News for CougGroup 12/27/2017
Falk’s final fling
One key to WSU quarterback’s success is his holistic
approach to football and life. But he’ll talk about one more than the other.
By Dale Grummert, Lewiston
Tribune
CHULA VISTA, Calif. — As Washington State football players
strode off the field after a sun-warmed practice at Southwestern College, Luke
Falk heard an importunate address from an unfamiliar adult male in a nearby
corner of the stands.
“Luke. Luke!”
The senior quarterback was just steps from the locker room.
It would have been easy to ignore the voice and keep on chugging — to “shut out
the noise,” as the Cougars always say. Nobody does this better than Luke Falk.
Instead he turned to look, heard the unsurprising request
for an autograph, then jogged over to comply.
In a cover story on Sam Darnold in August, ESPN magazine
characterized the USC Trojans quarterback as a reluctant celebrity, a quiet and
respectful young man trying to adjust to the glare of the spotlight.
The glare may be less oppressive amid the wheat fields of
Eastern Washington, and also here in a mellow, multi-ethnic pocket of Chula
Vista, where the No. 21 Cougars are preparing to face No. 18 Michigan State on
Thursday (6 p.m., FS1) in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego.
But the ESPN story rang familiar in Falk country, meaning
not only Eastern Washington but also the Cache Valley in northern Utah where
the athlete grew up.
“He’s in L.A., I’m in Pullman,” Falk said recently of
Darnold. “But I definitely think I’m a private person. I like to keep a close
group around me, and that’s about it. I just like to play football, and I try
to use my platform in a positive way. But the glam and everything, it’s
uncomfortable.”
To those close to Falk, it’s hardly surprising that he has
maintained this taste for personal space, this stubborn modesty, while becoming
the most prolific passer in Pac-12 history. It’s how he got here in the first
place. It’s inseparable from his attention to detail, his easy rapport with
teammates, his unshakable composure — all the crucial traits that distinguish
him from athletes of perhaps more explicit physical gifts.
As college football makes increasingly harsh demands on
players’ time and attention, especially at quarterback, it may be that players
like Darnold and Falk, who value their privacy, have a particular advantage in
the long run.
“The position demands a lot from you,” Falk said. “During
the season, it’s such a grind that, whenever you have free time, you just want
to spend it with people that you care about. And you really want some alone
time as well, to get away from everything. Otherwise I think you get burned
out.”
The intangible aspects of Falk’s game, not to mention his
beautiful throwing mechanics and deceptive physical toughness, have been most
gloriously on display during the seven fourth-quarter comebacks he directed for
the Cougars, including three stunners in 2015 that required game-winning or
-tying touchdown passes in the final 13 seconds.
The most recent example was a 94-yard TD drive that gave the
Cougars a 24-21 win over No. 18 Stanford last month in Falk’s final appearance
at Martin Stadium.
Mike Favero, who was Falk’s football coach at Logan (Utah)
High, relished all those performances, of course, but the first Falk-led drive
he happened to mention in a recent interview was, like the quarterback himself,
an exemplar of humility.
It was a five-play drive for 5 net yards, after
clock-draining spikes. But it included an 11-yard zone-read dash by Falk for a
first down, and it consumed the final 2 minutes, 53 seconds in the Cougars’
snowy 20-14 win over Miami in the 2015 Sun Bowl.
One reason the moment has proved memorable for Favero is
that, like many followers of WSU football, he was baffled by something that had
happened two years earlier. The Cougars blew a 15-point lead in the final three
minutes to lose 48-45 to Colorado State in the 2013 New Mexico Bowl.
Falk watched from the sideline as a redshirting freshman,
and maybe learned a lesson or two.
Said Favero: “I watched Colorado State come back and beat
Washington State in a bowl game that Washington State had no business losing
had they managed the clock properly. Part of Luke’s greatness is he’s aware of
every detail important in winning football games, and the Miami game was one
example of his leadership in making sure he did everything, both as a player
and a game-manager, to win that game.”
Some of Falk’s biggest admirers are former quarterbacks who
can appreciate his attention to the nuances of the position.
They include Jack Thompson, whose spectacular career at WSU
in the late 1970s nudged the school toward its self-image as Quarterback U.
Falk can’t help but be cognizant of that tradition, given the mentoring he’s
received from, among others, ex-Cougar QBs Thompson, Drew Bledsoe and Jason
Gesser, the last of whom now works for the school as an assistant director for
development.
