COUGS in LAS VEGAS
Wednesday night, March 7, 2018, in Las Vegas (T-Mobile Arena)
in the Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament, #11 WSU lost 64-62 in OT to #6 Oregon.
Season over for the Cougs.
COUGS BASEBALL
From WSU Sports Info: Thursday’s Series-Opener start now set
at 1 p.m.
Washington State Baseball has moved up Thursday’s game time
to 1 p.m. at Bailey-Brayton Field. The
Cougars will be host to California’s Saint Mary’s for a four-game series
beginning Thursday. Friday’s game is set for 4 p.m., Saturday is set for 2 in
the afternoon and Sunday’s finale set for noon.
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WSU parking restrictions in place on College Hill during
spring break
Moscow Pullman Daily News March 7, 2018
With the potential for snow during Washington State
University's spring break, the Pullman Police Department has announced that
portions of College Hill will have restricted parking Sunday through Friday to
facilitate snow and gravel removal.
During that time period, parking will be restricted 2-9 a.m.
on several streets in the area. Maps of impacted streets and the alternate
parking lot are located online at http://bit.ly/2A1eyul.
From Friday to March 19, parking will be available in the
gravel blue one lot across from the South Fairway Intramural fields. Those who
intend to leave a vehicle in this area over the break are asked to notify WSU
Transportation Services by sending their names, WSU ID number, license plate
number and state, make and color of the vehicle, as well as personal contact
information, to transportation@wsu.edu.
A permit will not be required during this period.
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Last chance to make the big dance
Last chance to make the big dance
COLIN CONNOLLY, Evergreen reporter
March 6, 2018
WSU men’s basketball will look to win a first-round game in
the Pac-12 tournament for the first time since the 2008-2009 season when they
take on University of Oregon on Wednesday. The Cougars (12-18, 4-14) split the
regular season meetings with the Ducks (20-11, 10-8), with WSU taking the
most...
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Cougar tennis off to best start in program history
Evergreen March 5, 2018
WSU tennis defeated Boise State University 7-0 Monday,
marking the Cougars’ 10th sweep this season and their 14th win. WSU’s 14-1
record is the best start in program history, and they improved to 16-8 all-time
against the Broncos. Men’s golf takes fourth at Desert Mountain Collegiate
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Men’s golf takes fourth at Desert Mountain Collegiate
Evergreen March 5, 2018
After jumping two spots in the leaderboard in the final
round, WSU men’s golf team claimed fourth in the Desert Mountain Collegiate in
Scottsdale, Arizona, on Sunday.
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Four
Washington State players converged on Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine.
Here’s how they did
UPDATED:
Sun., March 4, 2018, 9:39 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson Spokane S-R
The NFL
prospects of Luke Falk, Hercules Mata’afa, Cole Madison and Tavares Martin Jr.
won’t solely hinge on how many times they can throw a 225-pound barbell into
the air or how quickly they can scoot 40 yards, but the Washington State
players had a prime opportunity to demonstrate their abilities over the course
of the four-day showcase known as the NFL Scouting Combine.
The
combine was a mixed bag for the Cougars, who were represented at Lucas Oil
Stadium in Indianapolis by a quartet of players: Falk, the four-year starting
quarterback who owns almost every Pac-12 passing record in the book; Mata’afa,
the junior defensive lineman who was selected by Associated Press voters as the
2017 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year; Madison, the iron-man right tackle
who started in 47 career games for WSU; and Martin Jr., the flashy wide
receiver who caught a team-leading nine touchdown passes in 2017.
Here’s
a breakdown of how those four fared Friday through Sunday at the 2018 Combine.
Luke
Falk, 6-4, 215, quarterback
Falk
will return to his hometown of Logan, Utah, to throw at Utah State’s Pro Day on
March 28. That workout now seems paramount for Falk, who didn’t grade out
particularly well – and that might be a nice way of putting it – during the
on-field portion of the combine.
In four
years at WSU, Falk demonstrated a proficiency completing short passes,
dump-offs and check-downs – often the bread and butter of Mike Leach’s Air Raid
offense. But the intermediate routes that are more foreign to Leach’s playbook
were the ones Falk struggled to hit consistently on Saturday.
