranking in the lead-up to the Cal game on
Oct. 13.
But on a smoky day in the Bay Area, WSU’s world unraveled.
The Cougars suffered a 37-3 thrashing at the hands of the Golden Bears and woke
up to even more bad news the next day, when athletic director Bill Moos left
for Nebraska.
The season was a rollercoaster ride from that point on, with
some breathy highs – felling No. 18 Stanford, and Falk leading WSU to a win
over Utah in his home state – followed by some exasperating lows.
Unfortunately for the Cougs, history repeated itself at the
very end, when a once-promising season came to a numbing end with blowout
back-to-back losses to UW and to Michigan State in the Holiday Bowl.
After compiling three-straight seasons with at least eight
wins, the Cougars have found consistency under Leach. But that’s a statement
that, at this point, appears to be a double-edged sword.
ADVERTISING
WSU is now a perennial bowl team. But it has yet to show
that it can beat the Huskies or win bowl games on a consistent basis. And that,
is why that 10-win marker and conference titles continue to evade the Cougars.
Better luck next year, perhaps?
OFFENSE
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QB
Luke Falk senior season paled in comparison to his first two
years as the Cougars’ starter. He threw more interceptions (13), fewer
touchdowns (30) and was twice benched for Tyler Hilinski due in part to
ineffectiveness, and in part to injury. As the bowl game revealed, Falk played
through an injury to his left wrist for most of the season. But how much this
affected his overall play is difficult to say. The numbers show that he was
less efficient (66.9 completion percentage in 2017, 68.8 career completion
percentage entering 2017) this season, and he’ll have some explaining to do
when NFL scouts ask about, say, his performance in the Arizona game, when he
was replaced by Hilinski. Overall, however, Falk finished his career as the
Pac-12’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown and he left an
indelible mark on the program.
WSU also got a glimpse of what Hilinski can do. Three games
of substantial playing time is still a relatively small sample size. But
Hilinski has looked comfortable in the Air Raid, and as he showed in WSU’s
comeback against Boise State, he doesn’t cave in high-pressure situations,
which is always key to good quarterbacking. Hilinski finished with seven
touchdown passes, seven interceptions and a 72.6 completion percentage. His
athleticism – he had two rushing scores too — will be a nice addition to the
offense next season, but he’ll have to work on minimizing turnovers and making
better decisions.
Grade: B-
WR
Which outside receivers should we grade here? The two who
led the team for most of the year – Tavares Martin Jr. and Isaiah Johnson-Mack
– but are no longer around? Or the two – Dezmon Patmon and Tay Martin – who
played sparingly but will lead the Cougars’ offense next year?
Martin Jr. and Johnson-Mack were efficient, but Martin Jr.,
at least, reportedly didn’t mesh well in the locker room. The Cougars did,
however, discover some young receiving talent to groom for next season. Martin
(31 rec, 366 yards, 6 TD) is a freakishly athletic prospect whose raw ability
and work ethic have him poised for a big sophomore year. Patmon (35 rec, 379
yards) came along toward the end of the season, and if he can find consistency,
could play a large role in 2018. On the inside, 2017 introduced us to the
speedy, entertaining Jamire Calvin (300 yards, 3 TD) and Renard Bell (538
yards, 3 TD), and Kyle Sweet’s (533 yards, 2 TD) veteran leadership was a
steadying presence in a young receivers room. The Cougars haven’t had this much
talent at receiver in a long time.
Grade: B+
RB
The Cougars couldn’t quite duplicate the success of the run
game from their breakout 2016 season. Gerard Wicks struggled with injuries for
most of the year, and WSU consequently leaned more heavily on Jamal Morrow, who
graduates with the third-most receptions (202) and all-purpose yards (4,219) in
school history. James Williams led the offense with 71 receptions, setting a
new WSU single season record for receptions by a running back.
WSU’s backs recorded a second-straight season in which they
had 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving. But after eclipsing the 100-yard rushing
mark in seven games last season, the Cougars only had three 100-yard rushing
games in 2017, and their 884 rushing yards paled in comparison to the 1,560
from the year before. WSU had 303 rush attempts in 2017, compared to 362 in
2016.
It seems unfair to grade the backs based on what appears to
have strategic play-calling decisions beyond their control, but ultimately, the
run game was simply not as productive this season. However, some of that was
due to the regression of the offensive line.