“Jason Gesser has been the quintessential mentor to Luke,
and Luke is the best to play at that position (for WSU),” Thompson said last
month. “Trust me, I’m very begrudging when I give platitudes like that. I look
at the whole picture, starting with the kind of guy he is.”
He’s referring to qualities both on and off the field.
Seemingly everyone who talks about Falk veers constantly between the two.
“Luke has a plan, in which details are important,” Favero
said. “He knows that to peak-perform the plan needs to be comprehensive,
holistic, whether it be sleep and rest, strength-training, film study, QB
mechanics, clock management. The list is extensive on the things the great ones
understand.”
People note his humility, symbolized by the aging off-white
WSU cap he has worn since he arrived on campus as a walk-on, nine months before
landing a scholarship. In the same breath they mention his competitive nature.
“I think it’s an underrated value in kids,” said Logan
Brown, who was Falk’s basketball coach in high school. “A lot of times kids are
given so many stars based on their athletic ability, and so many stars based on
certain performances. But I wonder how many times we really look at the
individual to their core and understand how big a competitor they are. To me,
that’s what separates Luke. He’s gotten the most out of his ability because of
his willingness to compete.
“His competitiveness is something I hope to have every
single year, and I haven’t had a kid match it yet. I think he lives the fact
that losing is not an option. I really believe he lives that.”
Casual fans are sometimes surprised by such descriptions of
Falk. In TV interviews they see his blank expression, occasionally breaking
into an aw-shucks grin, and they hear his diplomatic, sometimes bland answers,
delivered in a deep monotone.
Like Darnold, he describes being upstaged as boy by a more
gregarious sister — or two of them, in Falk’s case.
“When we were growing up, I wouldn’t say anything at the
dinner table, and my sisters would steal the show,” he said. “And my mom and
dad or whatever. I was a laid-back kid, very quiet. I’ve always been quiet — in
those settings.”
Yet teammates describe him as a goofball, and also as a
leader who demands accountability. If only through his determination to do
whatever’s necessary to win a football game, he has learned be vocal on the
sideline.
“Sure, but still really … respectful,” WSU receivers coach
Dave Nichol said, as opposed to “some other quarterbacks I’ve been around. I
mean, he always respects what the receivers are trying to say, and their
opinion on stuff.”
He shows the same courtesy with beat reporters, though he
shares with them a running joke that being interviewed is excruciating. It
really isn’t, quite. But it’s not getting him any closer to his single-minded
goal of maximizing his football talent.
Although he chooses to keep many facts of his life private,
he’s quick to pay tribute to those who inspire him. Every game, he scrawls
“Brad” on his wrist band, to honor a beloved AAU basketball coach, Brad Barton,
who died six years ago of a diabetic seizure, aged 31.
Falk will leave WSU with some regrets. The Cougars never won
a Pac-12 title under his leadership, despite knocking on the door three
straight years. They never experienced a win in the Apple Cup against
Washington. “I think that will sit with me forever,” Falk said.
Yet he has proved an ideal quarterback in coach Mike Leach’s
Air Raid. He owns school and Pac-12 records for passing yardage, completions,
total offense and passing touchdowns. He’s 27-13 as a Wazzu starter, he’s
entering his third straight bowl game, and the Cougars went 6-0 at Martin
Stadium during his senior year.
After each of those 2017 home wins, while teammates
celebrated and gravitated to the center of the field, Falk turned toward the
north stands, spotted his girlfriend and surreptitiously walked over to give
her a kiss.
He has alluded to her often in interviews but has avoided
mentioning her name, noting she values her privacy even more than he does. Last
week, however, he announced on Instagram that he had proposed to the woman. Her
name is Mallori Lindberg.
“She said yes!” he wrote, later telling reporters, “I think
that was the most nervous I’ve ever been.”
She’s his rock, it turns out. Whenever possible, she helps
the record-setting quarterback transform briefly into a regular guy as they
venture on some simple, “brainless” excursion, as Falk puts it.
There’s one other party involved in these trips: the
Labrador that Falk’s parents gave him a decade ago, to console him after he’d
broken his collarbone in the eighth grade. Falk and the dog were separated for
his first three semesters at WSU, but since then they’ve been constant
companions.
Its name? Falk won’t say. It’s a dog that values its
privacy.