Of the
19 quarterbacks in attendance, Falk and Louisville’s Lamar Jackson were the
only ones not to clock a time in the 40-yard dash. Falk is still recovering
from surgery on the left wrist he broke, and played through, for much of the
2017 season. The WSU QB wore a brace on the non-throwing hand, jokingly calling
himself “Luke Skywalker” in interviews, but told reporters he plans to have it
off in a few weeks.
In his
media session, Falk inevitably was asked about the death of former teammate
Tyler Hilinski and was graceful and eloquent in his responses. He told
reporters “Tyler was someone who personally affected me a lot. I didn’t really
associate with the other quarterbacks all that much until Tyler came in and he
just had this infectious energy. I have no doubt he would’ve led the Cougs to a
great season this year.”
Among
the 19 QBs, Falk notched the 17th-best vertical jump (26.5 inches) and broad
jump (103.0) in Indianapolis.
Cole Madison,
6-5, 308, offensive line
The
four-year starting tackle was one of 48 offensive linemen who went through the
combine gantlet over the weekend – and he was one of the steadiest.
Madison
didn’t post eye-popping numbers in a single category, per se, but finished in
the top half with his 40-yard dash (5.33 seconds), bench press (26 reps),
vertical jump (28.5 inches) and three-cone drill (7.86 seconds).
The
Burien, Washington, native will probably have to slide inside to guard – or
possibly center – therefore it was crucial that Madison gave them a good show
at the bench press station. His rep count tied for 16th among offensive linemen
and ranks in the top 25 of all combine participants.
Madison,
who entered his senior season at WSU weighing 315 pounds, was measured at 308
before the weekend showcase.
That
showed up in the agility drills and Madison drew praise from the NFL Network’s
Mike Mayock, who tabbed the WSU OL as “a vertical set guy that pops out of his
stance, and I think he’s going to be a starting guard.”
Tavares
Martin Jr., 6-1, 177, wide receiver
Martin
didn’t have a spot on the 2018 Washington State roster either way, but many
questioned the wideout’s decision to opt out of a fourth collegiate season,
rather than browse the transfer market and find a home in the FCS.
The
controversial dismissal of the Belle Glade, Florida, receiver – Martin claimed
he left the Cougars voluntarily, coach Mike Leach clarified he was “cut” –
already raises a number of red flags for NFL teams, and those interested in
Martin probably also know about the midseason suspension that kept him out of a
home game vs. Colorado.
And now
there’s another red flag: Martin’s foot speed.
The “X”
receiver was never known as a top-end sprinter, but his 4.80 40-yard dash is,
err, problematic. How does that time stack up with other combine receivers?
Among the 37 who completed the drill, it’s the slowest – and by a long shot.
Florida State’s Auden Tate clocked a 4.68, but no other WR finished slower than
4.7. Four quarterbacks clocked a quicker 40 and Martin Jr’s time is only a
shade better than the fastest offensive lineman, Brian O’Neill, who ran a 4.82.
A particular WSU defensive lineman at the same event came in with a better time
(see below).
Martin
didn’t exactly make up for it when he moved to the vertical jump platform. His
leap of 31.5 inches was 33rd among 38 wideouts, but Martin avoided total
disaster by performing adequately in the on-field portion of his Saturday
workout.
Hercules
Mata’afa, 6-1, 254, edge rusher
The
combine classifies Mata’afa not as a defensive lineman or linebacker, but as an
“edge” rusher – in other words, a tweener who may not be able to thrive
strictly in a DL or LB role, but some hybrid of the two.
That’s
why Mata’afa came into the combine – and will enter the NFL Draft – as one of
the most intriguing prospects.
Mata’afa
didn’t necessarily blow any minds Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, but he also
didn’t give any extra ammunition to those who think his conversion to the NFL
could be a tough one.
The
former WSU defensive tackle lifted the 225-pound barbell 26 times, matching
three other edge rushers for the morning’s third-best lift.
He
didn’t run a blazing 40, but Mata’fa perhaps exceeded expectations there, too,
turning in a middle-of-the-pack time (4.76 seconds). Nine players in Mata’afa’s
group ran the 40 faster and nine did it slower. Mata’afa also performed in the
vertical jump (31.5 inches), the broad jump (108 inches), the three-cone drill
(7.24 seconds) and the 20-yard shuttle (4.37 seconds). He finished near the
bottom in all four drills.