Grade: B-
OL
There were times this year when the offensive line play was
startlingly bad. The game that stands out, of course, was the loss to Cal, when
WSU gave up nine – yes, nine! – sacks against a Bears defense that managed only
19 sacks in its other 11 games combined. And while the Cal performance was by
far the O-line’s worst of the season, they also gave up five sacks in three
other games – UW, USC and Boise State. WSU gave up 44 sacks this season, the
highest since Falk has been under center. That ranked 124th among 129 FBS
teams. Tackles Cole Madison and Andre Dillard did well on the edges, but the
interior of the offensive line was shaky. It’s not a stretch to connect the
poor O-line play with the decrease in quarterback and running back production.
Grade: D
DEFENSE
DL
Defensive line was the most-improved position for WSU this
season. In Jeff Phelps’ first year at the helm, WSU’s pass rush was the pride
of the defense. Hercules Mata’afa had the finest season of his career, setting
a new single-season school record with 22.5 TFL, and recording 10.5 sacks. But
Mata’afa wasn’t the only defensive lineman who upped his play. Daniel Ekuale
had the best season of his career and Nnamdi Oguayo (7 TFL, 4 sacks) will be
one to build around for next season.
When you go from 19 sacks one season to 37 the next (No. 20
nationally), you know your defensive line is doing something right. The next
challenge for Phelps: How to restock the defensive tackle position, where he’ll
lose Ekuale, Garrett McBroom, and – potentially, depending on his decision on
the NFL Draft – Mata’afa.
Grade: A
LB
Inside linebackers coach Ken Wilson is a miracle worker.
Somehow, despite losing his three senior starting linebackers to a rash of
injuries, he managed to help guide some young backers to success. You can’t
replace the experience and leadership a fifth-year senior like Peyton Pelluer
brings to the table, and there were some games – namely, Arizona – in which
Wilson’s youngsters were exposed. But overall, Jahad Woods and Justus Rogers
filled in admirably for their elders when called upon to do so. Woods earned 10
starts after Pelluer broke his foot and was lost for the year, and he concluded
the season as WSU’s second-leading tackler, with 64 stops, including 11 TFL.
Rogers also did fine in relief of Isaac Dotson when the senior suffered a
concussion and missed four games in the middle of the season.
At outside linebacker, Roy Manning helped turn Frankie Luvu
into a TFL machine after his move from inside to rush linebacker. Luvu’s
breakout senior season yielded 6.5 sacks and 12 TFL – second only to Mata’afa
in both categories. Hunter Dale put his stamp on the nickelback position and
he’s proved to be a smart, athletic player who can drop into coverage as well
as he can help stop the run.
Grade: B-
DB
Strong safety Jalen Thompson followed up a strong freshman
season with a solid sophomore campaign. He led the defense with 73 tackles and
four interceptions and was named an All-Pac-12 second teamer, and an AP
All-Pac-12 first teamer. Overall, this group has more depth now than before.
Darrien Molton reprised his role as starting cornerback but missed two games
with a hand injury. Lucky for WSU, Sean Harper Jr. proved a more than capable
fill-in, and he should compete for a starting spot next season, perhaps at the
free safety spot vacated by senior Robert Taylor. The emergence of freshman
cornerback Marcus Strong – who beat out Marcellus Pippins for the starting
right cornerback spot through the season’s final six games also bodes well for
2018. Strong and Harper tied for the team lead with six pass breakups despite
not being full-time starters.
Grade: B
SPECIAL TEAMS
How about Erik Powell as a candidate for the most improved
player in 2017? The Cougars formerly erratic kicker pulled everything together
for his senior year and delivered his finest season in a WSU uniform. For all
the problems the Cougars had throughout the season, kicking was never one of
them. Powell went 20 of 24 on field goals, converted 46 of 47 PATs, and – more
importantly – never missed a field goal when WSU most needed it. He’ll leave
WSU third in school history with 51 field goals and 317 points. And was a Lou
Groza semifinalist and All-Pac-12 second-teamer. Powell was also reliable on
kickoffs, averaging 62.1 yards on 68 kicks, with 31 touchbacks. The biggest
glaring problems on special teams were the occasionally inconsistent punting
and – toward the latter half of the season as injuries led to attrition – some
spotty kick and punt coverage.
Grade: A-
……………
Story from Eugene Register-Guard about WSU women’s
basketball game 12/29/2017 in Eugene ve UO includes:
“….the Cougars (7-6, 0-1), who were without their leading
scorer, Borislava Hristova, due to injury.”