……………………………
San Diegans get a bigger role in this Holiday Bowl
By DALE GRUMMERT/Lewiston Trib
San Diegans get a
bigger role in this Holiday Bowl
CHULA VISTA, Calif. - A year ago, San Diego natives Dezmon
Patmon and Jahad Woods watched from the sideline as Washington State played in
a bowl game in their hometown.
This time, they'll be starting.
Patmon will make his first career start, promoted after the
surprising departure of two outside receivers, and Woods will continue his
fill-in work at linebacker when the Cougars play Michigan State on Thursday
night in their second straight Holiday Bowl appearance.
Patmon, a sophomore who played sparingly last year, and Tay
Martin are the two new starting outside receivers after Isaiah Johnson-Mack
quit the team and Tavares Martin Jr. was dismissed after the conclusion of the
regular season.
"He was on the verge of making a move before
that," WSU coach Mike Leach said of Patmon, who started slowly this season
before making a surge in October and November.
"If he focuses in, he improves rapidly, so I think that
was key," Leach said.
Woods has been solid and sometimes stellar since becoming a
starting linebacker in Week 5 after a season-ending injury to Peyton Pelluer.
The second-year freshman is second on the team with 61 tackles, including 21/2
sacks.
Another WSU starter from San Diego is well-established
cornerback Darrien Molton, and a number of other players from San Diego County
play reserve roles.
GRINCH EVASIVE - Cougars defensive coordinator Alex Grinch
spoke to the media Tuesday for the first time since his name was linked to an
opening at Ohio State, but he declined to address the issue specifically.
"What you do is you focus on the guys you just spent
three years with," Grinch said, alluding to his WSU tenure. His point was
that reports of his imminent departure can't be a distraction, despite outside
perceptions.
"People weren't in the (practice) bubble at 7 a.m. on a
Tuesday morning in January," he said. "They're not there at Midnight
Maneuvers (winter conditioning drills), they're not hanging out with us at
Lewiston, Idaho, for a fall camp, or the weeks (of games) and the adversity
that goes with that. And so it's been difficult from a coaching standpoint to
ignore those things, especially when you put yourself in a position to get nine
wins, with a chance to win a 10th. Again, from a distraction standpoint, all
the other stuff takes place after your season."
According to the reports, unnamed sources expect Ohio State
to hire Grinch to fill the new 10th assistant's job that the NCAA will begin
allowing in January. But there's also some speculation that the new job would
be more high-profile than that, given Grinch's experience as a coordinator.
Grinch grew up within miles of the Ohio State campus at
Columbus.
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LUKE FALK LEFT HAND:
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More LUKE FALK’S LEFT HAND (OR LEFT ARM, OR LEFT WRIST ETC)
Cougar FootballCougarsPac-12Sports
Yes, WSU QB Luke Falk has a cast on his left forearm. That’s
why, Mike Leach says, he’s been nicknamed ‘The Kingslayer’
Originally published December 27, 2017 at 12:51 pm Updated
December 27, 2017 at 1:48 pm
No, Mike Leach isn't gonna tell you what's wrong with his
quarterback's left hand. He will, however, tell you about his pet raccoon,
Bilbo Baggins. Those stories and more from Wednesday's Holiday Bowl coaches
news conference.
By Stefanie Loh Seattle
Times
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Washington State’s Mike Leach and
Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio were a study of contrasts during the Holiday
Bowl kickoff news conference Wednesday morning at the Manchester Grand Hyatt.
Dantonio, the elder statesman of the Big Ten, stuck to the
stereotypical football coach script, talking all football, being appropriately
respectful of his opponent, and saying nothing particularly colorful.
From start to finish Washington State football coach Mike
Leach was his classic, Leachian self.
Mike Leach answered his usual random variety of questions at
the Holiday Bowl Coaches news conference Wednesday in San Diego
Namely, Leach began with his usual opening non-statement
(“Does anybody have any questions?”) shut down an injury question in
entertaining fashion, delivered a monologue about pet raccoons, and then spent
several minutes of Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio’s question-and-answer
session distractedly blowing loudly on his cup of scorching-hot tea – his
intense concentration on his task matching Dantonio’s concentration in
answering a question about what his senior class had meant.
After photos of a cast on the left (non-throwing) forearm of
WSU quarterback Luke Falk surfaced on social media from Tuesday’s practice,
Leach was asked to speak on his quarterback’s condition for Thursday’s Holiday
Bowl game against Michigan State.
Worth keeping an eye on: Luke Falk walked into practice
today wearing a cast on his left, non-throwing hand/wrist. I hadn’t noticed him
wearing anything like that earlier this season. Asked Leach about it and he
gave the standard line.