Mata’afa’s
position at the next level will continue to be a point of conversation as the
draft approaches, but NFL Network analyst and former pro running back Maurice
Jones-Drew offered a few thoughts.
“What I
would do is if he’d be in the rotation at defensive end, the second guy that
comes in, and then on sub downs put him inside and let him go to work,”
Jones-Drew said.
Offered
another analyst: “I think the biggest thing with everybody is really having an
understanding of, how many snaps can we get out of him to justify giving him a
jersey on Sundays?”
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Originally published March 7, 2018 at 5:33 pm Updated March
7, 2018 at 5:34 pm
By Stefanie Loh Seattle
Times
Luke Falk, Cole Madison and Hercules Mata’afa got to
showcase their talents at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
But for the rest of Washington State’s 15 NFL hopefuls,
Thursday’s Pro Day is their one chance to impress NFL teams and in hopes of
continuing their football careers at the next level.
Along with the three who were at the combine, WSU’s Pro Day
will feature defensive tackles Daniel Ekuale and Garrett McBroom, linebackers
Frankie Luvu and Dylan Hanser, defensive backs Kirkland Parker, Marcellus
Pippins and Robert Taylor, offensive lineman Cody O’Connell, running backs
Jamal Morrow and Gerard Wicks, receiver Robert Lewis and kicker Erik Powell.
Morrow, who broke a metatarsal bone his foot in the Holiday
Bowl will bench press at Pro Day, but will not do any of the running events,
his agent said, adding that the hope is to set up private workouts with
interested teams down the road when Morrow is fully healthy.
Falk will attend WSU Pro Day, but will not work out there,
having opted, instead to throw in front of scouts in his hometown of Logan,
Utah at Utah State’s Pro Day on March 28.
Madison and Mata’afa will do position drills on Thursday,
but will stand by their combine results on most of the combine tests, though,
Mata’afa’s agent, Kenny Zuckerman, said his client will re-run his short
shuttle and the three-cone drill at pro day.
For everyone else, Pro Day is the job interview they’ve
spent the last two months training for.
Hanser gained 18 pounds of muscle while working out in
Bozeman, Mont. under the direction of former Patriots and Buccaneers linebacker
Dane Fletcher, and now stands at 6-4, 250 pounds, he said.
“I put on quite a bit
of weight,” Hanser said. “That was my big thing going into it. I needed to put
on size because no one is going to take an outside linebacker who’s too skinny.
So we worked on that, and I’m running as fast as I’ve ever run before.”
Taylor, WSU’s starting free safety last year, trained in
Hawaii for two months and has devised very specific goals he’s hoping to hit at
Pro Day. He’s hoping to run a 40-yard dash that’s between 4.3 and 4.4, wants to
get between 15 to 18 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press, a 39-inch
vertical jump, and a 10-foot broad jump.
Above all, Taylor said, “I just want to show scouts that
when you turn on the film, I’ll run a real great 40, and in the (bench press) I
might surprise some people.”
The 5-foot-10 Taylor was listed at 186 pounds his senior
year, but he wants to convince scouts that his size is not a limiting factor.
“People might think I
don’t have the strength, so me being able to hit the numbers guys at the
Combine hit will help me,” Taylor said. “And on the vertical jump and broad
jump, I want to show these guys I can be explosive.”
Most of WSU’s draft hopefuls have spent the last few weeks
focusing on the combine drills, but Powell is the exception.
The Cougars’ placekicker signed with an agent, but stayed in
Pullman to train on his own instead of going off to a training facility
elsewhere.
Powell says it’s unlikely that he’ll do any of the combine
drills – though, he says he’s contemplated running the 40-yard dash because, as
a former soccer player, he’s known for his athleticism and thinks he would do
well.
However, his pro day workout will consist solely of kicking
and punting.
Per conversations with former WSU kicker Andrew Furney, who
signed with the New York Jets in 2014, Powell said he expects the NFL scouts
will start him off and a certain distance and have him kick increasingly far
field goals. Then he’ll probably do some kickoffs and punts.
He hopes to impress some NFL teams during pro day and get
invited to do a few private workouts.
“What drives me is
that there’s only 32 spots for a kicker (in the NFL) and I love kicking and would
love to do it for a job,” Powell said. “I think of all the senior kickers
coming out, I had the best season, so hopefully they see that and see the
growth over the years.”
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