Oregon Women's Basketball
Oregon Ducks women’s basketball breezes past Washington
State, 89-56
By Ryan Thorburn
Eugene Register-Guard
Dec 30, 2017
The 18-round Pac-12 fight has begun.
And the Ducks’ all-conference stars were ready for the
opening bell.
Ruthy Hebard scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and
Sabrina Ionescu finished with 25 points, eight assists and six rebounds to lead
No. 10 Oregon to an emphatic 89-56 victory over Washington State on Friday at
Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks (12-2, 1-0) snapped a two-game home losing streak
against the Cougars (7-6, 0-1), who were without their leading scorer,
Borislava Hristova, due to injury.
“These are our marquee players, our best players,” coach
Kelly Graves said at a postgame news conference with Hebard and Ionescu. “The
team is looking for them to set the tone, and they did. That’s what they’re
supposed to do, and they really stepped up and it did it tonight.
“I think this is a heck of an inside-outside combination. I
wouldn’t trade these two for any two in the country.”
Louise Brown scored 12 points and Kayla Washington added 10
points and seven rebounds to lead Washington State.
Hebard was 11-for-14 from the field and Ionescu was
9-for-16, including 5-for-9 behind the three-point arc.
The true sophomores were both all-Pac-12 selections last
season before leading Oregon to the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds of the
women’s NCAA Tournament for the first time.
“I was really excited to start Pac-12 play of course,”
Hebard said. “I just want to get better inside, try to stay on balance and
finish more.”
The efficient Ionescu, who has already tied the NCAA career
triple-double record with seven, also had three steals and only one turnover in
33 minutes before grabbing a bite to eat on the podium.
“We definitely buckled down and got some stops and ended the
game the way we should have,” Ionescu said while enjoying a postgame peanut
butter and jelly sandwich.
Senior shooting guard Lexi Bando finished with 18 points,
three rebounds and two steals, and freshman forward Satou Sabally added 14
points and five steals to complement Hebard and Ionescu.
Sabally had the crowd buzzing with a spinning layup in
transition and Bando added three three-pointers in the fourth quarter. Oregon
outscored the Cougars 20-8 over the final 10 minutes.
“Satou continues to get better each and every game right in
front of our eyes,” Graves said. “She did some stuff tonight she hasn’t done
before, five steals. She’s so long for crying out loud. I think she can stand
here and touch that ceiling. She’s just learning to anticipate better. …
“I think we all thought Lexi really struggled tonight from
the three. She was still 4-for-10. I mean, that’s a great percentage by any
standard. When she misses any shot it’s like, ‘Whoa, what happened?’”
Ionescu hit two three-pointers in the final minutes of the
third quarter to give the Ducks a 69-48 lead. Hebard had nine points in the
frame.
Oregon was 2-for-15 (13.3 percent) from three-point distance
in the first half and still enjoyed a comfortable 41-23 lead.
Hebard did most of the damage in the paint, making 8-of-9
shots for 16 points before the break. The sophomore forward made a reverse
layup, and Sabally finished an and-one to help counter a surge by the Cougars
in the second quarter.
After a three-pointer by Pinelopi Pavlopoulou got the
Cougars within 12 points, Ionescu finished a 6-0 spurt for Oregon with a basket
just before the intermission.
The Ducks went on a 14-0 run in the first quarter, which was
capped with a three-pointer by Bando to make the score 16-3.
Oregon was 9-for-18 from the field in the first 10 minutes.
Hebard and Mallory McGwire each scored after grabbing offensive rebounds to
give the Ducks a 20-7 lead.
“If we have an off night shooting we have to be able to
score and produce in other categories. That’s what we did tonight,” Ionescu
said. “Our defense really helped us out in transition to get some baskets, and
then down low, they couldn’t stop us.”
No. 10 UO women 89, Washington St. 56
Key statistic: The Ducks had a 42-28 scoring edge in the
paint and scored 14 points off 18 offensive rebounds.
Notes: This was Oregon’s largest margin of victory in a
conference game since an 85-52 victory over Washington State on Feb. 20, 2003,
in Eugene. … Oregon snapped a seven-game losing streak in Pac-12 openers. …
Kelly Graves now has 499 career victories. … Oregon’s starters dominated with the
bench scoring only three points (two by Mallory McGwire and one by Aina Ayuso).
Up next: The Ducks will host Washington on Sunday (1 p.m.,
Pac-12 Networks). The Huskies (6-6, 0-1) lost 75-63 at No. 17 Oregon State on
Friday.
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