“He’s doing great.
You can use your imagination all you want about the cast. He has had something
on his hand all year and hence we named him The Kingslayer,” Leach said,
“Beyond that you’re on your own.”
The coach did, however, expound on his respect for Falk
later on, saying, “I think Luke has had a tremendous impact on our program. …
Luke, besides his work ethic as a walk-on to become the (the player at the) top
of the heap in the Pac 12 as far as yards, touchdowns, all those things. I
think it started with just his incredible work ethic to become a starting
quarterback at our place.
Leach was also asked about a piece he wrote for The Players’
Tribune, in which he revealed that he’d kept a pet raccoon named Bilbo Baggins,
after the character from The Lord of the Rings (which is one of Leach’s
favorite books).
The piece, entitled “Five thoughts that have nothing to do
with football” was published Wednesday morning, so the Michigan State media,
clearly having figured out the secret to a good Leach quote – ask non-football
related questions— took the opportunity to get him to open up.
“How often do you think about Bilbo Baggins, your pet
raccoon from your childhood days?” the question was posed. “And would you
consider having a pet raccoon again?”
“Yeah, I don’t
remember when I did that article, but, yeah, I did have a pet raccoon. I would
like to have a pet raccoon again. It’s tough if you travel. They’re quite a bit
more maintenance-free than you would think.
They do like shiny objects. Yeah, I kinda would like to have
a pet raccoon again, but, you know, bouncing around the country it makes it
tough.
Then, you know, there’s the time when they, you know, they
hit kinda raccoon teenage years and it’s time for them to head off into the
sunset. It was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun, and in some ways every bit as
maintenance free as a dog or a cat, you know?”
In contrast, Dantonio answered almost entirely
football-related questions in his portion of the news conference. He spoke
glowingly of Alex Grinch’s defense, (“I think what gets lost in the shuffle a
little bit is how good Washington State’s defense is”) how current Spartans
starter Brian Lewerke compares to his former quarterbacks Connor Cook and Kirk
Cousins (“There are a lot of similarities … but he is his own guy a little bit,
too,”) and keys to winning the Holiday Bowl.
Then, at the end, when the moderator signaled that there was
time for one final question, Dantonio showed his own sense of humor with the
quip, “What, no raccoon question? I trapped one once.”
The room broke into laughter.
…………………………………..
Posted with text at News for CougGroup blog is Lewiston Trib
graphic 12/27/2017. One graphic in three parts related to WSU vs. Michgan State
in 2017 Holiday Bowl football game.
…………………..
Part of weather story below from SPOKANE S-R
Winter storm set to blanket Spokane on Thursday with 3 to 10
inches of snow
UPDATED: Wed., Dec. 27, 2017, 2:44 p.m.
The Spokane region is due for another round of wet, white
shellacking – and just in time for New Year’s weekend.
The National Weather Service is predicting anywhere from 3
to 10 inches of snowfall Thursday in Spokane, with either more snow or rain to
follow Friday. Further east, forecasters expect snow to fall harder and longer
in areas of North Idaho, which could see 8 to 12 inches in Coeur d’Alene and 18
to 24 inches in Sandpoint.
The mountains ringing the Columbia Basin, including Mount
Spokane and mountain passes, will see heavy snow as well, anywhere from 8 to 12
inches.
“We’re confident it’s
going to snow on Thursday in Spokane,” said Jeremy Wolf, a meteorologist at the
National Weather Service. “There also could be briefly some freezing rain as
well.”
………..
LANSING Michigan State vs. Washington State: 5 factors and a
prediction for the Holiday Bowl
Graham Couch, Lansing State Journal Published 2:21 a.m. ET
Dec. 27, 2017 | Updated 1:20 p.m. ET Dec. 27, 2017ICHIGAN STATE JOURNAL SPORTS
COLUMN
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/sports/columnists/graham-couch/2017/12/27/michigan-state-vs-washington-state-5-factors-and-prediction-holiday-bowl/979536001
....
==SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE:
Patrick Henry graduate Dezmon Patmon looks to make
impression for Washington State in Holiday Bowl
Washington State wide receiver Dezmon Patmon, who has 31
receptions for 341 yards this season, gets his first collegiate start against
Michigan State in the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/sd-sp-cougars-dezmon-patmon-patrick-henry-1227-story.html
………………
Part of Vince Grippi’s posting …
Grip on Sports: It may have started in the heat of August,
but football season around these parts is about to end
Wed., Dec. 27, 2017, 8:10 a.m.
By Vince Grippi Spokane S-R
A GRIP ON SPORTS • It seems as if football in the Inland
Northwest this season has been going on for forever. At least since last
summer, which, by the way, happens to be true. But it’s about to end. Read on.
• Hot August Nights. Wasn’t that a Neil Diamond album back
in the day? Yes it was, thanks for asking. The roaring crescendo of “Brother
Love.” The New England-adopted “Sweet Caroline.” My favorite “Solitary Man.”
The awful side two. One of the best selling albums of 1972.
And it had nothing on hot August days.
That’s when football begins. On 100-degree days in
mid-summer. When does it end? Well, that varies. For some of our area teams,
like Eastern Washington, Idaho, Whitworth and the high schools, in late
November or early December this season.
But for one school it is still playing. Washington State has
made a bowl. Again. The Cougars play tomorrow night in the Holiday Bowl. Again.
Those hot August days in Lewiston are just a memory, seared
in the Cougars’ minds, sure, but just a memory.
They were the foundation of a third consecutive season that
will end in a bowl. The fourth in five years. This year, again, the Cougars
have a chance for their first 10 win season since 2003. Coincidentally, they
earned that 10th win that year in the Holiday Bowl. It was against Texas.
(Fun trivia fact: Qualcomm Stadium will become the site of
Washington State’s most bowl appearances this week. It will be the Cougars
fourth time playing in the place, passing the Rose Bowl, where they have played
three times over the years. The first Rose Bowl they appeared in, more than 100
years ago, was played down the road in Tournament Park.)
But that was then. This is now. Last year’s Holiday Bowl was
a boring mess, a 17-12 loss to a Minnesota team going through an ugly coaching
change.
This year could be more of the same, if the wrap Luke Falk
was sporting on his left wrist yesterday means he’s not at 100 percent. This is
Falk’s last game in a Cougar uniform. He’s been the most prolific quarterback
in the school’s history. One could argue, Apple Cup record aside, he’s been the
best. And he’ll be on the field just once more. Anything less than being fully
healthy would seem a bit unfair.
It won’t be 100 degrees in San Diego. But it also won’t be
15 degrees either. Once again, the Cougars’ season will end in a warm-weather
bowl game as the calendar prepares to morph into the new year.
WSU: While the Cougars were touring a Navy ship – an event
documented by Tyler Tjomsland – Theo Lawson put together this story on two of
their young linebackers. … Is Alex Grinch leaving after the Holiday Bowl? The
way the defensive coordinator answered Theo’s questions, I would say yes. … Jim
Allen is also in San Diego, covering Michigan State. … There is coverage in the
Times as well, with Stefanie Loh at the ship tour as well as writing about
Hercules Mata’afa’s first-half absence and Grinch's future…. We also can pass
along stories from the Michigan State side of things as well as one from San
Diego.
Elsewhere in the Pac-12, the Fiesta Bowl may not be the
college football playoffs, but it does show how far Washington has progressed.
A big part of the Huskies’ progression has been supplied by quarterback Jake
Browning and running back Miles Gaskins. … The Pac-12 is 1-2 in bowls after a
Josh Rosen-less – doctors made the decision for the more-than-likely NFL-bound
quarterback – UCLA team collapsed in the second half of a 35-17 loss to Kansas
State last night. … The lone win came yesterday as well, as Utah shut down West
Virginia in a 30-14 victory. Kyle Whittingham’s teams are 11-1 in bowls. … USC
will need to play fast against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. … Colorado is
looking to improve on the offensive line next season. … Arizona plays Purdue
tonight in the next bowl game on the conference’s schedule. … TCU and Stanford
will meet in the Alamo Bowl. … On the basketball court, the Pac-12 teams have solid
records but aren’t polling well. … Washington’s win over Kansas is looking even
better considering the payout. … USC is still dealing with the Tony
Bland-related payouts.
………………………….
Below from Spokane S-R
WSU Cougar 2017 football team tours USS Essex in San Diego
“The WSU football team gets a Holiday Bowl tour of the USS
Essex on Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, at Naval Base San Diego in San Diego, Calif.”
http://www.spokesman.com/galleries/2017/dec/26/wsu-football-team-tours-the-uss-essex/#/0
Below from Seattle Times
WSU tours the USS Essex, with a former Navy football
offensive tackle as a tour guide
Originally published December 26, 2017 at 6:50 pmUpdated
December 27, 2017 at 8:00 am
The Holiday Bowl recognizes one player from each team with
the “Admiral’s Trophy”, recognizing selfless contributions to team. Luke Falk was selected for that honor Tuesday
aboard the USS Essex at Naval Base San Diego.
WSU saw the USS America last year. This year, the Cougars
got a tour of an amphibious assault ship, the USS Essex
By Stefanie Loh Seattle Times
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The burly helicopter pilot dressed in
Navy fatigues looked big enough to have been a football player himself as he
gathered the Washington State players around him on the well deck on the USS
Essex, an amphibious assault ship docked at the San Diego Naval Station.
And indeed, Lt. Paul Bridgers could identify with the
Cougars’ players from the standpoint of a former NCAA football player.
“This is kinda cool for me because I was in you guys’ shoes
13 years ago, with Navy,” Bridgers told the Cougars at the start of their tour
of the USS Essex. “I came to San Diego for two different Poinsettia Bowls and
did this – walked around an LHD and got to see it. So it’s totally flipped.”
Lt Paul Bridgers showed the Cougars around the USS Essex,
where he’s sfafioned as a helicopter pilot.
Bridgers, a native of Gaithersburg, Md., played offensive
tackle for Navy under former head coach Paul Johnson from 2004-07 and graduated
with the class of 2008. Since then, he’s become a helicopter pilot stationed on
the Essex, flying the MH-60R Seahawk.
As Bridgers led the Cougars around the ship as part of their
tour arranged by the Holiday Bowl, his football background gave him a unique
standpoint from which to answer their questions.
“Is it pretty tight in the helicopter you fly?” WSU right
tackle Cole Madison asked Bridgers.
“I actually fit pretty good,” said Bridgers, whose Navy
football profile from 2007 lists him at 6-foot-3, 268 pounds. “That’s why I fly
helicopters. Planes are a little small.”
Even though this was the second year in a row WSU toured a
U.S. Navy ship as part of Holiday Bowl activities, the Cougars got to see a
different ship after exploring the USS America last year.
“Last year was really windy, you had to hold yourself up
from the wind,” said safety Hunter Dale, whose uncle Dustin Decker is in the
Navy and stationed in San Diego. “This year was better weather and we got to
see some different things. They were both pretty cool”
Such as the well deck that Bridgers started the tour from.
“This is the ship’s parking garage,” Bridgers said,
gesturing at the empty space around him that fed into a ramp. “On board
amphibious assault ship, our job is to get Marines places. That whole area
fills up with water and we can move boats in and out.”
A few decks up, the sailors gave the football players a tour
of the ship’s firefighting capabilities, and let them try on some of the
firefighting gear.
Running back James Williams strapped on an oxygen mask and
tank, while fellow tailback Jamal Morrow donned a firefighter’s mask to get a
feel for what it’s like to be on a Navy fire control team.
“They explained everything, and how they save people from
fires,” Williams said. “We didn’t see this last year so it was cool.”
Luke Falk awarded the US Grant Sharp Admiral’s Trophy
Aboard the USS Essex, WSU quarterback Luke Falk was awarded
the US Grant Sharp Admiral’s Trophy for leadership.
“I can’t thank you guys enough, this has been such a fun
ride,” Falk said to his teammates in his acceptance speech. “This one is for
you.”
…………..
WSU will have to fend off Michigan State without Hercules
Mata’afa in the first half of the Holiday Bowl
Originally published December 26, 2017 at 5:08 pm Updated
December 27, 2017 at 7:42 am
Hercules Mata'afa incurred a targeting penalty against UW
that will force him to miss the first half of WSU's Dec. 28 bowl game against
Michigan State. But could this also be Mata'afa's last college game?
By Stefanie Loh of the Seattle Times
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The numbers and accolades speak for
themselves.
Washington State defensive tackle Hercules Mata’afa amassed
nine sacks and 21.5 tackles-for-loss to become a consensus All-American and
finish as a semifinalist for the Bednarik and Walter Camp Awards this season.
But his dominance in WSU’s win over Utah is the best
illustrator of how dramatically he can affect a football game.
Mata’afa was relentless against the Utes, set personal
single game records with three sacks and five tackles-for-loss and. In the
first quarter, he strip-sacked Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley and recovered the
fumble, then came out blazing hot on Utah’s next offensive drive and sacked
Huntley again on third-and-26 from the Utes’ 9.
Utah had so much trouble against him in the first half that
the mismatch became comic fodder for even the players during the game.
“We were in the third quarter, and I was looking at (Utah’s)
offensive linemen and I said, ‘Y’all gotta start blocking Herc. Don’t block
me,’” said WSU nose tackle Daniel Ekuale. “They laughed and said ‘We were
trying to block Hercules from the beginning of the game. But he’s all in the
backfield.”
That’s the sort of attention Mata’afa demands from opposing
offenses, and that’s exactly what the 18th-ranked Cougars will have to
duplicate without Mata’afa in the first half of the Holiday Bowl game against
No. 16 Michigan State on Dec. 28
With Mata’afa sitting out the first half of the bowl game
due to a targeting penalty he incurred in the second half of WSU’s defeat to UW
in the regular season finale, the Cougars will look to some backups to hold the
line until his return.
Junior Nick Begg will likely make his first career start at
defensive tackle against the Spartans. Begg, a 6-foot-5, 264-pounder from
Rancho Santa Margarita, filled in for Mata’afa after he was ejected from the
Apple Cup, and he’s expected to operate in a rotation with Kingston Fernandez
at the tackle spot until Mata’afa returns.
“Like anything, it’s next man up,” said WSU defensive line
coach Jeff Phelps, “They’ll split the load there and hold down the fort. We’ll
get Hercules ready. I’m sure it’ll be different for him in terms of prep and
getting locked in when he’s in the locker room for the first half. … Hopefully
we can keep the scoring down in the first half and go from there.”
Mata’afa is known for his intensity on the field, and Phelps
says he’s cautioned his star pass rusher to try to relax.
“The big thing we’re focused on with him is, ‘Don’t try to
make up for the first half,’” Phelps said. “When you get in, just go in and
start playing. You don’t have to do anything extraordinary to try and catch
back up.”
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The junior from Lahaina, Hawaii said before the Apple Cup
that he had not decided whether he will return for his senior season or leave
early for the NFL.
“We’ve still got work ahead of us, and that would be selfish
for me to think of that for now,” Mata’afa said in late November.
But after the Holiday Bowl, Mata’afa is expected to at least
explore his options by asking the NFL’s College Advisory Committee that
evaluates the draft stock of underclassmen where he might be drafted if he
comes out early.
Phelps said he has not yet addressed the NFL issue with
Mata’afa, but that he’ll support his player in whatever decision he makes.
“Obviously we’d love to have him,” Phelps said. “But if he’s
got an opportunity to go, he’s done a tremendous job here. We’ll see. I’m not
100 percent sure what will happen, but we’ll support him either way.”
Phelps has helped some talented players navigate this
decision before. He molded Northern Illinois defensive end Larry English into
the Chargers’ first round draft pick in 2009, and also coached Minnesota
defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman, who was a second round selection by the
Atlanta Falcons in 2014.
From that standpoint, Phelps believes Mata’afa should take
whatever advice the NFL’s draft evaluation committee gives him.
“If it stays to stay, maybe you should stay” Phelps said.
“But if it says you can be a first or second round draft pick, you probably
need to go. And that’s not just Herc, that’s (for) anybody.”
Mata’afa has produced consistently over three seasons. With
46 tackles for loss, he’s second only to DeWayne Patterson’s 52.5 for the WSU
career record. Mata’afa also ranks fifth in WSU history in sacks (21.5), and
he’s sixth nationally in tackles-for-loss this season, and 10th in sacks.
However, at 6-foot-2, 252-pounds, Mata’afa is undersized for
an NFL defensive lineman. His body frame better fits the profile of a rush
linebacker, but he’s never played that position. That might make it difficult
for NFL teams to evaluate him.
“He’s kind of that tweener,” said Phelps. “Obviously, he
works at keeping his weight on, and he’ll need to continue to do that at the
next level. But he’s a great athlete and a tremendous player.”
If Mata’afa does return for his senior season, Phelps
believes he could help make him even more unstoppable as a pass rusher.
“We would just like him to continue to develop and dominate
the way he’s been doing and take his game to the next level,” Phelps said. “It
would be great for him to be a two-time All-American, and I know it’s a great
honor as far as (getting Pac-12) defensive player of the year. And that’s out
there for him to get next year.
“And he’s a team guy. He has team goals – to help the team
get an Apple Cup win or a Pac-12 championship. There’s still a couple of plays
he left out there. And he can continue to get a little bigger and stronger and
keep his speed. That’s what you want.”
A big decision is looming. But regardless whether he stays
or goes, Mata’afa has left his mark on Cougar football.
“The kid is always confident,” Ekuale said. “He might be the
smallest (defensive line) player in the Pac-12, but he has that mindset that he
can be anything he wants to be if he puts his mind to it. I can’t explain how
unique the guy is. He’s special”
…………………..
LANSING MICHIGAN STATE JOURNAL sports column
Michigan State vs. Washington State: 5 factors and a
prediction for the Holiday Bowl
Graham Couch, Lansing State Journal Published 2:21 a.m. ET
Dec. 27, 2017 Updated 1:20 p.m. ET Dec.
27, 2017
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/sports/columnists/graham-couch/2017/12/27/michigan-state-vs-washington-state-5-factors-and-prediction-holiday-bowl/979536001
....................
……….
==WSU men’s basketball from WSU Sports Info ==
WASHINGTON STATE OPENS PAC-12 PLAY AGAINST UCLA AND USC AT
LOS ANGELES:
• The Washington State men’s basketball team (8-4) opens the
Pac-12 season as it travels to Los Angeles to take on UCLA (9-3) and USC (9-4),
beginning with the Bruins, Friday, Dec. 29 at 8 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion.
• The Cougars continue the road swing at the Galen Center to
take on USC, Sunday, Dec. 31 at 6 p.m.
• Both games can be seen on ESPN2 as Roxy Bernstein
(play-by-play) and Bill Walton (analyst) have the calls.
• All season long, Cougar basketball can be heard on the
Cougar IMG Sports Radio Network as the voice of the Cougars, Matt Chazanow will
have the call.
• Please see page one of today’s notes for the list of
affiliates.
• Live stats are also available at www.wsucougars.com.
COUGARS VERSUS BRUINS:
• Washington State and UCLA are meeting for the 124th time
in the two schools’ histories, as the Bruins hold a 106-17 advantage in the
all-time series.
• Last season the Bruins swept the series with a 95-79
victory at Pullman, Feb. 1 and a 77-68 victory in the regular season finale,
March 4, 2017 at Los Angeles.
• The Cougars have won three times in 60 tries at Los
Angeles (UCLA leads 57-3).
• WSU has lost seven-consecutive games to UCLA at Pauley
Pavilion.
• The Cougars’ last win at Los Angeles came Feb. 21,
2009...they defeated the then-No. 20 Bruins, 82-81.
• Fourth-year WSU head coach Ernie Kent is 12-20 all-time
against UCLA as head coach at WSU and Oregon.
WASHINGTON STATE IN PAC-12 OPENERS:
• WSU is 17-32 all-time in conference openers beginning with
the Pacific-8 Conference in 1968-69
• It is 1-5 in Pac-12 openers after the league expanded
prior to the 2011-12 season, having gotten its first win last season.
• The Cougars are 3-18 in Pac-8, Pac-10 and Pac-12
conference openers on the road, having snapped its losing streak last season
with a 79-74 victory over Washington at Seattle, Jan. 1, 2017.
• Prior to last season, its last road conference opening win
was also its last conference opening win, Jan. 5, 2008, a 56-52 victory at
Washington...WSU was ranked fourth at the time.
• Washington State is looking to win back-to-back conference
openers for the first time since 1989-90 and 1990-91.
• The Cougars are 2-5 against the Bruins in Pac-8, Pac-10
and Pac-12 openers and are 0-3 in those openers played at Los Angeles.
• The two teams last opened the conference season the same
date, Dec. 29, 2011, at Los Angeles, resulting in an 80-71 UCLA win.
COUGARS VERSUS TROJANS:
• Washington State and USC are meeting for the 122nd time in
the two schools’ histories, as the Trojans hold a 73-48 advantage in the
all-time series.
• The Cougars trail the series at USC, 46-15, including a
1-0 Trojan advantage at Inglewood.
• Last season, WSU fell to USC at home, Feb. 4, 2017, 86-77
and at Los Angeles, 87-64, March 1, 2017.
• The Cougars have dropped four-straight meetings with the
Trojans and three of the last four at Los Angeles.
• The Cougars’ last win against USC was at Los Angeles,
March 1, 2015 (70-66).
• Fourth-year WSU head coach Ernie Kent is 15-16 all-time
against USC as head coach at WSU and Oregon
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